Freeplay - kills it

Bondavi

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It is my opinion that in order to closely emulate an actual 1980's arcade operation either at home or at a business - the games need to stay at coin operated play i.e. 25c/play or up. (or 50/75/$1, like for pinballs)

There is just something different about a full lineup of arcades in one's hobby collection and yet having to coin up. Today's model....leans having the entire arcade on freeplay.

Turning games on freeplay as a result, the nostalgic experience changes and some people are soured by it. It isn't the same 1982 experience even though you are playing the actual game. You relive the times where you scrounged your money and looked forward to playing the games until your pockets ran out.

Part of my arcade experience was being pocketless empty of quarters and staring at the games demo screens.....Tempest and Ms. Pac-Man at Sears in 1982 being one. It was almost worse not being able to play the games as playing them actually.

Back in the day when 25c had an actual value to kids all over, the games millions of quarters spent upon were a big part of the total experience.

So in spirit, I leave my games in full 25c mode, with a change machine handy. Visitors can pay (or take a loan from me, lol!)


CAX being the exception, of course.

Coin up!
 
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Tokens are one way to take the monetary value out of hobby arcade coin mech collections. I would as well run my games on token acceptors, run off a change machine that dispenses tokens ala Chuck n Cheese but thats an expense for later.

So quarters it is for now... just not going to freeplay mode.
 
I use tokens in my Pole Position, but Super Pac-Man and Dig Dug are both set for quarters. Both have an easily accessible "coin up" button.... but there IS something about putting a coin(or token) in and hearing it hit the bucket.

Yes, it IS part of the experience. However, I never "charge" anyone to play my games. I would like to set them all to tokens, and have enough to be able to feed them all.

If I have ANY regrets at all right now, it's spending those tokens down at Ocean City right after the place burned down(well, that and not getting those burned up cabinets before they were trashed). Of course, we were still teens back then, and didn't fully grasp "the future".

Oh well.
 
I felt the same way for a long while. But then I started trucking them to an annual 4th of July party. I didn't want to leave a bucket of quarters out. I didn't want to fire up a token changer. I just stuck them on freeplay. One year I just never turned them back to mechs when I got home.

I always include the mechs when I fix games, though. It has to be able to accept coins.

My kids learned about old arcade video games using quarters and we go to local arcades where they take quarters so I know they understand the specialness of freeplay and they know the feeling of a coin dropping into the coin slot.
 
That's why I made mine all run tokens... Then hacked a old Rowe change machine to spit tokens freeplay style. Like it matters nowadays but was awesome
 
Most of my games are on freeplay, mainly just because I use them for testing boards I repair, so it's just more convenient to do so. (And most Atari games have decent freeplay with attract.)

But I set my Sea Wolf up for tokens, and keep a full cup on top of the cab, because yeah, dropping a coin in is part of the experience. And I love coining that thing up. (And with SW it's especially appropriate, as the coin drop actually starts the gameplay, i.e., there is no start button, it starts playing as soon as the coin is dropped.)


I actually have a ton of tokens, and a bunch of spare token mechs, and was thinking of selling some 'kits', with two mechs and a cup of tokens, to make it easy to convert a single game. It's important to realize that it doesn't need to be all or nothing, and you can choose to only run individual games on coins. (As I had always wanted to get a Rowe and set it up to dispense tokens for all of my games, but realized it just wasn't going to be practical.) But having at least one game coinable is something I really enjoy.
 
while I agree with the opinion. Not having free play as option in my arcade would kill it.

My arcade is for my kids and their friends. They are both essentially teens now 12 and 15 and they frequently have lots of buddies over. I'm looking at 8 guys right now that my son is having a sleep over with.

IMO I needed to make the games as accessibly and easy to use as possible. I understand there's work arounds and I realize that the concept of quarters or tokens can be figured out by them. But the maintenance and support I have to do alone just to keep everything going as it is, I'm not interested in adding in coin-jams, cleaning out coin buckets, making sure mechs work, etc to the list.

Again I don't disagree with the sentiment, I actually feel you appreciate the game and try harder when there is a physical coin/token drop...but for me and my personal situation - it's free play all the way.
 
I use tokens, got about 3000 of them, my kids too have friends over to play. I like to see what games get all the tokens so then I can move games in and out. For the most part, laser discs get no play, 2 player vs style do the best. I just moved out my Dragons Lair and replaced with Joust.
 
I agree. I have a bucket of quarters and I designate about $5-$10 worth for the allotted time I think I might be down there playing. Every few months I retrieve the quarters, and put them into some sort of fund (repair item, house item, kids college, vacation, etc).

The biggest arcade killer is having free play but no discipline. That's how you get tired of your games, constantly winning. The excitement is to pop your pre-determined amount of coins/few continues, and having to be the best you can be, or you'll lose.
 
hmmmm ... very mixed feelings on this one (will TRY to not write a novel here)

long story short:

we had a bunch folks over last week ... hosting a birthday party. a few sets of parents to chaperone and a buncha teenagers playing the games set to FREEPLAY.

at the quick, 10,000 ft. view perspective - everyone had a blast and there was lots of laughing, shouting, trash talking (on games like MK2), etc. the SOCIAL aspect (I feel) was absolutely what it should/woulda been in a classic arcade. for me, the social part is my favorite part because that is what hits the nostalgia spot for me.

having the machines require quarters/tokens is a massive PIA to me, and is just one more thing to fix or mess with when people come over, and when people come over they just wanna play and have fun, not deal with jammed mechs, coin-up issues, etc

HOWEVER - I would agree that it is not part of the classic arcade experience (I NEVER saw games set to free play when I was a kid playing in the arcades). having everything on freeplay obviously removes a significant part of the overall experience.

my only aside to that though is if you're REALLY wanting people to have that true arcade experience, you should make them spend their own money (yeah, I know, super rude to do to your guests hahahaha).

the reason I say this is because when I was a kid and only had 2 or 3 quarters in my pocket, I was very choosey in regards to the games I played, and when I did play, I played as focused and driven as possible because I knew if I didn't play my best, I'd lose and the game would be over and I'd have no quarters to keep playing

part of my memories tied to arcade games as a kid is how seriously I took playing them, and that sense of urgency and dread that the game could end at any time (with no continues because no money!!)

any who ... my 2 cents ... everyone, just go with whatever works for you :)
 
For those of us who actually spent half our youth in arcades, for sure the actual dropping of a quarter into the slot, hearing it make a delightful electronic coin-up sound, and then splash into the bucket full of other kids' quarters, is a big part of the experience.

