Assistance needed for a series of magazine articles

Writing an article for GamesTM on obscure items

Greetings chaps

My name is John Szczepaniak, but I doubt many of you recognise me. (I do recognise many people from a variety of other forums though! Some of whom have graciously been helping me recently with articles.)

Anyway, I'm a freelance retro writer for both GamesTM, published by Paragon
www.gamestm.co.uk

AND

Retro Gamer published by LivePublishing
www.livepublishing.co.uk/retro/



My question is this:

Would anyone like to assist me with regards to information and possible photos/video footage, for articles on all things unusual and obscure in the retro gaming world?

Full credit would be given to those who assist.

I may write these for either magazine. Retro Gamer of course has a cover disc, which would enable video footage to be included.


Some things I'm interested in:

* Most of the items featured here:
http://assembler.roarvgm.com/index.html

* Anything retro that remains undocumented or unreleased. (what is a Gameboy Vision? I saw it mentioned on the forum, but have never heard of it previously.)

* the Yaroze scene, and the games released for it

* Unreleased games

I want to mainatin a balance between things people might see in real life, and things people have never heard of before, and would otherwise probably never hear about.


There is no need to rush and provide massive amounts of information and images right away, since this is likely to be something that I work on slowly, and really it needs to develop in tandem with whatever people provide. At a rough guess, I'd say I am likely to hand it in anywhere between 2 to 8+ weeks time.



Regarding screenshots and video:
In order to stop theft of video, I am perfectly happy to have a small, neat logo placed somewhere in the corner of the footage.

For images, while I am reluctant to have logos placed all over them, I would be willing to accept a single, transparent, and neat logo placed over the image.


Please try and keep this strictly within the confines of this small, close-knit forum. Since I would like very much to keep most of this quiet until closer to the print date.


I thought it best to be as open as possible regarding this, so if you have any questions or concerns please be sure to either PM me, or post here!


Thank you for your time.

Regards
John Szczepaniak

My email address, which I check fairly regularly:
megacdman@hotmail.com

 

36 views, and not even ONE person posted to so much as criticise my crazy plan?!

My original post was too long, so I have shortened it, but here is a summary:


Does anyone want to assist me with magazine articles featuring obscure/rare/niche/unreleased/etc. videogame related items and games?


Full credit will be given for assistance.
If interested, then either please post here, or for privacy PM me.

If you have any questions or concerns, then be sure to voice them.

Thank you
regards
John Szczepaniak

 

...I guess you're paid on commission for writing the articles?

...Maybe you ought to offer to split some of the bunce that you are likely to make, this might help?

 

John, I think that your first post was maybe a little too long, no far too long as well as written in a manner not really suitable for requesting help on a board. Please don't take any offence here, I mean none at all. I'd personally love to help you with maybe some photos of my Mark III / Dreakara / Wondermega (SEGA Version not the Victor/JVC one) but that's probably all I could help you with since I'm really pressed for time these days with Retro Core, my site, work and so on If you'd like any pictures of the above mentioned then please feel free to PM me about them. Oh I have the Hitachi Hi-Saturn too (Not the Navi version). I don't however own anything such as Dev kits because to be honest I have no use for them and my place it too small to collect stuff that I'll just look at.

To the members of ASSEMbler, yeah John probably does get commission for his work but remember that a freelance writer isn't really what I'd call in the money. Let's help out the guy and let him bring the world of the odd crazy stuff to the fans who have yet discovered it. I myself knew sweet F.A. about all this stuff 6 years ago until I stumbled across ASSEMbler.

Yakumo

 

I think what you want to do is a great idea and long overdue. It's just that what you asked for in your post was a bit broad. There are a ton of different systems out there. I think you will get more information and participation once you decide what systems you want to cover.

While not to discourage you I can see a few problems popping up. For starters tracking down confirmed information when it comes to unreleased systems such as the Nintendo Playstation, Sega Neptune, ect will be tough to do. Much of the information out there is either hearsay or guessing turned to internet folklore. This is also true of certain systems such as the Samsung Saturn and Super A Can.

The second has to do with photos. Many of the photos posted here are taken from elsewhere off the internet to the point that who knows where they originated. While this is fine for here it could pose a copyright problem if put in a magazine. This also primarily concerns the really rare stuff like I mentioned above. Getting original pics of stuff like an NR reader or Kitana development system shouldn't pose a problem.

