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Cabinet Design Help
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ninjawhiteboy12:

--- Quote from: Le Chuck on September 06, 2012, 03:46:14 pm ---
7 is popular for P1&P2 so you can get the stock NeoGeo layout and a slightly better layout for MK.  6 works just as well IMO but I do like the four across, it's just not necessary for me. 

A lot of your examples are not what I would consider to be great CPs, at least with respect to the cab they are stuck on.  1 & 6 (#'d from top to bottom) are nice.  Some of the others were really versatile in their day but are somewhat dated now due to advances is available controls (ie auto rotating joysticks, wireless hot-swappable trigger sticks, easily done rotatable mods...). 

You want a great example of a very versatile CP, check out TopJimmyCook's Switchcade.  That is versatile done right.  Whatever you decide mock it up in cardboard first, spend some time playing with it before you commit.  Oh, and welcome!

--- End quote ---

Is there an application that an 8 button P1/P2 set up would even be useful or needed?  I have only seen a few examples of this, but It raised my curiosity.  Also could you go a little more in depth about the advances in controls and how they replace the designs used in the above pictures.

I read all through the Switchcade thread and that is a very clever idea and I love the idea, but in my case I would most likely only put a removable center plate with two players on each side.  I'm not sure if I will go this route, but it does really leave the options open control wise, while still making for a clean control panel.

Thanks, I'm glad to be here and eager to learn more about how to design/build my cabinet.
Le Chuck:
In case you see this post and think TLDR just go to my sig and see the 2011 BYOAC UCA link and go to the BYOAC Wiki and read everything under Controls. 

8 buttons... I think that's seen mostly on the console sticks (SFIV type deal) which if that's your deal fine but doesn't have a lot of arcade applications.  I don't like playing any console beyond SNES on my cabs and even those are limited.  Console games, for me, are best left to the realm of the hand held controller and the couch. 

As far as controls, without stepping on too many toes, it has been for quite some time that when doing an all-in-one panel it's commonplace to add a fifth (or even 6th) joystick.  These are usually 4 way sticks.  They have a diamond shaped restrictor that allows the player to slide across the corners only ever going in the 4 cardinal directions.  This was necessary for gameplay on Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, and scores of other awesome games.  If you played with an 8way stick you'd hit a diagonal and your player would freeze or go the wrong way. 

Also, since you already had 5 controllers why not one more, you'd see a TRON stick (8 way stick with a special restrictor and a flight stick handle), and oh why we're at it we can't forget the trackball for missile command and the tempest spinner!  This is commonly referred to as a frankenpanel.  Do a search and you'll get all kinds of hits for that term.  Very educational. 

Anyway, there is not a good combination solution for a trackball and spinner.  Some folks will use a rotary joystick as their spinner but this can lead to poor player performance and just isn't that fun, some folks disable the Y axis in their trackball using only the X, also a copout.  There is no great substitute for a spinner; however, tons of people (the majority) never have spinners and are perfectly happy not playing those games.  I didn't have a spinner for 8 years and was fine.  Of course you couldn't pry my spinner from my cold dead fingers now but gaming tastes evolve over time.

Ditto the trackball, most everyone will agree that if you don't have one then don't play those games.  You aren't missing out on that much, some, sure, but not that much. 

So for those two controls you need to decide if you want them or not.  If so great, if not, don't get them just to have them. 

As for the a fore mentioned fourway sticks there are some great solutions coming out to remotely switch your 8 way into a 4 way based on what game you're playing.  Ultimarc is selling one now, I'm sure other retailers will soon follow with their own version, but best of all, you can build one yourself.  Check out the wiki.  This saves you from having to add a fourway stick at all.  Is it 100% arcade accurate?  No, but nothing about building a multipanel is so don't sweat it.  And that TRON stick, you don't really need that anymore as you can build that right onto that rotatable 4way/8way stick using this mod.  There currently isn't a commercial version of that but I expect to see one crop up in the next year or so. 

Then you have top fire sticks (taken care of by TRON stick mod) and rotary sticks.  Rotary sticks are great for games like heavy barrel and ikari warriors but honestly like 2% of gamers have these on their cabs... but if you want them you can mod your stick to do that too!

