DAPHNE
Encyclopedia
DAPHNE is an arcade emulator
application that emulates
a variety of laserdisc video game
s with the intent of preserving these games and making the play experience as faithful to the originals as possible. The developer calls DAPHNE the "First Ever Multiple Arcade Laserdisc Emulator" ("FEMALE").
The software is available for Microsoft Windows
, Linux
and Mac OS X
operating systems, and consists of a command-line emulator (DAPHNE itself) with a graphical frontend (DaphneLoader) to make configuring and launching easier. DAPHNE is capable of displaying the games' full-motion video by playing MPEG video files on the computer or by driving certain models of laserdisc player directly via a serial interface. As with other arcade machine emulators, ROM image
s are also required to play the games. These may be ROM images from the original arcade machines, or alternatively fans of two of the most popular laserdisc arcade games, Dragon's Lair
and Space Ace
, have created updated ROMs that alter the gameplay, correct bugs and reintroduce removed sequences.
As of version 1.0 beta the DAPHNE project is supported by Digital Leisure
, the current copyright holder for several laserdisc titles including Dragon's Lair and Space Ace, allowing people who already own legal copies of these games on DVD
to download versions that function in DAPHNE.
Developer Matt Ownby is currently working on a hardware based solution for laser disc players. This hardware solution will allow cabinet owners to bypass the internal laserdisc player and play the game directly from an attached usb drive or laptop. He hopes to have a production model ready fall of 2011 at an approximate cost of $500.
Arcade emulator
An arcade emulator is a program that emulates one or more arcade games on a different computer, such as a PC.The first known arcade emulation available publicly was the Williams Digital Arcade series from Digital Eclipse Software, released for the Macintosh in 1994. This series featured the...
application that emulates
Emulator
In computing, an emulator is hardware or software or both that duplicates the functions of a first computer system in a different second computer system, so that the behavior of the second system closely resembles the behavior of the first system...
a variety of laserdisc video game
Laserdisc video game
A laserdisc video game is an arcade game that uses pre-recorded video played from a laserdisc, either as the entirety of the graphics, or as part of the graphics.-History:...
s with the intent of preserving these games and making the play experience as faithful to the originals as possible. The developer calls DAPHNE the "First Ever Multiple Arcade Laserdisc Emulator" ("FEMALE").
The software is available for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
and Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
operating systems, and consists of a command-line emulator (DAPHNE itself) with a graphical frontend (DaphneLoader) to make configuring and launching easier. DAPHNE is capable of displaying the games' full-motion video by playing MPEG video files on the computer or by driving certain models of laserdisc player directly via a serial interface. As with other arcade machine emulators, ROM image
ROM image
A ROM image, or ROM file, is a computer file which contains a copy of the data from a read-only memory chip, often from a video game cartridge, a computer's firmware, or from an arcade game's main board...
s are also required to play the games. These may be ROM images from the original arcade machines, or alternatively fans of two of the most popular laserdisc arcade games, Dragon's Lair
Dragon's Lair
Dragon's Lair is a laserdisc video game published by Cinematronics in 1983. It featured animation created by ex-Disney animator Don Bluth....
and Space Ace
Space Ace
Space Ace is a laserdisc video game produced by Don Bluth Studios, Cinematronics, and Advanced Microcomputer Systems...
, have created updated ROMs that alter the gameplay, correct bugs and reintroduce removed sequences.
As of version 1.0 beta the DAPHNE project is supported by Digital Leisure
Digital Leisure
Digital Leisure, Inc. is a Canadian publisher of software. The company formed in 1997 with the vision to acquire, remaster, and publish numerous classic video-based arcade games such as Dragon's Lair, Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp and Space Ace. These three games were among the first to use...
, the current copyright holder for several laserdisc titles including Dragon's Lair and Space Ace, allowing people who already own legal copies of these games on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
to download versions that function in DAPHNE.
Developer Matt Ownby is currently working on a hardware based solution for laser disc players. This hardware solution will allow cabinet owners to bypass the internal laserdisc player and play the game directly from an attached usb drive or laptop. He hopes to have a production model ready fall of 2011 at an approximate cost of $500.
Supported titles
- Astron BeltAstron BeltAstron Belt is an early laserdisc video game and third-person space combat rail shooter, released in 1983 by Sega in Japan and licensed to Bally Midway for release in the United States. Developed in 1982, it is commonly cited as the first laserdisc game...
- BadlandsBadlands (laserdisc video game)is a 1984 laserdisc video game developed and published for the arcades by a Japanese company, Konami. In the vein of Dragon's Lair, the game lets its players navigate through various animated sequences by pressing a single button at a precise moment...
- Bega's Battle
- Cliff Hanger
- Cobra Command
- Dragon's LairDragon's LairDragon's Lair is a laserdisc video game published by Cinematronics in 1983. It featured animation created by ex-Disney animator Don Bluth....
- Dragon's Lair II: Time WarpDragon's Lair II: Time WarpDragon's Lair II: Time Warp is a 1991 laserdisc video game by Don Bluth. It is regarded as the first "true" sequel to Dragon's Lair. It takes place years after the timeline of the original Dragon's Lair. Dirk has married Daphne, and the marriage has produced several children...
- Esh's Aurunmilla
- Galaxy Ranger
- GP World
- Inter Stellar
- M.A.C.H. 3
- Road Blaster
- Space AceSpace AceSpace Ace is a laserdisc video game produced by Don Bluth Studios, Cinematronics, and Advanced Microcomputer Systems...
- Star Blazer
- Super Don Quix-oteSuper Don Quix-oteSuper Don Quix-ote is a laserdisc video game released by Universal in . Although the game was made by a Japanese company, it features Western animation.-Plot:...
- Thayer's QuestThayer's QuestThayer's Quest was a laserdisc adventure game released by RDI Video Systems in 1984 as a game for their Halcyon console, computer and laserdisc player, but was later released as a conversion kit for Dragon's Lair arcade consoles when the Halcyon's high price tag damaged its appeal.-Plot:The player...
- Us vs. Them
External links
- Developer's website
- Developer Wiki
- Dragon's Lair Fans: Emulate the Lair - DAPHNE setups for full software emulation and combinations of hardware and software.