Family Bits I (now available in paperback)

[fcgamer | 4,723]

Okay so a huge push after I got off work tonight, I'm back again to around 97% finished. I'll finish up the few rogue items I need to scan tomorrow, then it's just about tying up some loose ends, and then we're done. Should more or less be finished by the end of the weekend.

Currently volume 1 is sitting at around 323 pages, I think it'll top out at around 335 pages max, by the time I'm done with the few things I need to tweak.

 

[fcgamer | 4,723]

As a preview from our index, here are the games / topics covered in this volume (list is slightly outdated, and missing about thirty titles):

20 in 1
3 in 1 Supergun
3D Block
6 in 1
6 in 1
777 Lucky Bingo
Adam & Eve
Adventures of Monkey
Aladdin
Aladdin
Aladdin II
American Video Entertainment
Aoji Go Go
Asder
Auto-Upturn
AV Jiu Ma Jiang 2
AV Mahjong Club
AV Pachislot Big Chance
AV Poker
AV Pretty Girl Fighting
B.B. Car
Ball Story
Balloon Monster
Bao Qing Tian
BIC
Bingo
Bingo 75
Bit Argentina
Bit Corporation
Block Force
Bo Qing Ge Trade Co
BomberBoy
Boogerman
Boogerman II: Final Adventure
Bookyman
Bridge
Brush Roller
C&E
Caltron
Chengdu Tai Jing Da Dong Computer Co
Chess Academy
Chi Chi To Co.
China Rabbit Baby
Chinese Checkers
Chinese Chess
Chinese Chess
Chinese Kungfu
Chu Da D
Cobra Mission
Color Dreams
Colorful Dragon
Computer & Entertainment
Contra Spirits
Cony Soft
Cosmocop
Cosmos Cop
Crayon Shin Chan 2
Creatom
Creator 75
Crime Buster
Crime Busters
Dancing Block
Decathlon
Destroyer
Dian Shi Ma Li
Dong Dong Niao 1
Donkey Kong Country 4
Dragon Ball Z 5
Dragon Ball Z: Super Botoden 2
Dragon, The
Dream Fighter
Duck
Earthworm Jim 2
Earthworm Jim 3
Earthworm Jim II
Elf Land
Enjoyable Horse Racing
Ex-Sachen Developers
F15 City War
F15 City War
Fatal Fury 2
Feng Shen Bang
Fighting Hero
Fighting Hero III
Final Combat
Final Fight 3
Fire Dragon
Flying Elephant Technology
Fortune Power
Four in One
Future Media
Gaiapolis
Gamtec
Garou Densetsu Special
Ge De Industry Co
Go! Benny!
Gouder
Great Wall
Happy Pairs
Hell Fighter
Hidden Chinese Chess
Hit Marmot
Honey Peach
Hong Jing
Horses Racing
Hosenkan Electronics
Huang Di
Huge Insect
Hummer Team
Hwang Jiun-Ming
Hwang Shinwei
Idea-Tek
Incantation
Interstellar
IQ-901
J.Y. Company
Jichang
Jing Ke Xin Zhuan
Journey to the West
Journey to the West
Jovial Race
Jovial Race
Joyvan Kid
JP Ronny
Jujing Electronics
Jurassic Boy 2
Ka Sheng
Kart Fighter
King of Fighters ‘96
King of Fighters ‘97
King Tank
L.C. Tchacvosky
Lee Dragon
Lethal Weapon
Liang Yi Productions
Little Red Hood
Locksmith