The last thing is admin buttons.  On your CP you'll need P1-P4 and likely C1-C4 (coin) unless you're putting the coin buttons on the coin door where they belong.  Some folks have buttons for exit, favorite, list, pause, save state, load state, volume up, volume down, and lord knows what else.  That's cool and if you've got room rock on.  I prefer just to have exit.  To enter a game I use P1 so that's a dual use.  I'll usually make P1 and Exit together Pause but that's it.  It all depends on what you want. 

If you want to check out some awesome user approved builds go to the 2011 BYOAC UCA link in my sig and cruise through all the different category links to see what's out there. 

   
ninjawhiteboy12:
Just for the sake of options and since the cost difference is next to nothing, I'm thinking 8 buttons for P1/P2 and 4 buttons for P3/P4.  I don't expect to have much use for a flight stick, and even if I want to play Tron or like games I can always remove the restrictor plate on the Ultrastik 360 and use it as an analog stick correct?

Also in terms of spinners, are there any circumstances when two would be needed?  I had planned on a single spinner and then a friend of mine
mentioned two player pong and it rose my curiosity.  I have seen very very few cabinets with two spinners so I would imagine that there is little to no need, but I thought I'd ask anyway. 

In terms of keyboard interface are there any advantages to one over another if they both have enough inputs to support all of the controls?  I assume that there are some software differences between different venues.  I was pretty set on the I-Pac 4 untill I read through one of the threads earlier today about interfaces and the Lono2 was mentioned.  It seems to have more inputs and also boasts of higher speed.  There have been a number of DIY interface projects that I read about, but thought for $65. why not play it safe with a proven board. 

There are some incredible builds on that 2011 BYOAC UCA link, I especially like the spacey looking full sized cabinet. 

 
Le Chuck:

--- Quote from: ninjawhiteboy12 on September 07, 2012, 02:33:41 pm ---Just for the sake of options and since the cost difference is next to nothing, I'm thinking 8 buttons for P1/P2 and 4 buttons for P3/P4.  I don't expect to have much use for a flight stick, and even if I want to play Tron or like games I can always remove the restrictor plate on the Ultrastik 360 and use it as an analog stick correct?

--- End quote ---
Sure, but tron isn't an analog stick game and you still have those pesky joystick buttons to figure out. 


--- Quote ---Also in terms of spinners, are there any circumstances when two would be needed?  I had planned on a single spinner and then a friend of mine
mentioned two player pong and it rose my curiosity.  I have seen very very few cabinets with two spinners so I would imagine that there is little to no need, but I thought I'd ask anyway. 

--- End quote ---

Somebody didn't read the wiki I mentioned.  http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/wiki/Spinners halfway down you'll see a heading for "Two Spinners on a control panel; is it worth it?"


--- Quote ---In terms of keyboard interface are there any advantages to one over another if they both have enough inputs to support all of the controls?  I assume that there are some software differences between different venues.  I was pretty set on the I-Pac 4 untill I read through one of the threads earlier today about interfaces and the Lono2 was mentioned.  It seems to have more inputs and also boasts of higher speed.  There have been a number of DIY interface projects that I read about, but thought for $65. why not play it safe with a proven board. 

--- End quote ---

I don't think you'll ever physically notice a speed difference, we're talking nanoseconds.  Get what you want and what you're willing to read about to figure out how it works.  I use GGG (groovy game gear) products whenever I can because I get great service and support from Randy and he's former military and that sort of thing matters to me.  That said I've never had bad service from any of our other awesome vendors either like Andy Warne with Ultimarc or the guys over at Paradise.

Trip:
I just got done doing a 4, mine ended up rather big.  Wish I would of went a little smaller with the width, but after playing a ton of hours of 4 players at once this weekend, I am not sure how we would fit players 1 and 2 in the middle.  I remember smaller CPs having a lot more room when I was thinner....oops...I mean younger.   :lol

Definitely do a mock up before hand.  Here is my finished one.

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