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Hand/Button Layout for Fighting Games
paigeoliver:
Now when I look at a layout like that, I get to wondering what the goal is? The two individual rows have a curve so slight that they might as well be flat as far as ergonomics are concerned, but they aren't all the way flat and thus you still need to learn where they are.
The Real History of Curved Button Layouts
The real truth about the ergonomic button layouts is that early Japanese jamma cabinet designs dropped the first button down a smidge for space reasons on their small 2 player 19" cabinets. This had zero to do with real ergonomics and everything to do with shoehorning in 2 people sitting in chairs on a small cabinet, in fact some models were actually horrible enough to be left handed on one side and right handed on the other.
Neo Geo came along, right about the same time that the Japanese arcade industry was switching over to 25" cabinets. They kept the same layout as before, just added a button to the end.
Street Fighter came out. The 3x2 layout was holy writ send down from heaven by Capcom, shown in even the earliest flyers. However the generic cabinet manufacturers wanted to support both Neo Geo and Streetfighter in the same cabinet. So they offset the bottom row in order to do it.
The generic Japanese cabinets stay like that, forever.
A fighting game community emerges in America. However it has a huge overlap with Japanophiles and people who wank off to bootleg VHS copies of Ranma 1/2. They see everything Japanese as being superior and thus they champion the cheaper lower quality japanese sticks and buttons, along with the ergo layout. In fact, they take the ergo layout far past what the generic cab manufacturers ever did, often laying out their buttons in huge double rainbows that they profess to love even more than their Import VCD copies of Naruto.
Capcom continues to ship straight layouts on all their dedicated cabs and in all their kits, not breaking from that until SF 4 which used an off the rack cabinet from another manufacturer, which still only BARELY has a curve.
--- Quote from: shponglefan on June 04, 2013, 07:59:34 pm ---This is my current preferred layout:
It's based on the Vewlix layout available here: http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick/layout.html. I use the one with extra spacing (36.5mm) in order to accomodate screw-in buttons. One change I made is the alignment of the joystick. I prefer mine further from the buttons (min 4 inches) and directly in line with "button 1".
As far as fingers go, I just use my first three fingers and move my hand up or down depending on whether I'm hitting the top or bottom row of buttons.
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Malenko:
I still like the "street fighter" plus 1 layout. Use the bottom rows first 3 buttons as the "jamma 3" for games like NBA Jam, Open Ice, etc and use the bottom 4 as a neogeo layout. However, I strongly encourage the OP to do what the normal people in this thread said to do, make a paper template using your hand, and prototype it with some cardboard /scrap wood. What works for me might not work so well for you, and vice-verse.
eds1275:
I think that besides this topic being beaten to death, it is clear that there is no right or wrong way to do this. Do what feels comfortable; if your friends don't like it they can build their own cabs. Cutting a few blank panels and trying different layouts is 100% more effective than listening to people you've never met face to face. Printing out the button layouts is not the same as drilling some wood, plopping some buttons in it and giving it a real chance. Consider the games you like to play, and how many buttons you'll need to do so. Remember the games you played and what style they used. For example, did you spend a lot of time playing metal slug, samurai showdown? Start with a neo geo. If however you played a lot of street fighter maybe the good old 3x2 layout is most familiar. I wouldn't suggest doing a game-specific layout like mortal kombat or stargate unless it's dedicated.
Personally I went with a street fighter+"run" button layout, and have all games that use 4 buttons or less to use the bottom row, and all 5+ to go in order starting from the top. I wired the second and run buttons together because I don't play any 7 button games and it made it easier to connect to my u360 (plus coin and start) without running out of inputs.
123
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2
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For fighting games, I use 3 fingers - index, middle, and ring. I can do some pretty fancy moves just by curving my fingers ever so slightly to rearch either row, or left and right playing a neo geo layout. I will on occasion fire with my pinky. I keep my palm on the control panel and use it to pivot.
shponglefan:
--- Quote from: paigeoliver on June 07, 2013, 10:25:52 pm ---Now when I look at a layout like that, I get to wondering what the goal is? The two individual rows have a curve so slight that they might as well be flat as far as ergonomics are concerned, but they aren't all the way flat and thus you still need to learn where they are.
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Eh? The first row of buttons is vertically lower, but the next three are in line. The top row is shifted horizontally slightly, but not vertically.
At any rate, it's an extremely comfortable layout (at least for me), which is why I use it. And this after experimenting with a variety of layouts before settling on this one.
shponglefan:
--- Quote from: Xiaou2 on June 07, 2013, 09:42:34 pm --- ) Notice, that as your wrist is in this more comfy position, all the digits become even more straight in alignment.
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Even typing on a keyboard, my index finger naturally rests lower than my other fingers (which tend to be in line). The only time I find my fingers line up perfectly in a row is when at a music keyboard/piano. But the stance is difference, since you can't rest your wrist on those.