Most intuitive 6-button layout

[MartyNg]

For a 6-button layout, what do you guys think is the most intuitive to use with MAME?

123
456

OR

125
346

Or something else?

I understand that I can switch the controls in MAME, but I'm hoping for the ability to play a lot of games without having funky button layouts, and without having to do a lot of work configuring.

Thanks!

[brophog]

Everyone loves to move the buttons around and then they eventually wonder why the standard 123/456 layout gets all of the use..........

[shardian]

I suggest you leave the 123-456 setting in tact.
I'm not sure if you know, but you can reassign buttons on a game-by-game basis in mame.

[monkeybomb]

I don't know any games that use 6 buttons besides fighters (I'm sure I'll get replies).  I know you don't want the strong punch on the bottom row under the jab.  That would also put the third button of any three button game in the wrong place.  That assumes the original is correct of course.  Go standard on this one and remap like shardian sain, when you need to.

[MiKman]

Personally I setup my buttons like the following, because I play more 1-3 button games than I do fighters and I can re-map the buttons for those.  I wouldn't like to reach over a line of buttons to get at button 1,2 and 3.

456
123

[brophog]

Unless your hand is different than the rest of ours or you have REALLY tall buttons.......your hand naturally cups anyhow. Put your hand down on your desk right now and notice the base of your fingers rise up exactly where a bottom row of buttons rest.

456/123 simply means you have to put your buttons higher on the machine than you normally would be accustomed to seeing.

[MartyNg]

I suggest you leave the 123-456 setting in tact.
I'm not sure if you know, but you can reassign buttons on a game-by-game basis in mame.

I think I'll try that to start. And yes, I did know that I can remap buttons per game. Thanks a lot everyone! 

[southpaw13]

Oh my gosh!  This has always been a hot topic.  You will eventually regret you did six buttons and want to correct the button layout for NeoGeo.  So go 7!

    123
    456
   7

You can set up a the config to play all NeoGeo games with 7456.
It's awesome!

[MartyNg]

Oh my gosh!  This has always been a hot topic.  You will eventually regret you did six buttons and want to correct the button layout for NeoGeo.  So go 7!

    123
    456
   7

You can set up a the config to play all NeoGeo games with 7456.
It's awesome!

I'm not sure that I've ever played any Neo-Geo games, but I'll keep button 7 in mind. I'll try some NG games on my PC and see if I like them. Any recommendations for the best NG games?

[Kangum]

A good 80% of neogeo games are fighting games. so if you dont like fighting games i wouldnt even bother with it. i have always felt neogeo was a huge let down.

i have always seen people praise this system and try to config thier panels just to use this system. Then I got a good set for it of roms and it was a huge dissapointment. Ok its almost all fighting games. I can deal with that but cmon. there is alot of knock offs of each other and just so close to the same thing.

dont get me wrong they do have a few cool games but how any system could have so many games of the same gender and that much alike and still survive is amazing in itself. a good following indeed.

[brophog]

That's not fair. There are loads of games for the Neo Geo that aren't fighting games. However, most all of them that use 4 buttons are fighting games, so take that into consideration.

[deadkenndys1105]

I have mine like this.

456
123

[Izrun]

Is there a reason why people don't do this?

1234
456

where 1234 are used for NeoGeo?  Is it because there are buttons in the way when playing NeoGeo games?

[brophog]

Because most people have thumbs that very easily reach the bottom row.....

[davieboynj]

Because most people have thumbs that very easily reach the bottom row.....

amen to that...

123
456 normal

or

234
1XX for neo geo

I was hoping I'd be able to resist posting to this topic, because I'm just plain sick of button topics...  oh well...

[JoeyJoeJo]

A good 80% of neogeo games are fighting games.

And the other 20% is the Metal Slug series. 

[brophog]

I always wonder in these threads if people have actually played arcade games in the past, or to some extent video games in general. Because people, for whatever reason, always forget that you can move your fingers around the buttons.

[Lilwolf]

456
1234  

Then I have another mame setup with only my 2 player 6 button games

123
456x

And I have my frontend pointing to both versions of mame

but who really wants to reach over a line of buttons to play a 1 button game?

[brophog]

but who really wants to reach over a line of buttons to play a 1 button game?

Pretty much everyone. As I said before, your hand naturally cups so that you never notice those buttons down there.

[Hoopz]

Try one and if you dont like it, change them around.  With quick disconnects, it only takes a couple minutes to switch 6 or 7 around.

