GUNDAM on my VEWLIX, plus any plug&play JVS friendly games?

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slugflyer
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GUNDAM on my VEWLIX, plus any plug&play JVS friendly games?

Post by slugflyer »

Hi there!

I have a Vewlix C and saw people playing Gundam Next on it. It looked pretty good!

I was wanting to try it out actually. I recently purchased a Tatsunoko vs Capcom board and it was plug and play with the existing JVS setup. Other than that, the only thing I ever play is my SF4AE Type X2 board on my cab.

I was wondering if someone could list anything that, based on my setup, would be as simple as plug and play as those two. I really don't like touching the insides of it all, i'm really into just playing with minimal fuss - which is quite different to a lot of people here, I understand that.

Would someone be able to suggest something similar where I could just plug and play with this USB (JVS Controls) setup? It's set with 6 buttons.

I'd love a list of compatible plug and play games - i've done some research - but here's where I got to:

I saw GUNDAM vs GUNDAM NEXT, and I was in love! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Su ... undam_Next :awe:

Would someone be able to assist with where would be the best place to buy everything I would need to get this up and running on my Vewlix C?

Also, i've seen that this system runs games on HDD's or DVD's and wondered if there was one that was better to have than the other? Is one more noisy than the other? What's puzzled me is that there's a board I frequently see with this motherboard ( http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SYSTEM-256-na ... Swj0NUi-p6) (is that a good buy?)

I also observed that the system this runs on is a NAMCO 256 . I believe this system was a PS2 level system, not a PS3 level graphics system. Is that accurate?

Thanks for your help!


What I need:

A shopping list to get this GUNDAM vs GUNDAM Next would be very helpful

or

Any suggestions for games that you recommend or systems that would be plug and play for my setup

or...

would you know if the latest games run on any other system than the NAMCO 256 that would be compatible?

:oops: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_G ... mes#Arcade has this list, but not systems:

Mobile Suit Gundam VS Series
Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation vs. Zeon
Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation vs. Zeon DX
Mobile Suit Z Gundam: A.E.U.G. vs. Titans
Mobile Suit Z Gundam: A.E.U.G. vs. Titans DX
Gundam Seed: Rengou vs. Z.A.F.T.
Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny: Rengou vs. Z.A.F.T. II
Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Zeta Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam Next -------> THE ONE I SAW
Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Full Boost
Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme VS Force

Love this place!

Thanks in advance!

:)

JUST LOOK AT THIS LOVELY GAME X_X http://www.gundam-vs.jp/next/
Here to represent new style VEWLIX arcade fans. Both of you.
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Brettster
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Re: GUNDAM on my VEWLIX, plus any plug&play JVS friendly games?

Post by Brettster »

Never seen one of these in the flesh but it looks like they are JVS compatible so should just plug in like the other two systems you have in your vewlix
The Jamma adapter in the eBay link wouldn't connect to your cab so. O need for that :)
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nismopunch
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Re: GUNDAM on my VEWLIX, plus any plug&play JVS friendly games?

Post by nismopunch »

I have Gundam Vs Gundam Next for Namco System 256, not familiar with the vewlix setup but if it's JVS USB I don't see why it wouldn't work unless it won't like your IO board. Currently using it with a Sega Naomi IO JAMMA to JVS converter and it works perfectly. That game is also only using four buttons and believe NEXT only came on HDD for the 256. Hope that helps a bit and hopefully someone can chime in about the vewlix JVS setup.
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slugflyer
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Re: GUNDAM on my VEWLIX, plus any plug&play JVS friendly games?

Post by slugflyer »

nismopunch wrote:I have Gundam Vs Gundam Next for Namco System 256, not familiar with the vewlix setup but if it's JVS USB I don't see why it wouldn't work unless it won't like your IO board. Currently using it with a Sega Naomi IO JAMMA to JVS converter and it works perfectly. That game is also only using four buttons and believe NEXT only came on HDD for the 256. Hope that helps a bit and hopefully someone can chime in about the vewlix JVS setup.

