Date: Thu, 17 Jun 1999 22:51:29 EDT
\--------------------------------------------------/
\ Segs NAOMI System and Games FAQ /
> by Chris Mullins, copyright 1999 <
/ VERSION 1.0 e-mail:
[email protected] \
/ -------------------------------------------------\
Want to see my other FAQs I made? If so, then go here:
http://members.aol.com/CMull11217/private/index.htm
This faq is made by Chris Mullins for reading to anyone
who wants to know about the Sega NAOMI System, by Sega. Happy
reading!
16 QUESTIONS INDEXED
Contents
Frequently Asked Questions
Game List
Market Prices
Phone Numbers
Past Updates
Coming Soon To My FAQ!
Frequently Asked Questions
----What is the SEGA NAOMI system, and what are the specs for it?
The SEGA NAOMI System is Sega's newest hardware for the arcade. Capable of
accurately playing 2D AND 3D games, and with a wide various useage for different
games, this board is a winner!
The board itself, is about as big as a CPS3 or CPS2 full kit board, and has
cartridges that plug into it(carts are non-encased). There are different types of
games for this board, but each will run on each board(like Dynamite Baseball 99
will run on a motherboard with Crazy Taxi, but that'll take some work..:))
There are specialty type games for this system, and most games ARE medium
resolution, which means it's futile to play this on your Super Gun system. :(
Here are the specifications for the SEGA NAOMI system:
CPU: Hitachi SH-4 64-bit RISC CPU (200 MHz 360 MIPS / 1.4 GFLOPS)
Graphic Engine: PowerVR (PVR2DC)
Sound Engine: Super Intelligent Sound Processor
(with internal 32-bit RISC CPU, 64 channel ADPCM)
Main Memory: 32 Megabytes
Graphic Memory: 16 Megabytes
Sound Memory: 8 Megabytes
Media: ROM Cartridge
Maximum Size of ROM: 168 Megabytes=1344 Megabits
Simultaneous # of Colors: 16,770,000
Additional Features: Bump Mapping, Fog, Alpha-Bending (transparency),
Mip Mapping (polygon-texture auto switch), Tri-Linear Filtering,
Anti-Aliasing, Environment Mapping, and Specular Effect.
----What does the SEGA NAOMI system set look like?
Well, imagine any of the Sega Model 3 boardsets, or imagine the CPS3 with a nice
casing. It handles shock well, unlike the CPS3 system. There are many capabilities of this
system, much like Taito's G-NET. It resembles the Capcom CPS3 system, rather than the Neo Geo
MVS System.
It CAN get cluttered, because of the MANY specialty add-ons for the system(like the
ability to have multiple motherboards on ONE game!!)...
----How much does a SEGA NAOMI system cost?
Even though the SEGA NAOMI system has been out for over a year now, it's just
now started to get in full swing. So, the cost is kind of steep right now, and will be
for a long while.
Expect a price tag for the Kit(you can mostly buy Japanese or Asian kits, US ones
aren't that common), which includes the NAOMI motherboard and a game, for
about $2,600($2,600 for Zombie Revenge).
----Yeah right...multiple motherboards??
Yes, the Sega NAOMI can utilize MULTIPLE motherboards for ONE game. Like for the
racing game Ferrari F355 Challenge, it utilizes 4 MOTHERBOARDS!! Talk about being a tad
expensive...but if it makes money, it's well worth it..
----Is the SEGA NAOMI JAMMA-compatible?
Yes, it is indeed JAMMA, although some games may be medium resolution,
which means you need a special monitor to run certain games. Some games may
have special appendages, like CD-ROM hookups, etc.
----Are the NAOMI->Dreamcast conversions perfect, all the time?
That's a hard question to answer. Most will say yes, although the NAOMI is
decidedly superior to the DREAMCAST, in terms of RAM and processor utilization. NAOMI
games with one motherboard provide near-flawless conversion(House of the Dead 2), but
games with multiple motherboards(Ferrari F355) or games on the Model 3 board(Sega Rally 2),
may provide difficult to do conversions for.
----Are there any Third Party Game Manufacturers for the SEGA NAOMI?
Yes, there are third party companies for the Sega NAOMI, and lots
of QUALITY companies. Here they are, listed below:
SNK
Eighting
Raizing
Capcom
Psikyo
Cave
Sammy
Jaleco
Tecmo
Treasure
Visco
Video System
Marvelous Entertainment
----How do I design a game for the SEGA NAOMI?