[brophog]

Plus, pretty much everything in a cab is software programmable........easy to change buttons on a global scale without re-wiring.

[Magnet_Eye]

don't listen to these guys. they all use the same old tired layouts.    i suggest you try something like this:

31
    2
46
    5


or



5     1
  3
     2  6
4            7

 

[davieboynj]

don't listen to these guys. they all use the same old tired layouts.    i suggest you try something like this:

31
    2
46
    5


or



5     1
  3
     2  6
4            7

 

Hellz yeah!

[Tiger-Heli]

Personally I setup my buttons like the following, because I play more 1-3 button games than I do fighters and I can re-map the buttons for those.  I wouldn't like to reach over a line of buttons to get at button 1,2 and 3.

456
123

What he said!!!

[u_rebelscum]

I say wire it
x x x
x x x
were x is any number you want.


Then for 6 button games, map:
1 2 3
4 5 6

But for 1 to 3 button games (nplayer.ini), remap them

1 2 3
1 2 3

Then either the top or bottom set will work, and each player can pick which ever set they like.  OTOH...


IMO, hotrod/xarcade align the buttons too low compaired to the joystick.  I would like to use the bottom set for three button games, but use the top instead because the bottom set is so low.  My other CPs have the buttons in the right place, but they are more for specific games.  At some point I'll re-do my 6 button panel, but it's not that much of an issue to rush it.  Anyway, I guess my point here is if you don't do the remapping as above, were you put the joystick relative to the buttons should effect which numbering you use IMO.

[miles2912]

Funny thing is that the games want them numbered a certain way too... so reguardless of what you wire always fire up your favorite fighting game and check THEIR setup to see if you nee to re-map.

D-

[Aceldamor]

I have mine as follows:

     2
  1    3
     4
  5    6
7

But than again...I was a huge MK fan..so 134567 are used for MK..but still functional as a capcom fighter layout when you add button 2....I also get a nice neo geo layout with 7546.... 

[brophog]

And you got a little defender action going there. Definitely something to look into!

[Banacek]

I plan to lay out my buttons like this:

[Tiger-Heli]

I have mine as follows:

     2
  1    3
     4
  5    6
7

But than again...I was a huge MK fan..so 134567 are used for MK..but still functional as a capcom fighter layout when you add button 2....I also get a nice neo geo layout with 7546.... 

That's really cool - gives you the MK layout, the SF layout and also the diamond layout at the top for Vanguard/Phoenix, (errr, other diamond layout games).

Great idea, I like it a lot!!!!

[Izrun]

I have mine as follows:

     2
  1    3
     4
  5    6
7

Do you have a picture of this, Aceldamor?  I would love to see what it looks like on a control panel.

[Level42]

Yeah pics would be nice, the diamond is also nice when you want a DC in your cab.

[Aceldamor]

Here you go : )  My number 7 button has moved to the left a wee bit since this pic 

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m78/Aceldamor/100_0237.jpg

[TehJefe]

The reason, in general, that button layouts dont go 1234 anywhere is cause its really hard to press a button with your pinky. I dunno.. maybe its just me.. I fell through a glass window when I was a kid and Im not sure if I have the full dexterity that a human is supposed to or something...  I mostly dont have any problem if Im using the fingers from my thumb through my ring finger, itd be a different matter though if I had to go with index through pinky.

Annnyway, if I had more space on my cp (currently building a 3sided cocktail) Ace's layout is exactly what Id want, and therefor what I suggest.

[Tiger-Heli]

The reason, in general, that button layouts dont go 1234 anywhere is cause its really hard to press a button with your pinky.

Nope - wrong answer.   This has been mentioned before, but the Neo-Geo four-button layout is:

     B  C  D
A

But the intent is:
A - Thumb
B - Pointer
C - Index
D - Ring

Not
A - Pointer
B - Index
C - Ring
D - Pinky

Now, to my thinking, it's easier to use the thumb than the pinky, but easier to use the pointer than the thumb, so they should have made it:

    A   B   C

D

with the thumb as button 4, but that's not very intuitive, and it's not what they did anyway.

[TehJefe]

You misunderstood me. I was saying I can work the neogeo fine...
errr... I guess I should have included a little diagram

1  2  3  4
Bad.
    1  2  3
4
Good.

Someone was asking why theyre never in a straight line on the top row or something... right?

[Tiger-Heli]

Someone was asking why theyre never in a straight line on the top row or something... right?

Yeah, you were responding to Reply #12, I guess.  My bad, carry on.