Hello famicom world!

[jedahan]

Sooo howdy!

I got dropped into this crazy world a week ago, while vacationing in Japan, I visited Akihabara, and it was aaaawesome.

I got to meet this artist RIKI, and he showed me the latest version of Kira Kira Star Night : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL7YEwbnEBE and the sound was amazing as well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTp4fiS0gn0 . The graphics in the new version are waaay better than this old youtube video, but the new one will be out soon I am working on a repro since the cart is NOT FOR SALE (just a dvd and magazine which I bought, that contains the .nes file and an emulator).

I've had limited experience making art reproductions with the NES, while I was working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. I documented why and how you can (and should!) make your own version of Super Mario Clouds (possibly the least interactive NES cart ever )

why you should make your own copy of clouds : http://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-museum/museum-departments/office-of-the-director/digital-media-department/digital-underground/2014/digital-art-copyism

how : http://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-museum/museum-departments/office-of-the-director/digital-media-department/digital-underground/2014/making-super-mario-clouds

I also picked up an TNS-HFC5 + HFX4 expansion. http://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~tns/nr26740601.html . Looking for peoples top recommendations for NSF music, since I'm new to this world too...

right now I am working on 3 famicom related things:
  * figuring out what carts to get to fill out the HFX4 with the least amount of $$$
  * building a NES/FAMICOM controller that can autoplay speedruns on real hardware
  * starting a small collection of games with more intresting than normal production stories - like doki doki panic (so hard for me to find in akihabara, gonna try フレンツ next week...

I'll make some separate posts for those projects so it doesn't get super cluttered here, but just wanted to say hi!

[Zycrow]

Welcome to the hobby. 

Doki Doki Panic shouldn't be too tough to find. I think I paid 25 or 30 bucks for my copy (that's just for the disk and case, expect to pay more if you want the booklet and sleeve as well).

I'd recommend checking out our buy/sell threads too, particularly Senseiman's. Since he is in Japan you'll win out on shipping to boot.

[P]

Welcome you will feel perfectly at home here.

I got to meet this artist RIKI, and he showed me the latest version of Kira Kira Star Night : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL7YEwbnEBE and the sound was amazing as well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTp4fiS0gn0 . The graphics in the new version are waaay better than this old youtube video, but the new one will be out soon Smiley I am working on a repro since the cart is NOT FOR SALE (just a dvd and magazine which I bought, that contains the .nes file and an emulator).

What mapper is Kira Kira Star Night using?

I also picked up an TNS-HFC5 + HFX4 expansion. http://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~tns/nr26740601.html .

I see the TNS-HFC5 is using real carts for expansion sound. Would be cool if the Everdrive could do that.

Looking for peoples top recommendations for NSF music, since I'm new to this world too...

There was a site with homemade NSF files and top listings but I don't remember the name.
For making music you can use MCK, and write music in MML, or use the Famitracker if you are comfortable with trackers wiki.nesdev.com/w/index.php/Nesdev.
MCK wiki (japanese): http://wikiwiki.jp/mck/
Famitracker homepage: http://famitracker.com/

[Jedi Master Baiter]

I also picked up an TNS-HFC5 + HFX4 expansion. http://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~tns/nr26740601.html . Looking for peoples top recommendations for NSF music, since I'm new to this world too...

Looking for peoples top recommendations for NSF music, since I'm new to this world too...

http://2a03.free.fr/?p=pub&dir=jediquestmaster

Oh yeah, definitely check out the the Famicompo Mini archives There's lots of stuff on there, but if you want some quick recommendations:

Covers
Sonic & Knuckles (VRC6)
Sonic 1 & 2 (VRC6)
Fallen Angel (N163)
Gauntlet IV - Transparent Obstacle (N163)
Jump Man - Stage 1
Estpolis Denki - Boss
Floating Gardens of Earia (N163)
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Passing Breeze (VRC7)
Plok! Creepy Crag (VRC6)
Pyramid Sorcerian - Shrine of Sorrow
Running Through the Cyber World (MMC5)
Super Mario World
Threads of Fate - Passing Through the Forest (VRC6)
Witching Dream / Theme of Eastern Story (VRC6)
Pure Stone (VRC6)

Originals
Alkali Earth (N163)
Fading World / Mechanized Whalesong (VRC6)
Battle Against the Last Minute (VRC7)
King Chippo
King of Hearts
Microbeings (FDS)
MOS SID5502 (N163)
Penguins of the Apocalypse (VRC6)
Rain (N163)
Stress
Sea World Scouse (VRC6)
Sunday Rain / Unchanging Season (VRC6)
Sunsoft Attack 1
Sunsoft Attack  2
Wayfarer

