Messages

[PC-FX Discussion / Re: "The PC-FX: A Devotional Film" (Dec, 2009)]

Fixed links and added original un-released edit & side-by-side comparison.

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing mega-redesign of pcengine-fx.com]

If you'd like to follow the progress on my 3D printed HuCard cases, I've created a thread for it here: https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=17592.0

I'm leaving this thread for PCENGINEFX remake news only.

This link just brings me back to this thread.  Me thinks there's been a cut n' paste error. 

Fixed - thanks!

Hey Aaron, I just wanna say that it's great to have you back and engaged in the site. I love the PC Engine/PC-FX videos you used to do, so I'm excited to see what you've got in store for us.

It's nice to be back (at least in a small way).  I got a lot of good stuff in store - just going to take some time to put it all together.

With that being said, I am currently splitting my evenings working on the 3D printed HuCard case and scanning in covers for all of the US titles.  I'm also utilizing this time to properly inventory what NEC games/hardware I own which in turn will tell me what I need to outsource (for photos and/or media).

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: 3D Printed HuCard Case (in progress)]

I think we can all agree that no matter how you go about it, it isn't cheap.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: 3D Printed HuCard Case (in progress)]

Injection molding is crazy expensive, plus you have to order a minimum (10,000 units generally) so you also need somewhere to store all of those units as well.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: 3D Printed HuCard Case (in progress)]

jelloslug: That would be cool if you could send over your model - please email me at aaron.nanto@outlook.com.

Neato.  I'd like to see how this turns out in terms of fitment, finish, durability, flavor, etc.

2. See if a HuCard case can be 3D printed

You've seen Atlantean, right? 

LOL...yes, but I've not received my copy in person yet so I'm not sure exactly how they modeled it.  They also are using a different model 3D printer than mine.

I'm going to keep with the 3D printed route for replicating this case (again, no injection molding) so while it won't be as exact as the originals in color or build quality, it will be perfectly adequate to use for your loose Hu's or as replacements for broken/old cases.

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing mega-redesign of pcengine-fx.com]

If you'd like to follow the progress on my 3D printed HuCard cases, I've created a thread for it here: https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=17972.0

I'm leaving this thread for PCENGINEFX remake news only.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: 3D Printed HuCard Case (in progress)]

Very cool! So once you have it printing exactly how you want it, then you submit it to somewhere to get printed on a larger scale? Or do you just plan to make them on your printer?

I'm exploring various options - can't say one way or another right now what I will be doing quite yet until I get the model to print right.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / 3D Printed HuCard Case Development (NOW AVAILABLE!)]

So after learning about a few people that posted creating replacement HuCard cases, I've decided to work on my own version as well.  The purpose of this project is to:

1. Teach myself how to 3D model an object from the real world
2. See if a HuCard case can be 3D printed
3. Use the finished printed HuCard case to replace old/broken HuCard cases

Here is a shot of how much of the case I have modeled so far:



I almost have the proper size of the case down to exact dimensions but it's slow going as I tweak one setting, then I have to re-print which takes about 3hrs....but it is coming along nicely.  After the case is done, I'll work on the plastic arm and the borders for where the HuCard will sit.

I have no plans to mass-produce this model (no injection molding) but I may offer to print this up to people if it turns out good....too early to say right now.

11/17/14 UPDATE
Case model is complete - pricing/bundles to be posted next.

11/18/14 UPDATE
Due to a color density issue with new spool of filament that just came in, pricing/bundle details will be delayed.  Can't estimate when this will be resolved at this time.

12/12/14 UPDATE
Well I had hoped to take orders before the holiday but looks like this won't happen for multiple reasons:
- I will be purchasing a 2nd 3D printer in the next few weeks which will not only be at least 2x faster, but will also give me better print quality.
- I will be on vacation starting the 23rd, so nothing will be printed till after the 6th anyway.

Once I get the new 3D printer, I'll evaluate the print of the case, make any tweaks (if needed) and start printing cases en masse, which at that time ordering details will be provided.

1/7/15 UPDATE
Just waiting for my new 3D printer to arrive...once put together and configured, I'll then be able to re-print the case and do any re-tweaking to the design (if needed) before going into full production.

1/27/15 UPDATE
New MakerGear M2 printer has arrived and is still being broken in.  Not getting the surface finish I want yet from the printer so still in the tweaking stage.  No ETA yet until I can get the surface finish that I expect.

2/11/15 UPDATE
Print quality out of my new 3D printer is finally where I want it so one issue down - now I'm back to putting the finishing touches to the model and verifying that it fits correctly with the top case.....

