Can I use two ipac’s to make a 6 player cabinet?

[Locke141]

Before I spend a lot of money, does any one know if I could use two ipac’s to make a 6 player cabinet?

The plan is to make an awesome “beat them up” arcade cabinet. I would like to be able to play a certain 6 player game the way God intended, drinking beer with 5 nerdy friends. I’m basing my build off the front half of the original 6 player x-man cab with alterations to the button lay out. Two players will have 3 buttons, two players will have 4 buttons, and two will have 6 buttons. Thats 26 buttons, before adding the 6  controls sticks (24 connections), 6 coin buttons, and 6 player buttons. Thats 62 control connections in all.

If my 6 player arcade controls lay out is not feasible, could I do a 4 player layout with two additional USB remotes in Mame?

I am attaching a very ruff button lay out. Pleas ignore the measurements, I just took an existing plan and put green dots on top for a ruff feel.

 

[HanoiBoi]

Not sure if this idea is a joke, but 6 joysticks is not 48 connections.

[Locke141]

"Not sure if this idea is a joke, but 6 joysticks is not 48 connections."
 I know 8-way stick only have 4 connections but it did not stop me from multipoint 6x8=48 instead of 6x4=24.
 
And no not a joke. If you think this is not a good or doable idea pleas let me know you thoughts.

Sorry 
Math Fixed.

Thanks HanoiBoi.

[leapinlew]

Get the 56 input iPac and add in a zero delay encoder to handle the rest. That will help keep your costs down and they'll be entirely different devices which hopefully keep windows from getting confused. 

[PL1]

Be sure to verify that none of the inputs are set to output the same keystroke as another input.

For example, the IPac-4 has overlapping outputs for P2 buttons 5-8 and P3 joystick directions -- both use I, J, K, and L.


Scott

[BadMouth]

They'll work in MAME since it can differentiate input from multiple keyboards.
If you want to run other emulators that can't do so, you'd have to reprogram one of the ipacs to post different keys than the first.
It isn't that big of a deal to do, but some people seem to have an unexplained aversion to it.

Personally, I'd use the Llono2 from paradisearcadeshop http://www.paradisearcadeshop.com/en/mame-arcade-parts/359-lonotm-arcade-to-usb-20-controller-board-0855742003594.html
It has 72 inputs and comes with wiring harnesses.

[Locke141]

Wow,
Thanks for all the replays guy.

Can the Llono 2 be re-maped to my setup. with out me having to redo it at each start up?

[yotsuya]

If I were you, I would look for a dedicated, working X-Men six player cabinet first before I worried about control schemes. That's a BIG cabinet that needs two screens for that game.

[BadMouth]

Can the Llono 2 be re-maped to my setup. with out me having to redo it at each start up?

I'm not sure what you mean.  It shows up as four gamepads.
You'll map the controls globally in MAME to suit it and you should only have to do it once.
If you have to remap your controls at every start, something is wrong with your setup.

[sandheaver]

You can have two ipacs, you'll just have to program the second (and third?) one to send different keystrokes to the computer so that there are no overlaps between them.  There's a utility that makes this somewhat possible, though it is not the greatest UI ever known.

More worthy of attention is your desire to create a six-player cabinet in the first place; you will probably need to fit it through standard 32" doorways.  Think about it carefully.

[yotsuya]

More worthy of attention is your desire to create a six-player cabinet in the first place; you will probably need to fit it through standard 32" doorways.  Think about it carefully.

I agree with sandheaver here. It's cool you want to play X-Men the correct way; that's why I think getting a dedicated is the better route. Like she said, think about it carefully.

[Fursphere]

Doesn't the Ultimarc U-HID support this kind of thing?

[Vigo]

If my 6 player arcade controls lay out is not feasible, could I do a 4 player layout with two additional USB remotes in Mame?

Yeah, this would work just fine. Personally, if I had a desire to make a cabinet that allowed myself and 5 friends to enjoy, I would still make a 4 player cabinet as my first choice. I would just build/buy two separate fight sticks that can plug in via USB and play on either side of the machine. Because when all is said and done, your friends will eventually get sick of x-men.

Besides, it is OK to have two players have inferior crappy side controls. When with friends, it almost can become a game trying to shaft someone with being stuck as the side player. We have held tournaments just to determine who gets the better spot on the arcade machine. Its all part of the fun. 

[yotsuya]

Well said, Vigo.

Are you in the planning phase? Have you sketched out the hardware plan? To do Xmen right, you'd need dual screens, right?

What's your plan as far as the times you're not playing Xmen?

[Nephasth]

Don't do it...

[sandheaver]

Don't do it...

