Joystick orientation

[mvaughn]

 

What is everyone's preference

[mvaughn]

Here is a picture for the poll question

[GGKoul]

My 2 cents:

I have a similar panel and you don't need 8 buttons for player 3 & 4 (the players on the outside)  The most you need is 4 for those players.

Also, I wouldnt want to be player 3 or 4 if you setup the joysticks like A.  It would be verying confusing.. since I would be standing on an angle, but have too move upwards to move forward.  

Also, I have attached my orginial cab layout for your review.

[rampy]

I second the vote for "B" and not using 8 buttons on players 3/4

*shrug*

rampy

[Jakobud]

For that shape control panel, the only logical choice is B... but that is your problem... If you expect to play games like Smash TV, then that control panel shape / config is just not going to work.  Would be better to have a control panel that goes straight across.

[hulkster]

well thats not entirely true.   you can play it, it just might not be as accurate as you would like.  i struggled with this to when i was planning my 4 player cp, but ultimately it comes down to, whether or not i want to rearrange my whole design and sacrifice some space just for smash tv and total carnage.  in my opinion, two games isnt going to kill me, so ill just put with up the messed up controls if i want to play 2 player smash tv.

[bigmoe]

I seem to have read someone's example page where 2 of the sticks rotated.

I wouldn't want to implement this, but apparently someone has.

[cdbrown]

I have mine all orientated the same way.  I toyed with the idea of having them pointing towards the monitor, but it's not how the original arcade games were set up, plus I found that the outer players would be getting the wrong movements.  So I put them all aligned the same way and haven't seen any problems.  Take a look at the link under my avatar to see what I did.  I looked at how games like nba jam were set up - how the position of the joystick related to the buttons.  P1 and P2 has the joystick and buttons in the same plane.  P3 has the joystick higher (more towards the screen) than the buttons.  P4 has the buttons higher than the joystick.

[mvaughn]

During my lunch break today I went down to the poor excuse for an arcade I have in my town.  I checked out Gauntlet Legends and noticed that the joysticks are aligned just like example A above.  The 3 and 4 players buttons are turned in as well.


I also noticed something else when I got back to work.  I took the mouse on my computer and stood to the left of my monitor.  I then used the mouse in several different positions.  What I found was that when I pointed the mouse towards the monitor (angling the mouse to the right) it felt a little awkward.  When I tried to move the mouse cursor up vertically, it in reality moved up and left diagonally.

When I turned the mouse to point the same direction as if I was in front of the screen, the movement was more natural and effortless.

For my purposes I'm going to go with example A above, not the amount of buttons, the joystick alignment.

[crashwg]

I also noticed something else when I got back to work.  I took the mouse on my computer and stood to the left of my monitor.  I then used the mouse in several different positions.  What I found was that when I pointed the mouse towards the monitor (angling the mouse to the right) it felt a little awkward.  When I tried to move the mouse cursor up vertically, it in reality moved up and left diagonally.

When I turned the mouse to point the same direction as if I was in front of the screen, the movement was more natural and effortless.

Good point! And very true I might add, I take back my vote for b and enthusiasticly place it on a.  I still don't have the room for a 4 player though, so I'm just voting cuz I can, not cuz I'm gonna do it or anything...

[cdbrown]

Very smart decision mvaughn.  It always pays to test things out before committing.

[Magnet_Eye]

hmmm. interesting dillema!

heres an image of the Gauntlet CP from KLOV:

http://images.webmagic.com/klov.com/images/10/1065234658.jpg

but, really you cant tell which way is which since they are 8 ways...

i think type A is what they used...i think  

[Lilwolf]

btw... done it BOTH ways...

I had NO trouble with them (either way) but you put a 5 year old on player 1 or 4 and they couldn't figure it out for AGES..  

You have 4 players (usually at that point) and they can't even tell what player is theirs..

of course... most of the time they don't care that much...  But this was a BIG problem for kids.

And you do loose the ability to play some great games.

[crashwg]

hmmm. interesting dillema!

heres an image of the Gauntlet CP from KLOV:

http://images.webmagic.com/klov.com/images/10/1065234658.jpg

but, really you cant tell which way is which since they are 8 ways...

i think type A is what they used...i think  

You can tell by the bolt pattern that they are type A.

[hulkster]

yeah but look how freakin crowded that cp is!!  geez.  i just did the same thing as above with the mouse and all that, and it was real awkward when i was at the side.  just my opinion.

[mvaughn]

It really comes down to personal preference in the end.

My way of thinking is that the "real" arcade cabinets have some engineering, thought and experience put into the design of the CP.

Magnet_Eye the gauntlet CP pic you posted does show that it is in the A configuration.  However, the arangment of that CP still leaves a lot to be disired.  I prefer the CP of the Gaunlet Legends.

[Silver]

I'm not massively experienced in this, but I have never played an original arcade 4Player game that does not have all the joysticks aligned the same (i.e. "A" above). I'm sure someone can name a few that have though.....

anyone?

[Stingray]

It seems to me that anything other than all sticks pointing the same way would be counter intuitive. The mouse example makes a good point. I'd make them all angled the same way if it were me.

-S

[hulkster]

well now you have me worried.  as you can see my 3rd and 4th players are angled.  as of right now, the joysticks will be facing inward, so that the "up" direction is pointing inward.  will this be bad?  i mean, i plan on having some 4 player games every now and then, but it wont be like a daily thing.  mainly 2 players.  i can still angled the joysticks forward, but wont that be awkward for the players on the ends?

[GamingGreg]

From what I understand most 4 player panels in the arcades use A.  It causes the least amount of confusion.

[mvaughn]

i can still angled the joysticks forward, but wont that be awkward for the players on the ends?

I don't think it would be awkward...  I think the general concensus that is deveoloping is that when looking at a game in a monitor most people play as if they are directly in front of it.  

Translation up is always up, not slanted or diagonal to the screen...