Anyone got an fm towns marty?

[Rainbow_Bright]

I always thought they looked kick ass!

[Turbo D]

I wish! It looks like a bad-ass console!

[natethegreat82]

I've got one, along with the games Turbo Outrun and Genocide Square(and soon Image Fight.) Some day I hope to acquire Splatterhouse and Tatsujin Oh as well, assuming I can find them for a remotely reasonable price.

[Rainbow_Bright]

Splatterhouse is on ebay right now (its over 100 pounds/200 dollars!!). Straight from Japan..

How much did you pick up the system for?

[nat]

Isn't the FM Towns just a computer? So aren't the games on floppy disks? Why not just download the game images and copy them onto your own floppy disks? This is one of the rare circumstances I'd actually support "pirating."

Pay $200+ for a game on floppy disks knowing the 20-year-old floppies could die at any time, or possibly already be dead? No thanks. Outside of my console hobbies, I deal a lot with ancient Apple // hardware and software as a secondary hobby. Most of the media from that era is either dead or dying at this point. The disks just lose their magnetic field after so many years. There's no preventative maintenance for this-- it's just an inherent quality of the media. The only course of action is make backups before it's too late.

[Rainbow_Bright]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FM_Towns_Marty

I think the games are on cd.

[Kitsunexus]

I think the games are on cd.

As if that makes nat's statement any different?

[Rainbow_Bright]

Isn't the FM Towns just a computer? So aren't the games on floppy disks? Why not just download the game images and copy them onto your own floppy disks? This is one of the rare circumstances I'd actually support "pirating."

Pay $200+ for a game on floppy disks knowing the 20-year-old floppies could die at any time, or possibly already be dead? No thanks. Outside of my console hobbies, I deal a lot with ancient Apple // hardware and software as a secondary hobby. Most of the media from that era is either dead or dying at this point. The disks just lose their magnetic field after so many years. There's no preventative maintenance for this-- it's just an inherent quality of the media. The only course of action is make backups before it's too late.

[nat]

It doesn't, but I didn't know the games actually came on CDs. I thought they came on floppies. I'd probably recommend buying over pirating in that case.

But then again, I don't know how scarce the software is for that thing. I don't know much about the platform.

[Kitsunexus]

Outside of my console hobbies, I deal a lot with ancient Apple // hardware and software as a secondary hobby. Most of the media from that era is either dead or dying at this point. The disks just lose their magnetic field after so many years. There's no preventative maintenance for this-- it's just an inherent quality of the media. The only course of action is make backups before it's too late.

Yeah, I have a couple of 3.5" DSDD disks that came with my DPMV3se+ that are just no good due to their age. Luckily though, my science teacher gave me a bunch of floppy disks for this auto-test-generator that he never used, and they are DSDD! So I was able to make a disk for my custom patches, a disk to initialize the board to factory settings, and I bought a disk that contains some professionally programmed patches. However I need about 40 more disks so I can have the complete sample library, and at $17 + $5 shipping BIN for a box of 10 DSDD disks, I'm looking at spending $63 almost, not counting the $39.99 for the CD-ROM that contains all the disk images, and the 4 sticks of 128kb sample RAM at $4.95 each. 0____0

[Rainbow_Bright]

I mentioned they were on cds, because I thought the reason you were saying  "why not just copy them on to your own discs", was only cause they were discs and may not even work..

If its cause of the price, yeh it doesn't make a difference.

[nat]

You should be able to find a cheaper source for DSDD disks than that. Let me see if I can dig up my old source. I bought 100 DSDD disks as a bundle within the last 5 years and I didn't pay more than $20. I did it because I needed to make backups of a lot of the aforementioned old Apple software.

[natethegreat82]

Splatterhouse is on ebay right now (its over 100 pounds/200 dollars!!). Straight from Japan..

How much did you pick up the system for?

I paid about $48 CDN for it, plus shipping. It didn't have a belt for the floppy drive, but I have since found a replacement.

[Rainbow_Bright]

Shit, that seems like a REALLY GOOD deal

[SignOfZeta]

I think the games are on cd.

As if that makes nat's statement any different?

I'd say it does since CDs outlast floppy drives by an unknown, but huge factor.

The Marty is kind of interesting, but the problem people I know were having is that since its basically a consolized PC, %99.999 of the games are porn with all of the "real" games being super fucking hard to find and expensive. In other words it sounds like a PCFX only even more nightmarishly horrible.

[Rainbow_Bright]

Yeah they look cool and seem kinda interesting, but as for software? I'm not sure.

[TR0N]

Yeah they look cool and seem kinda interesting, but as for software? I'm not sure.

It does have a good port of viewpoint.

I don't know much about the fm town marty either other then that,is expensive to collect for and it has some good ports of arcade games.

[Tatsujin]

that damn console is a damn bad ass and even can't be found easly in japan (except for yahoo.auction). most of the 2D arcade games are almost 1:1 ports.

[quoth09]

I would own one, but everything for it is too damn expensive, and the games don't warrant the cost. Splatterhouse on it goes for stupid prices, and I can buy the actual arcade board for as much as it sells for, if not cheaper.

As for the games, depending on the model, some were on CD, others diskette. Essentially it is a consolized PC.

Dare I say it reminds me of a consolized version of the X68000 PC, in terms of collectability and software prices.

[rolins]

that damn console is a damn bad ass and even can't be found easly in japan (except for yahoo.auction). most of the 2D arcade games are almost 1:1 ports.

The arcade ports are great, and they also come with redbook audio. Some with remixed tracks too. The shmups on the system is the only reason I would want one though, but all the vertical shmups are in wobble mode. Not exactly the easiest way to play those games. 

[16-bit]

The coolest thing about owning the FM Towns Marty is the fact that you own one.  I haven't played my Marty2 in 6 years, but just knowing that I own one is strangely satisfying.

[Nazi NecroPhile]

However I need about 40 more disks so I can have the complete sample library, and at $17 + $5 shipping BIN for a box of 10 DSDD disks, I'm looking at spending $63 almost, not counting the $39.99 for the CD-ROM that contains all the disk images, and the 4 sticks of 128kb sample RAM at $4.95 each. 0____0

I found a mostly unused box of floppies in the back of my desk; you can have 'em if you want to cover shipping.  There's 44 out of the original 50, and I'm fairly certain that they're virgins (most still have a cellophane band around 'em - four groups of 10).

Back to the topic at hand: I don't have a Marty, and I don't want one.  It's a neat little system, but far to expensive for my tastes.

[rag-time4]

Is the music on regular game CD's playable on a regular CD player? Particularly Image Fight? If so, I may have to get a copy, even though I don't own the system!

[WoodyXP]

I noticed the pricing of the games only get sickening when it comes to complete games.  Games that only come with a jewel case
are more reasonably priced.  I got Splatterhouse with a jewel case for $40 off ebay not too long ago.  If you can settle for less than CIB
you'll be alright.