Using the Asteroids layout + a 4 way = Defender?

[pinballwizard79]

I see quite a resemblance to the Defender layout & the Asteroids layout.

Seems to me if I have a 4 way restricted joystick right next to a good asteroids layout I could replicate Defender pretty damn well.

Ive seen this done on a few of those Slickstick & dreamauthentic panels....its not coincidence is it? Naw, it cant be...thats got to be the whole point right?

Anyone here have thoughts about putting a 4 way hard restricted joystick next to a cool Asteroids button setup to play Defender (is it futile or pretty damn good).

Thanks again

[pinballwizard79]

Wiki says

"The game's control scheme uses a two-way joystick and five buttons. Jarvis designed the controls to emulate both Space Invaders and Asteroids simultaneously. The player's left hand manipulates the joystick similar to Space Invaders and the right hand pushes buttons similar to Asteroids. The button functions also use a similar layout to Asteroids's, with the button to shoot projectiles and accelerate on the far right and left, respectively. Jarvis reasoned that players were accustomed to the control schemes of past games, and felt altering past designs would prove difficult for them.[8]"

[Hawkweber]

Anyone here have thoughts about putting a 4 way hard restricted joystick next to a cool Asteroids button setup to play Defender (is it futile or pretty damn good).

I actually did this type of layout with my portable arcade unit with interchangeable panels:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=99054.msg1100547#msg1100547

For the joystick, I fashioned a 2-way restrictor plate to limit it to up/down.

[HanoiBoi]

My CP is setup exactly as you are asking; 5 buttons and a 4 way per player.  The button layout is for Asteroids, Space Duel, Gravitar, Space War, Star Castle, etc.

Defender and Stargate are definitely doable.  I'm not real good at them, so I can't rave about the controls.  I didn't layout the CP with those games in mind, so the reverse button seems a little bit harder to reach than I remember as a kid.  I also don't normally reach for inviso or smart bombs, but definitely can.

If you're looking to setup the 5 buttons anyway, I say go for it!

Oh, and when I play Space Invaders, I use buttons for left/right, not the joystick.  This setup is great for that too.

(I'm not into the 6 and 7 button fighter games, which made my decision easy)

[Gatt]

It works,  but stargate throws a wrench into it with the addition of an extra button.  You'll be remapping either asteroids or stargate,  not that it's a big deal.

I tried it,  and ended up just doing two seperate panels in my modular because I wanted it to "Just work" rather than screw around with remapping.

[pinballwizard79]

Gatt you built an entire panel because you didnt want to hit tab & assign keys to one or two games?

Damn bro....you better not start playing Smash Bros or Robotron 

[HanoiBoi]

Gatt you built an entire panel because you didnt want to hit tab & assign keys to one or two games?

I was thinking the same thing, but didn't want to steer the thread.  Mapping keys is crazy easy - less than 2 minutes, maybe even 1.  You might want to look into it further if you haven't figured that out.

[cmoses]

I really like this idea.  I am still working on my control panel for my cab.  I have a playable version with a joystick and 7 buttons for each player.  I like the look and layout, but dont really play many fighter games.  Most of the games I play only require 1 - 3 buttons.  I went with the standard fighter button layout with the added on 7th button.  I can play most of the games I want but of course the buttons are laid out different.  I could layout the buttons differently and still use 7, but make some games have a more authentic feel with a Asteroids/Defender/Stargate layout.  I can only think of loosing out of the fighters with a button layout like this.  I could still play Toobin' as well with this layout.  It would actually even be more realistic I think.

Have you mocked up any panels yet.  I would be very curios about the spacing.  I have a big control panel, used to NFL Blitz, so I have the room.
 

[mytymaus007]

Anyone here have thoughts about putting a 4 way hard restricted joystick next to a cool Asteroids button setup to play Defender (is it futile or pretty damn good).

I actually did this type of layout with my portable arcade unit with interchangeable panels:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=99054.msg1100547#msg1100547

For the joystick, I fashioned a 2-way restrictor plate to limit it to up/down.

Since you were making a dedicated defender and astroids panel you should of used an original defender 2 way stick or a joust stick same thing. How do you play astroids looks a like the buttons are uneven


http://www.classicarcadeonline.com/parts/joysticks/williamsjoystick2.jpg

[Hawkweber]

Since you were making a dedicated defender and astroids panel you should of used an original defender 2 way stick or a joust stick same thing. How do you play astroids looks a like the buttons are uneven

The buttons are "uneven" because that was the only way I could get everything to fit in the portable unit.  I would have liked them to be more even, but wouldn't work in the space I had. 

The white buttons are used for Asteroids, and the shifting of the button locations really doesn't affect gameplay - they're really only shifted up about 2.5".  All the buttons (except for the 2nd one to the right of the joystick) are used for Stargate/Defender.  Also remember that this panel was for Defender AND Stargate - had I not wanted Stargate in there I could have removed the "inviso" button and the shift would only have been about 1.25" up.

I wasn't going for original components for the unit, so I didn't get an original Defender or Joust stick.  Didn't see the need for it since I had purchased a bunch of the 8-ways and it really wasn't that hard to create a 2-way restrictor.  The purpose of the project was to create a portable unit with changeable panels that was inexpensive to build.  Combining the Defender/Stargate layout with asteroids made sense as it reduced the number of panels.  True it is not an exact replica and dimensionally accurate to the original controls and there is the slight skewing of button placement, but hey, it works.   

[HanoiBoi]

Defender and Stargate are definitely doable.  I'm not real good at them, so I can't rave about the controls.  I didn't layout the CP with those games in mind, so the reverse button seems a little bit harder to reach than I remember as a kid.

I figured this out and posted in your other thread, but wanted to mention it here as well.  My CP has the Joystick in line with the top 4 buttons (of the 5 button Asteroids layout).  This is what makes it not so fluid reaching the reverse.  If you move the joystick up a bit, or the buttons down, you'll have it more in line with where it should be.

KLOV Defender & Stargate controller panels:

Defender:  http://www.arcade-museum.com/images/118/118124210297.jpg
Stargate:  http://www.arcade-museum.com/images/118/1181242172228.jpg