OK, so I came up with a feature I'd like. It's a bit out there though, not something I "need", more of a "if I could wish for anything". It'd just be cool, and I think it would broaden the audience for the multi-cart as well.
Basically, this idea stems from the fact that I have too many games. Steam-sales, Arcade-collecting, MAME, multi-carts... hell, even back in school, I'd hook two tape-decks together, copy a school-friend's C64-tape, then eagerly check which ones worked... and then never play them again. When I bought a game however, I fuckin' mastered that thing, regardless of quality. I sometimes try to limit myself when I get a multi-cart (hey, I even bought DarkSoft's ST-V Multi without the game-changing extension, just so it would be hard for me to flit from game to game, never alighting on one properly), but it never quite works. Don't get me wrong, I love having those games, but unless a friend comes over and asks to play a specific game... Well. So anyway, here is what I want as an extra on this Multicart (hell, all Multicarts should have this):
A cart-specific rom that sets you a task at every single game - and makes you complete one game's challenge before the next one is available.
OK, so this is how this would work: The multi-cart obviously contains all the games, and they're all available to play; BUT there is an extra Game, called eg "Darksofts Neo-Geo Challenge". When you start that up, it loads up Metal Slug. You can only play Metal Slug on this Rom. But once you beat that game's challenge (say, make it to level 5 on one credit, or level three without dying, or whatever), the Rom will then serve you up Samurai Shodown II - which you can only beat by getting a perfect. Which then leads to Blazing Star, which you have to complete on 2 continues... etc etc all the way through every single game.
The challenges should be just that; challenges. Not ultra hard-core practice-for-ten-weeks hard, just so you could do it after an evening or two with the game - but enough that you'd have to get to know the game.
Everyone who gets the cart will be drawn to this ROM. Beating it will give bragging rights (perhaps even a code at the end that you can enter here to prove you did it), pride and a sense of fulfilment - but it will also mean you will be a true NEO-GEO master, able to talk about ALL those games with expertise. You'll also find your favourites, because you'll have given equal time to both KoF98 and Garou: Mark Of The Wolves, and know why you prefer the latter.
It'll also make this multicart more unique, more desirable, more collectible, since not just completists will want it - any Neo-geo gamer will need to prove they can beat those challenges, and how fast they can do it.
So anyway, that's my two cents. No idea how hard that is to program (I certainly wouldn't know where to start), but I think it would be a very cool feature.
tl;dr: This idiot Urabutbl wants us to make a bespoke ROM that gives the player a challenge to complete for every single game on the multi-cart.
Basically, this idea stems from the fact that I have too many games. Steam-sales, Arcade-collecting, MAME, multi-carts... hell, even back in school, I'd hook two tape-decks together, copy a school-friend's C64-tape, then eagerly check which ones worked... and then never play them again. When I bought a game however, I fuckin' mastered that thing, regardless of quality. I sometimes try to limit myself when I get a multi-cart (hey, I even bought DarkSoft's ST-V Multi without the game-changing extension, just so it would be hard for me to flit from game to game, never alighting on one properly), but it never quite works. Don't get me wrong, I love having those games, but unless a friend comes over and asks to play a specific game... Well. So anyway, here is what I want as an extra on this Multicart (hell, all Multicarts should have this):
A cart-specific rom that sets you a task at every single game - and makes you complete one game's challenge before the next one is available.
OK, so this is how this would work: The multi-cart obviously contains all the games, and they're all available to play; BUT there is an extra Game, called eg "Darksofts Neo-Geo Challenge". When you start that up, it loads up Metal Slug. You can only play Metal Slug on this Rom. But once you beat that game's challenge (say, make it to level 5 on one credit, or level three without dying, or whatever), the Rom will then serve you up Samurai Shodown II - which you can only beat by getting a perfect. Which then leads to Blazing Star, which you have to complete on 2 continues... etc etc all the way through every single game.
The challenges should be just that; challenges. Not ultra hard-core practice-for-ten-weeks hard, just so you could do it after an evening or two with the game - but enough that you'd have to get to know the game.
Everyone who gets the cart will be drawn to this ROM. Beating it will give bragging rights (perhaps even a code at the end that you can enter here to prove you did it), pride and a sense of fulfilment - but it will also mean you will be a true NEO-GEO master, able to talk about ALL those games with expertise. You'll also find your favourites, because you'll have given equal time to both KoF98 and Garou: Mark Of The Wolves, and know why you prefer the latter.
It'll also make this multicart more unique, more desirable, more collectible, since not just completists will want it - any Neo-geo gamer will need to prove they can beat those challenges, and how fast they can do it.
So anyway, that's my two cents. No idea how hard that is to program (I certainly wouldn't know where to start), but I think it would be a very cool feature.
tl;dr: This idiot Urabutbl wants us to make a bespoke ROM that gives the player a challenge to complete for every single game on the multi-cart.
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