Despite the title, it's actually the dedicated Tekken 5 (No idea what the official Namco Assembly is called), which had later a conversion kit for Soul Calibur 3 (I read that it could also be purchased up front from factory as such) but nothing to go back to an OLD game like Soul Calibur 2!
Wired for JAMMA, it's very similar in looks to the Sega Naomi Universal Cabinet and Sega New Net City. Height adjustable, wide panel for two players. Height is either sitting or standing position.
Here is the cab as it was originally loaded,
And a standing shot (blurred due to being in someone's house),
And a view where it currently sits, of all the base internals,
The two things right away, is we will require a monitor for it. The Namco System 246 shown, is not coming with it.
Here are some details for the CP since we got that in this weekend:
The panel has knockouts to make it 6 button but since this is straight up the Soul Calibur 2 machine, we're not going to knock those out. Plenty of other stuff exists already for 6 and 8 button titles.
Serenative getting an order going for controls here . . 3D players going to be eating good he says ! Nooo doubt !
Sounds like we may have someone in the area where the rest of the cab currently sits and can bring it down. We have the card reader and monitor bezel. Natively uses a flat tube. Looking at the bezel here, Wess and I noticed something interesting.. Nice fit huh..?
Yeah, the usual. Can't know anything without hard data, like having the cab here and pulling that tube to investigate in person but this is not a bad starting point!
Modify for RGB depending on which chassis we have here, and if not suitable, these pop up for free all the time in various models of this size.
Yes, dedicated Soul Calibur 2 but also just good 3D 4 Button dedicated cab. A lot we can do here, so.. Let's see where this thing goes!
Edit: Due to such a busy week , this had posted late !
Here we are ! The Friday before the big Friendsgiving Kids in the Hall weekend !
Space :
We're switched over to the current seasonal decoration ! Something we have wanted to do for a while and find to be very important , especially for those far from home , and those who did not get this sort of thing . This is something that will exist and have seasonal changes additionally at the out of house location !
Please enjoy !
Hardware :
The DDR has arrived but currently INOP ! Build thread HERE. Till then, please enjoy our current ITG setup !
We're not able to haul the Tekken 5 dedicated US cab, soon to be our dedicated Soul Calibur 2 machine, however we are receiving some of the parts. This build thread can be viewed HERE .
Stream :
The broadcast computer has been upgraded ! We have a much higher quality output , support for more devices and no more dropouts ! The new system is housed in a rack case , as our future rig will be housed in a moveable case for when we eventually move into doing traveled events . As with all other things , anything purchased is future proof in that it's purchased with future intent in mind .
For example , the moment our headsets die , we're stepping into non "PC Audio" which means a rackmount audio interface and professional headsets .
That case has not yet arrived so we've just plated it cab style.
Once again , another weekly update ! And we have some great things to share !
Last Saturday was our 2 Year Anniversary ! Absolute great weekend , new and faces of old !
RIP 13.5 weekend is this Saturday ! We had planned on the RIP 13.5 after party as well as celebrating two B-Days , but due to some illness in the house , we have to cancel this Saturday . .
Website :
We had added a Code of Conduct to the website, docked under the community tab. The reason for this Code of Conduct is to ensure that all players feel safe, and understand we have your best interest at heart. If in the event a bad actor were to cause issue, we have your back too.
We have also added a Media Disclaimer which covers Live Streaming, Photography, Videography, and Audio Recording.
Hardware :
We are now . . Streaming MBON ! !
With a bonus inclusion of . . A Live Monitor ! !
Here is the initial batch of hardware making this possible,
Which had to be expanded ! With required both EDID capture and more power as the PS4 ports do not provide enough for what we're doing , to which a box of new equipment had come and resolved all the issues we ran into with this !
DDR body will be picked up after RIP 13.5 Weekend . Pads can be shipped in early December .
Head To Head "Slowdown" that has been experienced after a variable number of matches has been resolved. The slowdown no longer occurs.
