Astro Blaster attract mode question?

SpookySpaceKook

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Hey. I just bought one of my grails. A really nice Sega/Gremlin Astro Blaster in the more common blue and woodgrain cabinet. I am not sure if the attract mode is working properly or not. When the game is powered on the voice says Fighter pilots needed in sector wars-play astro blaster, then it shows a couple sample waves followed by the title screen and then the screen turns blue and the game rules and high scores slowly scroll by star wars style. After the rules and scores go by the screen starts flashing red to blue rapidly and stays like that until you either start a game or power cycle the game. On a normal working game how long does the screen toggle rapidly from blue to red? It seems to get stuck at this point. Also how often does the attract mode voice come on? I hear it during power up and right after you finish a game when you put your initials in. Can anybody who has an Astro Blaster help me?
 
if this had a cooler cabinet and better graphics it would be an all-time classic. the gameplay is top notch, the voice samples are excellent, the variety of levels is great, and the strategy with keeping tabs on your fuel and temp gauge adds good difficulty.
 
Could you share your dip switch settings? I was trying to get my Blaster to speak during attract mode, but none of the on-line manuals I consulted really addressed how to do this. I'd love to get the game calling out in the basement for pilots!
 
Astro Blaster

Be careful replacing the RAM chip - I'd suggest you socket the replacement, and a really good desoldering tool. The Sega boards are thin, and don't tolerate soldering irons / desoldering well - you could lift pads or traces if you aren't careful.









___________________________________________
My games: Xenon Pinball, Williams Stargate, Gottlieb Reactor
 
astro blaster dip switch settings 3-25 version

here are the settings to enable the attract voice on Sega Gremlin Astro Blaster.
 

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After the rules and scores go by the screen starts flashing red to blue rapidly and stays like that until you either start a game or power cycle the game. On a normal working game how long does the screen toggle rapidly from blue to red? It seems to get stuck at this point.

Once both "HIGH SCORES" and "(c) 1981 SEGA" appear on the screen it quickly flashes to red, where it stays for about 3 seconds. Then it fades to black and the attract mode starts over.

Also how often does the attract mode voice come on? I hear it during power up and right after you finish a game when you put your initials in. Can anybody who has an Astro Blaster help me?

If you're talking about "Fighter pilots needed in sector wars. Play Astro Blaster," it seems to be kinda random. It does it every time at first power up but after that it's sporadic. If you heard it when entering your initials I'd say that's random or it was just a conincidence, as it usually doesn't do that. It said it once when I coined up, but it only happened that one time.

It talks quite a bit during game play. When the game begins it says, "Alert! Alert! Invader in sector one. Player to battle stations." If you fire too much and it goes into the red it says, "Laser temperature critical," and if it reaches the end of the gauge it says, "Laser overheated."

Other phrases include "fuel status marginal," "fuel added," "warp activated" (followed by a countdown from ten), and "standby for docking maneuver." Whenever you die it states how many ships you have remaining. When you have one left it adds, "Exercise extreme caution." When you lose your last ship it says, "Zero ships remaining. Play over" (not "game over").

I let the attract mode run in MAME for about 10 minutes. It said, "Fighter pilots needed in sector wars. Play Astro Blaster" at first power up at the beginning of the first attract mode loop. It went through a second loop without saying anything. Then I heard it again at the start of the third loop. But that pattern (one off, one on) did not repeat. I don't know if it is supposed to be every 'x' number of attract mode loops or it is on a timer or if it just truly random.
 
Astroblaster Option Switches, 3-25 Version in text form

Text version of the scans posted above:
Code:
Astroblaster Option Switches
3-25 Version


     The following charts define the game and coin/credit
options available on the AstroBlaster game.  These options
are controlled by 2 sets of switches (DIP) located in the
upper left hand corner of the G80 CPU card. Switch #1 is
positioned closest to the edge of the board; switch #2
is recessed.


