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CP layout & controls - appreciate feedback

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MNW:

Hi - first post here.

I have spent a few weeks reading the posts and am starting to get my thoughts together on my first project.  I am thinking about an Evolution inspired cabinet, and therefore a 2 person CP.  I am trying to keep the CP reasonably sized and would like to limit extra controls, if possible.  A few questions about CP layout and controls:

1 - If I have Ultimarc 360s, is there any reason for a stand-alone 4-way stick?

2 - why would I need 6 or 7 buttons?  What am I missing if I keep it to 4 or 6 buttons?

3 - Is a spinner really necessary?  What games does a spinner open up for me that I can't play with a joystick or trackball?

4 - Is there a minimum width I can get away with?  I have seen layouts at 34 inches, but am hoping to go a little narrower without losing comfort.

Thanks!

AlienInferno:

I can answer at least your first 2 questions.

1.)  I am/will be using U360's.  They play great in 4-way mode such as Pac-Man.  Those that use a dedicated 4-way stick usually use it to get a more authentic feel in my opinion.

2.)  The 6 button layout is for fighting games such as Street Fighter.  The 7 button layout lets you keep the 6 button fighter layout and adds a button to get the 4-button Neo Geo layout as well.

VanillaGorilla:

I'll try the other 2...

I must be able to play Tempest, Omega Race, and Arkanoid. Spinner mandatory. It also lets you play the 360 degree driving games such as Pole Position, Turbo, etc. Its a nice way to interface with Hyperspin too, you can use the spinner to cycle thru the menu wheel.

You can get a lot of controls into 24-26 inches in width, which also lets you still move the cabinet thru most doors it may have to navigate in its lifetime. You could even go smaller, old arcade games had control panels 18-21 inches in width...gotta be creative, and only include what you will get the most use out of. Consider building swappable control panels in the future as an option for expansion. That kind of frees you up to not have to make a ridiculously large 'does-it-all' franken-panel.

nitz:

I'll throw in my 2 cents.

2) 4 buttons should be fine if you don't play fighters. The only non-fighting games I can think of that used more than 4 buttons are Defender and Stargate. There are probably others, but I don't think there could be many popular non-fighting games that used more than 4.

3) You can sort of play some spinner games with buttons or a joystick - they will not play particularly well, but if you're a casual player willing to tweak the analog settings a bit and practice it could be good enough. When considering controls like trackballs and spinners, I think you really have to be into the games that used them to justify it unless money and CP space are no object. For example, I quite like Arkanoid, but it's the only spinner game I'm into. Since it's not my favorite game or anything, I can't really justify putting a spinner on the panel for it. I've taught myself to play it with buttons and it's not bad. Sure, it's not at all authentic and serious players would scoff, but I'll save some money and panel space.


--- Quote from: VanillaGorilla on November 15, 2011, 01:19:25 am ---You can get a lot of controls into 24-26 inches in width, which also lets you still move the cabinet thru most doors it may have to navigate in its lifetime.

--- End quote ---

+1

Even with a trackball, 36 inches is pretty wide for a 2 player panel. I don't think it would look bad, and it would be nice and roomy, but if you want this to be easier to move around and more compact, you can definitely go smaller.

codefenix:

My two cents:


--- Quote from: MNW on November 14, 2011, 08:40:42 pm ---1 - If I have Ultimarc 360s, is there any reason for a stand-alone 4-way stick?

--- End quote ---

I've read many posts and articles stating that 4-way joysticks are required for 4-way games like Donkey Kong or PacMan, because those games don't comprehend diagonal inputs.  Therefore it is said when you attempt to move Mario up the ladder and you inadvertently trigger the right and up switches simultaneously, Mario responds by not moving at all.

However, I have two 8-way Ultimate Joysticks (the cheap ones) and I've not noticed this to be the case.  I have played many long sessions of Donkey Kong (it's one of my favorites) and have never suffered any unwanted stops when moving the stick diagonally.

So in my case, there was certainly no reason for a stand alone 4-way stick.  And I'm glad.  The less clutter on the panel, the better.


--- Quote from: MNW on November 14, 2011, 08:40:42 pm ---2 - why would I need 6 or 7 buttons?  What am I missing if I keep it to 4 or 6 buttons?

--- End quote ---

Fighting games.  Mainly the Capcom titles and the Mortal Kombats.  Not much apart from that other than Defender, as nitz pointed out.

If you plan on ever using emulators other than MAME, you'll want to have at least six or even eight buttons.  Think about the SNES controller with L+R and start/select buttons in addition to X,A,B,Y.


--- Quote from: MNW on November 14, 2011, 08:40:42 pm ---3 - Is a spinner really necessary?  What games does a spinner open up for me that I can't play with a joystick or trackball?

--- End quote ---

Purists will want to include the spinner.  Economists will not.

I can say that I enjoy Arkanoid and Tempest just fine using my trackball.  To me, it's not worth putting a spinner on the panel for only two games.  In all other regards (frontend navigation), everything a spinner can do a trackball handles nicely.


--- Quote from: MNW on November 14, 2011, 08:40:42 pm ---4 - Is there a minimum width I can get away with?  I have seen layouts at 34 inches, but am hoping to go a little narrower without losing comfort.

--- End quote ---

I have two joysticks, each with eight buttons, and a trackball in my panel.  My panel's width is about 24".  I think it's ample room, and my guests haven't complained of discomfort standing close to each other. 

34" seems excessive to me -- It's a control panel, not wings.



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