More room for 4 players!!!

[IMMark]

OK, this is my idea...maybe others have already been down this road...maybe there is something I am missing...but

Why not build a Mame, with 2 monitors/TV's, and clone the image.  Players 1 & 3 viewing monitor #1; players 2 & 4 viewing monitor #2. 
You could make as much room as you want , big angles between monitors, you could even build them back to back. 
OK, so what am I missing here, many video cards, with TV out have dual monitor support. 
Does this put loads on Mame to slow down play?  What is the down side?  Sure you have to pay for 2 displays... but you have the most roomy 4 player available.

Let me know what you think
Thanks for looking

[quadmasta]

It wouldn't put any more load on MAME than normally.  All you'd need was a VGA splitter or S-vid splitter depending on what monitors you were using.  Chances are the cab wouldn't fit through doors and would be EXTREMELY heavy.

[Witchboard]

I thought of something similar, but using mirrors to reflect the monitors inside the cab, like an Asteroids.  I guess you could always convert a Cyberball 2072.

[Quarters]

Sounds cool. I have used multiple monitors with computers and not noticed any strain on the system. It should not give mame any problems. It would take up a lot of room but no more so than my 4 sided cocktail.

Build it.
Take lots of pictures.
Post the pictures. 

[oldsage]

I have actually thought about it more than once, first time i was designing a RPG table with computers for the players and GM, just to see how much it would cost and if it is even possible... And then about a week ago, while deciding what type of monitors to use for the cab i'm planning, i thought about doing this, but quickly decided that if all goes well the first time i build a cab, that would be my 3rd project -and i would build two sitdown cabinets, each with two seats, that would play playstation2 and have an I-Link (or D-link - don't remember the name) connecting them, that would be the most awesome way to play GT4...

But, in general, could be cool to make an upright with two monitors, just have to remember to make it in a few pieces, so you can put it through doors...

  Just shows i don't need a great mind to think like other people...!

[oldsage]

BTW -

Build it.
Take lots of pictures.
Post the pictures.

[paigeoliver]

Instead of building one giant cab just build twin 2 player cabs and run them off a single computer as a single 4 player cab.

All you need is an I-Pac 4 and a VGA splitter cable.

[Crazy Cooter]

I like Paige's idea.  Turn on the second cab when player 3 & 4 arrive.  If you were REAL smart, use a TV with dual inputs on the second cab.  That way they could run independantly until you wanted a 4-player game.  Then switch the TV in Cab 2 to input 2 (which is from Cab 1).  Get it?

[GGKoul]

Instead of building one giant cab just build twin 2 player cabs and run them off a single computer as a single 4 player cab.

All you need is an I-Pac 4 and a VGA splitter cable.

Hey what a GREAT idea!!!

[oldsage]

I like Paige's idea.

[Hoagie_one]

that sounds very complicated to run them separately then together for 3\4 player games off one computer

[stevejt]

I like Paige's idea.  Turn on the second cab when player 3 & 4 arrive.  If you were REAL smart, use a TV with dual inputs on the second cab.  That way they could run independantly until you wanted a 4-player game.  Then switch the TV in Cab 2 to input 2 (which is from Cab 1).  Get it?

Ooooh.... Nice... That sounds a lot better... Me-Sa-Like-Sa!

You would also have to switch the controllers between cabs just like the pictur.

Steve

[IMMark]

Great, thanks for the input..
I have rigged up a quick test, with PC as monitor 1 and a TV running off a gForce TV out with dual output as #2....works great.
Not sure about a VGA splitter...is there some advantage to using one...better output?
Also while I like the idea of 2 cabinets...I have heard some many complain about room, I thought it would make more sense to have players 1&3 on monitor 1 and 2&4 on monitor 2..giving max room even in 2 player games...(my friends tend to sling arms)
Building in components...very good idea...easier to get through doors too.

[missioncontrol]

I like Paige's idea.

[NoOne=NBA=]

I'd go with Paige's idea for P-1/P-2 on the first cab, and P-3.P/4 on the second.
That would let you run two separate 2-P games, whereas the P-1/P-3 cab wouldn't.

You should be able to use a KVM switch to hook both computers to the same "keyboard" and monitor, on the second cab.
Then you could set a hot key on the CP that would activate the switchover.
You'd probably be best off with TWO I-pacs though.
One running to cab one only, and the other run to the KVM switch, and then to cab 2.