Space :
ITG is now fully running - NO BAR YET ! But now running the 1000hz polling model of the L-TEK pad !
For example , here was our all cams view for idle mode last week :
And that same scene now :
Things looking much better from last week !
All scenes now uniform and restructured .
Made some additional minor audio adjustments .
Hardware :
Donated by BranFlakes ! We've now got an ITG computer ! Currently using the Red Octane soft pads , but upgrading this Saturday ! All the dust removed , and wiring tucked away , the graphics card has been secured as has the cabling so longer will the video have issues due to vibration .
We have purchased an antenna for the Wifi card which now allows us to reach the wireless public network if required .
We've also received two XBOX 360s one from Warprattler and the other from BranFlakes ! Both needing some service in varying degrees , but nothing terrible .
Another major donation is that of an L-Tek Dance Pad will be received this Saturday ! Not yet pictured ! Thank you Clint-Sama !
Space :
MBON setup has been updated ! All wiring has been re-done for ease of swapping when dropping in different consoles . A black bed sheet has been added and has improved the view of things from both seated and passing by .
We now have an ITG setup , added subwoofer ! Picture quality is fantastic and received high praise in playability !
In the future this will be updated to an LCD . When our DDR Extreme is live , we will be making many updates to our dedicated ITG setup . As mentioned above , the donation from Clint-Sama of the L-Tek Dance Pad , will be part of this setup ! A second pad and bars is something that will be looked into , in the future !
Future Location :
The ramp project is not yet complete but progressing . We're still in line to discuss our future in Room 28 . No updates at this time !
As it's been talked about over the past couple of months, we're receiving an incredible donation from DDR Illini alum of a DDR Extreme cab!
The cab does not come with pads however, which makes sense as typically people get these, junk the cabs and only want the pads. This makes things difficult when sourcing these dance pads. Mostly due to cost! This can be an extreme hit. That said, in the Araiguma fashion of "Tech-Centric Mod Driven", we take the broken and make it work again!
Pads were sourced by ( Insert Name Here once they are cool with it ) who was very kind in helping us out with this. That said, these are going to be quite a project!
Here they are as they currently sit:
These two specifically on the left,
And a better idea of how much of a project these will be!
The price again, even for this condition, bless up to the individual who would be letting these go the way they are. Quite a few folks from here, regulars from DDRIllini and just folks from DDRIllini have offered to help in the restoration of the pads, super exciting!
We're going to be picking up the cab between the 18th and 22nd, but most likely the 21st or 22nd which would fall between RIP 13.5 and the holidays. Once we get closer to this date, possibly also today, going to start reaching out to see what peoples schedules are for getting a large group of us together to grab this thing.
The cab body is reported weighing 456lbs. The title unit is 61lbs. We'll be loading into either a pickup truck or box van, whichever we can determine to be the best way to do this.
Since we're talking restoration, we can just make this all things for the entire project, it's future, etc. The plan is to have this machine nearby Room 28, in a public space where it can be used by anyone passing through the building during our off-hours. The thought of some kids randomly stumbling across DDR and it becoming thing for them is goals tbh. We also plan on sponsoring future Rumble in the Prairie events by loaning our pads out for the event weekends.
That would be our only expected downtime for DDR in the building (talking about future building).
So once we get the cab, we can start posting up some pics, condition, what all we got and need. Then in December, we're hoping to get the pads down, they are about 6 hours away, in one direction. ARP had mentioned crowd funding the trip to get them ourselves, we're also looking at shipping, or hiring one of the Araiguma bois up north to bring em down and stay the weekend with us, bringing the pads in the process.
So this is the start of documenting the addition of DDR to Araiguma Battle!
Audio balance adjustments have been made after long review of the previous weekends VOD. Other updates to the overlay have been made to smoothen out the viewability !
Hardware :
The broadcast computer had a USB 2.0 card fail , this has been replaced . Mahjong cam however continues to be INOP and will be addressed in the near future . It's a possible device ID conflict .