Lost World: Jurassic Park
Magic Block
Magic Bubble
Magic Carpet 1001
Magic Cube
Magic Giral
Magic Jewelry
Magic Jewelry 2
Magic Jewelry II
Magical Mathematic
Mahjong Academy
Mahjong Block
Mahjong Block
Mahjong Companion
Mahjong Trap
Mahjong Trap
Mahjong World
Master Chu and the Drunkard Hu
Master Fighter II: The World Warrior
Master Fighter VI’
Master Shooter
Mega Soft
Mi Hu Che
Mi Hun Che
Mickey Mania 7
Micro Genius
Middle School English
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers III
Millionaire
Millionaire II
Mortal Kombat 3
Mortal Kombat 3 (Ture MK3)
Mortal Kombat II
Mortal Kombat II
Mortal Kombat II: Special
Mortal Kombat Trilogy
Music? (bit)
Nei-Hu Electronics
Nintendo Electronic Co.
NTDEC
Olympic I.Q.
Othello
Panda Prince
Penguin and Seal
Pipe 5
Pocahontas
Pocahontas Part 2
Poke Block
Poker
Poker II
Poker III
Poker Mahjong
Pokey
Policeman
PoPo Team
Porter
Princess Maker
Pu Ke Jing Ling
Puzzle
Puzzle
Puzzy
Pyramid I
Pyramid I
Pyramid II
Q Boy
Qi Miao Che
Rad Racket: Deluxe Tennis II
Raid
Ramar International
RamCo Man International
RCM Group
Realtec
Rex Soft
Rockball
Rockman X
Sachen
Samurai Spirits
Samurai Spirits
San Guo Zhi 4: Battle of Chibi
San Guo Zhi: Chibi Zhi Zhan
San Guo Zhi: Qun Xiong Zheng Ba
Sanguo Chunqiu: Sichuan Sheng
Sea of Dreamland
Sheng Huo Lie Zhuan
Shin Samurai Spirits 2
Shuang Xiang Pao
Shui Guo Li
Sidewinder
Silver Eagle
Skate Boy
Somari: The Adventurer
Someri Team
Strategist
Street Fighter II Pro
Street Fighter II: The World Warrior
Street Fighter IV
Street Fighter Zero 2 ‘97
Street Heroes
Strike Wolf
Sugar Softec
Sun Team
Super Cartridge V. 9: 3 in 1
Super Cartridge V.1: 4 in 1
Super Cartridge V.2: 10 in 1
Super Cartridge V.3: 8 in 1
Super Cartridge V.4: 6 in 1
Super Cartridge V.5: 7 in 1
Super Cartridge V.6: 6 in 1
Super Cartridge V.7: 4 in 1
Super Cartridge V.8: 4 in 1
Super Contra X
Super Donkey Kong
Super Donkey Kong 2
Super Donkey Kong: Xiang Jiao Chuan
Super Game
Super Game
Super Gun
Super Lion King
Super Lion King 2
Super Mario World
Super New Year Cassette 15 in 1
Super Pang
Super Pang II
Super Shinobi
Supertone Electronics
Taiwan 16 Tile Mahjong
Taiwan 16 Tile Mahjong II
Tank
Tasac
Tekken 2
Thin Chen Enterprise
Thunder Warrior
Thunderbolt II
Tiny Toon Adventures 6
Tip Top
Tough Cop
Toy Story
TV Amusement Magazine
TV Amusement Report
Twin Eagle
TXC
Universe Soldiers
Venice Beach Volleyball
Venice Beach Volleyball
War in the Gulf
Wen Guang Yang
Wisdom Boy
World Heroes
World Heroes 2 Pro
World of Card Games
Xiao Ma Li
Yoko Soft
Yuu Yuu Hakusho Final
Zhan Guo Si Chuan Sheng
Zhan Guo Si Chuan Sheng