Well... a blanket "don't do it" is just as silly as a blanket "always do it" statement. 

Make sure you know what you're getting into, if you do it.  Be sure.  Once you're sure, wait a couple days and think about it again, because you aren't as sure as you think.

[Nephasth]

Crampin' today?

[BadMouth]

Do it!!!!!   I wanna see it done! 

[sandheaver]

Crampin' today?

in what world is that funny?

[Malenko]

I laughed.

I agree with Vigo on the 4 player. I was gonna build a 4 player cab till I realized the odds of my having 3 more people over enough would probably never happen.

[Fursphere]

I laughed.

I agree with Vigo on the 4 player. I was gonna build a 4 player cab till I realized the odds of my having 3 more people over enough would probably never happen.

I have a brother that lives about a mile from me, i have two sons and two nephews.  So I'm sure a four player cabinet would get some serious use as they grow up (they're all 3 or less right now). 

And I'm still not sure I want to build a 4 player cabinet.   

[Locke141]

Sorry for the unclear last post. I have dyslexia and was in a rush.

 I am not going to be building the x-man cabinet. For now, I am just using the plans for the bottom front section as a bases. It will be about 2' by 4' or less. The plan is to put wheels on it and to use the living room tv when friends come over. The rest of the time it will live in the guest room. Cabinet may be the wrong word, it's more like a cart.   

From what I read you don't need two screens in mame for 6 player x-man. Can any one confirm this?   

I am planning now. I can't do a full cad at this point in my life. I got the idea for a cart when I came across some plans for the x-man cabinet, the smaller half seemed like it would make a good cart. I am going to use similar dimensions but I am going to add an internal frame. I was, and still may, going to use the X-man based cart to do a 4 players lay out. Then I figured if I could make it 6-players, at some point, for cheep enough why not? Even if its just for one game.             

I read this article:
 http://www.racketboy.com/retro/the-best-undiscovered-beat-em-ups
and was inspired. I remember playing gauntlet, the Simpsons, & TMNT. I want to have a nostalgia cooperative beat them up themed arcade. I love the old for player Konami, Capcom, and the Gauntlet games so 4 player it has to be.         

My wife works for an NGO, we are based in Tanzania. Her job will take care of moving all our stuff couches, dining room table, and arcade cabinet (cart) when we go on to our next post or back home to NY. I will be back in the USA in July and will bring back all the electronics/controls needed. 

This is going to be a long slow build. I want something I can be proud of.
The cart will be built in June. I am a teacher at an international school. The design arts (shop) teacher is going to let me use the school DA lab (shop). MDF and plywood are cheep here and I have friends with wood skills to help, so this is the time. When I get back to Dar in August I'll add the controls pant, computer, and t-molding. I will add art at a later date to spread out the cost. Hopefully at some point my school will add that $4,000 vinyl printer to go with there $3,000 vinyl cutter.         
     

One day when we are done moving I may build a modified back half. Most likely It will be a shallow 6 inch wall mounted frame, that the cart can roll into, with a wide screen LCD in the back and a marquee above. 

[yotsuya]

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhh! I see. More like a pedestal than an actual cab.

Then build away, my friend. 

[Vigo]

X-men would probably look pretty good on a widescreen TV.

[sandheaver]

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhh! I see. More like a pedestal than an actual cab.

Then build away, my friend. 

Agreed.  Go for it.  This is much less of a worry than a whole cabinet build.

post lots of pictures.

[BadMouth]

Just don't angle the joysticks.  The joystick bodies should be parallel with the screen regardless of the angle the player is standing at.

People will debate it, but that's how most of the arcade games were originally made and some people who angled their sticks regret it later.
There are already multiple threads debating it.  Search the main forum if you want to see the arguments for each way.

(note the joystick mounting bolts)

[Malenko]

X-men would probably look pretty good on a widescreen TV.

the 360 port is pretty great.

[Locke141]

"Just don't angle the joysticks.  The joystick bodies should be parallel with the screen regardless of the angle the player is standing at."

I did not even think about that. Tanks Bad Mouth.

As long as we are on joysticks, I was looking at cheep $8.50 for the 5th and 6th players? Has any one used them? Are the usable for the once in a blue moon I will have 5-6 players.

Any one have a favorite joysticks for the other 4 players? 

link
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-HAPP-COMPETITION-8-WAY-JOYSTICK-ARCADE-JAMMA-MAME-tm-/260824777265?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cba5e4231

[kahlid74]

I've done looking before and really X-Men is the only viable 6 player game.  At the end of the day, you may be better building a four player pedestal and then having some type of additional "modular" 5th/6th player setup.  So if you really want to play 5th/6th then you can add/remove them at will.