2 player CP spacing

[pixelObsession]

I am closing in on a design for my first build and just wanted to get some opinion on the cp setup.  For your standard 2 player Kinevel cp setup, would it be too cramped to seat that within the sides of a Taito style cabinet?  My cab plans right now will use a 27" CRT with a maximum outer cab width of 29" (to fit through my basements door frames), so the CP would be a max of 27 1/2".  Should I pull the trigger on a wider removable CP design or can a few kind souls shed some light and experience on this setup.

also, the typical 2 player CP has three buttons above each players controls, player start, coin up, and whats the third typically used for?

Thanks in advance!

[Chris John Hunter]

I have 3 above on mine. Start Coin Pause.

[keilmillerjr]

Not to thread whore, but I'm working on an app to eliminate the need for many admin buttons. Check it out. Player and Coin can definitely be combined into one button. It's the easiest thing, and logically makes sense. A new release should be out soon where all settings can be set through a gui interface.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,132828.0.html

I'm also going to use a pause button in my arcade cabinet, which will double as an escape button when held down. Pause will be nice for when you have company or if you have kids. You could also have an escape button as it's own button, and I'd recommend adding hold down functionality to it so you don't accidentally press it. You could also tie the escape functionality to holding down one of a players action buttons.

Many options. Just think about what you want, and think about how you can minimize the amount of buttons while still making it easy for a user.

[shponglefan]

27 1/2" is pretty narrow for two players.  Personally, I don't like to go below 34-36".

[pixelObsession]

Thanks for the responses;

@Chris - Thanks, pause was the one that I wasn't so sure of, Can I ask if you pause a lot?  I can imagine it would come in quite handy on longer sessions or if the kids are getting rowdy.

@keilmillerjr - Slick looking app there, i'll give it a look when I start tweaking my software.  Although isn't holding in a button to trigger other functions and shift key functions already built into the iPac?  I'm sure it would be of better use to people with other setups though.

@shponglefan - Ok, yeah, the Taito cabs I was looking at are all pretty much single player cabs so I wasn't too optimistic for squeezing 2p in there.  I might try a quick and dirty mockup cp just to see it for myself.

[keilmillerjr]

Thanks for the responses;

@keilmillerjr - Slick looking app there, i'll give it a look when I start tweaking my software.  Although isn't holding in a button to trigger other functions and shift key functions already built into the iPac?  I'm sure it would be of better use to people with other setups though.

Only shift functions are built into the iPac and other control interfaces. A shift function means that you hold one designated key and then press any other key for a different key to be sent. What my app does is allow you to hold any single key to send a different key, a feature not available with control interfaces such as the iPac. I think shift keys are dumb, and probably wont make sense to the average person. Thats why I came up with my app.

[Chris John Hunter]

No not a lot. But then mine isn't finished yet

But its handy. And I would certainly use it. If the amount of times I pause my tv to go to the loo is any benchmark especially when having a decent drink. Certainly if your cab has 4 players. And if anyone intends to have alcahol

[paigeoliver]

Most 2 player games before 1993 or so had control panels less than 24" wide. Including many dedicated 2 player fighter setups like Neo Geo and Streetfighter 2.

36" is how wide the panel is on most 4 player cabinets.

You don't normally have to worry about making a 2 player panel too narrow, people tend to just angle in a bit. It is only when you move up to 3 and 4 player panels that the sizing becomes more critical.

27 1/2" is pretty narrow for two players.  Personally, I don't like to go below 34-36".

[shponglefan]

Most 2 player games before 1993 or so had control panels less than 24" wide. Including many dedicated 2 player fighter setups like Neo Geo and Streetfighter 2.

Which is fine if you're a skinny teenager like I was back then.  Not so great once you've filled out a little bit 

[chopperthedog]

I had admin buttons and some shift functions on my very first cab in 2003. Always during parties I would notice no one in front of the cab and walk over and see that it was on the desktop. Game lists would always get changed and some other funky crap getting adjusted via shift functions. Now I just use player 1 to start a game and player 1 & 2 at same time to exit a game with some sort of coin button on front of my cabs and nothing else. My shift/functionless cabs have survived my idiot friends wonderfully. Bleh, on the pause function. Life can wait till I'm done playing my game.


good day.

[pixelObsession]

@keilmillerjr - hope it didn't seem like I was brushing your app aside, and thanks for clarifying.  Could have sworn that the ipac or mini-pac software had hold functions but I double checked and I stand corrected.  Holding for alt functions does sound quite appealing.

@paige - good info.  I think I was more concerned with the cp getting physically too cramped underneath with the TB in the middle and the p1 and p2 buttons getting too close.  I'll just need to mock this thing up soon.

@chopper - Thats my main concern with extra buttons.  I am a father of two children under five, and they are bound to go bananas on the cp, so i'm leaning heavily on no dedicated admin controls... even if it means unlocking the keyboard tray from time to time for tweaking.

[chopperthedog]

I should add that I only do mala with mame on my cabs. I could see the need for other buttons or functions if you're running multiple emu's or console stuff. Once I'm done with construction on any of my cabs I've found that tweaking will only last about 2 weeks or even less. On the rare occasion I might read about a game that's not in my list and plug in a usb mouse and key to tinker. Or you could pick up a cheap wireless mouse / keyboard combo and use it when you need it instead of trying to design some sort of drawer to the cab.


good day.

[mgb]

My cp is 24" wide, I'm a big dude and 2 players fit fine.
Though most of the time, it's me and my 6 year old so that may not count.
First off as far as pause goes, I use my pretty often. It's really the only admin type button I have.
For my panel, I wanted my track ball so for the button layout I really couldn't go 6 buttons per player so I opted for four buttons per player in a diamond pattern. So for fighters, I stick to neo geos.

If you look around online, you'll see many street fighter 2s in cabinets such as Dynamos that have control panels less than 27" wide.
It kinda comes down to comfort and the size if the players.
And like Paige said, the players can angle a bit for comfort.

[michelevit]

This is one of my strongest arguments for no dedicated admin buttons.
I hate when friends or worse friends of friends (strangers) muck up your mame cabinet.

All future cabinets that I build will just have a simple wireless keyboard. I'll set up a game and tuck the keyboard away.

When friends ask me how they can change a game, I say just find me and I'll change the game for you.
True dat on the pause button. Life can wait. Did George Costanza pause his high score setting Frogger adventure?

As far as cab width for a two player, I have a streetfighter 2 and it is probably ~ 20 inches and accommodates two adults nicely. Anything narrower might be too intimate.

I had admin buttons and some shift functions on my very first cab in 2003. Always during parties I would notice no one in front of the cab and walk over and see that it was on the desktop. Game lists would always get changed and some other funky crap getting adjusted via shift functions. Now I just use player 1 to start a game and player 1 & 2 at same time to exit a game with some sort of coin button on front of my cabs and nothing else. My shift/functionless cabs have survived my idiot friends wonderfully. Bleh, on the pause function. Life can wait till I'm done playing my game.


good day.