Button Layout Ideas

[mcleanjoel]

I am building my first CP and have come up with a button layout I would like comments on.
Here is the layout for 1 joystick & 6 buttons:
(Not to scale or complete - just to show the idea)


I don't care much about fighters but I do want the ability to play them occasionally.

Here is my reasoning for this layout:

The first 4 buttons form a diagonal that I expect to work for smash TV & others (up down left right w/buttons)

The bottom 3 I expect to work well for Track n Field.

I figure the 6 are close enough to a fighter config to play those.

The 1st button can be hit with my thumb for Tron while my right hand runs a spinner.

Here are my questions:
1. Am I missing anything that is really important here?
2. What is the best way to number these that will work for most games? (123 top, 456 bottom? or 1 up 2 down 3 up 4 down, etc?)

3. How many buttons will I need across the top for other functions? ( I know I need Coin 1&2, Start 1&2,)

Here are the details of my CP:

OptiPac USB
IPac 4 - (So I can connect in with another panel later)
2 Supers
1 Trackball
1 Spinner (2 if I can squeeze another in the corner)
12 buttons for play
Other buttons (not sure how many)
Maybe 2 Pinball flippers.

[Tiger-Heli]

The picture didn't make it to either of my browsers.

As far as additional buttons, you could get by with one coin input, but two have some advantages.  I prefer to have a dedicated pause and maybe Escape also.  Some people like a dedicated tab or F11 or F8 (See which ones you use in MAME now!)

[mcleanjoel]

Sorry - try again.

I didn't realize that my pic on MSN was viewable only by me.
Maybe this FreePicHosting site will be better.

[isugoat]

thats not really an ergonomic design.  you gotta stick your elbow way out to get perpendicular with the buttons...and if the joysticks are close, you'll be elbowing player 2.
you'd probably just be better off going with the streetfighter design.

[mcleanjoel]

thats not really an ergonomic design.  you gotta stick your elbow way out to get perpendicular with the buttons...and if the joysticks are close, you'll be elbowing player 2.
you'd probably just be better off going with the streetfighter design.

But see - most of the time I don't care about streetfighter type games. I thought the 4 buttons in a diamond might be better for most other games(like on most gamepads) while I would still have the six button layout for the few times I might try fighters.
My hand would not be perpendicular except for fighters.(I think)

The picture is not to scale.

Does this make sense?

I appreciate all feedback as I have not yet played many Mame games and when I have it has been with a gamepad.
I just know most of the ones I like so far are not fighters.

[eightbit]

Mock it up in cardboard and stand next to someone. If they get an elbow then its probaly not good.

[Animeka]

That's exactly the layout I used for my control panel, and it works A1. I personally found it ergonimically comfortable. You can see it at www.animeka.net in the MAME project section.

It's for sale too now that I built a cabinet...

Marc

[darkmanx]

the buttons are way too angled to be comfortable, try a more horizontal approach. also try it out on cardboard first and see how it feels to actually use.

[cdbrown]

Perhaps don't have the last two so high , could have them slightly lower than they are to create a slight curve.  That's what I have done and found the layout very comfortable.

And like others have said - make it out of cardboard, it is very difficult to make a layout on paper and expect it to work right (it didn't for me and many others).  Cardboard is a great way to avoid big problems - heed the advice.

*edit* I can see how you want the first 4 buttons and in that instance you will have your elbows in while using them, it's when you use the full row of buttons that your elbow will move out and hit player two, or your wrist will be at an uncomfortable angle.  Animeka has the last two buttons in a very different position to yours which would be more comfortable, but I wouldn't have the green button where it is, probably bring it down below the purple (but that's just my opinion).

Cheers
-cdbrown

[mcleanjoel]

Animeka has the last two buttons in a very different position to yours which would be more comfortable

You must be looking at the computer-generated picture.

If you look further down on the page you see that when it was built that all six are lined up pretty close to my idea. The only difference is that Animeka's form perfect diamonds.
I have in mind to make my diamonds shorter top to bottom and wider side-to-side. the difference is subtle but I think you can see it in my picture.

[Chris]

I went through the same thought process as yours, but decided the control panel would be too crowded with the extra buttons.  Of course, I have a trackball in the middle.


And yes, that extra button next to the spinner is for Tron.  

Fortunately, I've never played a 6 button fighter, so I didn't feel like I was missing anything... I do have some SNK 4-button fighters installed in case I get in the mood for a fighter...

The diamond layout also is handy for games that need a true 4-way input (like the tank scene in Tron, which is almost unplayable on an 8-way).

--Chris

[MinerAl]

The joystick next to a diamond layout is the one I picked, (almost identical to Chris' layout) because the only fighting game I played as a kid (I'm old) was Karate Champ, and I use the diamond layout as the attack (right) 4-way joystick for that game.

The layout of buttons went:  Button 1=Left, 2=Up, 3=Down, and 4=Right.   The perfect diamond layout is very comfortable with your thumb through ring fingers each on its own button.

Since Button 1 is so close to the Joystick, I added another Button 1 above Button 4 so that I would have a little more comfortable time playing Galaga etc.  

[Chris]

I use the bottom button of the diamond for Fire on most games.  Thus, my default button arrangement is 1-down, 2-right, 3-up, 4-left.  In addition, the down button is the spacebar and the extra button next to the spinner is the Enter key; these keys are common to many non-MAME games, which lets me play those on the cabinet as well.

--Chris

[motorfish]

This is the design I made for my latest Aero City sit-at. This control pannel was specificly designed for fighting games though, but it does showcase how the button layout would be most comfortable in case you do play fighting games:

[Chris]

Nice overlay!

Is that Red-Yellow-Green-Blue layout standard for all SNK machines?

--Chris

[motorfish]

for the Neo Geo machines it is. Other non-cartridge games, probably not.

[m3talslug]

I used this layout for my joystick and it works for 6 button fighters, Neo Geo fighters, and pretty much any game which uses a joystick and button

http://tobywong.50megs.com

[eightbit]

That is a sweet looking stick!   I love your overlay. The only thing I'd change is the 4 white buttons. You should have gone to Happs and gotten the 8 different colored buttons. Just my personal opinion. I wish I could do artwork like that but I just don't have the eye for it.

That overlay by motorfish is also pretty sweet looking. Those are the kind of details that give a mame machine more of an authentic arcade feel.

[m3talslug]

I went with the Wicos because my friend gave them to me for free.   He didn't know how to wire the +5v and ended up going for the Supers.  Honestly, I didn't even know Wico made p360s.  <-- not on their website.

Yeh, you're right about the 4 white buttons... I actually couldn't decide what color to make them since they map to the shoulder buttons on the PS and DC.

That is a sweet looking stick!   I love your overlay. The only thing I'd change is the 4 white buttons. You should have gone to Happs and gotten the 8 different colored buttons. Just my personal opinion. I wish I could do artwork like that but I just don't have the eye for it.

That overlay by motorfish is also pretty sweet looking. Those are the kind of details that give a mame machine more of an authentic arcade feel.

[darkmanx]

sorry m3tal there is something wayyyyy wrong with your cp. its too damned neat! lol