NAOMI fiber optic connections, multiplayer, etc?

OldFoo · Post by **OldFoo** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 5:36 pm

Hi!

I was curious about the fiber optic connections on the NAOMI system. There's some information out on the 'net, but some of it seems a bit contradictory.

There are two fiber optic connectors on a regular NAOMI. As I understand it, you can use these connectors to link NAOMIs for several reasons. If anyone has more experience, please help me debunk my understanding below.

1) To increase the quality of playback. NAOMIs support some parallel processing and using piggyback NAOMIs can improve graphical/audio/load times, etc and allows for multiple displays.

2) There may be at least one game out there that REQUIRES multiple NAOMIs in order to be used in a single cabinet configuration. Is this correct? What title is it?

3) The fiber optics can be used to link two cabinets together for multiplayer games.

So if any of the above is correct... my next question is - I rarely see any netplay options in my game configuration settings. Do only specific titles support multi-cabinet play? In particular, I have Senko no Ronde SP and Guilty Gear Accent Core. I'm 99% sure I've seen Accent Core AND Senko no Ronde SP used many, many times on multiple cabinets/multiple NAOMIs, but it may have been a pair of NAOMI that used the second NAOMI for a second display only. The instruction manuals I've seen for these titles mention NOTHING about networked NAOMI play. :\

My next question would be - does anyone know what speed and protocol the fiber optic connectors might be?

OldFoo · Post by **OldFoo** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 6:40 pm

Hi,

This is basically used for linking, driving cabinets.

Examples are Initial D, Club Kart, etc.

Apart from the fiber optic cable, you need to install in each Naomi Motherboard a comunication cartridge, that is inserted like a sandwitch, between the Naomi and the cartridge game or DIMM interface.

The comunication protocol is propietary from Sega and uses a Motorola MC68000 processor for handle the high level stack.

OldFoo · Post by **OldFoo** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 8:05 pm

android wrote:Hi,

This is basically used for linking, driving cabinets.

Examples are Initial D, Club Kart, etc.

Boo!

So the multi-cab setups for some of the NAOMI fighters I've seen were probably only used for dual monitor support?

I really wanted to link Accent Core between two cabinets but it seems the only thing that would accomplish would be dual video.

The Atomiswave had an add-on network adapter that used standard TCP/IP. I was hoping I could do the same thing with a NAOMI. :\

OldFoo · Post by **OldFoo** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 10:18 pm

To be clear, the connection is used to link multiple Naomi machines together (for multiplayer games supporting multiple cabs). So each cab has a complete Naomi setup, including game (and each Naomi has a communications board sandwiched in between the system and the cart).

OldFoo · Post by **OldFoo** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 11:40 pm

So does that mean I could use a multicab configuration with 2 Naomi with each cab having independant controls, etc? Again, this would be for Accent Core.

OldFoo · Post by **OldFoo** » Tue Jan 11, 2011 7:34 am

I have no idea if Accent Core supports multiplayer setups.. perhaps someone can chime in? Andy perhaps

?

OldFoo · Post by **OldFoo** » Tue Jan 11, 2011 4:48 pm

There's nothing in the config menu or manual.......

I was hoping the comcards were lowlevel enough that it might not depend on the game directly supporting it.......

A buddy said you could definitely netdimm+gdrom (as in proper usage - not pirate) two Naomi and the video will sync but he doesn't have a link kit to test.

I am under the impression this is how the versus setups I have seen worked. I guess you would string the controls loom over to the second player side.

OldFoo · Post by **OldFoo** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 6:16 am

I have the hardware and experience in this subject. Only games that support linking will 'connect'. There are only a handful that do such as the previously mentioned Initial D, Ninja Assault, Outrigger, F335 Twin, Biohazard, Ring Out 4x4, Virtual On, Wave Runner (I think), and Club Kart.

There are other games that use the optical link for multitasking purposes such as Derby Owners Club where there is a master-slave configuration and was never intended to be used in a single cab. Another rarely used function is multi-screen displays for a panoramic view such as Airline Pilot and F335 Challenge, though they use a specialized multi-board stack of Naomi boards on top of each other instead of optical cables.

Any attempt to use networking hardware on games that don't support linking will make no attempt at using it even when properly connected.

I hope this answers your questions. :smt023

OldFoo · Post by **OldFoo** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 8:03 pm

:smt010