Angled joysticks on 4 player panel....yes or no? (poll)

[severdhed]

I know this one gets people fired up, and i have a feeling i know the outcome of this one, but i just feel that a poll is the best way to determine the best answer.   Feel free to elaborate on your answer.

[thatpurplestuff]

While it definitely works for some people, I wouldn't do angled 3 and 4 player controls again.  My first CP had angled joysticks and I just found it to be awkward (especially when playing games like SmashTV, Total Carnage)

[CoryBee]

WHO VOTED ANGLED!! 

[Drnick]

WHO VOTED ANGLED!! 

It wasn't me Guv.   Straight for the joysticks, slightly curved for the buttons,  that's the way I roll.

[PL1]

WHO VOTED ANGLED!! 

You're getting mad at someone for obvious-trolling?

Sounds like a little bit of karma . . . .     

Hitler wasn't so bad.

Scott

[CoryBee]

It wasn't me Guv.   Straight for the joysticks, slightly curved for the buttons,  that's the way I roll.

I like the way you think boy

Sounds like a little bit of karma . . . .     

Scott

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_the_Impaler

Good Day.

[PL1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_the_Impaler

Good Day.

Not such a good day if you're on the receiving end -- it either sucks or is a pain in the . . .   

Just in case my earlier post wasn't clear, I didn't vote for "angled".

Just meant to say that sometimes you're troll-er and sometimes you're the troll-ee -- happens to all of us.   


Scott

[jimmer]

Either everyone is levelling here, or there is some weird terminology for 4 player panels, or OP has managed to garble the definitions.

Someone please link to a picture of a 'straight' 4player panel so I can work out what's going on here.

[PL1]

The poll question is about the alignment of the joystick bases for P3 and P4. The lines indicate the direction that you push each joystick to go "up".

Angled:
 -------Monitor-------
   /                      \
P3       |       |       P4 
         P1     P2

Straight:
 -------Monitor-------
 |                          |
P3       |       |       P4 
         P1     P2

Here's a picture of an angled configuration -- P3 and P4 stick bases aren't parallel with P1 and P2 stick bases.



Straight configuration would require P3 and P4 stick bases turned 45 degrees from what the photo shows.

Pushbuttons would remain where they are.


Scott

[Vigo]

sigh....these threads always seem to turn into lame arguments. Just to make it clear, the general catch for people to hate on angled joysticks is that people will instinctually press up towards the screen, instead of relative to them. This will cause funny angled controlling. I personally think that this is only sometimes the case, somy vote is option 3: figure it out for yourself. I'm gonna throw out the answer I always throw out:

I use straight joysticks. Always have, always will. I have tried angling my joysticks before on a test panel, and failed. I have also tried someone else's angled panel before that was well done, and was very surprised how well it played. People here have argued that there is absolutely, positively no exception to the straight rule, I now believe that there are exceptions. As long as the panel is made right, your mind will not be thrown off. I just am foggy on what makes a "well made angled Panel" Why did my attempt fail, but another one work? maybe size of panel, how clearly it was marked, distance from monitor??? I dunno.

No matter what, player 3 and 4 are generally on in there as a courtesy, and sometimes you just gotta fit the controls how they work the best. Nobody wants to be player 3 or 4. Those are the ---smurfette--- seats of the control panel. Whenever someone asks me these days, I just tell them to make a cardboard mock-up of their design and give it plenty of play time to test it from all players, before committing to angled or straight joysticks.

The real pros to straight joysticks is that it will get you games like smash TV, and the fact that straight joysticks seem to always work. The only con is that it can sometimes take more real estate to fit, and promote overly wide "Wing Panels"

[jimmer]

The poll question is about the alignment of the joystick bases for P3 and P4. The lines indicate the direction that you push each joystick to go "up".

Angled:
 -------Monitor-------
   /                      \
P3       |       |       P4 
         P1     P2

Straight:
 -------Monitor-------
 |                          |
P3       |       |       P4 
         P1     P2

Here's a picture of an angled configuration -- P3 and P4 stick bases aren't parallel with P1 and P2 stick bases.

Scott

edit:  just seen Vigo's  reply.  If that's the case then I stand corrected. I was only imagining having my controls twisted, I've not actually tried it.   I'm not even interested in 4 player panels so I should probably just keep quiet. 

edit2: Just tried playing Robotron off to the side and can see that it'sdefinitely not clear cut. If this is a long running debate, then the answer is obviously in between fully straight and fully angled.  It probably has a lot to do with position and angle of the screen, if the screen is head high and vertical up is still up, but with a low angled screen up is now 'up to the left'

That straight diagram is even more retarded than what I was imagining (a straight panel with all players standing in a line).

You learn all your moves at home on your own panel and then when you get to your mates house you find the joystick is at 45degrees!