I hope this doesn't dissuade you any and I'm sure more people here will step up to help. Best of luck.

 

First, if you're going to be writing about international gaming, you better include Brazil. Man, some interesting stuff goes on there.

A. Snow also brings up a good point though. With some of the incredibly rare items, it could be quite hard to get pictures. I can think of people who own Super A'Can and Samsung Saturns (I won't mention who they are...they'll speak up if they want to)...but other stuff might not be so easy. Though people have certain items, they might be a bit reluctant to show off.

That said, here are some suggestions of things to write about:

Super A'Can

The fabulous world of Hong Kong originals

Zemmix (The MSX system)

Systems that the average person in the west doesn't know about (PC-FX, Marty, @World, Playdia, Wonderswan, etc)

Dev Systems(Playstation Debugs are neat...people might find the TEST PS2s interesting...TOOL too...Ooh...and the 10,000 different types of Gamecube Development equipment...and the various Xbox debugs...the list goes on...)

M2!

I'm sure other people will have more suggestions. Just give us some time. It's still real early here in the US. I'm afraid I don't have too much interesting to offer myself. The rarest things I have are a Blue Playstation Debug and a tiny PC Engine collection.

 

If you want to loan some unreleased games for any features that's fine by me - provided you paid for the special delivery both ways and they were returned in good time undumped/undamaged/unmolested. A slice of the pie would be nice, but I don't really care too much so long as I get my possessions returned in the same condition they left. This way you could writer about a game you actually played too so the review/preview/whatever would be much more "real" and you could take as many screenshots as you like

I have at the moment (all on original media - no bootlegs )

PlayStation:

Deuce (CD-R)

PlayStation 2:

The Red Star (DVD-R)

Dreamcast:

Flintstones: Viva! Rock Vegas (GD)
Propeller Arena (GD-R)
Test Drive Cycles (GD-R)

To boot the PlayStation stuff you will either need a debugger or possibly a modchip - I sold both my debuggers so I can't really loan anything to boot them that would be your own problem. To boot Flintstones all you need is a standard retail PAL Dreamcast, but both the GD-R need a bit more work to boot; either by system disc 2 or swap trick. Propeller Arena will only boot on an NTSC-U machine however Test Drive Cycles also boots on PAL.

Hardware-wise I've sold a lot of my interesting things - I've forgot what I actually do own now so I could have a dig around when I get back from work tonight but probably nothing left of interest

 

If any of these tickle your fancy I'll help all I can (although there's no dev/unreleased/super rare stuff tbh)

Navi Saturn and Screen
Saturn SGX Disc Changer (Sunseibu)
Delisoba, Waltz, Kerin (saturn promo games)

Japanese acclaim md games

The odd pce rarish title/promo

And that's it, unless you want a shed load of lynx stuff such as homebrew, unreleased but released on eproms etc

 

John Szczepaniak: i wish you good luck since i don´t own or know much about the rare stuff since the information i have learned is really from this forum , but i would buy the magazine since it would be exiting to read about it.

 

Greetings

Apologies for both the delayed replies and brevity of this post, but after a long day Im practically falling asleep at my computer.

Firstly, thank you to everyone who responded with offers of help, I do appreciate it and will get around to addressing everything invidually. All help is appreciated.


Just to cover some points:

I am indeed paid commision for my articles, but as Yakumo points out, freelancers aren't exactly rolling in money. The ratio of pay to the amount of work sometimes needed isn't particularly great. unfortunately I cannot provide anyone with monetary compensation for providing assistance.


Also, my writing deals strictly with retro items (for the time being). Basically anything up to, and including the Dreamcast. The GC NR readers and other current-gen items are interesting, but would have to be covered by the main section of GamesTM. The retro department is seperate, so its unlikely I could cover such things any time soon.


A Snow:
Tomorow I intend to start a rough plan for these articles, wioth specific thing I am interested in researching. Regarding photos/video, I was hoping specifically for images of peoples private collections, since it obviously more control over how they turn out.


Blur2040:
I removed the Global Gaming paragraph to make the first post clearer. Dont worry, Brazil has major coverage due soon.


LeGIt:
Thank you for the kind offer, it is something I will have to consider. Though I actually live in France, despite freelancing for a UK magazine, so it might be a risky idea.



