Quoted from YeOldPinPlayer:For future readers, is there a specific requirement for the card? SDHC, SDXC... and/or speed class? If there are requirements, are those due to the pi itself so future readers can research that or due to the implementation in Cosmic Carnival ?
Thanks for helping VALIS666 out Compy it’s much appreciated.
Do you simply use Clonezilla to make the new card? Is there an image available? I see IPDB has no entry.
1. Generally just try to make it a Class 10 uSD card. Space requirements are fairly minimal. We used to run the images for 8gb SD cards.
I'll get something submitted to IPDB. For future reference, the final version that was released was 1.0.5 with coinage (released on 9/17/2019) and is at:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VKFZPB9d1o5DQbMrVsL_fNmbqFE_fRSF/view?usp=sharing - This is what was being worked on at the point the company was shut down. This will expand to a full image that can be applied with Etcher or Rufus. You must extract the zip and image the file within it to the micro SD card. Just make sure whatever tool you use doesn't try to do any "convenient" bootloader things.
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For historical context, here's a very brief timeline of events:
1. I was introduced to them at Free Play Florida in November 2018 while I was there supporting the software on the Kingpin game. They told me they were working on their own control system and it was going well. (The games they brought had caught on fire, neither were playable). This was also pre-Donny art.
2. I get another call in December saying they may need additional help as they're behind schedule. I send them an estimate and a rate quote. I'm put into touch with their software guy who is also doing their hardware design. Still insists that they're doing fine and no help is needed.
3. I get another call in March (the week before TPF) saying that they're definitely needing help. This time, judging by the timeline and proximity to TPF, they're in a heap of trouble. However they paid Donny a stack of cash to do the playfield/cabinet artwork. So at least the game looks great. I tell them that we'll talk after TPF as I've got commitments to companies unveiling games already at that TPF.
4. TPF comes, the games pretty much blink in attract and do a few things as the player bats the ball around. No optos work on the game, and a half-assed attempt at using a hobby "op amp module" and some botched solder jobs bring one of their two games down the entire show. Still, software guy insists the system is on track. At one point, a mosfet had gotten so hot due to lack of watchdog circuitry (and shit code) that it literally melted/desoldered itself from the board. They were also using SMD FETs.
5. TPF goes, I get a call the following Monday that they've fired their software engineer. I tell them to stop wasting their time trying to put together their own system and use an off the shelf product because they'll run out of money beforehand.
6. Right around MGC, I get a call that they're going to switch to the Multimorphic P3-ROC system and they're shipping me a game. After some back and forth redlining, they sign a contract. At first, they wanted me to move to Largo, FL. I politely declined.
7. Game arrives in May to be completely stripped/rewired. That particular unit is completely swapped over in 4 days (a long weekend). I then send them wiring diagrams for the new system and how we have things wired.
8. I'm given the compute budget of about $50, which means Raspberry Pi 3. Therefore all the python bits are swapped to C++ to run HD video on minimal compute power. At the same time, a majority of the game budget is spent on artwork and the music budget from Hans Zimmer's musicians. I told him they may have been able to get talent that has pinball experience for far less. I also recorded several guitar tracks to cut down on budget. We also couldn't use direct controlled LEDs, and their "EE" insisted that serial RGBs would work, despite previous industry uses being an absolute nightmare.
9. A while later, the first version of the game code is released and sent to them. Most of the rules were pre-determined and sent to me to program in. Most of them were pretty linear "shoot this target X times and then this ramp X times" type rules, which get pretty monotonous.
10. When asked for video content for certain events like extra balls, target completions, jackpots, etc. I'm told that they only want to use video content during certain modes. All other times the screen should be focused on the score. In total, I'm given about 5 videos. There are over 10 modes. Most other games we work on, we have over 30 videos for various things.
11. One day I'm told that they're hiring a junior programmer to do more mode implementations. By junior, it's a fresh college grad with no programming experience outside of java coursework, so it's up to me to teach him "pinball stuff" as well as programming for speed/optimization. The on-site staff have zero pinball experience. The owner actually insisted that stern's games shipped without plumb bobs on the tilt. He had a new Star Wars that he was mocking the cabinet design on, and he never bothered to open the coin box to see that they did, in fact, have plumb bobs for the tilt mech.
12. Another day goes by, and I get a call that the first games they've assembled have weak flippers. After requesting their EE send me schematics, it is apparent that thermistors and other resistance hardware on their power supply board were placed on the outbound rail that fed the flippers. They would clamp down on spikes above a couple amps. Well, flipper power easily blows that out. They also weren't placing filter/charge caps on their PSU board. They decided to design their own board to try to cut down on costs... This was in addition to them initially using 22AWG for coils.
13. A couple weeks later, I'm requested to fly out to Florida because they're live streaming the game and "launching". While I'm there, like always, they're gracious hosts, but surrounded by chaos. Before the livestream, one of their games has failing optos (upper ramp). Turns out that was because their "EE", in the interests of giving the game more "pizazz" before the stream wired a bunch of UV LEDs in series with the optos. Not like he couldn't have noticed, they were literally soldered onto the opto PCB. Again, on this trip, I'm requested to move to Largo, FL.
14. A week later, I'm informed that the company is running out of cash and has to lay a bunch of people off. Sadly, 6-7 weeks into his tenure, the junior programmer was one of the ones that left that day. Dude loved the environment though, working on games.
15. After a failed attempt to reorganize the company's finances, the pinball division files for bankruptcy protection. A few handfuls of games produced.
There are a TON of stories I could share. I'm not sure whether or not I should be sad, mad or whatever. Being a hired gun in this industry is a massive pain in the ass. In the end, I probably got 15% of my total contract's value from them (and a wicked t-shirt and a prototype game that sits on a pallet in my garage). Thankfully pinball isn't what pays the bills. I intentionally leave this game off of my resume for a reason.
