Ideas for a "classic" gaming control panel

[shponglefan]

As per this thread, I'm looking at building an arcade cabinet/controller with detachable tops.  Right now I have three control layouts in mind:

• 2 player fighting game layout w/ 7-8 buttons per player
• 3 player beat-em-up layout w/ 4 buttons per player
• classic gaming w/ 4-way joystick + spinner(s) w/ 2 buttons for each control

The third layout is the one I'm having the most trouble with.  Right now my basic plan is to go with dual spinners (w/ the Turbo Twist 2's + mini wheels for use with 360 degree driving games), and a single 4-way joystick in the middle.  Plan is two buttons per controller, although I'm not sure if it's worthwhile going 3 each?

Anything else that might be good for classic gaming?  I thought about a trackball, but the only game I'd want that for is Marble Madness and can't justify the expense of one for a single game.  Also thought about a flightstick style control, but not sure what games it would be good for...

[HanoiBoi]

Based on your design, but without knowing dimensions, why not consider making one control panel with all?

If your panel will be as large as I'm imagining, your swappable controls won't really fill up the space. 

Is there any reason you would omit Player 4?  Do you really need 2 spinners/steering wheels?

If you aren't aware of this thread I'd suggest checking out everyone's CP layouts.  You can derive many great ideas.

 http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=59359.0

Check out Reply #19 for starters.  I think you could do similar, using your 2 spinners in place of some of the dedicated joysticks pictured.

[mytymaus007]

As per this thread, I'm looking at building an arcade cabinet/controller with detachable tops.  Right now I have three control layouts in mind:

• 2 player fighting game layout w/ 7-8 buttons per player
• 3 player beat-em-up layout w/ 4 buttons per player
• classic gaming w/ 4-way joystick + spinner(s) w/ 2 buttons for each control

The third layout is the one I'm having the most trouble with.  Right now my basic plan is to go with dual spinners (w/ the Turbo Twist 2's + mini wheels for use with 360 degree driving games), and a single 4-way joystick in the middle.  Plan is two buttons per controller, although I'm not sure if it's worthwhile going 3 each?

Anything else that might be good for classic gaming?  I thought about a trackball, but the only game I'd want that for is Marble Madness and can't justify the expense of one for a single game.  Also thought about a flightstick style control, but not sure what games it would be good for...

Classic arcade control panels are actually more confusing because there was alot of unique layouts then newer arcade games, you said classic so i would make a list of games that you want to play and build around that. I know i have 2 spinner for 360 driving games 1 is super sprint but i also use it for tempest which i use use my right hand to spin and omegega race i use my left hand to spin, will you be adding a pedal which you can eliminate some buttons on your CP for that.If your building hot swap panels you have the advantage of making many and uncluttered panels. Right you can make just one panel with all controls but many games will be annoying to play. Another good thing about hot swap panels you can build them as you need them. Personally I love my trackball, you might not want one now but after play for a while you can always buy one if you feel the need!

[shponglefan]

Based on your design, but without knowing dimensions, why not consider making one control panel with all?

Several reasons.  1) I'm trying to avoid a Franken-panel layout.  2) I want each controller to be ergonomic as possible; some multi-use layouts are clean, but invariably sacrifice usability of certain controls.  And 3) I want to be able to match certain controls with certain types of games, which is a little easier to do with swappable panels.

Is there any reason you would omit Player 4?  Do you really need 2 spinners/steering wheels?

Omitting player 4 is a space decision.  And I don't imagine it would get used that much to begin with.

As for the spinners, I debated this, but would like two for games like Super Sprint.

Check out Reply #19 for starters.  I think you could do similar, using your 2 spinners in place of some of the dedicated joysticks pictured.

Hmm, that's making me think I may also add a 45 degree 4-way stick...

[shponglefan]

will you be adding a pedal which you can eliminate some buttons on your CP for that.

Yes, for driving games I'd rather use pedals.  Not sure what kind yet, though.

