Zen - Colour DMDs would be incredible

It would be really incredible if Zen were able to include colour DMDs as a UI option in the future.

The updated DMDs for the Attack from Mars and Monster Bash remakes look fantastic.

Some before and after shots are here:
https://www.chicago-gaming.com/coinop/monster-bash#pid=21
https://www.chicago-gaming.com/coinop/attack-from-mars

Perhaps some sort of deal could be struck with ATHYRIO GAMES, who are responsible for the quality DMD work?

No doubt it would be some great exposure for them too.

It would be nice but not really needed IMO. I like the originality & look of the stock DMDs.
If it's done, as a configurable option please...with no performance impact.

I really like the increased res and colour of these new DMDs, and I think that it adds a lot to the visuals of the tables. A big improvement over the lo-res monochrome DMDs, which always struck me as just a step up from ASCII graphics.
If Zen can do it, I think that they should.

dmil666 said:

I really like the increased res and colour of these new DMDs, and I think that it adds a lot to the visuals of the tables.

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Don't they just. I think it would really fit in with the Zen's ethos of updating the classic tables for the modern generation.

As long as it was an option to switch on/off (for the purists) then I think it would really enhance the product further.

ColorDMD is an actual brand, a company. One of the owners actually runs the pinball league I'm in. I'm all in on Zen doing this, but it would be an additional licensing cost. That said, I think it'd make the perfect DLC add-on. Zen could always color it themselves, but I think I was told it takes nearly 100 hours per game to do. If Zen did go this route, I would like to see them to it to their original tables too. As far as the remake tables and their DMDs, again you'd have to license it.

I had a chance to play a few machines with colour DMDs in August, including Monster Bash, Scared Stiff and Flintstones; there was also a Shadow on display. Monster Bash and Shadow were decent: had the scanlines and everything, but the other two looked a bit smeary, like up-rezzing a classic arcade game on a small display. In all cases I found the text a bit harder to read. I’m not a fan of DMDs full-stop, but if they were to have colour, keep it optional.

Sean said:

I had a chance to play a few machines with colour DMDs in August, including Monster Bash, Scared Stiff and Flintstones; there was also a Shadow on display. Monster Bash and Shadow were decent: had the scanlines and everything, but the other two looked a bit smeary, like up-rezzing a classic arcade game on a small display. In all cases I found the text a bit harder to read. I’m not a fan of DMDs full-stop, but if they were to have colour, keep it optional.

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That's an option you can turn on and off, keeping the original 'dot' appearance or having it smooth and blend everything together. I don't care for the latter at all, so for me it's dots or nothing. When playing Ghostbusters or AC/DC in TPA with DX11, that blended look is used too, and I hate it.

Ah so someone was effectively demoing both looks then, makes sense. The non-colour versions were also there, adding to the feeling someone was trying to sell these displays. I guess my main issue with colour displays is they’re brighter and therefore even more of a distraction than amber DMDs, but it’s nice to have options if you own one of these.

Perhaps even they’re own version of animation on the dmd or even the backglass...like Wizard of Oz etc. Now that would be cool ��

Sean said:

I guess my main issue with colour displays is they’re brighter and therefore even more of a distraction than amber DMDs, but it’s nice to have options if you own one of these.

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Sean, I wouldn't say DMDs are a 'distraction'.

For me they are integral to the gameplay experience on the tables that use them. They are used for projecting current game information to the player, without which it can be difficult to know your current status and objectives.

During play, time is often limited to assimilate the information they are showing, so anything that makes the information clearer is good in my book.

Given the ball is still in play, I find them distracting. I get that people like them, but earlier tables managed to let players know what to do without little screens, so I just find them unnecessary.

Such a weird license thing. Technically all the color DMDs are just tracings of the original. Some of them are exact colored in and some like on MM they doubled the pixel resolution but still just traced everything and added color. I wonder what the rules are on that, did they pay to use the art or just steal it. If they paid williams/bally for the art to color (breaking laws if they didnt) then williams/bally would have to pay them to also use it since they added color. any additions to the art (the color in this case) would be the copywrite of the person/company who colored it. Zen would need to pay them or just colorize over again themselves.

Pete said:

Such a weird license thing. Technically all the color DMDs are just tracings of the original. Some of them are exact colored in and some like on MM they doubled the pixel resolution but still just traced everything and added color. I wonder what the rules are on that, did they pay to use the art or just steal it. If they paid williams/bally for the art to color (breaking laws if they didnt) then williams/bally would have to pay them to also use it since they added color. any additions to the art (the color in this case) would be the copywrite of the person/company who colored it. Zen would need to pay them or just colorize over again themselves.

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Technically what ColorDMD is selling is a new display. That display has the information within it to interpret the ROM code being sent to it, and then changes the color from orange to the full RGB spectrum. They are not selling code, they are selling displays. So yes, if a company were to license the use of ColorDMD they in essence are paying for the work that went into colorization, but art is not being 'stolen' as the original dots being used have not been changed in shape or pattern. I would think that for Chicago Gaming, who has made the remakes of MM, AFM, and MB, it was part of their licensing agreement that let them up rez and change pixel density of those DMDs since they are not just coloring the dots and leaving it at that.

Zen could take it upon themselves to do exactly what ColorDMD has already done, but we're talking upwards of 100 hours per title (I believe that's what was told to me of how much time it takes). It's probably similar too with what was done in making Cactus Canyon Continued. It's the P-Rock software you are buying, not the game code. That just happens to be an added bonus that is included at no extra charge! So if Zen were to do that table, they themselves could probably mimic all the work done by those guys, but again you have to ask if it wouldn't just be more cost effective to license it off them.

I guess Zen will be putting most of their resources into converting the tables themselves, before considering this. But I do hope they look into it.

It would be great if Zen do go down the licensing route for colour DMDs, especially for the re-worked AFM and MB versions.

I'd happily pay for those as DLC.

It would also be another USP for the Zen Williams/Bally tables.

Its not just the display, you have to unsolder and switch the eprom memory. Sometimes they look bad, there is a smoothing effect option ive seen, it sort of on the fly attempts to up thw resolution and i think it looks horrible. Something about a real dmd looks so much more vibrant and right than an lcd, but i hear tell they are putting out full rgb color DMDs.