[IMMark]

If the other layout was done..players 1&3 monitor 1 and 2&4 monitor 2, could the controls be wired so in the 2 joystick games (smash TV), you could use the joystick from player 3 for player 1's second stick, and the same for player 2, using player 4 for second stick?

Also would two Ipac's be better than one Ipac4.

Also any other info on the "hot key" you mentioned to activate the switchover...I am not familiar with them?

[NoOne=NBA=]

Also would two Ipac's be better than one Ipac4.

My thought was that I-pac #1 would then run directly to cab one only.
I-pac #2 would run to the KVM switch, and then get sent to either Cab 1 for 4-P games, or cab 2 for 2-P games.
The KVM switch would send the video for the correct computer at the same time as the control switch is made.



With a single I-pac 4, you'd have to:

1) Figure out a way to send the inputs from it to TWO computers simultaneously to play separate 2-P games on each cab.
NOTE: I'm not even sure that CAN be done.

2) Have a separate encoder in Cab 2 anyway, and switch the inputs from that encoder to the I-pac 4 for 4-P games only via a ground wire cut-off.

Also any other info on the "hot key" you mentioned to activate the switchover...I am not familiar with them?

Most (possibly ALL, I'm not sure) KVM switches have a hotkey command on the keyboard that tells them to switch between computers.

The basic operation of them is that you have ONE keyboard, ONE mouse, and ONE monitor, but TWO computers.
When the hotkey command is pressed, it tells the switch to send any data from this point on to THAT computer.
Pressing the combination again tells it to send everything to THIS computer.

If you multi-wired a single switch (ala the Shazaam key type diode setup), so that it performed that key combo, the cab would automatically switch the video and controls from one computer to the other with each press of that button.

[oldsage]

Also would two Ipac's be better than one Ipac4.

My thought was that I-pac #1 would then run directly to cab one only.
I-pac #2 would run to the KVM switch, and then get sent to either Cab 1 for 4-P games, or cab 2 for 2-P games.
The KVM switch would send the video for the correct computer at the same time as the control switch is made.



With a single I-pac 4, you'd have to:

1) Figure out a way to send the inputs from it to TWO computers simultaneously to play separate 2-P games on each cab.
NOTE: I'm not even sure that CAN be done.

2) Have a separate encoder in Cab 2 anyway, and switch the inputs from that encoder to the I-pac 4 for 4-P games only via a ground wire cut-off.

Also any other info on the "hot key" you mentioned to activate the switchover...I am not familiar with them?

Most (possibly ALL, I'm not sure) KVM switches have a hotkey command on the keyboard that tells them to switch between computers.

The basic operation of them is that you have ONE keyboard, ONE mouse, and ONE monitor, but TWO computers.
When the hotkey command is pressed, it tells the switch to send any data from this point on to THAT computer.
Pressing the combination again tells it to send everything to THIS computer.

If you multi-wired a single switch (ala the Shazaam key type diode setup), so that it performed that key combo, the cab would automatically switch the video and controls from one computer to the other with each press of that button.

NOW i finally understand you... I have one of those actually, but it doesn't have a hotkey (AFAIK)...
Though you could (theoretically) hack it and wire it to a momentary contact switch on the side of the cab or something, and even wire up the LEDs on it to show if you're running two or four players...

Now it seems possible, and cool... only problem is, if you push the button accidentally while playing, you screwed the game... Not in a way that can't be fixed by pressing the button again, but that still is a bit of a party wrecker...

"Dude, were losing! Lets push the button and we winnnnnnn!!!!!"

....

Naaaaa... I'm the only one that childish in here... 

[Kremmit]

Instead of building one giant cab just build twin 2 player cabs and run them off a single computer as a single 4 player cab.

All you need is an I-Pac 4 and a VGA splitter cable.

You should be able to use a KVM switch to hook both computers to the same "keyboard" and monitor, on the second cab.
Then you could set a hot key on the CP that would activate the switchover.
You'd probably be best off with TWO I-pacs though.
One running to cab one only, and the other run to the KVM switch, and then to cab 2.

Paige's way sounds easier.  ONE computer w/ an IPAC4 only.  Instead of trying to get 2 computers with 2 encoders to co-operate, just run the input lines for players 3&4 out the back of cab 2 to cab 1, which houses the PC & IPAC4. 