Please tell me 11 people didn't understand the question.

[DaveMMR]

I think everyone comes in knowing that angling joysticks in controversial but it needs to be continuously revisited. But yeah, what Vigo said - test, test, test.

My only other piece of advise is to look at the panels of actual 4-player games (Gauntlet, TMNT, etc.) and notice that while the sticks are straight, the buttons are sometimes placed above or below the stick to fit it in a smaller space. This will help alleviate the excess width.

[paigeoliver]

Gauntlet panels are actually narrower than the average 2 player panel around these parts.

[severdhed]

honestly, i have used both styles, and i think they both can be a bit confusing at times.  I had a 4 player showcase cabinet for a while that i recently sold.  I had the joysticks all mounted the same direction, so up was toward the screen.  Standing off to the side it at player 3 sometimes felt awkward pressing left to go up...but you adjust to it.  my friend's 4 player panel has the player 3 and 4 joysticks angled at 45 degrees.  This feels natural sometimes, but i still found myself pressing the wrong directions sometimes.  I think personally, it doesn't matter a whole lot...no matter what, when standing sideways it is easy to not press the right direction.  I am about to build a new 4 player panel and i plan on mounting them all the same way, not angled.  I just wanted to see hard data on what everyone else thought.

[WindDrake]

My 4-Player is angled, because my brain doesn't move my hands in relation to the screen, it moves in relation to the buttons.

Only my brother ever complained, and he's since adjusted. Only complaint I ever heard about it.

[Fursphere]

I'm trying to figure out how this is a problem.

If it was really that big of a deal, console gaming wouldn't be as popular as it is today - because the control orientation follows the player, not the screen.

[DaveMMR]

If it was really that big of a deal, console gaming wouldn't be as popular as it is today - because the control orientation follows the player, not the screen.

A joystick permanently attached to a control panel is not the same thing as a control panel you have in your hand.

And therein lies the issue of angling a stick - it assumes the player is standing directly in front of it. It's great if you put marks on the floor, but dictating specific spots to stand actually works against clearing up any 'crowding' issues.

[paigeoliver]

You know what. Everyone arguing for angled sticks would completely drop their argument with minutes of trying to play a side position on gauntlet with angled sticks. The side players on gauntlet stand at a 90 degree angle, allowing one to simply rewire (or remap if needed) to experience how much angling the sticks doesn't work.

You ever try to play Q*Bert with a normal 4-way by standing at a 45 degree angle to the screen and did you ever notice how that still doesn't really work?

[Maximus]

I like to play with my joystick at all angles /snort /snort

[CoryBee]

I like to play with my joystick at all angles /snort /snort

I can guarantee angled is the best for that kind of game.....

[Caparo8bit]

how wide the control panel has 2 b  to have 4 playes?

[severdhed]

how wide the control panel has 2 b  to have 4 playes?

that depends on the depth of the panel, and how many other controls you plan on having.  personally my new one is going to be 18" deep and 46" wide, i wouldn't want it much smaller than that. If i wanted to drop the trackball from the center, then i could lose a few inches i guess

[DaveMMR]

how wide the control panel has 2 b  to have 4 playes?

that depends on the depth of the panel, and how many other controls you plan on having.  personally my new one is going to be 18" deep and 46" wide, i wouldn't want it much smaller than that. If i wanted to drop the trackball from the center, then i could lose a few inches i guess

Nevermind, it's a pedestal.  I saw your project.

Is that a pedestal or showcase? Otherwise the outer players may have trouble seeing the screen that far out depending on your setup.
For reference, TMNT's control panel was around 38" and Gauntlet's was fairly narrow as Paige pointed out (inches in the mid 20's IIRC.)

[Caparo8bit]

this is mine im working on buttons location want to make sure cus im planing to use a brushed aluminum sheet and just keep it like that no art ( plus blue LED buttons) any ideas WELCOME 

[paigeoliver]

how wide the control panel has 2 b  to have 4 playes?

A 4 player Gauntlet cabinet is around 28" wide.

Konami's 4 player cabinets were around 36" wide. Although it has unused overhang and could safely be about 3" narrower.

[severdhed]

this is mine im working on buttons location want to make sure cus im planing to use a brushed aluminum sheet and just keep it like that no art ( plus blue LED buttons) any ideas WELCOME 

what is the distance front to back?

[Caparo8bit]

[TKW4rr10r]

The logic behind angled joys makes sense on paper, but doesn't work as well when actually playing as one of the side players. Especially in the type of CP you have, there's enough space to have four people playing all with forward facing joys and not be uncomfortable. I used the original setup of the controls on my x-men as a deciding factor for my future mods:



If 6 of us could all play with forward facing joys, then 4 shouldn't be an issue. Your panel is even better angled than this one for the task.

I say keep the style original and