Jolt Country

Here are my early impressions:

- Attempting to get to the circuit board in order to change the DIP switches is this huge deal. The circuit boards are housed in, frankly, a structure that was sturdier than the first house I lived in (rented) in Colorado.

- The goal of "getting to Earth" is a nice one to compliment high scores. Of course, Gyruss by default does not save high scores. (I bought a kit.)

- It really is a cross between Galaga and Tempest. The enemy ships fly in nice little patterns, and everything then comes at you from the middle.

- Best sound on any game I own. (Sorry, Spy Hunter and Tennessee.)

Ice Cream Jonsey wrote:Best sound on any game I own. (Sorry, Spy Hunter and Tennessee.)

Best use of J.S. Bach in a video game EVAR.

Bruce

Question for the people on here with infinitely more hardware experience than I. Like Vark, Straw, CO, Bruce, Protagonist X, Blue and the Salt at the Bottom of a Bag of Pretzels:

Have you ever used a solder sucker? I need to use one to install the Gyruss high score save mod. Is it difficult? The chip I need to replace isn't seated, just soldered to the PCB. I ordered a solder sucker to help get rid of it. Is there any magic to it? I will then put in a little socket, solder that to the board, and then pop the chip onto the socket.

But I don't know what kind of pain in the ass the "solder sucker" will prove to be. Please regale me with horror stories or charming victories.

Also, I would like to know if anyone thinks I am crazy for adding Gyruss. Or if anyone has a negative opinion of the game in any form.

I would also like to know if Ben uses the "fast shoot" setting on Galaga, which is unrelated to Gyruss, but I do want to know this.

1. Adding Gyruss to what?

2. What "fast shoot" setting?

Ice Cream Jonsey wrote:Have you ever used a solder sucker? I need to use one to install the Gyruss high score save mod. Is it difficult?

Almost every day. No.

The chip I need to replace isn't seated, just soldered to the PCB. I ordered a solder sucker to help get rid of it. Is there any magic to it? I will then put in a little socket, solder that to the board, and then pop the chip onto the socket.

Alrighty, I assume you got the type of SUCKER where there's a spring loaded lever and a little NIPPLE at the end? the little plastic NIPPLE is what will SUCK all the HOT SAUCY solder away from the leads.
Do the leads of the chip go through to the other side of the board? If so, start from the back and heat one leg at a time until it's melted all the way through to the top. You might need a thicker tip, higher temps, wick, or to simply find the right angle to have as much of the iron touching the lead as possible.
Push the SUCKER handle in till it clicks, then put the NIPPLE over the top of the lead. Don't worry about melting it; they're designed to handle the heat. Remove soldering iron and quickly push down towards the board while pushing the button on the SUCKER. Now it SUCKS.
If you did it right/ are lucky the lead should be loose in the pad. Don't force it up if it's not; if they break, the legs can be a bitch to get out. you might need to clean up the holes once it's out, or reapply heat to pop the legs out.

Only other thing I'd keep in mind is the SUCKER can fill up fairly quickly. If it fails to SUCK effectively, you might need to pop the NIPPLE off and discard all the old solder.

pinback wrote:1. Adding Gyruss to what?

Sorry. My basement.

For instance, your take on Xenophobe was basically, "Don't get it. You'll play it for two hours and then it will just be this thing to carry around." And you were kind of right. Xenophobe, when quarters aren't there to provide urgency, is kind of a bad game.

You have a valued opinion.

2. What "fast shoot" setting?

OK, so Vx and I were out playing Galaga on Saturday. I thought the bullets were flying fast... faster than I had ever known! Actually, they were faster than the emulated version I play, which is just named "galaga" from MAME.

I did some research and apparently there is a "fast shoot" setting for Galaga. Much in the same where there is a speed-up chip for the Pac-Man games.

I was curious as to whether or not you used it when you played Galaga. I now presume not, seeing how you have never heard of it. This mean you are good at the game without the benefit of being able to shoot 1,000 times a level.

Jack Straw wrote: Alrighty, I assume you got the type of SUCKER where there's a spring loaded lever and a little NIPPLE at the end? the little plastic NIPPLE is what will SUCK all the HOT SAUCY solder away from the leads.

It suddenly got very hot in here!

I will reply when I get the sucker tomorrow. Thanks for the advice about starting from the back. Jesus, I would have done it all wrong. I just get nervous because if I fuck it up I pretty much have to go onto eBay to buy a new PCB, and that is an enormous pain in the ass. But I can't stand games that don't save the high scores. (Like Xenophobe.)

Ice Cream Jonsey wrote:

pinback wrote:1. Adding Gyruss to what?

Sorry. My basement.

