Good 4 Player Dimensions

[highholyme]

FINALLY got my parts in, by finally I mean I FINALLY Could afford them. (Thanks to my wonderful wife!)

Trying to work out good dimensions for my 4 player CP, was working mostly off of Talking Octopus design, but I have no plans to put in a track ball or a flight stick. Simple set up, 4 player starts, P1 and 2 are 6 buttons, P3 and 4 are 4 buttons.

Any idea's?

[severdhed]

i just recently put together a 4 player mame showcase cabinet, just the controls you described (although i left enough space to add a trackball later) and mine panel is approximately 45" wide (at the widest point) and 19" deep.  it is a non standard shape, but that is the shape of the panel that came with the cabinet, so i just used my router to make a copy of it.  it works well and the curved shape is good for players 3 and 4. 

i wouldn't want to go any smaller than this, it is plenty of space for 4 adults to stand and play, but players 3 and 4 have to stand at a steep angle.

players 1 and 2 are spaced far apart, more than they would need to be, but this way i have plenty of elbow room, and space for a trackball in the center.



it isn't finished yet, but you get the point.  the buttons across the back are the four start buttons, the one in the center is the pause/exit button.

the coin buttons are mounted along the edges of the control panel box to keep the panel clean


at work, we have a similar 4 player panel, but it is 54" wide x 18" deep.  it also has a trackball, dedicated 4 way and spinner.  the extra width of the panel is nice, and works well with the 36" CRT, however it was just too big for my 27" cabinet.

[drventure]

My CP ended up being 48" wide, simply because the sheet of MDF was 4 feet across 

Well, that and it seemed like I'd need at least that much space for 4 players. In practice, The left side players seem to be a little close, but it's not unreasonable.

I did a 2 level CP, and overall, I've been pretty happy, but the lower trackball is useless for any games where you really have to wack the trackball (Golden tee, some bowling games, etc).

But with a little mapping, the upper trackball works quite nice in those rare games like that that I'd actually play, so it's less bother than you'd think.

[DirtyDachshunds]

Mine is also 48" wide, and I've gotten flamed for the width....but with 4 grown adults around it, things are still tight.

I thin 48" wide is the best width for a 4 player cab in my opinion.  It allows enough room without being overly large.

And you won't regret going 4 players.  2v2 blitz and nba jam/showtime are just too much fun!