LOOKING HOMEWARD

Video console hardware seems to have found a second home in new coin-op industry releases, while tournament gaming added to this hardware, has becomes the essential component for product success. Kevin Williams, a RePlay contributor who is quickly becoming one of the industry's most high-profile commentators, attempts to chart the anatomy of these new releases and their impact on renewed sales.

Most industries lavish praise and much publicity on the technology that powers their wares. Not the video amusement sector though, which established a secretive attitude about what is inside their cabinets, possibly as an initial line of defence against competitors. However in these changing times, the veil of secrecy is being lifted as hardware developers are increasingly leaning on their counterparts in the consumer video game industry.

After the graphics 'arms race' that once existed in the introduction of new coin-op video hardware platforms, now the need to be cost-effective and versatile for developers and operators has become predominate in achieving performance (near realist graphical representation). With consumer software now the most significant revenue source for most amusement manufacturers, coin-op is low on the list when it comes to allocating software resources

Gone are the custom-built technology platforms; in their place are extensive licensing agreements with the very industry responsible for the decline in amusement popularity - the console makers.

Partnering with the enemy

Since the MegaTech, STV-Saturn and NAOMI, Sega Amusement Machine Corp. has continued to leverage amusement applications from the expense involved in creating their console platforms. Most recently, the Dreamcast hardware was a fundamental component of the company's definitive architecture. The NAOMI (standing for 'New Arcade Operation Machine Idea') used the same Power-VR graphics hardware and considerable components from the consumer system. But as with all Sega hardware offered a dedicated upgrade path.

NAOMI ushered in a new way to present games to the player. The sleek NAOMI Universal Cabinet hoped to encourage an easy to 'swap-out' cabinet configuration. In order to be able to easily change games Sega released the GD-ROM, which offers a new look at the issues of installing a game from a drive-based system, combining protection from their Masked ROM technology. Many operators will remember bitterly the reliability issues with Midway's Killer Instincts (the first arcade game to use a hard drive). In the quick transfer of the game information from the GD-ROM into the NAOMI RAM, the game is installed and operational wear and tear is minimized on the drive.

This system was seen as a landmark platform, a hopeful standard that the rest of the industry would embrace. Licensing for the hardware was achieved with Taito, Capcom, Konami and even Namco. The support of NAOMI hoped to create dependence and maximise the development effort supporting the Dreamcast. But Sega's console aspirations fizzled out due to poor sales, only a year after the Dreamcast was launched. The machine was wound down, and the direct console route for arcade products was altered for the newly spun-out R&D studios of Sega, and other NAOMI licensors. Showing the familiar resilience and innovation that underlines the AM division of Sega, the original NAOMI was supercharged (doubling its performance) becoming the NAOMI 2, and inevitably the NAOMI 2 GD-ROM, as used on Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution.

During this process Sega turned to their next architecture, and decided rather than placing all their eggs in one basket, they would support a slew of systems. So Sega has experimented with the PS-2 - the very machine that killed the Dreamcast (through a relationship with Namco), and then sat down with the other hopeful console manufactures. So was born the highly secretive project to develop an arcade XBox derivative. The recently released CHIHIRO system launched with the eagerly anticipated The House of the Dead III continued the link between consumer application of amusement development. The games Xbox version was demonstrated at the same time with a near simultaneous Japanese release schedule.

Along with the NAOMI 2 GD-ROM and the CHIHIRO, Sega also revealed the development of Atomiswave by Sammy, using Dreamcast hardware, and more prominently has confirmed the development of arcade software for the Nintendo GameCube. It has been 10 years since Nintendo left the amusement sector, and some years since Nintendo attempted to support a derivative architecture based on their Nintendo 64 console (both with the UltraGrafX with Midway, and the Seta ALECK 64).

Underlining how important amusement credibility still is to Nintendo, the company has encouraged both Namco and Sega to develop amusement content for GameCube, linked to a experimental plan to be able to swap game data between the home and arcade systems - via the new consoles memory card. The TriForce hardware is the result of this development, benefiting from Sega AM experience; now sporting its own GD-ROM drive.

F-Zero AM and Star Fox AM will follow the appearance of Virtua Striker 2002, as the first TriForce game, seeing Nintendo's R&D working closely with Sega and Namco respectively. Being able to back a number of horses in the 3D hardware stakes is a new policy for Sega, able to dominate the next new wave, and maximize their efforts in the consumer sector by offering software for any of the hardware systems.