[GPX | 1,369]

Good job! I remember you talking about this project for some time over at NA. My interest in the hobby lies mainly in the authentic and stuff with seals and manuals. However, I do appreciate the effort that you’ve put into this project, and wish you all the best with the completion of the first book and subsequent ones!

[fcgamer | 4,723]

Wow up early this morning, finished up the scans and stuff like that.

This one's almost in the bag

[fcgamer | 4,723]

And that's a wrap! Added a few more screenshots, and a few cartridge and box pictures thanks to some collector friends I know. The list of items missing from the book is incredibly tiny by now, and I'm not likely to find pictures, so while I won't give up trying to source pictures until the book goes into print, I'm pretty darn happy with what we've got.

 

Tomorrow I'll start proofreading things...

[fcgamer | 4,723]

17% finished with the proofreading, also @OptOutcame through with the forward

Will work on this more tomorrow, the rest of the night is for me.

[fcgamer | 4,723]

Proofreading stands at 57% complete.

[fcgamer | 4,723]

Proofreading is more or less complete, need to fix some errors on the cover. Doing some formatting stuff today.

Edited March 9, 2022 by fcgamer

[fcgamer | 4,723]

Index and credits finished.

[fcgamer | 4,723]

On 3/10/2022 at 3:59 PM, fcgamer said:

Index and credits finished.

Added half-assed appendices.

[GPX | 1,369]

A couple of the page samples look like they could fit into the one page. Have you thought of merging some of them so there could be less pages and overall less production cost?

[fcgamer | 4,723]

2 hours ago, GPX said:

A couple of the page samples look like they could fit into the one page. Have you thought of merging some of them so there could be less pages and overall less production cost?

I've thought about it, but that wouldn't be as fun

For the pages with extra white space though, I'm thinking of things I can add to reduce that.

Rest assured, other pages are packed beyond the gills.

[Tanooki | 4,933]

Maybe extra history blocks of related info maybe on the various shady companies who did said games, other cart variants of the knockoffs, etc.  It wouldn't be hard to make it a resource and not a waste.

[fcgamer | 4,723]

23 hours ago, Tanooki said:

Maybe extra history blocks of related info maybe on the various shady companies who did said games, other cart variants of the knockoffs, etc.  It wouldn't be hard to make it a resource and not a waste.

Yeah, exactly. There's always something more to add.

Was working on this some tonight. 

[fcgamer | 4,723]

Finished!

Gonna give it one more proofread, over the next few days / weeks, but the first volume is done, content wise, format wise, etc.

Still thinking how I want to handle something with Chinese names, but these are just little trivial things.

[fcgamer | 4,723]

Putting in the Chinese (and in a few cases, Japanese!) names for games now

[fcgamer | 4,723]

Last night I added more content, as well as a user guide to the book. Scanned another Sachen advert, though I need to insert it in the guide.

Unless I have a heart attack or get hit by a bus or something, tonight's the night, it's done.

[fcgamer | 4,723]

Finally I can get some rest

[Tanooki | 4,933]

That was fast... hopefully it stays in the right section with that title.

[fcgamer | 4,723]

3 hours ago, Tanooki said:

That was fast... hopefully it stays in the right section with that title.

Hahaha

It's a fake news though, I won't sell it publically until I receive mine in a few weeks, just to make sure it meets my standards.

I'm now working on the next volume.

Also for people in the States, I'll sell directly for a cheaper price, like on VGS and what not

[Tanooki | 4,933]

So you're keeping it in the family then.   Makes sense.

[T-Pac | 7,539]

Congrats @fcgamer!

I'm always pumped to see this kind of dedication to the niche corners of classic-gaming.

-CasualCart

[fcgamer | 4,723]

Next volume, sorting multicarts, complete

[fcgamer | 4,723]

First off, a big thanks to @ThePhleofor the amazing review on Amazon! Actually my mom had seen it and felt shocked, my parents are still in the mindset that games aren't collectables.

Anyways, my copy of the book arrived today, as well as the copy for @OptOut . I didn't want to say too much before I actually got to see the final product itself, as my greatest fear is that I'll release something, which is pricey*, and it'll suck...majorly.

I could honestly start nitpicking things with this book, but as the author I think no one is ever 100% satisfied, we are our own harshest critics. 

Overall, I'm extremely happy with how this book turned out, and I think this will definitely become the industry standard when it comes to this particular subject matter. I know I'm extremely biased, but it's also hard to imagine that this was a one-man job.

I've attached some pictures for everyone's enjoyment.

*for the record, half of the cost is printing costs and I only see less than 1/3 of the remaining money

[Tanooki | 4,933]

Very good setup, don't see my copy though.

Was RocmanX included in this edition?  Love to see the page on that one.