Agonizing Over Something Trivial - Quit Button

[Jamesbeat]

After experiencing several accidents through using P1 and P2 start to quit games, I have decided to add a dedicated quit button to my new cabinet.

The button I'm going to use is a stainless steel anti-vandal button.
The button is deeply recessed, and has a very stout spring (my five year old daughter has to use two hands to press it) so the risk of inadvertent presses is non existant for all practical purposes.

I just can't decide where to put the thing.

I have three ideas, but I am also open to suggestions:

1. Top middle of the control panel - the button is nice looking, and it will be obvious for guests, but it's an admin button, and therefore spoils the effect somewhat.

2. Middle front of the control panel - advantages and disadvantages as above. Would keep the control panel neat, at the expense of having an admin button slapped on the front of the machine.

3. On the underside of the control panel - easy to reach, yet completely hidden from view. Perhaps not obvious enough for guests.

What's the verdict?

[Slippyblade]

Under the panel.  Out of sight.

[dmckean]

Either that or the top rear of the cabinet.

[Jamesbeat]

I'd really like it out of sight. If it was only me and my wife and kids playing the cabinet, I wouldn't have even given it a second thought.
The problem is, I don't want to keep having to explain to drunk guests where the button is.

Top of the cabinet would be great, except my daughter needs to be able to reach it.
I don't want to keep having to come over to press it every time she gets bored of a game.

This is the reason I'm agonizing over this so much - I simultaneously want the button to be completely hidden, yet completely obvious to the casual user.

Somehow I don't think I'm going to get both

[yotsuya]

Just put it on the CP and grit your teeth every time you see it.

[dmckean]

Out of sight might not be the best option for you then. It would probably be better just to put it in the corner of the control panel or on the coin door.

[_Iz-]

I reprogrammed mine so instead of p1 start + p2 start = quit i have coin1 + p1 start = quit

[dmckean]

Any button combination you come up with, kids will trigger by accident.

[yotsuya]

Any button combination you come up with, kids will trigger by accident.

Troof.

[artyfarty]

I have a button that you press once for pause, but with an autohotkey script that sends quit if you press and hold for 5 seconds. You wouldn't have to have the pause function, and could set it up for just a long button press.

This seemed to be a reasonable balance between having a quit button on the control panel, but not one that would be accidentally triggered.

I did have to compile MAME with directinput support for AHK to work. If there are any similar solutions that work without needing to do this I would be interested, I wondered about a LUA script but haven't investigated yet.




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[ark_ader]

I would superglue a tiny needle just inside the button, just shallow enough to get the attention it needs without serious injury. And no I don't have kids.

Seriously, why not make it comical and install a lock and button hood cover.  Ideal for those DEFCON  moments in life.


 

[jennifer]

    Use a key switch.

[MaseMan]

I have a Tankstick, and I have Maximus Arcade programmed so that P2 + left paddle button is quit. Chances of anyone using that combination ever is pretty much slim to none.

[pbj]

Top middle of control panel.  It's intuitive and nobody will accidentally hit it.

P1 Start + P2 Start = Exit was one of the dumbest ideas to plague this hobby.

[jdbailey1206]

James,

I say under the control panel or on the backside of cabinet in upper left hand corner.  With my FFJR cab I did a combination of both coin release buttons and the jump button.  This combination, in conjunction with a .bat file shuts the machine down.  In two years of the machine running I have yet to have someone shut it down by accident. 

[vwalbridge]

Top middle of control panel.  It's intuitive and nobody will accidentally hit it.

P1 Start + P2 Start = Exit was one of the dumbest ideas to plague this hobby.

Totally agree with this. pbj knows what's up. You're actually better off making the button easy to hit because human nature will keep you from hitting it again. ie, motivation not to quite the game you are currently playing.

[dmckean]

Top middle of control panel.  It's intuitive and nobody will accidentally hit it.

P1 Start + P2 Start = Exit was one of the dumbest ideas to plague this hobby.

That would be in front of the trackball on a lot of panels, which wouldn't work.

[DeLuSioNal29]

Just leave it as is and change the software setting so that you need to hold both the P1 and P2 for 5 seconds.  Done.

You can hit them both all you want and it won't exit.  But holding them both down...