2/18/15 UPDATE
Spending some extra time right now to find ways to cut down on print times for the case (takes about 2h45m currently).  I think I can cut this down by 30-45mins without sacrificing the quality of the finish or changing the print resolution but will require a few extra days of testing.  At the same time I'm tweaking the model to tighten up tolerances for when the top case is attached.

2/21/15 UPDATE
I'm happy to announce that I have completed the final tweaking/fitting phase of the model and so far have 3 fully assembled HuCard cases!  After I get a few more done I'll then be finalizing ordering details, taking photos/videos and all that good stuff.....we're close!

3/1/15 UPDATE
The HuCard 3DCase is now available here: https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=18661.0

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

I guess I have to spell it out for you guys....SIGH!

It's a 3D printed HuCard case.  I just started 3D modeling one as I was getting tired of waiting for other people to make/release one.

So if you've not seen my printer, here it is:

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

Do tell!

Are you printing DoxPhile yard signs?

You still need to get me those man!

But no, guess again.....

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

Got sidetracked past few nights with this new project:

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: ATLANTEAN ORDERING INFORMATION (not til Friday)]

Eeek...........I had a invoice from the 20th sitting in my Paypal account that I had no idea I had   Just paid it.

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

Personally, it doesn't make any sense to me to merge major sections such as PCE w/TG-16 because they are two different markets with vastly different game libraries.  Having them separate saves you the initial step of weeding through a huge single forum mixed in with topics unrelated to the region.

I guess I don't understand why anyone would want everything mixed into only a few forums when they are already separated out for you.....?

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: TG-16 Manual Scans]

Side question - does anyone have scans of the back case/spine slip artwork for the USA CD-ROM2/SCD releases?

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

By the way, the new mega-site sounds awesome and I can't wait to see it... but I have to say I like that the current site is itself literally "retro" in design. Seems fitting.

P.S. @esteban: no u stfu

Hi Gentlegamer - what forum sections would you like to see go away?  While I highly doubt that I'll be getting rid of any sections, I do want to hear why you think it should be paired down.

And yes, I agree that the current site fits the retro style of the content covered, but it is so terribly outdated (in function and expandability) that I have no choice but to start from scratch with the design.

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

As promised.



Download the full 1080p (and other sizes here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pcenginefx/14993342543/sizes/c/

LMK if anyone would like it larger than 1920x1080.  This image is straight out of my camera with no Photoshop alteration (except for a crop and addition of the text!)

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

Glowing pedestal for glow-in-the-dark Atlantean huey?

If I only had Atlantean.....

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

I still have my photography studio setup for shooting Hu's, so I'll make you guys a special "glowing pedestals" wallpaper tonight as a bonus

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

Continuing work on the TurboGrafx-16 hardware "marketing" page....taking new hardware shots of everything for the page layout....HuCards are next:

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

LOL you guys............. the more you click on banners, the more "console bath pron" you'll get!

Continuing with the TG-16 hardware page work, it has really taken a lot of time thinking of how NEC/TTi would have marketed the Turbo if they had a website like the one I'm building.  I'm avoiding a few things such as any direct references or comparison to other consoles as well as carefully wording the marketing text to be as "timeless" as possible without diving too much into the 80's/90's cheese.

A little bonus addition that I sprinkled throughout the site which I had a LONG time ago are animated sprite GIFs....got big Bonk walking on the site now:

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

Taking a break from making game hubs (which none are really completely done yet - still working out final page format details), I decided to start work on the hardware page for the TurboGrafx-16, which included a bath:


Then the photo shoot:


And finally after some Photoshop touchup, the final product (looks WAY better than this screenshot taken with my phone!):

[Feedback / Re: How can I bypass the 'robot filter' for PMs and posts?]

This was implemented on my 9.22.14 update:

"As long as you have more than 5 posts, you can now send PM's without having to input the anti-spam challenge."

This also applies to regular posts.

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

I'm actually re-evaluating the need for a full review on the site as there are already other well done reviews for the Turbo that have been done over the years...so to answer your question, I can always add a link to someone else's review.

With that in mind, I'm aiming for a remake that is more along the lines of what Xbox/Playstation/Nintendo have right now (the look and feel of a modern designed site), with some interactive elements.  Almost like if NEC had a site up for the Turbo today, what it could look like.

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

Having a user database is cool but I don't think it will replace PCE Dai for me personally. It does lack LD ROMs though so one on PCFX would fit those users with a LA.

Since pcedaisakusen already has a user DB, having this feature implemented for the Pcenginefx remake is a low priority right now.

