4-player CP's, is it worth it?

[johnrt]

Whenever I see a 4-player CP I ask myself: Is it worth it? How many games are supported? Do I have 3 friends? Does it takes up too much room? Is it awkward standing on the sides playing arcade games?

I'm curious to hear from you guys that actually have built 4-player CP's. How often are the P3 and P4 controls being used? Will you consider a 4-player CP on your next build?

[stallion85]

I would say definitely worth it. 2 player gets used the most, but nothing beats a game of 4 player turtles or Simpson's.

I use a Hyperspin setup and made a genre with all the 4 player games using romlister. I think you would be surprised how many fun, payable 4 player mame games there are.

[harveybirdman]

Totally agree with the dual stick support, easy way to add versatility without much, if any, compromise.

in case you are wondering here's a nice list of 4 player games

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,16101.msg127936.html#msg127936

What sticks out to me other than the obvious Turtles, Simpsons, D&D, etc?  Desert Assault, Mystic Warriors, Quartet, Snow Bros 2, and Trog.

[pbj]

Well, you make the investment now and you've got three backup joysticks to replace the only one that ever gets used.  Go for it.

[yotsuya]

Well, you make the investment now and you've got three backup joysticks to replace the only one that ever gets used.  Go for it.

Rep for you.

[abkaz]

It depends on your situation and the cab's location. We have a large family and it's not uncommon to have lots of friends over, so P3 and P4 get used a lot - at least every weekend. P3 gets used more than P4 because there are a lot of fun 3 player games (Rampage and a bunch of Capcom games).

If you have enough people to justify a 4P cab, I think it's important to use a big enough screen to make it comfortable for everyone to see. For extended gaming sessions it's nice not to be packed around a tiny control panel that forces you to rub shoulders for an hour. So that leads to a fairly large cabinet that doesn't look anywhere as nice or classic as a two person cab.

If we were to build another cab we would do a nice clean two player cab - mostly because it would be sitting right next to the 4 player cab. 2P cabs can also be a lot cheaper with half the controls and they don't need such a big screen.

[nitrogen_widget]

I have two boys and we do a lot of 3 player couch gaming and 4 player on holiday's when my brother joins us.
for me a 4-player pedestal is a great idea and I plan to build one this fall.
it'll get used by at least 3 people regularly.

[yotsuya]

So that leads to a fairly large cabinet that doesn't look anywhere as nice or classic as a two person cab.

Never understood this logic. My 4 player mame cab was originally an MK4, which is a 2 player game. Instead of a 25" arcade monitor it has a 28" LED LCD in it. Same width, same sized cabinet. More players doesnt mean you need to have a 42" LCD but if you want such a big screen and extra room for more players, that's where the pedestal/showcase design comes into play. Function > Form

Your 4P cab is probably my favorite one of that type because it retains its classic lines and doesn't overcompensate for the additional players.

[pbj]

Wrong aspect ratio on the LCDs, though.  Looks off.

[horizon]

I have two boys and we do a lot of 3 player couch gaming and 4 player on holiday's when my brother joins us.
for me a 4-player pedestal is a great idea and I plan to build one this fall.
it'll get used by at least 3 people regularly.

Severdhd's pedestal is why I got the green light, once I explained the aesthetics to my wife.  Mine comes apart from the CP and the base, and the CP can fit easily into a closet vertically.  It is stored, assembled, next to our dry bar in our front room.  Players 3/4 are used about 25% of the time the arcade is in use.

[abkaz]

Never understood this logic. My 4 player mame cab was originally an MK4, which is a 2 player game. Instead of a 25" arcade monitor it has a 28" LED LCD in it. Same width, same sized cabinet. More players doesnt mean you need to have a 42" LCD but if you want such a big screen and extra room for more players, that's where the pedestal/showcase design comes into play. Function > Form

I prefer function > form as well (hence the 4 player cab in our rec room). As with most things, there's a right way to do something and a wrong way. You can do a nice looking and functional 4 player cab, but I think there's more room for bad judgement with a 4 player cab. Personally, I really like the classic look of a good 2P cab with clean lines.

[johnrt]

As with most things, there's a right way to do something and a wrong way. You can do a nice looking and functional 4 player cab, but I think there's more room for bad judgement with a 4 player cab.

That's my impression as well. We've all seen our share of some really bad 4-player CP's.