Hammering Hard Drive Game: A Playful Title for a Computer Accessory Game
In the realm of retro gaming, an innovative individual named Rob has created a unique twist on the classic Whack-a-Mole game, using floppy disks and a CRT display. This game, unlike its arcade counterpart, requires manual dexterity rather than a mallet to play.
Rob's creation, aptly named Whack-a-Disk, features five customized floppy disk drives acting as the game's 'moles'. Instead of hitting the targets with a mallet, players must physically push the floppy disks into the drives manually to score points. The game hardware includes motors controlling springs to eject the disks, two limit switches per drive to detect the disk position, an addressable RGB LED on each disk unit, an eject button, and a lock mechanism controlled by a solenoid to manage disk ejection and insertion.
Key features of the game include motorized spring control for ejecting disks, limit switches that detect when a disk is fully ejected or inserted, addressable RGB LEDs providing lighting on each disk unit, an eject button and solenoid lock mechanism ensuring secure disk handling, and the challenge of retrieving and reinserting disks that jump out during gameplay.
The game runs on an Amiga 600, with custom software featuring a 30-second gameplay loop and a dedicated soundtrack for an authentic retro experience. To accommodate the five floppy disk drives, approximately 30 input/output pins are utilized, with multiplexing avoided by using enough pins on the controller.
After several prototypes, Rob has a working version of Whack-a-Disk, which blends physical interaction with retro computing in a novel and clever way. For a true retro feel, a CRT display is recommended for the game.
Whack-a-Disk offers a fresh take on the Whack-a-Mole concept, combining the nostalgia of floppy disk drives with the excitement of retro gaming. It's a unique fusion that is not only fun to play but also a testament to the ingenuity of retro hardware.
The unique fusion, Whack-a-Disk, developed by Rob, is not only a novel interpretation of the Whack-a-Mole concept but also a blend of floppy disk drives and retro computing technology. In this game, instead of using a mallet, players interact with gadgets like customized floppy disk drives acting as 'moles', requiring manual dexterity and physical pushing to play.