Thanks, that does help a lot actually. More info the better. Keep it coming ;)
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defor
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Re: GUNDAM on my VEWLIX, plus any plug&play JVS friendly games?

Post by defor »

Yay!
More Gundam versus fans!

First off, Vewlix is widescreen, this is going to stretch the image from GVGN (Next) and earlier, just a heads up.

The easy games to get going are going to be Next and before.
If you have a Vewlix with stock JVS I/O board and a JVS power supply, you're most of the way there!
For these games you will require NO additional JVS hardware, and the games fully support 31Khz video (VGA)

The first two games are:
Mobile Suit Gundam - Federation vs. Zeon (FvZ)
Mobile Suit Gundam - Federation vs. Zeon DX (FvZDX)

These will require a Sega Naomi or Naomi 2.
The Naomi 2 will give you no added benefit, other than a larger hole in your wallet.
FvZ is available on cartridge OR GD-ROM, but the expansion (less of a sequel) FvZDX is ONLY on GD-ROM, so you would need a GD-ROM drive and DIMM (or NetDimm and CF/Raspberry Pi loader) to play it.
If you end up wanting to do multiplayer, you cannot do it on the same cab, you will need TWO cabs, each with a Naomi, and a copy of the game.
You will also need to equip each of your Naomi or Naomi 2's with a communications board. This is installed between the Cartridge (or DIMM) and the system itself.
The Naomi boards will connect via Fiberoptic cables (Off the shelf TOSLINK cables) for networking.
Time-release unlocks for new mecha and stages are handled by a password system, and all passwords have been documented.

The next 4 games are:
Mobile Suit Gundam - Zeta Gundam (Zeta)
Mobile Suit Gundam - Zeta Gundam (ZetaDX)
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED - Federation vs. Z.A.F.T. (Seed)
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny - Federation vs. Z.A.F.T. II (Seed2)

These games are all DVD-ROM (and security dongle) based games designed for the Namco System 246, but thanks to the limited backwards compatibility mode of the Namco System 256, they are 100% compatible.
I'm going to completely SKIP any discussion about the 246 and it's 5+ hardware variations, and discuss what you'll need when we get to the next two games.
Interestingly, these games are the LAST of the "continuity" based Gundam vs. games (If you're a fan of the anime series.


The next two games are the beginning of the MODERN era of Gundam versus games.
I reference these as "modern" because the first six games were based on the premise of team battles in one SPECIFIC gundam franchise, with an emphasis on at least some bits of continuity with the storylines, and usually a large amount of voice acting. Each game was from a specific franchise (0079, Zeta, and SEED) and its sequel is best considered an expansion of sorts, usually with all the features of the previous game, but even MORE levels, mecha, etc.
At this point, the franchise reinvented itself, in part due to the polarizing effect that fandom of specific series affected the game's retail performance.
The new "continuity" all modern Gundam vs. games is based on, is that in the year 2030AD, all these SPECIFIC franchise based Gundam vs. games (including ones that don't exist and won't exist, as only 3 franchises were covered in the previous games) reached critical mass, and the Devil Gundam (of G-Gundam fame) acted as a computer virus to link all the virtual game worlds in some crossover crisis action.
Basically from this point on, all Gundam vs. releases are crossover type games, and should all be considered a stream of sequels.
(sorry for the long introduction.... back to the discussion)


The first two of this series are:
Mobile Suit Gundam - Gundam vs. Gundam (GvG)
Mobile Suit Gundam - Gundam vs. Gundam NEXT (GvGN)

