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Searching for the most efficient control panel
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Sephroth57:
id really suggest going swappable panels, you could have full 2 P controls, including trackball and spinner one one, and your full 4p 4 buttons each layout on the other.  Its really just impossible to fit the number of buttons joys and special controls on one panel, without making the 3&4 p angles way too far from the middle of the cab or looking too angled on the screen. unless you have some type of podium design with the screen on a different platform and significantly bigger... but thats expensive.
paigeoliver:

--- Quote from: mvaughn on February 22, 2004, 02:00:47 am ---I'm trying to come up with a control panel design that allows for 4 players, yet conserves on button usage.  I want to support as many arcade games as possible (within reason) with one control panel.


--- End quote ---

Well, you have mutually exclusive goals. Do you want to support as many games as possible, or do you want to support 4-player games.

I don't actually know how many 4-player joystick games there are, but I would REALLY be suprised if there were more than 30 (mame has over 2000 unique titles).

Compare the 30 4-player games to the
200+ 4-way games.
40+ Spinner games
100+ trackball games
100+ analog joystick games
30-40 lightgun games
20 or so positional gun games.
100+ 360 wheel games
30+ 270 wheel games.

Obviously controls like steering wheels and positional guns do not easily integrate into most control panels, so I will ignore those for now.

But that does leave analog joy games and 4-way games, both of which certainly outnumber 4-player games.

So if you are trying to support the most games possible in you given control panel space, you might want to drop players 3 and 4, and put 4-way and analog joystick spots in those positions instead.

And now of course I will repeat my much repeated question.

Where was this magic arcade that actually managed to get 4 people on one machine at the same time often enough that you guys actually have enough memories of playing 4-player to want the same experience at home (been doing the arcade my entire life, and I have never seen a 4-player machine fully occupied, most I have even seen is 3 of 6 spots filled on a six player X-Men, and that was back when it first came out). And secondly, do you actually have 3 friends who will actually want to play through TMNT all squished together with 3 other guys. And thirdly, do you have 3 friends who would want to do that enough times to make it worth the effort?
Sephroth57:
yeah i agree with paige, I dunno what it is recently a lot of people asking about 4P panels. It does have a large "cool" factor when people see it, but its usefulness is debatable. my gauntlet dark legacy has 4 players... but its a dedicated machine so thats different. for MAME, i dont think its needed, its like when i bought my sports car, who cares if the back seat can barely fit a dog, im always driving =P
Silver:
Well I agree in terms of number of playable games - but for me mame is not about being able to play several thousand games I never played originally. I have great memories of 4-player Guantlet and 4-player NBA Jam (and it's follow-ons) - and I'm tempted to make a 4 player control panel on the strength of those 2 games alone....

However, the points about being cramped are well made - in the arcade I rarely played for a long period of time as the
Sephroth57:
well like i said in my earlier post, a podium desgin would be more comfortable for a 4P setup. my dedicated 4p setup is still a litle squishy if everyone is playing, the "deluxe" gauntlet legends with the podium design is much better for 4 players at once.
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