If you wanted to be able to run cab2 separately when not running 4 player games, then I've seen software that lets 2 users each log into WinXP at the same time, and run independant tasks on separate Keyboard/Mouse/Monitors- you could try running that on the PC in Cab1, or you could put a 2nd pc in Cab2, with the KVM switch wired between that PC and the lines running to Cab1.

[Sephroth57]

not that im saying this isnt cool, but is it really practical? the amount of times i have 4 people over at once wanting to play my cab is few personally.. but how often do you plan on playing 4 player games? and what 4 player games are that good that wouldnt get old after a while, only thing i can think of thats 4 player really are beatem up kind of games and gauntlet

[RetroBorg]

only thing i can think of thats 4 player really are beatem up kind of games and gauntlet

The best 4 player game ever is Track & Field, easily the most popular party game at our house. 

[Kremmit]

Seems like I'm always seeing people posting things like:
"Don't go for 4 players, you'll never use it, there's never 3 other people at my place to play at the same time, and 4-player cabs are too big, and 4player games mostly suck anyway..."

I think TNMT is fun.  I think Gauntlet is fun.  I think Smash TV is fun, and you need 4 sticks to play that.  Ditto for Karate Champ.  You need 3 sticks for Rampage & Xenophobe.  Championship Sprint, Ivan Stewart's Off Road, and other multi-player racing games need a lot of control panel space for the wheels.   There's a lot of fun games you need a 4-player, or 4-player size setup to play.

I regularly have 6-8 guys in my game room.   Heck, I wish 6-player X-Men and Sprint 8 would get included in MAME!  Sure, lots of people don't have a use for a 4p setup, but lots of people do, too.

I've been considering this 2-cab setup for a while now, or maybe finding a Nintendo Vs or Run 'n Gun cab to do the same thing.  Or just building a monster size 4p cab.  I had sort of settled on making the monster, partly because I hated the idea of having a dead cab sitting there when cab1 was running a 2-player game.  But I'd always pictured it the way Paige suggested, ONE computer driving both cabs.  NoOne got me thinking about a 2nd computer, and now I'm not so sure..

Dangit!  One of these days I'm gonna have to make up my mind and actually build a MAME cab.

[RayB]

If someone can show me where I can get some friends, I'll make my cab support 4 players... 

(The sucky thing about growing up with nerdy friends is they end up with cool jobs and eventually move all over the place. One is now in PA designing Mack trucks, another is in B.C. designing video games, another is in Japan, I myself spent 5 years in California, but am now in Toronto... )

[lucindrea]

would you do the monitors side by side , or back to back ?

[Kremmit]

For MAME, I'd go side by side, so everybody could see everybody.  Or mabye built into 1 cab, at an angle, like this:


Or this:


If I was building for console or PC games, I'd go back to back, for competitive games where different players see different screens.  Deathmatch games change if you can see your buddie's screen and know where he's hiding.    We used to play N64 with a cardboard divider taped to the screen, so each player could only see his 1/4 of the screen on Goldeneye.  Makes the Sniper Rifle much more useful.

[Hoagie_one]

If someone can show me where I can get some friends, I'll make my cab support 4 players...

[Lilwolf]

Me too!

I had a 4player cp for years just so when my kids friends came over... I never used it.

I took it apart (to use the joysticks in other cps) and nobody noticed until my daughters next birthday...

 

[GGKoul]

If someone can show me where I can get some friends, I'll make my cab support 4 players...

[RayB]

Heh, you guys are funny 

[JThw8]

If someone can show me where I can get some friends, I'll make my cab support 4 players... 

Im actually with you on this one.  The only real reason Im building a 4 player is I got this huge gutted 6 player X-Men cab for $5 so it seemed like a waste of a rather large CP not to make it 4 player.  I dont think Ive ever played a 4 player game in my life and I dont have alot of friends that live nearby who will be stopping by to play it alot. 

I have toyed with the idea of eventually adding a second monitor like discussed as even the 27" I put in there looks small with all the empty space around it.  If I ever do it I do want to set it up to be run as a 4 player or 2 - 2 player machines at the same time.

While setting everything up I did have my 27" TV hooked to the S-video and the pc monitor still attached at the same time and it worked fine.  The wife suggested mounting the monitor facing the rest of the game room so other people could watch a game in progress without standing over your shoulder.  Fun idea I guess, kinda a live attract mode.

[Sephroth57]

i would just make it a badass fighting game machine with a ton of room in between players for those arm flailing 37-hit manual combos with magneto =P