How much elbow room on a 4p setup? Opinions wanted

[rbarr110]

I am in the process of designing my first cocktail.  I want to make one with the typical controls at each end of the long ends of the cocktail but also plan on having a removable 2p setup with trackball etc, but also be able to put in a simple 4p setup on the side.

The one thing I am not sure of is how much elbow room should the 4p setup have.  I have included a simple Autocad layout I am messing around with for the configuration of the controls.

[Donkbaca]

I think it will be way too cramped.  The last button on 1p will be like 2 inches away from 2p.... Plus since its a cocktail cab, I assume that people will be sitting so the minimum distance between controls, I would imagine, would be the width  of the chairs...

[RyoriNoTetsujin]

Gotta agree with Donk. 4 players on the same edge of a cocktail table is a tough hurdle... unless perhaps your players are very small, or the monitor is very, very large (which would give you some slack in setting the players further apart.)

There's an old project around here somewhere that utilized a 27" monitor in a cocktail table configuration (more like "dining table" configuration!) that could've maybe worked that way. 

And then, of course, there's the oft-begged question; do you really need a 4p setup? Especially if you're already considering a cocktail table format? Do you regularly play 4p games?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not taking a dump on your ideas at all. I mean, if you do want 4p, find a way to make it happen that makes you happy! 

[rbarr110]

Well I already have a 2p cabinet, and I must say I miss the capability to do 4p games.  Howver, 4p is primarily for my 2 kids and their friends.  Way too often are there kids standing around wanting to play but having to wait their turn.  We also entertain alot, extra capacity for our friends kids woudl be nice as well.

I plan on using a 24" LCD, I also am likely going to put a linear actuator in so that the monitor will lift for the people on the 4p side of the control panel.  It is all in the planning/development stages, and as always the control panel is the major holdup. 

[rbarr110]

I am curently making players 3 and 4 at a larger angle, not as severe as dedicated 4p cabs that have them nearly at 90 degrees, but steeper than what I have originally shown.

Can someone please help me find some distances between 2p street fighter 2 or similiar cab layouts..... looking at various pictures it appears to be anywhere from 6" to 8" between player one buttons and player two joystick.

[Donkbaca]

get a big piece of cardboard, or mock up a cheap piece of particle board.

In my opinion, its just not going to fly, controls will be way too cramped, but if its just kids playing it, it might work.  

is it a 24" wide screen lcd?  or a 24 inch 4:3 CRT?
 
in either case it seems like the screen will be too small, especially if its a widescreen

[RyoriNoTetsujin]

Have you considered using wireless gamepads for those instances when you have Players 3 and 4? 

There are the ones you can purchase specific for PC use, but all the current console controllers (360, PS3, Wii) are usable on PC. If you already have a console, you could go pick up a few spare controllers, and they can do double duty on those occasions when you need them.

I just got my PS3 controllers running via bluetooth, and it's just like using them on the PS3.

[rbarr110]

I do have a USB adapter for one of my Xbox controllers, but don't like it on Mame stuff.  They worked okay for some of the console emulators, but I don't have much of that stuff setup on my current cabinet.

Anyway, I was at my local ice cream shop and they had a Gauntlet Legends 4p running.  I had a few people stand at the cabinet and it is definitely cramped.  However, knowing how cramped it is also makes me feel better about some of my layouts I will test because they have much more room than the gauntlet cab does.  I guess I will just have to progress with the build and test them out.

[jmohr1]

As it stands, I don't think it is enough usable space between your controls. You figure p1 can line up their right arm with the buttons to make room for p2, but they will basically be standing/sitting right where your p3 controls are. Same goes on the other side.

I'd guess even for kids, you'd need an extra 6" to fit in there tightly, and closer to 12" to even begin to play it comfortably. then if you're thinking 24" widescreen, your p3&4 are pretty far from the actual viewable image.

On another note; I'm building a 2-player "cab", but will keep 2 ps3 fightsticks for p3&4 games; that might be a decent option for you, especially being able to just set them on top of the glass.

[DaveMMR]

My dining room table is 60" wide and you still can't fit four people comfortably on one side.   There's a reason there's really no 4-player cocktails (on the same side, that is).  Look at all the 4-player cabinets on KLOV and you'll notice a resemblance.    They have simple controls and the joysticks/buttons are arranged in a way that 4-people can be standing in most any position while being able to control the game with ease.  

To pull this off, you'd be looking at a radical redesign of cocktail standards.  How about two players on the horizontal side and then the two controls on the vertical ends open up to form a four-player panel (you'd have to do something about the monitor as well in that case)    Good luck!

[Donkbaca]

Yeah, and the monitor will be too small

[drventure]

Gotta agree with everyone else.

It'll just be too cramped. I've got a 4' wide frankenpanel and it can feel cramped with 4 players. No way you'll get that around one side of a cocktail.

But, since you've already brought up linear actuators, why not something a little inventive

First, put 2 players on either side. That you can do no problem with a cocktail.

Then mount 1 screen flat, with an actuator to lift it up. Put a second screen under the first, with an actuator to lift it up,so when deployed, the two screens make an upside-down V so both sides can see the same image?

Ok. It's a little ambitious, but it'd be a fun build!

[RyoriNoTetsujin]

... But, since you've already brought up linear actuators, why not something a little inventive

First, put 2 players on either side. That you can do no problem with a cocktail.

Then mount 1 screen flat, with an actuator to lift it up. Put a second screen under the first, with an actuator to lift it up,so when deployed, the two screens make an upside-down V so both sides can see the same image?

Ok. It's a little ambitious, but it'd be a fun build!

Oh drv, an idea after my own heart.  I've been wanting to do this for some time now, but money is tight ... with a mini-itx board and one of the new Core chips with a built-in gpu, you can build a tiny beast of a system and still have plenty of room in a cocktail for 2 lcds and the gear necessary to raise them up...

Sorry...  </threadjack>