Whoa, whoa, settle down! Remember, this is a topic, which has a
lot more to it than the space I've devoted here on it. I'll give you the
rundown on the sequence of events, in order to program a game for the
Neo:
1. Get a developers' kit from Sega, so you have the exact programs and
tools that Sega uses themselves to make games for the NAOMI(This
step can be sidestepped, but making a game compatible with the NAOMI later
can be quite a hassle). Make sure you have an EXTREMELY powerful computer,
or even trying to program a NAOMI game will be futile.
2. Now, get some developers' programs, load your computer up with RAM,
and get a very good graphics card. Also, start learning to program in C
(ANSI C, or Objective C), because you'll have to program the game this way(maybe
Assembly code?).
3. Get an EPROM burner, which programs the ROMs needed for a NAOMI cart.
You'll have to use a better, more finished ROM for the finished product,
and construct a cartridge.
4. Playtesting. You have to playtest this game for bugs, and to test
certain spots in a game, a LOT! But, if you need to test something that's
far in the game, that's what codes are for, to get there in a flash(they are
programmed in the game). Afterwards, you're almost done, but you may need to
do a couple more steps.
5. Design the artwork for the game. Make sure that it looks professional.
This is very important, as good artwork complements a good game, but bad
artwork will make a good game look bad.
6. The final step, is to either send the EPROM to Sega, and they may buy
the rights to the game(for some good money), or you can pay the licensing
fee, and make NAOMI Carts as a company. But, the licensing fee will
run, on an average, over $500,000, so for most people, that is not a feasible
option anymore.
Hope this helps, if you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me,
I know some more about the subject, and I can share that with you, if you're
interested.
----How do I play the SEGA NAOMI setup on my TV?
You need a machine called the Super NOVA(Super Gun), which is an RGB->NTSC
converter, and JAMMA harness all in one! You get 2 heavy duty joysticks with it as well!
It comes with also the extra button wiring(if you don't have one, ask
[email protected]
for one, he has many of them).
How do you get one of these? Well, for $295, you can get one from MAS Systems
(the innovator of the Super Gun), at (714)831-5760. And sorry, you can't get a cheaper
model in the U.S.A. :( I'd advise you to get an S-Video capable TV, otherwise your arcade
games will look like shit(yes, making it composite will make it look like pure dog poop.
Trust me on that one. This is where it gets a little tricky....
See, about half of all NAOMI games utilize medium resolution monitors, or have
screwy connectors that aren't direct JAMMA. The NAOMI motherboard itself, IS JAMMA, however,
some of the games may need more connectors...
----Why can't I find my favorite SEGA NAOMI kit?
Most arcade vendors still don't want to take a chance on getting a NAOMI kit,
but there are some places that do have them in stock. Look below for places, or ask
on the newsgroups throughout the internet, and try to make good contacts. They will
most likely get the items you need.
Getting cartridges is harder, rather because distributors want to sell kits,
to get rid of motherboards, and selling just the carts do not sell motherboards. ;(
The Japanese love the NAOMI system, so it'll be a lot easier trying to get Asian
or Japanese NAOMI games, than US versions of those games.
----How come my SEGA NAOMI games don't work?
Well, you have to clean the games! I can speak from experience, and
carts can get very dirty, and cleaning them shows you how much dirt
there is on them. You take a solution of Isopropyl Alcohol and
water, and clean the contacts with a Q-Tip. Also, if you just yank out
the games instead of taking them out carefully, contacts, over time,
will partly come off. So treat your carts well, and they will last a long time!
Or, you could have pushed the cartridge too far in, which
will make games screw up. Put the carts in ALMOST all the way, and push
them back up a LITTLE bit to make them work. Always put the cartridge in, game logo in
front, or else you may mess up the system contacts.
Also, maybe the monitor you're using is not set for the right resolution, either
15 KHz, or 24 KHz....where applicable, of course...:)
And, always check your power supply, and other connections. If that
doesn't work, return to your arcade distributor or Sega for repair.
----What's the current status of the SEGA NAOMI?
The current status of the NAOMI is excellent! With great games like
House of the Dead 2, Zombie Revenge, and Crazy Taxi coming out, and making
great profits as well, Sega is on a roll! Third Party support is tremendous,
and with more and more companies committing themselves to Sega every day, I'm
looking for a great arcade platform to come up. I think it's the NEW Neo-Geo,
in terms of functionality and ease of use.
----I want to get a SEGA NAOMI system(Arcade machine or Super Gun->NAOMI board),
but where, or how do I go about finding one?