If your building hot swap panels you have the advantage of making many and uncluttered panels. Right you can make just one panel with all controls but many games will be annoying to play. Another good thing about hot swap panels you can build them as you need them. Personally I love my trackball, you might not want one now but after play for a while you can always buy one if you feel the need!

That's the plan.  I figured it's a lot easier to crank out a new panel top with a handful of controls, than re-do a kitchen sink-style control panel from scratch.

[BadMouth]

Back when the Maws website was up, I searched for games that used a 4-way joystick with more than 2 buttons.
There were only a few and probably none you'd miss.  However, you can always map the controls in MAME so that when both buttons are pressed simultaneously, it posts the third button.  Two is enough for classic 4-way games.

You could do the classic 4 way in the center with two buttons on each side of it for left or right handed play, but the buttons on the left could also double as the buttons that go with the first spinner.

Whether you go with analogue pedals or not depends on how seriously you take the games.  Just having buttons is ok for casual play.  Most people just mash the pedal anyway.  If you take the games seriously and want to make it as far as possible though, it will take an analogue pedal.  Pole position is particularly bad about squeeling the tires and losing time if not using analogue input.  It doesn't make much difference in some games, like Super Off-Road.

EDIT: found my original post of games that used a 4-way joystick and 3 buttons
(no dealbreakers IMO)

battlcry    Battlecry    Home Data    1991    .070u3    Fighter / 2D
   croquis    Croquis (Germany)    Deniam    1996    .068    Puzzle
   dairesya    Dai Ressya Goutou (Japan)    Konami (Kawakusu license)    1986    .036b11    Platform / Shooter Scrolling
   dambustruk    Dambusters (UK)    South West Research    1981    .092    Shooter / Flying Horizontal
   dambustr    Dambusters (US, set 1)    South West Research    1981    .092    Shooter / Flying Horizontal
   dambustra    Dambusters (US, set 2)    South West Research    1981    .132u1    Shooter / Flying Horizontal
   farwest    Far West    bootleg?    1986    .031    Platform / Shooter Scrolling
   ironhors    Iron Horse    Konami    1986    .030    Platform / Shooter Scrolling
   karianx    Karian Cross (Rev. 1.0)    Deniam    1996    .037b06    Puzzle / Drop
   lvgirl94    Las Vegas Girl (Girl '94)    Comad    1994    .067    Puzzle / Drop *Mature*
   logicpro    Logic Pro (Japan)    Deniam    1996    .037b06    Puzzle
   logicpr2    Logic Pro 2 (Japan)    Deniam    1997    .037b06    Puzzle
   ppmast93    Ping Pong Masters '93    Electronic Devices S.R.L.    1993    .087u4    Sports / Ping pong
   punchout    Punch-Out!!    Nintendo    1984    .030    Sports / Boxing
   punchita    Punch-Out!! (Italian bootleg)    bootleg    1984    .116u2    Sports / Boxing
   reikaids    Reikai Doushi (Japan)    Home Data    1988    .057    Fighter / Versus
   tenspot    Ten Spot    Thomas Automatics    1982    .134u4    Maze / Shooter Small
   tutankhm    Tutankham    Konami    1982    .033b01    Maze / Shooter Large
   tutankhms    Tutankham (Stern Electronics)    Konami (Stern Electronics license)    1982    .025    Maze / Shooter Large
   zerozone    Zero Zone    Comad    1993    .034b06    Puzzle / Drop *Mature*

[paigeoliver]

Almost of that entire list that BadMouth gave below is bad data.

Most of them are 8-way (Battlecry, Croquis, All the Dambusters clones, all the Iron Horse clones, Ping Pong, Tutankham, etc). Some are later model japanese titles that support the whole jamma standard in test mode, but only use one or two buttons in the game itself and most of those require japanese language skills as well). Punch out indeed has a 4-way and 3 buttons but is largely unusable because of the dual monitor nature of the original game.

