Looking for Opinions/Advice: Number of Buttons

[struby]

I am going to get an IPac4, and have a 4 player cp, my original plan was going with 8 buttos + a joystick + start +coin per player:

There will now be a trackball most likely in the middle:

I was thinking about taking it down to 4 start buttons, 2 coin buttons, but I don't know how many action buttons per person to put, what good games use more than 6 buttons?  If any, should I stagger it and go 8, 8, 6, and 6, for 1 2 3 4 players accordingly, any opinions/advice?

[Gatt]

You could do it that way,

But why?

Many trackballs are USB I believe and wouldn't get wired into the Ipac,  you could easily use Player 2 or Player 3's buttons for the trackball games just defining it on a per game basis.

[squirrellydw]

I am no expert but I don't know any games that require 8 buttons.  I would go 6 for each if you have the room or maybe the neo-geo setup and use 7

[struby]

Is the Neo Geo setup the 6 in a rectangle with one more button down and to the left, like on the Slik Stik Quad Unit:  http://www.slikstik.com/quadfeatures.htm I was thinking my thumb would involuntarily hit that.  My CP is going to be somewhat like the Slik Stik Quad, but everything may be moved up some, not sure how much for each thing, and with no spinner, no top joystick and less of the buttons on top, with the stuff I mentioned in my first post of this thread.

Another question, what do you think:

OOO
OOO   <--- Straight buttons like that      or    Curved and angled in more?

Opinion

I looked up mame control panel on google image search and more seemed to be straight like  the rectangle shape.

[squirrellydw]

yes, that is the neo-geo layout.  As for straight or curved that is personal preference.  I am in the process of building a 27" cocktail table and getting ready to make my CP and I am still not sure what I want.  Not sure what games use the neo geo layout.  Best advice, do some research and figure out what games you plan on playing the most and design it around that.  I think I am going with 6 straight across, I think.

[struby]

6 straight across is looking most likely for me also.  Thanks for the help.

[escher]

Is the Neo Geo setup the 6 in a rectangle with one more button down and to the left, like on the Slik Stik Quad Unit:  http://www.slikstik.com/quadfeatures.htm I was thinking my thumb would involuntarily hit that.  My CP is going to be somewhat like the Slik Stik Quad, but everything may be moved up some, not sure how much for each thing, and with no spinner, no top joystick and less of the buttons on top, with the stuff I mentioned in my first post of this thread.

Another question, what do you think:

OOO
OOO   <--- Straight buttons like that      or    Curved and angled in more?

Opinion

I looked up mame control panel on google image search and more seemed to be straight like  the rectangle shape.

Personally, I like the 3x2 block straight.  Capcom's stayed like that for years and years for a reason.  The seventh button for NeoGeo games is good though.

As for players 3 and 4, I don't think there's any reason to have more than 4.  I don't know of any games that use more than that.

[struby]

So  6 6 4 4 then for 1 2 3 4 respectively, you know, I guess all this can all be redone with a new top piece of the control panel, and additions can be made, so if I don't like it, it can be redone, so I am not sure on what I am going to do, but I think I am going to go with 6 6 6 6 or 6 6 4 4, but I could change my mind, the 7th button in particular, can always be added by just drilling another hole, where as extra buttons like going to an 8 rectangle instead of 6 rectangle can throw off your spacing, so for now, like I said, I think I am going to go with 6 6 6 6 or 6 6 4 4, I will have enough inputs with the 56 inputs on the IPac4 either way.  Again, thanks to everyone for the input.

[squirrellydw]

not to get off the subject but what games use the 7 button?

[pointdablame]

not to get off the subject but what games use the 7 button?

It's not meant to be a "7th button"  its just meant to emulate the 4 button layout of the NeoGeo AND the 6 button layout of fighters

o o o
o o o     That would be for fighters and 6 button games


The bottom row would emulate the NeoGeo layout like this:     o  o  o
                                                                                      o




To the OP: unless you plan on doing console emulations, there is NO reason to use more than 4 buttons for players 3 and 4.

[Tahnok]

So  6 6 4 4 then for 1 2 3 4 respectively,

The only problem with that is player 1 is way off to the side. Not a problem during multiplayer, but during single player play it can get annoying. That's why a lot of people have their CPs setup as 3 1 2 4.

[struby]

Yeah I know, I wasn't going to put them in that order, I was going to do the 3 1 2 4, but thanks.