Seven Button Games

[terabit]

What are the popular mame games that use seven buttons? Trying to figure out if it is worth the space of adding seven or six buttons on my control panel.
Later
Glenn

[NoOne=NBA=]

The 7-button layout is used to allow both Capcom (6-button) and Neo-Geo (4-button) games to be played properly with one bank of buttons.

The Capcom games use this layout

    O  O  O
    O  O  O
X


The Neo-Geo ones use this one.

     X  X  X
    O  O  O
O

[DaveMMR]

Seven buttons also comes in handy if you're going to run a SNES emulator on your cab (assuming you have a Start button - and if you don't then that pretty much kills any chance of starting a game - and the seventh button has a unique mapping). 

[Flinkly]

not to confuse the noob, but i prefer the 4 buttons to be accross the top, but everyone else is right that it's not so much seven button games, but the comfort and convenience of having the appropriate buttons in the appropriate spot.

[NoOne=NBA=]

I don't like having to reach over buttons to use other buttons.
It just feels funny to me.
I tend to rest my hands on the machine heavily when playing (to the point of actually leaning on the machine), so I like to have a solid surface there.

[Flinkly]

so what games do you have to remap to make that work well?  all games that require less than 4 buttons would start on the bottom row, and then games that used 6 would start on the top?

[AtomSmasher]

Heh, I had no idea why 7 buttons were used, but I saw the majority of CPs had 7 so I put 7 on mine.  I always figured it was because there were 7 button games, but it makes sense that the bottom row is for neo geo games.

[Minwah]

There are pro's & con's to having 7 buttons.  Personally I was using a 7-button test panel for a long time but for my final version decided to go with 6.  Part of the reason was that I found when using the P2 stick in my right hand (for double-joy games like Robotron) the 7th button would kindof irritate me (always being underneath my hand).  I also found it probably easier to use the 6 button setup for NeoGeo games, rather than the more authentic method with the 7 button layout.

[terabit]

Minwah, thanks for the advice. My cab is mainly for Robotron, so I think I will use the six button setup. Check out my control panel and let me know what you think.
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=43667.0
Thanks
Glenn

[Minwah]

Minwah, thanks for the advice. My cab is mainly for Robotron, so I think I will use the six button setup. Check out my control panel and let me know what you think.
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=43667.0

I like your design

As long as you are not a real NeoGeo fanatic/purist I would definately leave the 7th button off.

[SirPoonga]

Minwah, that is a design issue then, you can still have 7 buttons

I have the 6 button layout to.  I don't play enough 4 button neogeo games.  I mostly play the non-fighter neogeo games.  The few that need a 4th button then isn't a big problem.  my neogeo layout is like

XX4
123

My regular layout is

456
123

For fighters I do remap to

123
456

[Flinkly]

call me crazy, but i've always planned to make mine

1234
456

besides the "it stinks to reach over the lower row of buttons", doesn't it look like it works well?

i've tried it out before and never felt a problem, but i guess i'm just used to it.  also, i don't have to reconfigure anything.

[Minwah]

Minwah, that is a design issue then, you can still have 7 buttons

Yes, but I used the 'standard' layout, which 90% of people use...so they'd probably find the same thing.

In any case as I said I just decided I didn't want the 7th button.

[SirPoonga]

Minwah, standard meaning they put the buttons as close to the joystick as possible?  Otherwise wouldn't all oyu have to do is move the b utton over a bit?

[Fuzzguitar]

Forgive me if I'm wrong as I've been out of the scene a while but didn't one of the Mortal Kombat games use 7 buttons?

For some reason I thought I recalled reading that.

[Minwah]

Minwah, standard meaning they put the buttons as close to the joystick as possible?  Otherwise wouldn't all oyu have to do is move the b utton over a bit?

Well yes I could have moved all the buttons over...but I didn't really want to, it would look odd IMO.  Plus it would force the 2 player's controls closer to each other, which is an issue for me as my CP is only 60cm wide.

Granted this is pretty trivial anyway.  The main reason I changed is probably because I realised I don't actually *like* the NeoGeo button layout!

Fuzz: I *think* the most buttons any MK game uses is 6, but some people like to use 2 of the buttons for the same thing, so they use 7 in total.  I could be wrong on that tho...

[Fuzzguitar]

Minwah, I'll forgive you if you're wrong, after all you've never charged me for using Mamewah - the greatest FE around!

I also have a 60cm CP on my cab so I know what you mean in regards to space.

I'm just ordering parts for my second cab now and I'll be sticking with the capcom 6 button layout. I don't like the idea of having to explain to all my guests that neo-geo games use the lower row of buttons...they don't need to be confused by things like that.

[Minwah]

I'm just ordering parts for my second cab now and I'll be sticking with the capcom 6 button layout. I don't like the idea of having to explain to all my guests that neo-geo games use the lower row of buttons...they don't need to be confused by things like that.

That's another good point.  As I say I think only NeoGeo purists need the 7 button style.

BTW is that Belle & Sebastian in your avatar?  I remember that...

[brophog]

The only MK games using 7 buttons aren't supported by MAME.......and I'm not sure they even had arcade versions.

There are a couple of 7 button games that are, but I can't recall which ones at the moment. The number is very low though.

[Fuzzguitar]

Yup, it's Belle & Sebastian, waiting patiently for someone to release it on dvd....

[yugffuts]

You were close on the MK comment.