Website :
Many pages have been updated , about section better updated and several other clean ups have been made . This is especially important as we get closer to moving to an out of house location !
Future Additions :
Many donations are being made this weekend and can be spoken about in further announcements throughout the week on our Patreon but will also be detailed in updates since these will all add to greater playable additions to the arcade !
One most notable is the donation of a DDR Extreme machine . This is missing pads and that project will be detailed on the forum here: Build Logs
Future Location :
We're just around the corner from the completion of the ADA compliant ramp to the lower level of the Independent Media Center ! Some recent updates of our space and more information about us have been forwarded to those interested in learning more at the building and how our residency would fit in .
Again , once the ramp is completed , Room 28 will begin to be visited and on the table again . It has been checked , there is still a great deal of interest in having us back in the building , this time as a full-time tenant .
First , let us recap from feedback from last week's update where we had updated the Head to Head to support 30th Anniversary Collection .
The feedback was overwhelmingly positive .
All feedback was recorded , compliments , criticism , and things will be addressed in the followings priority , for those issues that were found to be legitimate issues .
There were two reports of slowdown. One said it was perfectly fine , when the other player said it was acting laggy . The second report was confirmed by two players at the same time . An issue has already been identified and resolved and related to a GPU driver conflict .
1P / 2P Side Swapping was also an issue inherent to the nature of 30th . When the 1P side unplugs , the machine will reassign that position to the 2P side . Thus , switching player sides . A solution is being investigated . This has not yet been resolved , and a hardware solution is being tested at this time .
Hardware :
The Head to Head USB Disconnects are now Active USB Disconnects to replace the previously Passive USB Disconnects to ensure absolute power and control adaptability .
The Head to Head now has 1P side and 1P side Player Cameras thanks to a donation from Wess ! ! This was a huge donation ! Thank you ! The Head to Head is also no longer set to MONO AUDIO .
The Head to Head now has stereo sound with the addition of 1P and 2P side stereo speakers !
3rd Strike's low audio issue has also been resolved !
Fans have also been added , one each for P1 side and P2 side , these are also much quieter and are not picked up by the Head to Head Room Mic .
Due to compatibility issues with controllers, we have upgraded the PS246 Brook Super Converters to the latest Brook PS2 Wingman . Each System PS246 now accommodates two players each . This includes the same controller support on all the Cabs , the Main Stage and Head to Head .
These systems are now iLINK compatible with up to 6 devices with the inclusion of an IEEE 1394 Hub !
An EDID recorder has been added to the Head to Head . This is a planned roll out for all machines , however the Head to Head has taken priority as it suffers far more from broadcast switching than other setups . To explain , when changing between the Main Stage and Head to Head for example , you press a button to switch between the two . This is equal to plugging and unplugging an output from one of the video cards , into the capture card at the Broadcast computer.
This device keeps that output alive , so that the GPU does not know the display has been removed . It remains in a state as if nothing has changed . Without , there is slight staggering , sometimes a quick flash of the screen , and most troubling as tested with some titles , causes audio sync issues .
These devices solve those problems . Switching between setups to capture video , will become completely seamless .
This is also an affordable option to an otherwise normally very expensive option , as much older EOL models have been tested and confirmed to be working .
PS4 controllers and other HIDs with a built in audio interface , will no longer hijack audio on the Head to Head . This was achieved by plugging in a PS4 controller , going into ' Advanced Audio Settings ' and disabling the " USB Headset Audio " device . This has been tested with 5 PS4 controllers , audio is no longer being hijacked .
Space :
An additional CRT has been added . An oscillating fan has been added to the Downstairs Hall .
Broadcast Updates :
USB Hub Controllers on a PCI-E USB Card are failing or have failed completely . This device has been replaced. This resolved issues with flickering in cameras. With this new card , there are twice as many controllers , allowing us the use of more devices . This allows for more complex streams .
Broadcast has changed from 30FPS to 60FPS . This was an under looked option .
