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Possible solution to Frankenpanel confusion
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Howard_Casto:
yeah... rtff comes to mind.  ;)

Also the solution to frankenpanels is far more simple.  Just don't build them!!!  Two sticks, 6-7 buttons per stick, some start buttons and possibly a trackball/spinner are ALL you need.  Admin buttons?  Not needed, use your shift functions.  Dedicated buttons for the trackball/spinner?  Nope don't need those either if you place them properly.   Want to play ikari warriors?  Replace your supers with the happ rotaries, which work just as well for fighters as they do rotary games. 

Need a 4 player panel?  No you don't.  No really, you don't trust me... 90% of the people who build 4 player panels realize after the fact that player 3 and 4 controls rarely, if ever, get used.  This is despite the fact that their friends all said they'd love to play tmnt with them all the time or the fact that all your friends regularly come over to play the latest game console with you.  Only 1 out of 10 people are retrogamers, remember that. 


OK I'm done ranting.  :)
Bones:
You forget about people with kids. 4 player CP's definitely have their place.....
erictrumpet:
Well maybe mine is not a Frankenpanel after all. Here's what I have:

2 8-ways with a 7-button bank each;
1 four-way
A spinner
A flight stick
A trackball
One button dead center (the "save your butt" button -- Asteroids hyperspace, Tempest super zapper, etc), also serves as fire button for single-button games (Galaga, etc) because the 4-way is right next to it

No admin buttons, no coin button, Player 1/2 start buttons set aside and clearly marked as non-play buttons.

So, maybe this isn't a Frankenpanel by the strictest definition, but it has four joysticks, a spinner, and a trackball... and believe me that's enough to scramble the eyes of a casual user who just wants to play a quick game.

Eric.
Necro:
From what I've seen, GameEx only works with the default panel layout that's included with it right now. (If you use the built in functionality).

With Johnny5 or CPviewer you can setup a diagram of your own panel, and have it automagically add labels to the buttons in the diagram for each game.  Pretty cool.  Tigerheli has a tutorial and a ton of info on his site (http://www.mameworld.net/tigerheli/).  I used that for the basic directions on setting it up.

Sorry if that's not what you meant, seemed like it :)  Good luck.
erictrumpet:
Yeah Necro this helps a lot, thanks! :)

Eric.
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