Just to clarify for everyone: when the dips are identified on the PlayChoice games (and I've been informed that one of the dips controls coin time), there will indeed be a vote to determine how many ticks are allowed. As chad also suggested, you are quite welcome to use as many credits as you wish in your recording, but only count up to the end of the first one.(posted 9226 days ago)I will also post a vote in October (among a few other isues) as to whether we should archive PlayChoice games or not. There are a few reasons why I see this as an advantage. 1) As Brian pointed out, they are a part of MAME, and thus a part of MARP, so banning them certainly doesn't make sense--noone is threatening to. 2) As several other players have pointed out, these are CONSOLE GAMES, and 1 or 2 exceedingly minor cosmetic changes (which I still have not seen evidence of) do no alter this fact. These were not games that were designed to play better or even equal to their console port under an arcade design. 3) Regulation MARP always has, and always will be, about one credit. I do agree that limiting PC games to one credit restricts gameplay, which is why I am suggesting they be put into the archives, where competition is more open-ended. 4) The vs. driver which should be out before long is superior in terms of both quality of games emulated and arcade design.
But my final point, and the one that decides me personally on the issue, is the following question: Would you go to an arcade to play SMB on a machine that charged for time, if you had the NES version at home? If I had my choice between Atari 2600 Asteroids or Arcade Asteroids, it's an easy decision. So is Mouse Trap Colecovision vs. Mouse Trap arcade. The console ports are weaker than the actual game. This is in direct contrast to the PC games, where I would much rather be happily chewing up my third gamepad with MegaMan3--not at Wizards' Castle looking like a NES addict who had to get his lunchtime fix.
Something to think about for next month's vote.
I realize the points may be important to some players, but I don't think they're THAT important in this situation, especially when the vs. games come out. I think if players carefully consider this, they will agree. They may be MARP games, but these are by no means arcade games.
Q.T.Quazar, MARP Rules Coordinator