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

Please rig the ranking feature for Gotzendiener so that only a 9 or 10 can be given. 

The few folks who rate the game will give it a solid 7-8.6 

Luckily, you'll be able to rate in 0.1 increments

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

Are you going to have a user game database tracking system like pcedaisakusen integrated into the system?  Do you plan to also do the dozen or so Laseractive games?

A user game DB tracking system would be nice, and there is a foundation in place to support this but most likely won't be available once the site goes live.

I'd love to include Laseractive games - will need someone who has those games to provide me with the media assets to do this however....

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

Well, you'll have to log into the site and make an account first off to even rate a game....I plan on making the site reviews as objective and trustworthy as possible, but whatever the "user rating" ends up being, that I won't have any control over.

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

Even better you say? At least give us just a taste of said goodness!

Since you asked nicely



As part of making the site more interactive, one feature that I'll have for every game are user ratings/reviews.  You can quickly rate a game from 1 (awful) to 10 (perfect) as well as write a short review if you like.

Also seen in the background is the rest of the "hub" for this particular game.  As I mentioned before, each game will have a hub where you'll be able to see game news, info/details, the site review, images, videos and tips & tricks.

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

As part of the quality bar for the site remake, I'm re-scanning in all game covers (that I have) and outsourcing the rest.  The PCE games will be the hardest to acquire once I get to those so I may ask some help with that later.

With that being said, I won't be watermarking any of my scans or screenshots.  All I ask is the proper credit if the images are re-used.

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

Update 10.5.14 - Still working on this huge video series project, but I'm "taking breaks" in-between shooting/editing to relax and work on the site remake as well.

I had a huge setback over the past few weeks as I've been using an online staging site to work on the remake, which I've not been able to properly migrate in tests.  After spending about 2 weeks on this migration issue, I believe I've fixed the issue and am now back (in the limited time I currently have) to work on content.

Also, I've gone to a totally new design (not by choice...) so those teaser screenshots are no longer what the site will look like...........it looks even BETTER.

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

Just to give everyone an update - due to a big videography project I'm producing right now (21 episode video series) work on the new site has come to a halt.  As soon as I get this gig out the door, I'll have time to get back to work on it.

[News / 09.22.14 - PM security change]

As long as you have more than 5 posts, you can now send PM's without having to input the anti-spam challenge.

[News / Re: Forums back up!]

No idea why the forum went down....but fixed it.

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

Any chance of an update to the Turbo Legacy poster to include new homebrews? 

Sure - that's an easy change!

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

Oh great. I just killed the conversation.

Hi Mathius,

Thanks for bring up the issue of ebay/YouTube in regards of used pricing - I'd be totally open to suggestions, or even if you'd like to start writing up something for the new site design I'd be open to that as well.  I wouldn't make a price guide, but a primer for people looking for used Turbo games and hardware would be a good thing (if this is what you were thinking of?)

If you'd like to help out in creating the content for this topic that I can showcase on the new site, I welcome it.

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

Don't forget HuCard 6meg and HuCard 8meg!

Yep - as soon as I hit those other Hu's, the metadata will automatically pop up under "Media Type" and will be searchable/filterable in the Games area.

then... chew man fu?

Keep guessing!

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

Ok no more shots! (for now)

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

Here is a hint - you should be able to figure it out by the identifiable covers....

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

I think Joe was talking about the one to the left of Ys III

Some of the covers have "TEMP" on them as the scans I have on there are not up to par with the quality I set for the site and need to be re-scanned.

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

First "teaser" screenshot of the game filter/search options:

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

I meant to ask also... What plans as far as a chat room / shoutbox are concerned?   I know many of us use the one over at sunteam pauls backup site but we dont get much new traffic there since few know its even active.  Just curious what the plans are in that regard.  We have gotten used to some of the extra features the ajax chat program affords...

If I stay with my current web host, there will not be any shoutbox added to the site as it takes up too much bandwidth.  With that being said, I'm totally open to changing hosts so that we could have a shoutbox - but I've not thought that far ahead yet.

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

You are insane! 

Playing all those games, writing text reviews, creating video reviews....you're gonna burn out and, in a few weeks, you'll be ranting about how Ballistix is a bonafide classic.

Yeah, some may think that doing all of this is crazy for such a old console, but if I'm going to be remaking the site, I'm going to put high standards on myself to deliver top quality content.

For example, game screenshots - I've put a minimum requirement of 8 screenshots to be available per-game and each screenshot has to show proper variety, scene layout, action and story.  For just Aero Blasters alone, I captured ~200 screenshots and hand picked out the very best to be in the gallery page for the game.

