looking for feedback on control panel plans

[Iceman81]

i am currently using a 2 player "fighter" control panel from monster arcades that i got on the cheap off ebay a while back.  It functions well, but I feel the need to spend money to build a grandiose cp.  My main reason for this is because i want a trackball and I don't want to mess with the pre-built cp. I want to keep the 8 button per player(even though i have not fully utilized all of them), was thinking of adding spinners too.  I am not really familiar with spinners, but hey if i'm gonna go all out, why not.

here is the pic i drew up, very rough, i did it in ms paint just to jot my ideas down quickly. http://i780.photobucket.com/albums/yy89/packagegoods/cpidea_zpsiwcbv2vt.jpg

Basically im looking for advice, is my placement good, is it not worth it to have 2 spinners,  don't need as many buttons for administration.

Any help would be much appreciated.

thanks

[PL1]

don't need as many buttons for administration.

Correct.  6 admin buttons should cover almost everything once your system is configured.
- Coin 1
- Start 1
- Coin 2
- Start 2
- Exit
- Pause

http://newwiki.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?title=FAQ#Number_of_admin_buttons

Before constructing a control panel, a cardboard mockup often gives you a good impression if the controls are comfortable to use.

Scott

[Jamesbeat]

And don't forget that you can combine the start and coin buttons, meaning every time you press P1 or P2 start, it also coins up.
Simply assign the same button to start and coin in mame.

I do it this way currently on my bartop because it doesn't have room for coin mechs and I wanted to minimize the number of buttons on the control panel.

[paigeoliver]

And don't forget that you can combine the start and coin buttons, meaning every time you press P1 or P2 start, it also coins up.
Simply assign the same button to start and coin in mame.

I do it this way currently on my bartop because it doesn't have room for coin mechs and I wanted to minimize the number of buttons on the control panel.

Some games don't like that and it can make it hard or impossible to start a 2 player game in others.

[Iceman81]

thanks for the advice guys, i'm playing around with a cardboard cut out, and i don't think 26 1/2" is enough to fit all in that design, back to the drawing board

[harveybirdman]

Obligatory.....  8 buttons

If you aren't already using them scrap em, console support and support for the few arcadesque games that would use them isn't worth it.

[Token]

Why two spinners?

Two (or more) spinner games are rare in MAME. If you have a specific title that you must have that requires two spinners, then go for it. If it is just a matter of "going all out" then I recommend you skip it and save the money (and panel space).

And the same goes for eight buttons - if you have specific games in mind that require these, go for it. If not, don't add extra controls just because they are laying around or the panel has space for them.

I've learned that the experienced builders are always trying to minimize the controls on their panels. An uncluttered panel is usually more playable.

[vwalbridge]

Why two spinners?

Two (or more) spinner games are rare in MAME. If you have a specific title that you must have that requires two spinners, then go for it. If it is just a matter of "going all out" then I recommend you skip it and save the money (and panel space).

And the same goes for eight buttons - if you have specific games in mind that require these, go for it. If not, don't add extra controls just because they are laying around or the panel has space for them.

I've learned that the experienced builders are always trying to minimize the controls on their panels. An uncluttered panel is usually more playable.

+1 on what Token says here.

Also, I feel like I say this all the time but it's rule #1 for me:

Decide what games you want to play on your arcade machine first...THEN build your CP layout around that.

Why?

Because it keeps you honest, that's why. For example, as a fun little test, get a pencil and paper and literally sit down and write down all the "must have" games for your cab. Don't cheat and use the internet to look up games. You must try to think of all the games you want to play off the top of your head. (I bet it's 20-30 tops)  Ok, now you can use the internet to look up other ideas for games you forgot about. Now I bet your list is somewhere around 100-150 tops. "But what about all those games I don't know about but might want to play someday?" Ok, well I bet even with those games added in, you are now around 200 games give or take. And I bet you will find that 2 spinners, a steering wheel, and a flight stick not necessary.

200 games is easy to manage in your FE and you will feel like you have built something that is more tailored to your games. If you go about it the other way around...building a CP that could play ever sigle game made, I think you will find a CP that doesn't feel like your control panel. A CP that is a jack-of-all and master of none, if you will.

[Token]

200 games is easy to manage in your FE and you will feel like you have built something that is more tailored to your games. If you go about it the other way around...building a CP that could play ever sigle game made, I think you will find a CP that doesn't feel like your control panel. A CP that is a jack-of-all and master of none, if you will.

Good advice.

Like many others, I started with the idea of having every MAME game (minus adult and mahjong). Then I decided I could safely remove anything not playable with a standard joystick or trackball. Then I realized there was no reason to scroll past all those crappy games to get to the ones I want. So now they get removed as I try them. I still have over 1,000 games on my wheel, but I hope to get it down to a couple hundred eventually. I do like discovering new games, but there are plenty that I have tried once and then discarded.

If for some reason a guest shows up and wants to play Noah's Ark, I can always copy and paste that game's info back into MAME.xml.

[Jamesbeat]

And don't forget that you can combine the start and coin buttons, meaning every time you press P1 or P2 start, it also coins up.
Simply assign the same button to start and coin in mame.

I do it this way currently on my bartop because it doesn't have room for coin mechs and I wanted to minimize the number of buttons on the control panel.

Some games don't like that and it can make it hard or impossible to start a 2 player game in others.

True, I do sometimes have to set controls for 'this game only' in mame to work around that issue.

I haven't encountered any games that I haven't been able to get working by setting special controls for that game, but I will qualify that by stating that I have six buttons per player, so I usually have plenty spare to reassign.

[Iceman81]

Thank you for the advice guys. I guess I was aiming for an all in one never need to upgrade, but reading the replies I see that I can do without a lot of the bells and whistles. Thanks again.