I agree -- as long as you can also dispel the myth that you HAVE TO NOT have certain buttons on a control panel just because MAME can be configured in a million tricky ways.
Admin Button Nazis suck, no matter which side they are on. 
Um, yeah, but we "admin button Nazis" . . .
Didn't mean to imply that you are one, MV, only those who can't accept that some people have different opinions/preferences.
Like I said, I agree that there are multiple ways to do things and whether you prefer a "Franken-admin" or "How the heck does this thing work again?" setup, it comes down to user/builder preferences. anyone who insists there is only one way to do it comes off sounding like Foghorn Leghorn. 
http://www.nonstick.com/sounds/Foghorn_Leghorn/ltfl_017.mp3
Scott
LOL... love me some FL!
I don't think you're getting the point, though. It doesn't have to be "Franken-admin" or "How the heck does this thing work again?" I've already said that I'm going to add a decal listing all the pertinent button combinations, similar to what I've already done on SGM. Just because you use a "tricky" MAME configuration, it doesn't mean it has to be difficult to operate. For example, I'm happy to report that the P1+P2 exit strategy works very well. There was an initial snag where P1 start was behaving as if I had connected the "N.C." terminal instead (which I hadn't), but a simple re-programming of the mini-PAC fixed that. That experience threw me enough that there's still a weird "detached" feeling when I play games, but I think a lot of it is that I didn't bother installing the microswitches on the buttons until I got the mini-PAC, so the feel I got used to when I just randomly mashed buttons whenever I walked by the machine is now very different. I'll also have to admit to being used to leaf switch buttons for the most part, and even the buttons on my cocktail project don't have as much "snap" as the ones on the concave buttons I used for FLYNN'S.
Anyway, it just always bothers me when people use the excuse "...but I'm doing it MY way" to mask ignorance. People have to understand that there's a REASON for the design of arcade control panels, and while compromises have to be made in multicade situations, if you all but replicate the keyboard with your control panel, you've defeated the purpose of creating a dedicated system with a specialized set of controls. In other words, it's the limitations of the control set that MAKES the experience. I have a whole wad of wires tied off and unused under the FLYNN'S control panel, mostly because there's no second player, but also because I understand the idea that there is no need to max everything out. People get carried away with thoughts like "okay, so the interface supports 8 buttons per player? Awesome!" when they don't understand that it's the software that dictates what needs to be built into the hardware.
So it's not really about "everybody has the freedom to make their control panel as easy or as difficult as they want" (I know that's not a direct quote, just the gist of what I got from the previous post). The limited number of buttons and controls on my panel is actually going to make it EASIER to use, combos notwithstanding. I do agree that the degree to which a MAME cabinet replicates the arcade experience is up to the individual designer, and that certain functions (coin up, etc.) must be included. I just ask that designers think realistically. Like I said, a coin button is forever, and if you ever want to disable it, you're left with a button that does nothing. If I disable my "coin up" combo, it's not obvious. Similarly, people who add "TAB" and other admin buttons
on the control panel aren't thinking, because if you're needing to bring up the config menu on a regular basis, you're doing something wrong. As has been said repeatedly, use a wireless keyboard or buttons hidden behind the coin door. I'm not necessarily saying there's a right way and a wrong way to design a MAME cabinet (although not leaving enough palm space on my control panel design probably wasn't right
), but that people shouldn't lose sight of the goal, which is bringing the arcade experience home. If you're going to throw away the "rule book", you might as well play on a console or PC.
The best way to sum this up is the fact that if any one step in a flight of stairs is more than 2mm off, people will invariably trip on that step. Yes, I'm referring to something that was said in an episode of
The Big Bang Theory, but the science holds up and there's a viral video out there that bears it out. If someone was building stairs, they could just as well say "these stairs are just for me, so if I want to make one stair higher I can", but they're still gonna trip on that one step even though they know it's higher. I'm not saying that every cabinet has to be an ergonomic masterpiece (goodness knows mine aren't, nor are many factory-made ones, multicade or otherwise), just that the "nobody is wrong, it's all a matter of personal preference" idea sounds better in theory than it will work in actual practice.
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Topic: Looking for black "Coin" or ".25" buttons (Read 17629 times)
