4-Player Panel Layout help?

[cdbrown]

Hi all,

I'm having a bit of trouble laying out my 4 player panel on paper.  I have the buttons spacing and layout sorted for each player.  When I transpose these layouts onto the panel and put in a spacings between players which I think I would need the panel becomes about 1.4m wide which is huge.  For those with 4-player panels could you give me some indication of dimensions.  Here is a link to a pic with the dimensions I'd like http://home.iprimus.com.au/craigrb/mame/panel.jpg  The green dots are the joysticks - would like to know the dimensions based on joystick centers.

Also I haven't worked out if the joysticks for players 3 and 4 should be on a 45 degree angle.  I am trying to base the cab loosely around a nba jam type but I think all the joys were orientated the same way.  Anyway look here to understand what I'm talking about http://home.iprimus.com.au/craigrb/mame/joystick.jpg


I don't actually have the parts yet (still finalising what I want) so I can't do a trial run.  I would just like to see what other people have done.

Cheers
-cdbrown

[jerryjanis]

I haven't built the 4-player panel (yet?), but one thing that I see in a lot of panels is that the joysticks aren't set up very well for the dual joystick games - Robotron, Karate Champ Vs, Munchmobile, Smash TV, Total Carnage...  These games are some of the best, and they'd be kinda ruined if pairs of joysticks weren't aligned so that their x-axes were in the same line.

There would be two ways to do it right for these games.  Either put all 4 joysticks along one line, or angle each pair of joysticks.  Probably the first idea is a lot better, because you'd want to be in the center to play a game like Robotron.  Also, it would probably be awkward to play a two player game at an angle.

I suppose that you would end up sacrificing some of the comfort for game like Gauntlet, however, so I guess you gotta build several cabinets to make every game completely perfect.  For me, personally, getting 4 players around the machine at one time would probably be a rarity, so I would prioritize the 2 player dual joystick games over the 4-player comfort.

Heck, I haven't drawn out plans, so maybe the width problem you're talking about kinda kills this whole idea, I dunno.  I have a 2 player panel setup now, and I'm thinking about making 2 1-player mini-panels that could be hooked onto the sides for when 4 players arrive.

[SirPoonga]

Most people do what you are thinking, putting 3 and 4 player on the outsides at an angle.  Though, like jerry said, it would be akward for 2 joystick games.  But every design has a sacrifice, one design can't accomidate everything.

Since I just said that statement I hear 1UP replying soon.  So I will clarify, it is hard to accomidate everything with a SIMPLE design!

[cdbrown]

Thanks for the tips.  For me the 4 player aspect is more important.  I used to play NBA Jam after school most days with 3 mates and I can see that will be the panel being used most (also having dual trackball panel and 2joy/2spinner panel - I could throw another 2 joysticks onto this panel to get around the dual joy games)

I am wondering how games like nba jam or gauntlet or other 4 player games had the joystick orientation.  All facing towards the screen or 1P and 2P facing direct to the screen with 3P and 4P on an angle.  I think NBA Jam was all direct but the outer 2 players were slightly angled not the joysticks.

Would like to get it similar to the original.

Cheers
-cdbrown

[Bursar]

Here's how I did mine:

http://www.philspcmods.com/images/arcade/cpmeasure.jpg

The joysticks are angled, so up is not a case of simply pushing towards the screen.

I did think about having it set that way, as then all 4 of the joysticks would move in the same way. The problem I found was that your wrist then sits at an awkward angle when holding the stick.

Having the sticks angled does make some of the special moves in fighting games a bit harder to pull off, but for all the other games, it's a lot more comfortable.

[clok]

well my panel is pretty wide. I went out and mesured a NFL blitz 4 player panel and added about 6 inches to that. One thing i did a bit differnent then most:

I did it Player1, player3, player2, player4

most do it: player3, player1, player2, player4

i think having player 1 and 2 close together in the center is uncomfortble. Unfortantly haveing player 1 on the far outside can be annoying too... If you play 1 player all the time i would do it 3,1,2,4, if you play 2 player all the time i prefer my way 1,3,2,4

but size.. i dont think you can go very small, my panel is huge and its still cramped with 4 players... and a marathon Guantlet 4 player session with 4 big guys is ..uh... alot of shoving and bumping...

Clok

[brandon]

Well, I guess for autheticity being cramped is the way to go! Just like in the arcades! At least you are bumping elbows with friends and not some sweaty fat guy who smells bad!