Arcade cabinet running N64 - Controller question!!!

[OverrRyde]

Hey guys, new to the forum here, great source of info from all of you!

I am currently working on setting up an arcade cabinet with a pc, running emulators.
One of the emulators i would be running is Project64 for n64 games.

My question is for some of you who might have done this conversion and how you play the games.
Do you just use n64 control pads or use arcade controls?

What i want to be able to do is play my n64 games by using the arcade controls of my cabinet, but wow those n64 have lots of buttons! (12 iirc!)
Now im not going to go around and build a 12 button arcade CP now! But i was thinking of getting atleast 8 "actions" buttons per player + joysticks (plus the usual start/coin button on the arcade). Have any of you done this before, or is 8 button just not enough to play "most" n64 games? i would mostly be playing fight games and sports (hockey, blitz, soccer). Im trying to keep it as "Arcade-ish" as possible.

What have you done for this? did you just use n64 control pads or went the arcade control and how many buttons is enough/not enough?

Thanks alot!

[XCVG]

Analog sticks and different maps for each game maybe? The d-pad is almost never used IIRC, and the same goes for the L button. Then you  have eight action buttons- R, Z, C, C, C, C, A, B. And of course start, which would obviously be mapped to start.

[OverrRyde]

I see!

I thought the n64 controller had 2 upper (L-R) button, like the Playstation remote!

This makes sense now, 8 buttons should work fine!

Thanks!

[milkit]

personally ive never found a way to do it to where the layout feels right. The trigger button is the hardest as well as the top bumper buttons. just no good way to lay them out.  Plus, n64 has the d pad + the joystick. No way to do that.

I use wired xbox 360 controllers. can be found cheap and they are plug and play with windows, with enough buttons and functions to play any system

[XCVG]

Yeah, I gave myself a headache just trying to design an N64 arcade cabinet and the controls for it. However, I inferred that you could make it pretty epic for Super Smash Bros, if that was the only game you plan on playing.

[MidnightMenace!]

gives you a good idea of a factory one



http://cgi.ebay.com/Nintendo-64-Arcade-Shark-Joystick-Controller-/370383231258?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Video_Games_Accessories&hash=item563c8f991a

[Sarcastro]

I have a 4 player n64 running on my cab.  Its aw some but its alot of buttons.  Each player has 9 buttons and the joysticks are u360's for the maps.  Having the rgb led's helps alot because then the players see what color buttons are which.  the buttons are configured

  L R C(Up) C(Down)
  B A C(Left) C(Right)
Z

As for the programs project 64 is the easiest where you can just click what button you want to do what on your cp for configuration.

[ragnar]

See this thread for my plan:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=105068.0

Remember that only 8 buttons are really needed since the L and Z buttons are used interchangeable.  That is, your left hand is only positioned to use one of these buttons so they are commonly apped to the same command in games.

Also, the d-pad was used in very few games.  The only one I can think of ff hand is GoldenEye 007:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GoldenEye_007

Sadly, Goldeneye is one of the best games on the system.  I have contemplated smaller buttons off to the top left of the joystick that are much smaller than the typcial CP buttons that could be used for D-pad.  I alrady am creating a wannabe-frankenpanel so I am not going this route or else it would become a full blown frankenpanel.

[SephYuyX]

The problem isnt with the buttoms, you can max out an IPAC2 and be fine with most all console games, some may be uncomfortable to use, but itll work. I can play N64 games on my 8 button CP fairly well.

The issue is with the joystick. N64 era to now you need a joystick that can sense more than 8 ways, and how far youre pushing the stick, so switches wont work. This is something I never looked in to, some I think maybe something like http://www.happcontrols.com/joysticks/50608300.htm or http://www.ultimarc.com/ultrastik_info.html

I saw when playing Goldeneye with an 8 way (happ comp), it was near impossible to play. Things like walking instead of running in games like mario and banjo kazoie also wont work. I think some consoles are just easier to play with a gamepad. Yeah it sucks dont being able to use the CP you made, but using a Xbox360 controller now again to make certain emulators/games easier to play is a nice thing to have around.