Capture was 720p on Main Stage , now 1080p .
Audio Balance and Quality Improvements have been made.
The overlay has been updated for the Head to Head . See before and after below ,
Before:
After:
Along with this correction of the aspect ratio for the output on the broadcast, the cameras which are 16:9 are now actually showing 16:9 ! ! Take note from the image above !
Also to show from the addition of P1 and P2 side Cameras on the Head to Head , here is the Broadcast view with even further corrected resolution for the cameras ,
The Master Control Display in The Cage has been upgraded to a larger size and updated layout to accommodate everything related to the Broadcast and it's control. Future updates will include a key-list and keypad for changing scenes easily , on the fly .
The Head to Head Room Camera has been further pushed back to capture more action of the room !
Additional changes to the Stream are planned to update all other scenes for overall better viewability for those who like to join us for the action !
Araiguma Shop :
We have finally established a relationship with a manufacturer ! Many have expressed interest in supporting through purchasing of merchandise , and just those in general who wanted some quality merch to represent , those near and afar !
This has taken a bit of effort to start rolling out as we want things that will last , not the usual print overnight service quality .
All sales of merchandise , 100% of profit will be put directly into Araiguma Battle ! This will fund all the same things that donations on our various platforms fund , operational costs ( if applicable ) , software purchases , hardware and hardware updates and finally , more runs of merchandise !
Future Location :
As you all know from past updates , before Room 28 ( Our downtown location ) can begin finishing demolition and start buildout , is dependent on completion of the ADA ramp project at the Independent Media Center ! In last weeks update you could see the progress at that time .
We would like to say the following on moving into this new space , if everything works out , which is sounding like we ' re still wanted !
Do keep in mind, at our current location , things were not always optimal . Almost every week there have been minor, sometimes major updates.
It will take us time to optimize and find our groove in our future location , just has it has here , and you can expect that same level of growth in addition to all the benefits of not being inside of a house !
Also be assured , initial staging in 3D modeling has been gone over with many different variations to find the most optimal arrangement . We fully expect opening day to not be one of chaos , but one of a breath of relief . We have done it . And you can expect the same as you saw at our current location now .
We will always strive to be improving !
Thank you to all of you who continue to join our growing list of volunteers who are willing to assist the Independent Media Center with this project of transforming Room 28 , what was previously used as the " Maintenance Closet " into a rentable tenancy , for which we hope to find ourselves with our first out of house location !
We've added an additional PS246 with HDD imaged as the first !
iLINK in the following games is now supported as a result,
Armored Core 2 Armored Core 2: Another Age Armored Core 3 Silent Line: Armored Core Armored Core: Nexus Armored Core: Last Raven Unreal Tournament
The System PS246 Controller Adapters have been updated and now support all controller types . Extensive testing was done , going as far as hot swapping 6 different devices in Soul Calibur 2 with instant recognition .
The System PS357c has been fully rotated out , removing Street Fighter 3 Third Strike: Online Edition from the Head to Head rotations . It has been replaced by a dedicated system ( what you find in the cabs ) for running modern official ports .
The difference between 30th (Jazzy Circuit approval on the PS4 version due to hardware uniformity -- No news on approval for X86 based systems) and OE is night and day . Comments will be observed through the night . There no more goofy OE bugs . OE uses a port of the PS2 version , whereas 30th uses the official ROM.
30th however is a great deal quieter than most games with no setting for volume . A resolution for this in progress . This does not effect stream capture .
Support for older systems and Superguns have NOT changed . Head to Head SNES titles are still useable , as is anything else supporting a composite connection .
A possible resolution for PS4 controllers or other controllers with an audio device for headset control potentially has been found . Testing will be done throughout the following week . This is a software approach , not hardware a hardware approach . Details to come in next weeks updates.
Space :
The image below shows a new addition to the downstairs hall , the TAU will be moved to run as a dedicated Soul Calibur 2 setup .
