Controls

[DesiredOutcome]

Hey all i cant seem to find a definative answer via search bar. I do know that alot of you have a huge cp with several hundred buttons to accomendate console gaming.  With that being said can you simply use a single game pad for all console games? If so, how is that done?  Usb? Wired in? Does the same apply to guns? Whats the deal with hacked controllers?

On some of the 4 player cps why do some folk have just 4 buttons for players 3 and 4?

I want to play a wide range of games, mame and console. The exception is driving or speciality games. With so many games in the genres i like seemingly endless i wanna attempt to tap in without being so complex (to me) i have a cognitive disorder my memory sucks like a dyson im trying to get what i want without spending a 401k so i can enjoy it.  I really liked Robotronnut's cp https://sites.google.com/site/robotronnutpanel/Home and i want to add on to that.

[leapinlew]

Have you changed direction away from the control panel that connects directly to a TV? That seemed like a good way to get your feet wet.

[leapinlew]

A while back, I created a control panel template as my gift to the community. I dubbed it the perfect control panel. It should handle just about any game you throw at it
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,65141


To keep your costs down, and to show I care, I'll waive the 10% royalty.

[DesiredOutcome]

Your juggerpanel is ridic. Too much for what i meed.

[danny_galaga]

[Fishinfiend]

On some of the 4 player cps why do some folk have just 4 buttons for players 3 and 4?

Here is the answer I got when I asked it when I started planing.

1.  No sir, there wasnt a 4 way streetfighter game ever built, hence 4 is the max for p3 and p4.

Also, as the example one states it is not very good for hardcore trackball games like golden tee because of hitting the spinner behind it which is true cause i have the pause button behind mine and occasionally hit it as well.  I am actually debating weather or not to change up my buttons or not.

[DesiredOutcome]

On some of the 4 player cps why do some folk have just 4 buttons for players 3 and 4?

Here is the answer I got when I asked it when I started planing.

1.  No sir, there wasnt a 4 way streetfighter game ever built, hence 4 is the max for p3 and p4.

Also, as the example one states it is not very good for hardcore trackball games like golden tee because of hitting the spinner behind it which is true cause i have the pause button behind mine and occasionally hit it as well.  I am actually debating weather or not to change up my buttons or not.

Not even sure what you said even made sense.

[leapinlew]

Hey DesiredOutcome  -

Clearly the panel I posted is supposed to be a joke. Hopefully it came out that way.

The problem with your question is it's very large in scope. As in, it requires quite a bit of clarification before an answer can be given. I think what would help the community understand what you are asking is if you can specify what exactly you want the end state of your cabinet to be. Are you looking to play 4 players and what types of games do you want to play? Saying something like "as many as possible" is a can of worms. You'll find lots of opinions on that subject.

Arcade controls are not easy to implement to the later console controllers because of all the analog controls. This may be old news to you, or you may be brand new to the subject of analog vs digital controls, so don't be insulted by this:

Analog controls - things like gas pedals that allow you to push half way for 1/2 speed accerleration, or analog sticks on a controller. All the new consoles provide some sort of analog control ticks/switches. These are not easy to put on a panel.
Digital controls - these are simple on/off switches. Press the button, complete the circuit, and the button activates.

So lets imagine you want to play Nintendo 64 games emulated on a PC

• use traditional arcade controls (joystick and buttons) and only play games that don't use the analog sticks
• use some controllers connected to the USB port of the PC. You won't be able to use the arcade controls, but you can play all the games


You're doing the right thing by reading other peoples journey. Eventually you'll come up with the right fit for you. There is no universal best answer. Just continue researching until you think you have a handle on what all your options are and you'll be able to make the best compromise for your situation.

Good luck.

[DesiredOutcome]

Hey DesiredOutcome  -

Clearly the panel I posted is supposed to be a joke. Hopefully it came out that way.

The problem with your question is it's very large in scope. As in, it requires quite a bit of clarification before an answer can be given. I think what would help the community understand what you are asking is if you can specify what exactly you want the end state of your cabinet to be. Are you looking to play 4 players and what types of games do you want to play? Saying something like "as many as possible" is a can of worms. You'll find lots of opinions on that subject.

Arcade controls are not easy to implement to the later console controllers because of all the analog controls. This may be old news to you, or you may be brand new to the subject of analog vs digital controls, so don't be insulted by this:

Analog controls - things like gas pedals that allow you to push half way for 1/2 speed accerleration, or analog sticks on a controller. All the new consoles provide some sort of analog control ticks/switches. These are not easy to put on a panel.
Digital controls - these are simple on/off switches. Press the button, complete the circuit, and the button activates.