Not Sure
If Johnny Craig Was a Robot, He'd Like This Song (VRC6)

 * figuring out what carts to get to fill out the HFX4 with the least amount of $$$

Hey! You're trying to do what I'm trying to do. I already have a Lagrange Point (shouldn't cost too much money). There are plenty of Namco N163 games (Rolling Thunder, Final Lap, Mappy Kids). Akumajou Densetsu is my personal choice for VRC6, and I'd like to get a hold of GunSight, another Konami title, which uses MMc5 sound for sfx. But Gimmick!...

[ImATrackMan]

What mapper is Kira Kira Star Night using?

MMC3 TKROM, so Mapper 4.

Just curious, Jedahan, did RIKI let you know if the Deluxe carts are MMC3 or MMC5 based (like the original concept)? If it's MMC3, I have no guilt in tearing up another copy of F1-Circus, but if it's MMC5, I'll have to seriously think about making a cart for it. EW/T/KROM games aren't cheap.

As for people with TNS stuff. A good way to be cheap and dirty with expansions is buy worn games, and make your own. Lagrange Point is the most expensive cart I have. Youkai Douchuuki (N163) was about 8 bucks, a RAM Adapter by itself can be about 15, a YMZ294 (for Gimmick) is about 6-8 bucks, and MMC5 could be the cheapest if you already have a copy of Castlevania 3 and a NES-FC adapter, you just have to restore the audio RC network.

[jedahan]

Unfortunately I didn't even know what mappers were when I met RIKI, so I didn't ask about the specs of the deluxe edition.

The board I got has headers for a YMZ294, so I picked up a pair for maybe $10, so that obviates the need for gimmick.

My plan:
✔ FME-7/Sunoft5B - bare YMZ294 (got 2 for $10)
N163 - Youkai Douchuuki ($10)
VCR6  - Castlevania III ($30)
VCR7 - Tiny Toon Adventures 2 ($15) (no idea if this will work, hoping it will be like castlevania III)
RAM - Axed FDS Adapter for ($15)

@jedi quest master thank you so much for the recommendations, listening now!

[Jedi Master Baiter]

The board I got has headers for a YMZ294, so I picked up a pair for maybe $10, so that obviates the need for gimmick.

Wha? Can you make me one? I don't want to buy Gimmick, either.

[ImATrackMan]

Wha? Can you make me one?

The HFX4 and HFC5 have pre-added sockets for a YMZ294.

VCR6  - Castlevania III ($30)
VCR7 - Tiny Toon Adventures 2 ($15) (no idea if this will work, hoping it will be like castlevania III)

If you meant Akumajou Densetsu, that's fine, but Castlevania III (NA/EU) is MMC5. I actually have no idea if TTA will work for VRC7. I do know that the VRC7 in that game has an address line swapped (A4 instead of A3, I think) and that the audio out isn't wired at all. Heck, I'm not even sure if any of the audio stuff is hooked up or for audio! That pin might have a totally different purpose.

EDIT: Looking at the pinout, a bunch of pin assignments are different. Lagrange Point's VRC7's CPU A3 pin is A4 in TTA and LP-VRC7 pins 17 and 18 (for the ceramic crystal the audio timing is based on) are not connected to anything, so there's no audio clock. Getting it to work with audio would require heavy modification and wouldn't be worth it at all.

[P]

It seems so.

VRC7 audio was only used in one game, Lagrange Point. The chip also appears in Tiny Toon Adventures 2, but this cart does not use the audio, and its board lacks required additional audio mixing circuitry.

And Lagrange Point is getting more expensive now when the translation is out.

[jedahan]

OK so I picked up

Akumajou Densetsu (3880 Yen / $31)
Youkai Douchuuki (880 Yen / $7)
Lagarange Point (1980 Yen / $16)
Final Lap (280 Yen / $2)
Ram Adapter (180 Yen / $1.50)

These seem to be the normal prices here in Osaka. They looked good to me. I also saw a few copies of Gimmick! both in box and loose, but waay out of my price range so i'm happy with these.

Looking to pick up maybe 5-6 more games that are <$5 but good, and of course the classics like SMB3, doki doki panic, etc.

[MarioMania]

I 2nd Senseiman, Great seller & he has the best prices

[famiac]

I don't know how you would autoplay speedruns, but you can check out the hori game repeater