The "Big TV" we previously used for watching anime , is now a System PS246 setup , linked to the new addition of the TAU or played singular on each .
On top , one of the setup monitors in the Downstairs Hall has been moved on top of the "Big TV" . This is for two reasons . Now , no matter where you sit in this area, you can view what is playing . This also has freed up the big CRT for System 246 or other systems running older titles which benefit from a CRT .
The Main Stage microphone has been relocated . This has cut back on picking up speaker game audio and a balanced pickup of Player 1 and Player 2 .
Stream Updates :
This goes along with the hardware update of migrating from OE to 30th . We now have direct feed to the stream , resulting in much better audio and video .
OE,
30th,
Independent audio channels have been made , allowing for game audio changes between scenes to capture independently .
Overlay updates planned for both Main Stage and Head to Head streams . Due to time constraints as all effort was poured into native as possible 3rd Strike with uninterrupted controller support , we were unable to make that change this week .
Future Location :
With the ramp progressing , we had sent the following video to a representative of our prospective new location,
A text from the executive director of the Independent Media Center followed stating she had taken a walk through Room 28 several days prior and imagined what this may look like as an arcade . We believe this is a good representation of what we would look like as a tenant .
Friday night , a visit to the building as shown the ramp progress on what would become our new entrance to Araiguma !
As many of you may know , once this ramp is completed , discussion will be put forward on the further demolition of old utility in Room 28 and build out as a rentable space !
Finally ! We will include images for updates now if applicable .
Head to Head :
Extensive Controller Support testing has been reviewed this week . Can be viewed here : H2H Updated Controller Support ( 246 / 357 )
XBOX and SWITCH Devices are now supported on the Head to Head .
Main Stage :
Originally the Main Stage was on our first folding table , which some may remember from the Upstairs Hall .
We had then updated this to take significantly less space , by using a pair of sawhorses and an old desk shelf . This opened more more space for players and fit a more desired look .
Now we are taking it a step further . Now that some medical procedures have been postponed , we're able to do some more updates . By this , we will change out the Main Stage table for a wire shelf system !
This will allow for many additions in the future along with other quality of life updates up front .
The space is reduced . The wire rack measures 8 " less in depth to the sawhorses . This also allows us to move the computer to the shelving below and re-locate USB disconnects to a more user friendly position , marked for Player 1 and Player 2 side ! Please note the inclusion of cup holders ! Blizzards , Slushies , Wine Bottles and even extra large bottles can securely be held !
Improved camera and microphone placement has been made . Improved speaker placement has been made .
Big special thanks to everyone who donated to the Patreon, you made this possible ( Announcement Here ) !
The Brook Wingman XE2s have come in and as advertised they are completely functional !
We have had 3 control issues on the 357C ( PS3 ) on the head to head :
1. Hori Fighting Pads set to PC showing as "UNKNOWN USB DEVICE" > This has been solved, "PC" is now a viable device option 2. Switch Pro Controllers are INOP ( No function ) > Switch Pro Controllers now connect and map appropriately 3. XBOX Controllers are INOP ( No function ) > XBOX Controllers now connect and map appropriately.
Previously Supported : PS3, PS4, PS5
Additionally , the XE2 acts as a keep alive , no longer will " CONTROLLER 1 DISCONNECTED or CONTROLLER 2 DISCONNECTED " show when unplugged for a more streamlined experience .
Manufacturer Support Diagram here :
Further notes , when a CPS-III is obtained , these will be integrated with the system to allow for the same controller support previously had with SFIII:OE
The XE2s will be hidden within the system , the USB disconnects as they are on all other cabs or setups will remain . The reasoning for this , is you place the mechanical wear ( Life expectance number of plug in and unplug times ) on a disconnect rather than the device . This will protect your equipment from wear .
Attached :
XE2 User Guide
Brook Converter Ultimate Software
Brook XE2 Win Online Firmware Updater
Brook X2 Mac Online Firmware Updater