The quick story on number of buttons to use with a 4-way joystick is 2, unless you absolutely positively HAVE to play Mouse Trap, in which case you need four. Nothing else in mame as of .78 actually USED a 4-way joystick and more than 2 buttons (and chances are anything they added since then that would require more than 2 would be some sort of obscure early junk title that no one would ever want to play).

Dual spinners is actually pretty darn obscure itself, only a handful of games use multiple spinners and some of those are really supposed to have paddles. A single spinner position and two 4-way spots will actually buy you a lot more games than that second spinner will (there are actually a few single player dualjoy 4-way games and quite a few two player simultaneous games that use four way sticks).

Back when the Maws website was up, I searched for games that used a 4-way joystick with more than 2 buttons.
There were only a few and probably none you'd miss.  However, you can always map the controls in MAME so that when both buttons are pressed simultaneously, it posts the third button.  Two is enough for classic 4-way games.

You could do the classic 4 way in the center with two buttons on each side of it for left or right handed play, but the buttons on the left could also double as the buttons that go with the first spinner.

Whether you go with analogue pedals or not depends on how seriously you take the games.  Just having buttons is ok for casual play.  Most people just mash the pedal anyway.  If you take the games seriously and want to make it as far as possible though, it will take an analogue pedal.  Pole position is particularly bad about squeeling the tires and losing time if not using analogue input.  It doesn't make much difference in some games, like Super Off-Road.

EDIT: found my original post of games that used a 4-way joystick and 3 buttons
(no dealbreakers IMO)

battlcry    Battlecry    Home Data    1991    .070u3    Fighter / 2D
   croquis    Croquis (Germany)    Deniam    1996    .068    Puzzle
   dairesya    Dai Ressya Goutou (Japan)    Konami (Kawakusu license)    1986    .036b11    Platform / Shooter Scrolling
   dambustruk    Dambusters (UK)    South West Research    1981    .092    Shooter / Flying Horizontal
   dambustr    Dambusters (US, set 1)    South West Research    1981    .092    Shooter / Flying Horizontal
   dambustra    Dambusters (US, set 2)    South West Research    1981    .132u1    Shooter / Flying Horizontal
   farwest    Far West    bootleg?    1986    .031    Platform / Shooter Scrolling
   ironhors    Iron Horse    Konami    1986    .030    Platform / Shooter Scrolling
   karianx    Karian Cross (Rev. 1.0)    Deniam    1996    .037b06    Puzzle / Drop
   lvgirl94    Las Vegas Girl (Girl '94)    Comad    1994    .067    Puzzle / Drop *Mature*
   logicpro    Logic Pro (Japan)    Deniam    1996    .037b06    Puzzle
   logicpr2    Logic Pro 2 (Japan)    Deniam    1997    .037b06    Puzzle
   ppmast93    Ping Pong Masters '93    Electronic Devices S.R.L.    1993    .087u4    Sports / Ping pong
   punchout    Punch-Out!!    Nintendo    1984    .030    Sports / Boxing
   punchita    Punch-Out!! (Italian bootleg)    bootleg    1984    .116u2    Sports / Boxing
   reikaids    Reikai Doushi (Japan)    Home Data    1988    .057    Fighter / Versus
   tenspot    Ten Spot    Thomas Automatics    1982    .134u4    Maze / Shooter Small
   tutankhm    Tutankham    Konami    1982    .033b01    Maze / Shooter Large
   tutankhms    Tutankham (Stern Electronics)    Konami (Stern Electronics license)    1982    .025    Maze / Shooter Large
   zerozone    Zero Zone    Comad    1993    .034b06    Puzzle / Drop *Mature*

[shponglefan]

Dual spinners is actually pretty darn obscure itself, only a handful of games use multiple spinners and some of those are really supposed to have paddles.

Main reason is for Super Sprint and Super Off-road, in lieu of building an actual driving cab.  If it wasn't for those two games, I'd probably just go with one spinner.