On the other hand, for anybody who grew up after the 90s and probably never set foot in a real arcade, if they're interested in these games at all they're only interested in getting to the game itself, and the tangential memory-stirring atmospheric stuff like coin drops has little to no effect on them. It's like having a physical dial labeled 2-13 to select the channel on your TV. Those of us who actually remember TVs like that might get excited to spin that thing through its clicks looking for a channel, but kids today would just find it quaint at best, annoying at worst.

So I guess my answer is it depends on who you're setting your games up for. For me and people my age, I have a bucket of quarters out and my games are coined up old school (plus I enjoy going through and emptying the games every once in a while, makes me feel like an operator). But if kids are coming over (or if I were trying to open my own arcade as a business) I would set to freeplay, because it's easier for me and every bit as enjoyable for them.
 
It is my opinion that in order to closely emulate an actual 1980's arcade operation either at home or at a business - the games need to stay at coin operated play i.e. 25c/play or up. (or 50/75/$1, like for pinballs)

There is just something different about a full lineup of arcades in one's hobby collection and yet having to coin up. Today's model....leans having the entire arcade on freeplay.

Turning games on freeplay as a result, the nostalgic experience changes and some people are soured by it. It isn't the same 1982 experience even though you are playing the actual game. You relive the times where you scrounged your money and looked forward to playing the games until your pockets ran out.

Part of my arcade experience was being pocketless empty of quarters and staring at the games demo screens.....Tempest and Ms. Pac-Man at Sears in 1982 being one. It was almost worse not being able to play the games as playing them actually.

Back in the day when 25c had an actual value to kids all over, the games millions of quarters spent upon were a big part of the total experience.

So in spirit, I leave my games in full 25c mode, with a change machine handy. Visitors can pay (or take a loan from me, lol!)


CAX being the exception, of course.

Coin up!

I would like you to try running an arcade on quarters (business with no gimmicks) and see how long that would last.

Maintaining the machines with constant coin issues and not SURVIVING as a business are important to understand. 25 cents is not the same value today as it was in 1983. It is like trying to argue that jukeboxes need to be on a nickel or something. A 25 cent arcade will not survive. I have games in a laundromat (22 of them) and kids constantly put alternate things in the coin mechs vs the free play arcades I have that DO make money.
 
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Personally I agree as a kid I had only a few quarters ever so every game mattered and I tried my hardest for each game even if I blew it early.in fact some of the best games happen when you bite it early. I still have freeplay for guests etc but I limit myself usually to some number of plays each day to repro that feeling and it works well.
 
My games are all on freeplay. I don't even bother messing with the mechs ... at all. While I do get the op's opinion... it's just another expense per game that 90% of the people out there won't appreciate.

I have 25 games... converting to either coin or token would be expensive... even though i bet 3/4 of them have mechs... just aren't setup.

Mechs are also the #1 "problem" area in coin-op game. Jams... bitchy mechs... etc... are all a pain in the ass.

Finally... I have no distribution avenue. Coin changers are expensive. A bucket of quarters invites loss and runs counter to the typical "save all your change" mentality that I've been used to for many years (it adds up... last cash out we were in the $800 range).
 
I do prefer putting a coin in the game to coin it up but there is a downside to using quarter and tokens. I have been to parties where the games are on token play where kids and adults tend to just keep jamming coins in the coin slot if it doesn't work. So they get a horrible coin jam that you have to correct so the game can be used again at the party. You have to be on the look out all the time for that stuff when you have a party. Makes your night more stressful that's for sure. There also is the problem where some of your tokens and quarters "walk" because people forget they are in their pockets or they just flat out take them. Might not be a problem with quarters but some tokens are hard to find. I have a bunch of Aladdin's castle tokens that I paid a lot for and getting the quantity I have replaced would be impossible.

That being said I still do prefer using a coin or token to coin up my game and would probably put up with all the BS. Well as soon as I figure out where to get coin mechs that work with Aladins castle tokens.
 
I have 44 games in the arcade. All on freeplay and love it that way. I have groups from 30 to 50 people come in the arcade. Quarters or tokens are not an option, that would make me crazy between walking money, to having to keep guests supplied, to having to empty out 44 games after or during each party.

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I had to put my brain back to 1980 to get the meaning of "Freeplay kills it". Back then it likely meant "Freeplay Sucks!" However, I guarantee my 1981 8yr old broke ass self wouldn't have been concerned with the damn coin up chime if it was free. :)

Today terminology it would likely mean "Freeplay Rocks!"

I see both sides and even my games that don't have free play, I just open coin door, like an operator, and coin it up.

Damn it ...being an Operator and having to fix games Kills It!. <<I use that in now a day terms or do I
 
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I have an Ardac change machine rigged for free dispense. The sound of it churning out tokens adds to the magic and I love the feel of dropping a token in the slot. I often use the tokens to challenge myself, see how far I can get on X number of tokens
 
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