That's a tough call. First, decide if you have enough money
($3500 or so for a new SEGA NAOMI with a 50" monitor), and the space
to hold a big arcade machine. If not, you can purchase a Super Gun
system from MAS Systems, and attach a NAOMI board to it, in order to play
NAOMI carts on your TV(costs $2500+ for the package).
If you want the Super Gun package, you can find it pretty
easily. You call up MAS Systems, order the Super Gun, then you buy an
NAOMI board and cartridges from the places listed below. But, if you want
an arcade machine for NAOMI games, that's another matter......
Call up all the "Amusement Machines" dealers in the phone book
in your area, and ask them these questions:
1. Ask if there are any arcade auctions in the area.
2. See if there are any machines for sale at the dealer.
3. Ask if any other dealers in your area might have what you're
looking for.
Then, you can check out the dealers(including the ones I listed
below, and across the internet), and see if buying used, or buying
one new makes sense.
But, shipping is the most important deal, when it comes to
purchasing an arcade machine. And, it's not cheap, not at all.
Even if you buy one locally, you need to find a way to pick it up, and deliver
it safely to your destination. If you buy one from a dealer that's more than 100 or
so miles away, the most(seemingly)effective way of shipping is by freight truck.
Well, that adds about 2 weeks to your delivery time, and costs about $250 or so to
ship. It costs money to actually get the machine, you know.
So, you can make the most cost-effective decision that way, by knowing
about your choices, and making the right one. But, please remember, that
a video game is JUST a video game.....
----Aw come on! I want cheap Japanese boards in my arcades! It'll save me money....
I'm sure it will save you money too. But, the reason why it is comprehended as
copyright infringement, is that it's taking away from Sega of America's sales,
and giving some to the Japanese, which is something that Sega doesn't like. Also, who
wants to see Japanese kanji in an American arcade, when 95% of the population has no
Japanese learning experience whatsoever?
Some places it is allowed, when Japanese majority is over 75% of a certain place.
But when you get Japanese boards, Sega of America REFUSES to service them, so
there's another reason to get U.S.A. boards. If you're a collector, then Japanese or Asian
boards are right for you. But, U.S.A. boards are worth the extra money, as they are easily
serviceable, don't depreciate as much, and are more lucrative as a whole. Perfect for the
arcade, and for distinguished collectors. Sure, Japanese and Asian boards work on the
motherboards(or US games on Japanese boards, I think), but get US stuff, if you can.
----I'm tired of my SEGA NAOMI PCB. Where do I sell it?
Well, I'm assuming that you don't know anyone else with
the SEGA NAOMI system. What you do, is follow this
checklist below:
1. Make sure that you WANT to sell the game(s) in question.
2. Try to determine a good market value for your game, by
checking out the various newsgroups associated with this(rec.games-
video.marketplace comes to mind), and go from there.
3. Put Ads over the internet, telling how good of condition
it is in, the price, does it come w/ box or instructions, and other
general info that the people may need to make a judgment on the
game.
4. Contact me! Depending on the game, I'll pay a good price
for the SEGA NAOMI game. Just ask!
That should be enough to get you on your way to selling
games over the internet.
----Can I Contact SEGA?
Of course you can, below are the respective addresses for inquiry to
SEGA's PCBs and inquiries to other Sega-made products.
Sega of America, Inc.
P.O. Box 7654
San Francisco, CA 94129-7654
Game List
This is a list of all the SEGA NAOMI games out now, or are coming out soon.
Beside them, are ratings for the games...all names in JAPANESE.
19 Separate Games Indexed
Rating(1 worst-10 best)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<games released, 1 motherboard>
Crazy Taxi (SEGA) 9 (original driving game)
Dynamite Baseball '98 (SEGA) 7 (first-gen baseball)
Giant Gram: Zen Nihon Pro Wrestling 2 (SEGA) 8 (good wrestling game)
House of the Dead 2 (SEGA) 9 (EXCELLENT gun shooting game)
Power Stone (CAPCOM) 10 (Capcom's first, and SUPERB fighter)
Zombie Zone (SEGA) 9 (very well done action game)
<games released, MULTIPLE motherboards>
Airline Pilots (SEGA) 10 (ultra-realistic jetliner game)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<games not yet released, 1 motherboard>
All Japan Pro Wrestling 2 (SEGA)
Boat Race 2 (SEGA)
Derby Owners Club (SEGA)
Drift Out (VISCO/SNK)
F1 World Grand Prix (VIDEO SYSTEM)
Gun Beat (TREASURE)
Justice Academy 2 (CAPCOM)
Kurutto Stone (SEGA)
Ring Out 4X4 (SEGA)
Spawn (CAPCOM)
<games not yet released, MULTIPLE motherboards>
Dead or Alive 2 (TECMO)
Ferrari F355 Challenge (SEGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Japanese-American Name Translations: following, are translations to American, if
the name changes(games not yet released are unknown names mostly):
All Japan Pro Wrestling 2 is JAPANESE only.