Oh. Well, on the one hand, it IS a classic, if only for the music and the fact I played it a moderate amount when it was first out. On the other hand, yes, you are crazy, and that was a terrible mistake because, much like Xenophobe, you will play it for a week, get as far as you can, and then never play it again.

I was curious as to whether or not you used it when you played Galaga.

No.

This mean you are good at the game without the benefit of being able to shoot 1,000 times a level.

Yes.

Hey Straw, how much can I pay you to replace the dvd drive in my Xbox and while you're at it see if the motherboard which I purchased from you would work in my stock xbox?

pinback wrote:Oh. Well, on the one hand, it IS a classic, if only for the music and the fact I played it a moderate amount when it was first out. On the other hand, yes, you are crazy, and that was a terrible mistake because, much like Xenophobe, you will play it for a week, get as far as you can, and then never play it again.

Gyruss didn't cost me any money. Is it STILL a mistake? I must know! I don't think it's a mistake, but you were right about Xeno, so I am hesitant to disagree with you on subjects.

No, if it's free, then it is excellent. You should collect all of the free games you can for your arcade.

You're a mensch. I am actually doing the website here in exchange for the game. So it's just my time that is being purchased. I hope everyone thinks the client is getting his money's worth.

This is what a lot of the e-mails Ben and I exchange are like. I desperately try to coax some sanity out of him and he allows to be coaxed only when he is convinced that I am not bonkers. We all know the day I lose my mind is coming. I doubt I will go, for instance, because I got shot in the head in the army or something. No, I'll scurry down the long slip-n-slide of dementia, not quite noticeable at first, but then overwhelmingly so. Well, so far, phew, anyway.

Update! After spending about four hours yesterday, I got all the holes clear except for 3. So 21/24. Gyruss of course does not work because the new NVRAM isn't in. I am going to get a "soldering wick" for the last three holes.

I discovered that going to sleep with a non-working game is horribly depressing. I had actual nightmares last night: whee! I am really worried that I scratched a trace in doing this.

you can try just loading it up with fresh hot melty solder and sucking that shit right back up again.

flux helps.

remember the time I dropped my four track recorder and cracked a very important piece of circuit board and had to make about fifty teensy jump wires in order to make it go? Anything is possible.

THE
LOTS OF EXTRA WORK
AARDVARK

Late to the party, but wicks and the solder sucker are both easy to use.

Bruce

Update!

There is a guy in Massachusetts who is going to see if he can salvage the board for me. I actually had a nightmare for the first time in my life on Sunday, when I went to bed with the game not working. I killed it! And it was all MY FAULT!

I got the game back from the very nice guy who did in fact fix it. I broke several traces.

I.. I would pay someone to work on a board in the future, for me. Unless it was easy, like Spy Hunter. (One thing to solder on, with literally two globs of solder.)

The guy, Rob Carroll, is awesome and he did not charge me anything for it. What a mensch! He played it for a little bit and put a high score of 186,000 on the game. The highest I've ever gone is around 74,000. It is currently the only game at my place that has a high score by someone other than me.

Here is the current high score status:

Crystal Castles: Will never be broken by anyone likely to be in my house.

Ms. Pac-Man: Was broken by Jason Scott in about a half hour. I did break his high score a few days later and meant to post about it in this whole, "Here's what it's like when the Get Lamp Guy comes and interviews you" article I was planning on writing for either here or Trotting Krips, but I did not get that done. Which is too bad, because Pinner had many hilarious comments on what I told him, which need to get out. Anyway, my Ms. Pac score can be broken by anyone good at the game at any time.

Pac-Man: I don't have a very high score here. It could be obliterated by the right person.

Pac-Man Plus: What happens is, Dayna sets a new high score and I break it within ten minutes of her doing so. But not by a lot. I think she has wised up to this and therefore decided not to play it any longer.

Pengo: I have only made it to the third board, but this was enough to fend off my friend Fodge who was by a few weekends ago.

Super Pac-Man: I don't remember if the 96-in-1 saves the high score for this.

Space Invaders: Doesn't save the high score.

Xenophobe: Doesn't save the high score.

Spy Hunter: I had 76,000 and then moved the game and the battery I put in came out. Whoops! I'm only back to around 50,000. A score which a guy with no legs could easily pass.

Tempest: I think I'm around 150,000 and it took me, literally, an hour of playing to get that far. I also had my left arm completely lock up. I think this is pretty safe for the time being.

Gyruss: I'm horrible, but I think I can break 186,000.

So there you go. Come visit and set a high score.

Occupying the 5th slot (done so in his first game on the thing!) is One of the Bruces! And it's times like this that I am glad the high score mod is installed:



I think that Adam and Jason Scott are the two people who have high scores on my machines that do not live there.