So lets imagine you want to play Nintendo 64 games emulated on a PC

• use traditional arcade controls (joystick and buttons) and only play games that don't use the analog sticks
• use some controllers connected to the USB port of the PC. You won't be able to use the arcade controls, but you can play all the games


You're doing the right thing by reading other peoples journey. Eventually you'll come up with the right fit for you. There is no universal best answer. Just continue researching until you think you have a handle on what all your options are and you'll be able to make the best compromise for your situation.

Good luck.

I got the joke now I wasn't sure at first because people come up with crazy stuff to get the job done, so it if this was an actual thing it wouldn't of surprised me.


However this explains why so many panels I've seen have alot more buttons (I think I saw 8+) and others just have 4-7.

I guess I really haven't put together a specific list as to what I want to play. There were so many games I wanted to play through the range of systems and systems I want to play that I could never afford as a kid that I kinda wanted to try all of them. But it sounds like that playing all the stuffs is a tall order and I need to really think about what I want to play, that way, as you pointed out I can get more specific help.

I do know I want to play to as much as I can from Mame. I also know I want to play Tenchu, star fox. Street fighter, tekkan. Basically adventure and fighting games. I go back and fourth on whether to invest in getting a 4 player cp done or do a two player one. Thats why I asked about the controllers.

Was there a way to play mame, then switch over and plug in a controller and play tenchu from psx. [/list]

[thomas_surles]

Stick to a 2 player panel with six buttons per player. (4 if you don't need mortal Kombat and streetfighter) 2 8-way joysticks. That will cover most games worth playing. But you have to compromise controls. For instance playing package man on an 8 way can frustrate people trying to make quick corners. But if you use a 4 way stick you lose your diagonal movement on 8-way games.
Or you can get a stick that does both if you feel like switching it.

But in order to play as many games as you can on a mame cab you have to compromise on controls in order to avoid let's panel.


Also if you plan on playing console games just get usb ports on the cab and use 360 controllers.

I started out wanting to play everything, but eventually you realize less is more.

[leapinlew]

Was there a way to play mame, then switch over and plug in a controller and play tenchu from psx. [/list]

I don't see why not. A different emulator can use different controls.

I have 4 Mame machines, specifically because I had to take the controls and monitor orientation into consideration. I'll list out my controls for these cabinets and why i chose to go the route I did

• Galaga cabinet - this has all the classics on it that require a 4 way controller, a single button, and the screen orientated in portrait mode
• Golden Tee - this has dual 8 way joysticks with 6 buttons each
• Star Wars - this plays paperboy, stun runner and the star wars series of games
• Defender - this plays Defender and Stargate

I prefer my arcade games to look semi-original. The Golden Tee looks nothing like a Golden Tee, and it has more controls but the others look and behave like the dedicated versions.

For my console fix, I recently modded a Wii and it plays all the Wii games, Sega Genesis, NES, and SNES. I prefer to play these on the couch instead of standing at an arcade machine with a controller in hand

What can't I play? Driving games (or any wheel that requires a spinner), I don't have a good Asteroids setup, games that require dual 8 way sticks, I can only play single player (smash TV, Total Carnage), trigger stick games mostly work, but it's different playing with a joystick and button instead of a trigger stick (Gorf, Satans Hollow, etc), and 4 player games

[DesiredOutcome]

Was there a way to play mame, then switch over and plug in a controller and play tenchu from psx. [/list]

I don't see why not. A different emulator can use different controls.

I have 4 Mame machines, specifically because I had to take the controls and monitor orientation into consideration. I'll list out my controls for these cabinets and why i chose to go the route I did

• Galaga cabinet - this has all the classics on it that require a 4 way controller, a single button, and the screen orientated in portrait mode
• Golden Tee - this has dual 8 way joysticks with 6 buttons each
• Star Wars - this plays paperboy, stun runner and the star wars series of games
• Defender - this plays Defender and Stargate

I prefer my arcade games to look semi-original. The Golden Tee looks nothing like a Golden Tee, and it has more controls but the others look and behave like the dedicated versions.

For my console fix, I recently modded a Wii and it plays all the Wii games, Sega Genesis, NES, and SNES. I prefer to play these on the couch instead of standing at an arcade machine with a controller in hand

What can't I play? Driving games (or any wheel that requires a spinner), I don't have a good Asteroids setup, games that require dual 8 way sticks, I can only play single player (smash TV, Total Carnage), trigger stick games mostly work, but it's different playing with a joystick and button instead of a trigger stick (Gorf, Satans Hollow, etc), and 4 player games

How the hell did you mod a wii?  You smart sobs intrigue me.

[thomas_surles]

Wiis are super easy to mod. And the same mods work for the wii u in wii mode. Just need the right game. I used Lego batman because it was 5 bucks at gamestop. Just Google it.