Not happy just to cover every console base, Sega has also started to build a totally custom designed NAOMI 3 architecture. This machine hopes to offer performance unachievable on a home system to try and keep some clear water between amusement attractions and console innovations. Interviewed recently Al Stone, CEO of Sega Enterprises of America stated: "Sega Amusement systems are among the most powerful and flexible systems on the market. The graphic quality and the flexibility it offers our 1000 R&D engineers are second to none."

Picking the Best Partner

Namco Ltd., having found it taxing to compete in the custom hardware 'arms race', has also worked to strengthen its alliances with the leading manufacture of console home systems.

They achieved initial success working with the Playstation (PS-X), leading to the System 12, System 11 and System 10 series of arcade platforms and establishing closer links with Sony. In fact, as a result of this relationship Sony would invite Namco to participate in the R&D stages of the 'Emotion Engine' (the vital core hardware for the Playstation 2). This advance knowledge led to the development of Namco's crucial System 246 architecture.

The popularity of the PS-2 supported by a strong rank of game developers, enabled Namco to borrow software tools, which would benefit their arcade aspirations. Though the hardware would prove temperamental to master, it is also versatile and can be applied in a growing library of titles, not just from Namco, but also licensed to other manufactures. Companies such as Taito, Capcom and Konami have licensed PS-2 architecture for coin-op, though how much of this involvement utilized Namco R&D resources is unknown.

In a shrinking sector, Sega and Namco have established mutually beneficial relationships for the development of arcade architecture, overthrowing the past need for such technical secrecy. We see this in several examples including Sega jointly working with Namco to develop Vampire Night, by their Wow Amusement studio on the System 246. Similarly Namco licensed Sega's NAOMI GD-ROM architecture to develop games such as Ninja Assault, and the more recent, Mazan: Demon Blade, launched at this year's AMOA Exhibition.

In a recent interview, Kevin Hayes, Namco of America's top executive has this to say about the current state of graphics technology in the amusement market: "As you know we did use Dreamcast hardware briefly and we are using TriForce in the near future. It is not viable any longer to use custom designed hardware for coin-op and I don't see that changing. Companies like Namco, that are heavily in the console market, will use console derived hardware."

For Konami, finding the relationship that would help provide applicable 3D consumer architecture and satisfy their amusement requirements proved a difficult and costly task. Initially the company funded the 3DO / Panasonic route, creating the Konami M2. The failure of this hardware put back Konami R&D several years. Like Namco, Konami reverted to Sony and their dependable PS-X hardware. The company would release games on their Konami GV, GQ and their bedrock Konami 573 platforms, derived from the Sony relationship. As with all R&D operations Konami's team has continued to experiment with cost-effective architecture for amusement adaptation. A Power PC system called the Cobra was released, followed by a US PC graphics card manufacture 3Dfx derived Hornet platform.

This PC based graphics card dependency continued with the current Konami Viper platform, but with the acquisition of 3Dfx by their largest rival, Konami has reverted back to Sony, supporting the PS-2 console architecture. Where Namco have developed the System 246, Konami licensed the PS-2 and built their own derivative, the resulting Konami Psyon architecture was officially launched with the recent Pro Evolution Soccer The Arcade (known in Japan as Winning Eleven Arcade Style).

The New Horizon

Sammy Corporation, working with Sega through a special relationship, has also been able to leverage an existing hardware console set towards the development of an out-of-home 3D architecture for video.

Originally working under the System-X name, Sega helped developed a variation of their Dreamcast console system. Unlike the work carried out to create Sega's own Dreamcast derived architecture (NAOMI,) the new system is a 'piggy-back' unit that directly connects to the cabinet by the JAMMA connector. The enlarged PCB configuration, seen as a much more flexible route for the universal platform, is being used most prominently by Sammy as part of their Atomiswave platform.

The universal 'swap-out' cartridge system takes on products such as Capcom's CPS 2, SNK Nego-Geo MVS and Taito G-Net architecture and may well attract operators looking to acquire a platform that would be supported by a plethora of new game titles, so avoiding the need to swap-out the whole cabinet, but just make a simple cartridge / marquee change. For SNK in the past, the ability to offer a wide variety of game genres in the 2D category, inter-changeably, provided a great benefit to operators who saw over hundreds of MVS's installed. Even after the collapse of the SNK operation, Korean developers are still able to turn a profit supporting the remnants of machines still in the field with games like

The King of Fighters 2002.