Anyway, thanks for the words of encouragement, I appreciate it, and it really makes the work worthwhile. I too agree that there should be more print articles on such things. Websites are good, but print material feels more permanent.

I'll be back tomorow to post some thought/ideas/plans and what I'd like info on

 

Pics of my collection, no problem. Just say the word.

I think it would be easier if you were to tell us what pictures/info you need, then we could try to provide. Between the members here I'll bet you could problably get pics or info on every system ever made. Candude has one version of every unique console ever released, Assembler has dev stuff no one's ever heard of before, Yakumo runs his own Japanese export business, Johnny owns Brazil, etc.

Myself I'll be pretty useless unless you want pics of knockoff handhelds (Cougar Boy, Supervision, Gamate, Game Axe, Game King, etc. are problably the "rarest" items I own, although I do have a Cassettevision, a few Famiclones, and some bootleg carts.) But I'm sure we'd all be glad to help.

 

If you are looking at doing anything on the Dreamcast, Myself and dreamcasthistory.com are willing to help. I know DCH (The owner of Dreamcasthistory) has been busy lately, but i'm sure he is willing to help (If he has the time). I am also willing to help, if needed.

 

Maybe Frank Gasking would be better then? The other magazine also has a cover disc so maybe they could slap on a video or 2 too and his ntlworld address suggests to me he is in the UK?

 

Greetings chaps

No apologies for the length of this, it is LONG, as I detail some important points.
I've tried highlighting things to maybe make it clearer.

Exciting news, Ive been speaking to my editor at GamesTM, and he loves the idea.

He has also pitched an interesting angle:

"What is the motivation to go to such great lengths acquiring these rare items?"

Making it a real "human interest" article. Which I think is great. So right now I'm thinking something along the lines of speaking to different members about specific major items, and examining these items. Then looking at what motivates you to go to great lengths collecting them, such as starting your own company to purchase things covered by NDAs. Describe the excitement and passion of such underground gaming.


For example, we've all heard of people buying a copy of panzer Dragoon Saga to put on a shelf because its expensive and considered art, even though they don't even own a Saturn. Anyone can throw money at eBay as Assembler mentioned and get those things.

But the really rare things I see people here dealing with, that takes dedication, passion, and a real love of gaming to even know what these things are and also to realise their importance. Is it to archive? Is to code on antique systems? Or is it the buzz of seeing the inner workings of your favourite hobby?


Taking this route will keep things nicely balanced between raw facts and info about the items, and also the more emotive perspective of the people.


So, how does this sound? I'm personally quite excited about it, since it gives me a fair amount of freedom to tackle this subject, and it makes it easy with regards to keeping things fresh, and not degenrating into a list of figures and facts.

I also intend to handle this subject matter delicately, since I want the whole thing to have a very positive spin to it. For starters, you guys are like the archivers of gaming history.


Don't worry about posting too much now.
Just let me know if interested, and a general idea of what you can talk about.



WHAT I WOULD NEED:

* Information regarding a specific item(s) owned by someone. (if you own a mixture of old and new, I could probably get away with mentioning things like the NR cube readers as part of the whole)

The information I would need on these items:
- General usage info (who made it, what it does/did, etc)
- Year of release
- Difficulty in getting hold of said item(s)
- If you are willing, what lengths you went to, to acquire it. (this is strictly optional)
- Why someone would want it/what can be done with it now
- Current rarity
- Current value


* At least one high quality photo, preferrably unmarked (these can be emailed to me, or my editor)

* Some basic personal details. If you want to remain confidential, then just a first name, or nickname will do.

* Maybe a paragraph that I can quote you directly on, regarding personal motivation.



THINGS I AM INTERESTED IN:

Anything up to and including the Dreamcast, though newer items could be squeezed in.

* A statement directly from Assembler hopefully, I've read his posts, and they're very interesting. So Im thinking he could easily be something of a focal point to this. From what I've heard, he has gone to tremendous lengths with regards to game items

* Due to the angle I am looking at things, any unreleased games would also be fine. So for example info from LeGIt and PS_Extreme on their unreleased games collecting.

* Dreamcast dev-kits. Do people eagerly try and acquire them?

* Hawanja's massive Famicom clone collection, certainly a noble task trying to archive info on such things. What is your goal, and what drives you forward?

* Gameboy vision. What are these things?