These two games are BOTH Namco System 256 titles, but GvGN uses a hard drive instead of a DVD-ROM drive and disc.
This cuts down on load times, and drive burnout that was common in arcades. (Game upgrade kits for most all 246 and 256 titles included NEW DVD-ROM drives because the old one would be nearly worn out by the time the arcade operator switched out the games)
Now, the System 256 is a very simple to setup system, being entirely self-contained.
If you are interested in playing the earlier 246 games (and/or GvG, you'll want to make sure to pick up a model with a DVD-ROM drive. Even if the unit you get does not have a drive, ALMOST ANY ATAPI DVD-ROM drive will work, if the jumper is set to Master on the drive.
If you will be playing 246 games, there is a small jumper on the motherboard right inside the case, that switches between 246+ (compatibility) and 256 mode.
MOST 246 games will not run properly on a 256 when it's in 256 mode, but the Gundam vs. series is an exception, and the games will run sped up from normal if the jumper is in the wrong position- definitely not ideal.
To install the hard drive into the 256 for playing GvGN, you need to remove the outer 256 case, unscrew the DVD-ROM bracket, unplug the drive, and install the HDD in its place.
FYI, MOST copies of GvGN are sold WITHOUT the HDD mounting bracket that originally shipped with the game.
As a result, I often find that because I will want to switch games at times, I run my 256's WITHOUT the outer case, and I don't use mounting brackets for the DVD-ROM drive or HDD. While I can recommend this for home use, it's FAR from recommended for actual use in an arcade or at a meet up or similar.
If you want to network any of the 246 or 256 Gundam vs. games, you will ALSO need the Ethernet board "UE-PCB", commonly found pre-installed inside most 256's, or an equivalent adapter (the games are hard coded to only accept a small number of USB ethernet adapters).
The 246/256 ethernet ports should be wired either directly to each other using a CROSSOVER ethernet cable for 2-player support (not officially supported, but works fine), or to a 10/100 Ethernet HUB for 2,3, or 4 players.
A SWITCH will NOT work, as the games rely on local broadcast traffic and discovery that will not function on a switch,
Time-release unlocks are handled by a password system, and all passwords have been documented.


I can only briefly speak to the remaining games in the series.
After Gundam vs. Gundam NEXT, the new games are based on Playstation 3 based PCB's (357, 369).
These boards are NOT cheap, apparently have interchangeability issues, and obtaining the games is not that simple.
In addition, features common to other Japanese fighting games were added, "Live Monitors" and IC cards for individual ranking.
With this, it is very easy to end up with a Live monitor than a full version of the game if you're importing from Japan.
Live Monitors are UNPLAYABLE, and exist to show matches in progress, act as IC card vending, and serve as a router for the games' connections to the internet.
Time-release unlocks are handled via internet activation, which requires Arcade operator subscription for each unit via routing on the Live Monitor.
As a result of all these factors, and the fact that these new PCB's apparently may also have remote deactivation locks and other nastiness --
My recommendation for anyone looking to play Extreme Vs. or newer, is to simply buy the PS3 versions of the games, and a JVSPAC, and call it a day.



I hope this was some use- feel free to ask me any questions you may have- I have all versions of the game up to GvGN, 2 Naomis, and 4 256's that I play them on, as well as a large amount of other 246/256 hardware and games.

To answer your earlier question, that eBay bundle is a bit overpriced, but DOES come with the PROPER HDD mounts which is at least nice to have, but clearly not critical.

SHAMELESS PLUG:

Feel free to let me know if any or all of the 246 and 256 games are of interest:
Zeta, ZetaDX, SEED, SEED2, GvG, GvGN
and I can put together a bundle that should be a drop-in installation for your vewlix.
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Re: GUNDAM on my VEWLIX, plus any plug&play JVS friendly games?

Post by Sunhawk »

defor wrote: January 30th, 2016, 12:45 am
SHAMELESS PLUG:

Feel free to let me know if any or all of the 246 and 256 games are of interest:
Zeta, ZetaDX, SEED, SEED2, GvG, GvGN
and I can put together a bundle that should be a drop-in installation for your vewlix.
I'm interested in putting a setup together to play SEED2 online, any suggestions on where I should get started and all the components I need?
I have zero knowledge on arcade hardware.
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