Guitar Hero Arcade is just a computer running XP

blkdog7

New member

Donor 2011
Joined
Feb 10, 2008
Messages
12,197
Reaction score
90
Location
Massachusetts
WTF! Guitar Hero Arcade is just a computer running XP??!?

I was playing Guitar Hero Arcade last night at our hotel and the game started acting crazy (the leaderboard was superimposed over the gameplay, the leaderboard wouldn't go away. You couldn't see anything). I grabbed the attendant and asked if she could restart it. She did.

Well, she restarted it and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was just like my Ms. Pac MAME cabinet. First I saw a DELL boot screen and then I saw the XP logo. It blew my mind. When it got to the game after Windows loaded I saw all these USB self test screens as it attempted to connect to the guitars.

Anyways, should I not be surprised by this?

gh1.jpg


gh2.jpg
 
Last edited:
A lot of the newer stuff is just a PC. Makes sense if you think about it, why spend time and money developing a piece of hardware to run a game, when you can just build a PC that is powerful enough to handle it.
 
I was playing Guitar Hero Arcade last night at our hotel and the game started acting crazy (the leaderboard was superimposed over the gameplay, the leaderboard wouldn't go away. You couldn't see anything). I grabbed the attendant and asked if she could restart it. She did.

Well, she restarted it and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was just like my Ms. Pac MAME cabinet. First I saw a DELL boot screen and then I saw the XP logo. It blew my mind. When it got to the game after Windows loaded I saw all these USB self test screens as it attempted to connect to the guitars.

Anyways, should I not be surprised by this?

The fact of the matter is that its easier for game designers to create games on Windows based machines. The hardware base is all over the planet, the tools are there in EVERY language and a lot of people can trouble shoot their way around Windows. There is an endless amount of benefits. Now Raw Thrills, the manufacture of Guitar Hero, doesn't allow access to the OS environment but other manufactures like GlobalVR do. I personally like having access since it give me the ability to replace a video card on the fly. In the Raw Thrills games your stuck with the hardware that they say you can use (think Macintosh).

BTW, you might want to mention to the operator of that game that he needs to update his machine or turn off the attract mode sound. Theres a bug in the version that he has that leaves the high scores on the screen overlayed on top of everything else. Also, depending on how old his software is he could be missing songs and not have left handed play. Current software is 1.05. This is all assuming that the operator has a sticker on the machine.

Was it getting any play? I'm not sure how they do in bars but they kick ass in our movie theatres.

Matt
 
I've seen that same XP boot screen on numerous racing games, etc. at our local FunWorks Family Fun Center. It's common.





.
 
Pretty sure any new game is just computer based. It just makes sense. Plus does it take away from game play at all? I don't think so since they were designed on this format.
 
Guess I am just naive. The Dell and XP logos just ruined the illusion for me. :)
 
I didnt know games used computers that ran windows lol but im sure you know around nfl blitz is when a lot of games started using hard drives and such.
 
At CEC, our Deal or No Deal runs on Linux, Vortek V3 runs on XP, Tsunami Motion Multigame runs on Windows 2000, Jr. Jockey runs on Windows 98, and Sketchbook and Chatty Chuck E. runs on Red Hat.
 
Well, it's no suprise that it's computer based, but the manfacturer could have atleast done things alittle more professionaly, and changed the Boot Screen and Logon UI to something simple like 'Loading Guitar Hero' with some type of splash screen. It's pretty simple to do.
 
You shouldn't be surprised unless you're a complete newbie. Game makers have been using PC's frequently since around 2000 or so. The Fast and Furious series, Wasteland driver, and Hydro Thunder come to mind. I've seen a lot of other games with Windows screens at bootup or error at some point.

Wade
 
dont forget even in the mid to late 90's there were machines that ran on computers
my solitiare challenge is dos based running on a 40 mhz intel 386 cpu displayed on a 13 inch vga monitor (at 640x480) it even has a mouse encoder board hooked up to the track ball
 
Yeah, my Nicktoons Racing is simply a PC in there interfaced to the controls. It too runs Windows XP and is connected to a VGA monitor.
 
Now that the game is 'relatively' old, the software is now available or emulated maybe ?

I know that this has been done for some of the Taito Type X / Type X2 games, but that's literally about as much as I know. It's just not an aspect of emulation I have a lot of interest in.

Having said that, Taito Type X Loader might be a useful starting point for you.
 
Well, it's no suprise that it's computer based, but the manfacturer could have atleast done things alittle more professionaly, and changed the Boot Screen and Logon UI to something simple like 'Loading Guitar Hero' with some type of splash screen. It's pretty simple to do.

There is no benefit to hiding the operating system at boot time, nor is it unprofessional not to do so. The people who drop the coins generally never get to see this stuff boot up anyway.

The unprofessional logic can actually be extended to cover all PCs installed everywhere.
 
I know that this has been done for some of the Taito Type X / Type X2 games, but that's literally about as much as I know. It's just not an aspect of emulation I have a lot of interest in.

Having said that, Taito Type X Loader might be a useful starting point for you.

Yeps, I know Taito Type X / X2 system, and I presume it's similar stuff inside a Guitar Hero... but I really would like to know what is the exact system used by Raw Thrills in that cabinet.
Well, it's even may not a 'system' because it even may not using any custom hardware? It's maybe a 'regular' computer with retail components in there?
Any owner of that beast could answer?
 
It seems tacky and ruins the mysterious facade that arcade machines have for players. True, almost all games today are produced via PC. Nothing wrong with that. It's one of the best ways to do it now.

However, players think less of the game when it gives the appearance that they could just play it at home on their own PC. It's just pretty lame. Having the screen display black for a long period of time would be more acceptable.

Think of it as Disneyland. Once you realize the mouse is some Joe/Jane under the costume. Doesn't it ruin the experience for kiddos? It's all about the experience, having everything fit into that "world" the designers have created. Seeing a human face under the toon, shatters the illusion.... whatever --not the best example. I just hope some folks understand the game design theory I'm talking about. :D
 
I'm impressed that we picked right back up on this conversation...seven years later.
 
Back
Top Bottom