Dealing with multiple joysticks

[jck_strw]

Hi

Hopefully my crude, quickie attachment came through...

Anyhow, I'm close to the wiring stage of my cab construction.  My control panel has 6 joysticks (4 are 8 way, 2 are 4 way), one USB trackball and one USB spinner [not in pic].  I have an Ipac4. 

Since the Ipac4 is designed to handle only 4 joysticks, how do I wire all 6 joysticks/buttons?  Do I need an Ipac2?  How is this situation handled?  How are they daisy-chained together?  Can I (and/or should I) just wire all four player 1 and player 2 joysticks to the same ipac4? 

Thanks for any pointers.

[versapak]

Even though you have 6 control settings, you only have 4 players.

Both sets of player one controls should be wired to the same place, and the same goes for player 2.



That being said...


That is an aweful busy/cluttered looking set up. Is the actual control panel as compact as that picture seems to show it?

[GGKoul]

Since P1 & P2 aren't going to be playing both sets at the same time, you double wire the joysticks and buttons into the same slots on the IPAC

Why the 2 different Setups? I assume for 4 way & 8 way joysticks.  Why don't you just get a 4/8 Way T-Slik Plus?

[Hoagie_one]

Why don't you just get a 4/8 Way T-Slik Plus?

I second this.  Short throw but soooo usefull

[jck_strw]

versapak

Yes, there is waayy more room than this image shows.

[Oddfeld]

You might also consider not angling the player 3 and 4 joysticks - real arcade games (Gauntlet, Simpsons etc) didn't do this, and using your setup you'll find it impossible to play 2 player games where both players need 2 8-way joysticks (like Smash TV etc).

[jck_strw]

I think the "angling 3rd/4th players controls" thread has been done to death.  My usability tests show that players 3/4 want it angled.   

You do bring up a good point though about 2 player Smash TV being unplayable.  Oh well.  SOL.  I never played Smash TV, so I'm not going to sweat that one.  Any other simultaneous two player, two joystick games I'll miss out on? 

[GGKoul]

You do bring up a good point though about 2 player Smash TV being unplayable.

[Scott84]

After reading all about that thread about angling sticks.. i went to my local arcade and played the simpsons on the 4th stick...

DO NOT ANGLE... you would be surprised how hard it is to play on an angled stick.

[GGKoul]

After reading all about that thread about angling sticks.. i went to my local arcade and played the simpsons on the 4th stick...

DO NOT ANGLE... you would be surprised how hard it is to play on an angled stick.

Yes, in cased you missed the lengthy discussion last week.  NO arcade game had angled sticks. Up was always point north towards the monitor.

[jck_strw]

ggkoul

Thanks for the link.  The only two joystick games I care about are Robotron and Cloak & Dagger.  Neither support simultaneous 2 player action, so I'm good to go. 

All--let's just agree to disagree on angled joysticks, eh?  Let's tackle something else a little less volatile perhaps--abortion, red vs. blue states, homosexuality or controlling Defender with buttons vs. a joystick. 

[NoOne=NBA=]

ggkoul

Thanks for the link.  The only two joystick games I care about are Robotron and Cloak & Dagger.

If you like Robotron and Cloak & Dagger, I'd HIGHLY recommend Smash TV.
It is a TWO player version of Robotron.

[Oddfeld]

Quite apart from playing Smash TV, using an angled stick is just counterintuitive. When you push some direction on the stick you expect stuff to move in that direction on the monitor.

[versapak]

Quite apart from playing Smash TV, using an angled stick is just counterintuitive. When you push some direction on the stick you expect stuff to move in that direction on the monitor.

As has been stated already...

This debate has been beat into the ground already.


Some people prefer to have the controls match their standing position. Others prefer to have them match the screen position.

The only people that are right are those happy with their OWN setup.


Arcade machines were made to fit into crowded arcades, without the knowledge of what kind of standing room the players would have.  Thus they were all mounted straight, so as to match the only constant they could account for.

[Oddfeld]

Arcade machines were made to fit into crowded arcades, without the knowledge of what kind of standing room the players would have.  Thus they were all mounted straight, so as to match the only constant they could account for.

Many machines angled the player 3 and 4 control area in terms of button placement etc, but still mounted the stick straight relative to the screen. Gauntlet, for example, seems to be laid out as if the designers expect players 3 and 4 to stand at the sides of the cab, so I don't think it's a space concern. It's just so that movement relative to the screen is constant - pushing towards the screen always moves up on screen (whether that 'towards the screen' movement is 'up' on your stick or 'left' or whatever relative to you, depending on where you're stanidng), away from the screen always moves down, etc.

If you angle the sticks, every game is going to feel like playing Zaxxon if you're one of the outer 2 players.

[versapak]

My point was that it was in fact a constant. It was the only constant that the game makers could count on for players 3 and 4, and I think that they prolly did find it easier to have a player adapt to that constant, rather than be stuck with something that matches nothing (standing at a 20

[Oddfeld]

But you'll only be playing stuff like Gauntlet, X-Men, Simpsons etc with the player 3 and 4 sticks. Why would you want to play Tetris or DOA or whatever with the outer sticks? Or is there some 4-player version of Tetris I don't know about?

[versapak]

I have an Xbox in my cabinet, and both DOA and Tetris are 4 player games, as well as Shrek 2, which is a favorite of my kids.


Simpsons, X-Men, TMNT, and games of the like are all more comfortable with the angled sticks, but easily adaptable either way. Guantlet is not likely a game to ever be played on my cabinet, and even if it was, it is one that can still be played with the angled sticks without much issue.