The ability to offer a wide and varied content stream is the key factor in establishing any new 'swap-out' system. Using the Dreamcast / System-X as the backbone to the Atomiswave, Sammy will call upon software developers familiar with the console hardware. Promoting the system as a 'New Entertainment World,' clearly illustrates Sammy's aspirations as successors to the 'New World' that was once offered by the SNK Neo-Geo MVS.

Obviously not all manufacturers can afford, or want, to license console architecture for their arcade platform. Companies such as GlobalVR and Tsunami, to name just two, have adopted the use conventional PC systems specially configured for amusement. Moreover, it is expected that parity, if not superior performance to the best available console system, will be offered by PC graphics architecture in a matter of months thus upping the ante even further

As has been seen with the NAOMI, the ability to link multiple boards together, physically joining two or more systems to boost a single performance, is an aspect that will continue as more developers use console based hardware. The need for better than home performance is still a factor in producing one version of the game that runs on the high-end architecture, as sets is apart from a consumer or home version.

Tournament Turnaround

While coin-op video may be increasingly borrowing from consumer when it comes to developing hardware, but this industry is leading the way when it comes to the issue of tournament promotion. The creation of player networks is a fundamental component of the future aspirations of the entire coin-op video sector, which hopes to continue building on the success of products like Incredible Technologies' Golden Tee tournament golf games.

So far, companies like Sega have focused on the creation of content that requires the player to utilise a storage medium, thus building in 'legs' to a game beyond 'time released characters' or updated versions at a later date. Games such as Derby Owner's Club, Club Kart, and more recently Initial D utilize magnetic card storage. The player is able to compete at a higher level as they accumulate more points and items, thus ensuring repetitive play.

This feature has been taken to the next level in Japan, with Sega's VF.NET, which offers a networked server option so the player can compile information, such as special 'skins' for his character to standout in the game; it also facilitates the creation of syndicates (player teams) to compete for prizes. Additionally, the system supports an I-Mode system for mobile phone connectivity.

However at this moment with the launch of Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution, there is no information on VF.NET for America.

Namco is using a more conventional high score ranking scheme in the U.S. market. As seen with Soul Calibur II, the player has to copy down the high score 'password' at the end of his game, and then supply this and relevant evidence to the Namco web page, in order to receive his recognition. However, it is expected that Namco (which has previously experimented with network technology) will move beyond high score ranking and create a dedicated server scoring system. Their new partner (Sega) may adopt the system as well, as part of their joint TriForce project in Japan. In the U.S. this fall, Namco displayed the video payout machine Play Pool Tournament, and promised tournament architecture to link amusement versions of the game.

Japan's Taito has taken the concept one step further with their Net Entry System (NESYS), offering players a chance to play against opponents in the same game but not necessarily in the same location. Along with a complicated ranking scheme linked to mobile phones, the player memory system is built to represent an actual car ignition key, to continue the link to the highly popular Battle Gear 3 releases, the first game to make use of the NESYS.

Likewise in Japan, Konami has released their latest plans for would-be tournament players. The e-Amusement scheme will see machines linked to a dedicated network server, which will compile scores and player details and relay them via I-Mode systems. The ability to pick-up a mobile phone and check score ranking represents an impressive hope for future playability, drawing players back to gaming as physical competition is still one of amusements biggest draws. In America, the development of Konami's Tournaments, via a membership 'PlayCard', and the physical calculation of scores and styles of players on their Dance Dance Revolution series of machines, seems woefully low-tech in comparison.

Incredible Technologies has established the most pervasive tournament network of all manufactures in America. High hopes by other factories never seemed to materialize, but the ITNet system has allowed over 20,000 Golden Tee Fores to be directly connected since it started three years ago, and a considerable amount has been paid out in prizes for tournament winnings. More importantly, the ITNet has promoted their VIP card scheme that engenders customers to play again and helps amass a vast database on players' preferences.

For GlobalVR's new entry EA Sports PGA Tour Golf, the company has created their own network system, under the 'Tournament Play' name. To be able to match the inroads by their competitor, the GlobalVR system will attempt to build on the adaptation of downloadable courses and unique player features for those that use the tournament capability.

HyperWare, maker of the Ultracade retro game system, also boasts a Worldwide Arcade Tournament Server (WAT) system, though it is difficult to find a facility that has applied the technology, it is however an example of how many feel that this technology is the 'special source' to revive the familiar offerings from manufactures, for the most part used in conjunction with a hardware system utilizing some amount of consumer technology as its driving force

(First published in the December 2002 issue of RePlay Magazine)

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