Dynamite Baseball '98 is JAPANESE only.
Giant Gram is JAPANESE only.
Justice Academy 2=Rival Schools 2:United By Fate
Zombie Zone=Zombie Revenge
----------
Market Prices
This is an accurate listing of what SEGA NAOMI Hardware and software run, pricewise I mean.
First price is BUY CART price, second is SELL CART USED price, third is SELL NEW price(all PCB),
and fourth is when if it is a dedicated CABINET, complete, full-size(50" screen, or sit-down driving)
arcade game,SELL PRICE. NAMES ARE IN AMERICAN.....
SEGA NAOMI Motherboard 500 750 899 n/a
Airline Pilots n/a n/a 3299 6999
Crazy Taxi n/a n/a 2400 5999
Dynamite Baseball '98 300 640 950 2499
Giant Gram 650 1000 2600 3999
House of the Dead 2 n/a n/a 2400 5999
Power Stone 450 900 1400 2499
Zombie Revenge 650 1000 2600 3999
------------
Phone Numbers
These are all retailers that should carry the SEGA NAOMI system, or has at
one time carried it. Please enjoy!
You can ask SEGA of a list of arcade distributors that carry SEGA NAOMI products,
which is recommended.
50th State Coin-op:(800)424-5050 (doesn't have a good selection at all)"www.gamegod.com"
Automaticos Valls:(34)96-291-7026 (this place in Spain has got the goods)"www.automaticosvalls.com"
Bondeal: no phone # (a great source for arcade stuff)"www.bondeal.com.hk"
Bumper:(61)3-9696-9690 (Australia's best Source)"www.bumper.com.au"
Coinop International:(612)321-9632 (very good source of stuff, great to deal with)"www.coinopintl.com"
Cosmic Amusements: (852)2388-2101 (lackluster source)"home.netvigator.com/~cosmicco"
Creideas: no phone # (great foreign source for equipment)"www.vnet.es/creideas"
Fuuki: no phone # (excellent Japanese Source)"www.mediawars.or.jp/~fuukico/"
Game City:(626)573-3832 (has boards and other video games)"www.gamescity.com"
Great Western Trading:(541)726-1813 (has some boards)"www.gwtrading.com"
Hugo Neumann:(800)998-4846 (good, but high priced carts sometimes)
Kimble:(353)42-36574 (Ireland's finest supplier of arcade equipment)"www.kimble.ie"
MAS Systems:(714)831-5760 (accessories, and the Super NOVA dealer!)"www.massystems.com"
Midwest Amusements:(847)364-7722 (has some carts, a couple rare ones)"www.midwestamusement.com"
MHP Ent. Ltd.:(44)125-45-6029 (another source in the UK, call for info)"www.mhpuk.mcmail.com"
Mondial Group:(914)738-7411 (is a little high in the price department)"www.mondialgroup.com"
Outer Limits Amusements:(800)474-2637 (has some decent stuff, nothing special)"www.outerlimitsgames.com"
Rent-A-Game:(416)650-3718 (Canadian supplier of units)"www.rent-a-game.com"
Sage Electronik AG:(41)61-691-1555 (Swiss dealer)"www.sage-ag.ch"
State Sales and Coin:(410)646-4100 (boards, complete machines)"www.sscoin.com"
Tuning:(49)89-311073 (Germany's source of good boards, quality, and sometimes high priced)"www.tuning.com/english"
Video Connection:(800)444-6854 (everything, board prices are high)"www.videoconnect.com"
Past Updates
v.1.0: This is the first iteration of my SEGA NAOMI FAQ! (6/18/99)
Coming Soon to my FAQ!
v.1.1: More questions added as I get the system!
THIS FAQ IS NOT ENDORSED OR MADE BY SEGA!!!!!!
I would wish to thank MAS Systems, Steve Eisner, and Chris Ray.
Any comments or questions about this FAQ and the SEGA NAOMI? E-mail me at
[email protected]. Happy gaming!
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
<Copyrighted 1997, 1998, 1999 by Chris Mullins, all rights reserved. Any republication of>
<this material, without written consent from myself(Chris Mullins), and credit to myself,>
<will be subject to fines and/or sentencing due to plagiarism. >
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< | Chris Mullins's SEGA NAOMI System FAQ 1.0 END | >
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