There's an option to do this in the preferences with Maximus Arcade, but not sure about other frontends.

DeL

[monkeybomb]

P1 Start + P2 Start = Exit was one of the dumbest ideas to plague this hobby.

Completely agree. People used to insist it could never be a problem.  Made me nuts.

[harveybirdman]

It's a MAME cabinet bruh, exit in the top left assuming 90% of the time Player One is selecting/quitting the game, pause in the top right if you want it. or use the same for both.   One touch pauses, hold down to exit.

[Token]

Top middle of control panel.  It's intuitive and nobody will accidentally hit it.

Yep.

Kids will smash buttons like crazy, but once they learn which one exits their game, they leave that one alone.

[vwalbridge]

Top middle of control panel.  It's intuitive and nobody will accidentally hit it.

Yep.

Kids will smash buttons like crazy, but once they learn which one exits their game, they leave that one alone.

+1 If my 3yr old can figure out what the only button does on her Ipad, then I'm pretty sure a group of drunk adults can learn what the Exit button does on your control panel.

[jdbailey1206]

Top middle of control panel.  It's intuitive and nobody will accidentally hit it.

Yep.

Kids will smash buttons like crazy, but once they learn which one exits their game, they leave that one alone.

+1 If my 3yr old can figure out what the only button does on her Ipad, then I'm pretty sure a group of drunk adults can learn what the Exit button does on your control panel.

In my experience children are usually smarter than drunk adults.  Hell even sober ones.   

[DeLuSioNal29]

Then you always have that ---uvula--- kid who is getting the snot beat out of him in a fighting game who quickly hits the exit button and ends the game.

Having to hold down a button combo makes it harder to do.

[P.H.U.]

Good lord James. Put that thing under the overhang of the marquee. Recess it. There it is still accessible, but can't be accidentally touched. Keep it off the CP!

[jtslade]

Two keys on the top of the panel and must be turned in unison together to exit a game.. Just like nuclear launch silos..

Mutually assured MAME exit


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[Jamesbeat]

Good lord James. Put that thing under the overhang of the marquee. Recess it. There it is still accessible, but can't be accidentally touched. Keep it off the CP!

I ended up doing this, and I'm glad I did.
There are no visible admin buttons on my cp, the quit button is hidden under the cp overhang, and the shutdown button is at the top rear corner of the machine.
Very pleased I did it this way - visible admin buttons suck

[leapinlew]

I don't mind player 1 + player 2 as a function key. It has caused a few issues over the years, but because of how the system is used at my house - it's not a big deal. I rarely have 2 people over.

I wouldn't mind a 1 second pause before the key is registered. Is that an option in Hyperspin?

[Jamesbeat]

I don't mind player 1 + player 2 as a function key. It has caused a few issues over the years, but because of how the system is used at my house - it's not a big deal. I rarely have 2 people over.

I wouldn't mind a 1 second pause before the key is registered. Is that an option in Hyperspin?

I tried that P1 + P2 start thing on my first build, and I found that it caused problems very frequently,.
It all depends on how you use your machine I suppose.

[paigeoliver]

Under the panel out of site.

If it is on the panel then people will for sure, 100 percent press the button, no matter how it is labeled in an attempt to credit or continue the game. If it is a combination of buttons then children will find it in seconds and will continue to find it constantly.

Your guests don't need the ability to exit the game anymore than they need the ability to change your TV set from one movie to another.

[DrakeTungsten]

My experience is much different from the rest of the posters'. My "exit" button is on the same plane as the rest of the buttons, and I haven't had any problem with accidental exiting by guests. It's the only admin button on the top face of the CP (there's only one more admin button - a "pause" which is on the side, as in perpendicular to the floor). It's the only black button, which is also the color of the CP - the camouflage is a visual clue it's special and not meant for normal game play. It's in the upper-left corner, and this placement is meant to equate it to the escape button on a keyboard.  I don't know which of these variables makes the difference, but I don't recall a guest ever complaining about either accidentally exiting, or, on the reverse side, that it was too hard to remember how to exit.

[yotsuya]

I teach my guests to Press P1 + P2 at the same time at the beginning of the evening, and after doing it once or twice I don't have to do it again. This ain't rocket science.