This will be the level of detail I'll be going through with all aspects of the site - I have a friend who is helping out as well, so at least some of the work will be shared between us.

When it stops being fun, I'll let you guys know....

I want to hug you right now  .

You just raised the bar.

I'm sure you have considered this, but I have to put it out there...

Since folks are using phones, tablets to browse sites...is the re-design going to be sensitive to the needs of small touch screens?

For example: navigation links should be easy to hit with finger, without fear of hitting the wrong link.

Sadly, I have been too lazy to fix these things, myself, but I think I'll try to address them in the next few months (maybe by increasing size of text links and increasing space between links).

Yes, I've set the bar very, very high...time will tell if I set it TOO high for myself though!

To answer your question - yes, the site will be fully resolution-responsive - site assets are being made for resolutions up to 1920 wide and dynamically resize/re-order as the resolution goes down - should look great on a tablet and even on a smartphone.

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

Do you need help with anything?

Yes, but I plan on posting up some content requests in a new thread (I'll keep this thread for update progress).

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

This is going to be awesome! Can't wait to see the new site.

It's good to have you back, Aaron.

Thanks Arjak!  Can't wait to get it done!

You are insane! 

Playing all those games, writing text reviews, creating video reviews....you're gonna burn out and, in a few weeks, you'll be ranting about how Ballistix is a bonafide classic.

Yeah, some may think that doing all of this is crazy for such a old console, but if I'm going to be remaking the site, I'm going to put high standards on myself to deliver top quality content.

For example, game screenshots - I've put a minimum requirement of 8 screenshots to be available per-game and each screenshot has to show proper variety, scene layout, action and story.  For just Aero Blasters alone, I captured ~200 screenshots and hand picked out the very best to be in the gallery page for the game.

This will be the level of detail I'll be going through with all aspects of the site - I have a friend who is helping out as well, so at least some of the work will be shared between us.

When it stops being fun, I'll let you guys know....

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

One point on the repair guides....  I know for the few I wrote I linked pictures from my photobucket which is fine but maybe they should be hosted locally instead just in case I drop off the face of the earth, photobucket disappears etc.   Just a thought.

Hey Blue - so yes, this is exactly the approach I'm taking for the repair section.  I'm pulling all 1st-post photos & text from each repair guide and will forever live on the site locally.

With that said, if you have updates to any guides you've done, please edit your 1st post now before I get to it

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

Update 9/5: Started converting a few of the sticky Turbo repair guides into the new site design.  The name of the section may change, but right now I'm calling it the "Repair Center" which will host HTML-versions of the repair guides found on the forum.  Spent most of my time this evening figuring out the boring stuff of how I want the format/images to be presented, etc....

On the topic of other decisions I made tonight, one of them was that I'll have video reviews for EVERY text review I have on the site (just like what IGN does with their reviews - offer the review in text and video form).  I really need to stop adding features otherwise I'll never get this remake done

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

That's what I've been started doing.....never know what might be in the manual!

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

Wow, surprised to all of a sudden see the desire/motivation for this, Aaron!

You seem like you're pretty busy with life, and already juggling a lot of other hobbies/extra curricular activities with your photo and video work, etc.

Would be glad to help in whatever way needed, so lemme know! Look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Thanks Nicolas!  I may need more help with some aspects - we'll see.

Just an update today - not ready to show off anything yet, but the foundation for the site layout is up and running on my local machine and spent all evening today working/thinking on menu design/button order (nothing too exciting).

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

BTW, I'll be posting updates to my Twitter account (twitter.com/pcenginefx) with hashtag #pcenginefx if you'd like to follow there as well (can't guarantee my Twitter updates will be mirrored here in the forum).

First pix......just breaking out the hardware to get back into the groove of things.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bwk0fWmCQAAPRXo.jpg

One of the requirements for me personally is to play (and if at all possible complete) each title that I have on the site.  I've actually not played every TurboGrafx game released, and have finished only a handful during my life - so what better way to start off the site remake than to get totally re-acquainted with the subject matter...

[News / Re: 09.01.14 - Announcing development of new pcengine-fx.com MEGA-SITE]

Aaron/PCEFX,
I know you have a lot of the old flyers, a few I no longer have. I have about a dozen TZD flyers, and Japan import order pages from them. They're not going anywhere, and I have most already scanned, so, let me know if you want some scans to peruse through. I'm not sure if that's anything you want on the site, though.

Thank you much for the offer!   I'd love to see what you have - just email me at aaron.nanto@outlook.com and we can talk further.