* Bandai Pippin/Playdia, FM Marty, SNES Satallview, Navi Saturn (etc.) collectors. Some of these can be regarded as the underdogs of official console systems/add-ons. What is the allure and/or specialist uses of these things?

* SNES/MD Modem, and other such strange items. Especially the kind that can't be used anymore.

* M2 and the M2 dev kit. These systems were used in Soviet bank machines and Japanese coffee machines? Has anyone actually bought a massive coffee machine to get one?

* Anything that is retro, and covered by NDAs that would require "interesting" methods to acquire. Assembler mentioned Acclaim items, starting his own company, making contacts etc. This requires hard work, and Id like to mention it.

* The motivation of running FTP servers with information/content. For example I have seen Yakumo and Fabrizo post here regarding their FTP set ups. These things I regard as quite amazing, since it's people who go out of their ways to spread and share valuable and rare information. And they do this freely. There is a real sense of comraderie here, and I really want it to show through.



Any other recomendations you may have.
These are just a few ideas, and of course I'm still learning about these things.
So feel free to mention things not covered.


Thanks again for all the responses and offers of assistance, it's greatly appreciated! Im sorry if I didn't respond to something, once I get a few more projects finished I can dedicate all of my time to this article.

Any questions or concerns? Let me know!

Regards
John

 

On a side note, I am also maybe planning a Net Yaroze article for Retro Gamer. My plan is to try and cover each and every game that was made for it, that were released. I think there about 30 that made it out officially onto demo discs? Or more? Im guessing there may be a few Yaroze enthusiasts here, so in about a week or two I plan to also begin work on that. Any info would be great. Of course, I will keep you posted of my plans and progress.

 

I have some quite obscure Phantasy Star, as well as Phantasy Star Online, items if interested.

 

Hi chaps

Just a quick update. Sorry for the delay, but its been a hectic week.

I've been speaking with my editor who so far REALLY likes the look of how this is turning out.

It should be roughly 4 pages long, maybe 6. of course everything depends on the freelancer retro budget for that month.

My 4 page plan is thus:
* Intro page
* obscure hardware page
* unreleased games page
* community camaraderie page

The plan is to keep it balanced between the actual items in question, and details regarding them, and also the people behind the scenes. I really want to enrich it with a more human side, rather than dull lists of facts.

Facts are important though, and so of course things like the year of release, and rough market value of all items mentioned are needed.


It is also likely to only be needed in roughly 4 or more weeks. Again, it all depends on the budget, and when they need it. Right now, there is ample time.


I have been in contact via PM with a lot of you, and have so far amassed a MASSIVE amount of info. I'd say nearly enough to have this whole thing covered.

Thank you all very much, those who have helped or contributed. I really appreciate it. Of course, for those who request it, they will remain annonymous.


The only big thing I still need is images. Lots of really great images. Of anything obscure.
Preferrably privately taken images without watermarks, as opposed to website images with logos all over.

If you do not wish these images publically displayed on a forum, please do PM me. They will not go any further than my editor.

Thanks for all the help so far, I will keep you posted of my progress.

regards
John

 

I'll shoot some pics of my obscure stuff if you like, btw, I was recently browsing through the Crhistmas issue of Games TM, the one that has Tachikoma in it (in the "from the forum" section), and my eye fell upon the article about retro gaming in South Africa... written by "John Sczepaniak"

 

heh, yeah, that was me. My first piece for GTM, I have fond memories of writing that.

Actually, I wrote the whole article. It should have my name elsewhere on the first page. I tracked down the people, interviewed them, and then at their request wrote up their sections in first person. Obviously easier, since not all of them were fluent in English.

Actually, the global gaming theme has become quite a nice little series of articles Ive done for several publications, and is likely to get even bigger since Im branching out.

I see you live in the Netherlands?
Check out:
http://www.livepublishing.co.uk/retro/retro17.shtml

I wrote the Global Gaming article on the Netherlands' retro scene in that issue. I even managed to speak to Parallax, who donated a game for the cover disc.

 

hmm...i really dont know what to say...if i think it over some more im sure i can come up with some neat stuff......how about screens of onimusha for the ps1?
or the original tech specs for the gba
i once heard that the game V.I.P published bu ubisoft was 1 of 500, i read it in an issue of tips and tricks, could someone clarify that for me?