[shponglefan]

Back when the Maws website was up, I searched for games that used a 4-way joystick with more than 2 buttons.
There were only a few and probably none you'd miss.  However, you can always map the controls in MAME so that when both buttons are pressed simultaneously, it posts the third button.  Two is enough for classic 4-way games.

You could do the classic 4 way in the center with two buttons on each side of it for left or right handed play, but the buttons on the left could also double as the buttons that go with the first spinner.

Yeah, I was thinking a L/R-friendly 4-way might be the way to go.

Whether you go with analogue pedals or not depends on how seriously you take the games.  Just having buttons is ok for casual play.  Most people just mash the pedal anyway.  If you take the games seriously and want to make it as far as possible though, it will take an analogue pedal.  Pole position is particularly bad about squeeling the tires and losing time if not using analogue input.  It doesn't make much difference in some games, like Super Off-Road.

It will probably come down to cost in the end.  If I can pedals for not too much, then I may go for it.

[yotsuya]

I have Super Off-Road on my cab and play it with a spinner. Honestly, it's not as much fun as it would be with a gas pedal. Save your money and get a dedicated Off-Road.

[shponglefan]

I have Super Off-Road on my cab and play it with a spinner. Honestly, it's not as much fun as it would be with a gas pedal. Save your money and get a dedicated Off-Road.

Are you using a bare spinner or a mini driving wheel (ala the Turbo Twist 2?).

At any rate, I may end up trying just one spinner initially to see how it plays before investing in two.

[yotsuya]

I AM using the TurboTwist2, but in spinner configuration. No wheel. I played a ton of Off-Road in college, though. I can't imagine a mini-wheel and a push button would be s satisfying. It's passable, but...

[shponglefan]

I think the pedal would be a must.  I figure the TT w/ the wheel is at least a "poor man's" driving wheel, since the cost of real 360 wheels is quite high.  Unless a cab can be had for a decent price...

[PL1]

I hooked up one of these in parallel with two of my P2 buttons and it works fine for a microswitch-type gas and brake or up/down for Discs of TRON.



A parallel printer cable fits perfectly into the wire entry notch on the switch.


Scott

[Rando]

Anything else that might be good for classic gaming?  I thought about a trackball, but the only game I'd want that for is Marble Madness and can't justify the expense of one for a single game.

Some of my favorite games that get some good play with my Trackball:
Centipede
Millipede
Missle Command

Also great for Golden Tee as well as for 1st Person Shooters when you don't have guns.

Luck!

[BadMouth]

If I can pedals for not too much, then I may go for it.

A Gameport to USB adapter and a couple 100k linear pots from radio shack would be around $20 total -cheapest reliable analogue interface that I can think of.
Either drop the pots into a set of used pedals (to replace the 5k pots) or build your own pedals.
I've seen gears used that were taken from kinex building sets. 

[mytymaus007]

As per this thread, I'm looking at building an arcade cabinet/controller with detachable tops.  Right now I have three control layouts in mind:

• 2 player fighting game layout w/ 7-8 buttons per player
• 3 player beat-em-up layout w/ 4 buttons per player
• classic gaming w/ 4-way joystick + spinner(s) w/ 2 buttons for each control

The third layout is the one I'm having the most trouble with.  Right now my basic plan is to go with dual spinners (w/ the Turbo Twist 2's + mini wheels for use with 360 degree driving games), and a single 4-way joystick in the middle.  Plan is two buttons per controller, although I'm not sure if it's worthwhile going 3 each?

Anything else that might be good for classic gaming?  I thought about a trackball, but the only game I'd want that for is Marble Madness and can't justify the expense of one for a single game.  Also thought about a flightstick style control, but not sure what games it would be good for...

Did you decide what you will be building.. i would go with detachable panels, you only need one to start with then you can add more as you go if you think you really need to. but once you start youll want as many panels as you can build. i have 5 right now and will build more soon!!