ASTROBLASTER GAME OPTIONS -             Switch #1

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Game Option                         8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Upright - 5 ships* - No Adv Voice   O   O   O   O   X   X   X   X
Upright - 4 ships* - No Adv Voice   C   O   O   O   X   X   X   X
Upright - 3 ships* - No Adv Voice   O   C   O   O   X   X   X   X
Upright - 2 ships  - No Adv Voice   C   C   O   O   X   X   X   X

Cocktail- 5 ships* - No Adv Voice   O   O   C   O   X   X   X   X
Cocktail- 4 ships* - No Adv Voice   C   O   C   O   X   X   X   X
Cocktail- 3 ships* - No Adv Voice   O   C   C   O   X   X   X   X
Cocktail- 2 ships  - No Adv Voice   C   C   C   O   X   X   X   X

Upright - 5 ships* - Adv Voice      O   O   O   C   X   X   X   X
Upright - 4 ships* - Adv Voice      C   O   O   C   X   X   X   X
Upright - 3 ships* - Adv Voice      O   C   O   C   X   X   X   X
Upright - 2 ships  - Adv Voice      C   C   O   C   X   X   X   X

Cocktail- 5 ships* - Adv Voice      O   O   C   C   X   X   X   X
Cocktail- 4 ships* - Adv Voice      C   O   C   C   X   X   X   X
Cocktail- 3 ships* - Adv Voice      O   C   C   C   X   X   X   X
Cocktail- 2 ships  - Adv Voice      C   C   C   C   X   X   X   X

          X = Don't Care    O = Open     C = Closed


Note: * - If COIN/CREDIT OPTION is set to 1 coin/1 credit,
          any of these game option settings will allow only
          3 ships maximum.

-----------------------------------------------------------------



COIN/CREDIT OPTIONS -                   Switch #2

                                Coin Mech 'A'   Coin Mech 'B'
                                -------------   -------------
---------------------------------------------------------------
               Coin/Credit      8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1 
---------------------------------------------------------------

             4 coin/1 credit    C   C   C   C   C   C   C   C

             3 coin/1 credit    O   C   C   C   O   C   C   C

             2 coin/1 credit    C   O   C   C   C   O   C   C

             1 coin/1 credit    O   O   C   C   O   O   C   C

             1 coin/2 credit    C   C   O   C   C   C   O   C

             1 coin/3 credit    O   C   O   C   O   C   O   C

             1 coin/4 credit    C   O   O   C   C   O   O   C

             1 coin/5 credit    O   O   O   C   O   O   O   C

             1 coin/6 credit    C   C   C   O   C   C   C   O

             2 coin/1 credit    O   C   C   O   O   C   C   O
             4 coin/2 credit
             5 coin/3 credit

             2 coin/1 credit    C   O   C   O   C   O   C   O
             4 coin/3 credit

             1 coin/1 credit    O   O   C   O   O   O   C   O
             2 coin/2 credit
             3 coin/3 credit
             4 coin/4 credit
             5 coin/6 credit

             1 coin/1 credit    C   C   O   O   C   C   O   O
             2 coin/2 credit
             3 coin/3 credit
             4 coin/5 credit

             1 coin/1 credit    O   C   O   O   O   C   O   O
             2 coin/3 credit

             1 coin/2 credit    C   O   O   O   C   O   O   O
             2 coin/4 credit
             3 coin/6 credit
             4 coin/8 credit
             5 coin/11 credit

             1 coin/2 credit    O   O   O   O   O   O   O   O
             2 coin/4 credit
             3 coin/6 credit
             4 coin/9 credit
 
Has anyone else tried the astro blaster rom hacks from multigame.com on theirs yet? These roms slow down fuel consumption and speed up laser cooling,makes the game much more playable.
 
Has anyone else tried the astro blaster rom hacks from multigame.com on theirs yet? These roms slow down fuel consumption and speed up laser cooling,makes the game much more playable.

The Astro Blaster I used to own had a rom hack that gave you unlimited fuel and laser cooler. It made the game kinda lame so I reverted it back to the original and I liked it much better.
 
Random memory about this game...
In 1982 we went on a western trip a la National Lampoon's Vacation, and one fine day we ended up at a fly-infested burger joint in Mesquite, Nevada that had an Astro Blaster machine near one of the exits.
I remember my brother and I playing it, and I remember that the game had speech.
EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION is the one phrase I recall from that experience!
I think it was the first and only time I ever saw/played Astro Blaster in the wild.
The end.
 
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Used to play Astro Blaster at the 360 west shopping center laundromat. Nothing better than a stuffy hot place to play a video game. (y)
Also in the shopping center was Safeway with Polaris, then Moon Patrol, then Star Castle
Drugway had a Mr. Do, then Super Pac-Man. Sal's Pizza had Donkey Kong. 7-11 across the street usually had an old EM pinball, then a Jungle Hunt. Used to win money playing KISS against the manager of the '76 gas station. They also had a 1978 Star Trek that was hard as balls. Oh, and cant forget the cabaret Stargate accross the highway at Jim's Subs
A hard day's work I tell ya
 
The script you quoted (pilots, sector wars, play) is what I remember.

The rest of it has been explained. That was the only attract script I think that ran.
 
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