Chances of site update hints?

[Rasher2k]

Hello All.

IM super new at this. Im hoping i can get my question answered in a way that i can be confident enough to do this! Im sorry if this is asked alot and you get annoyed by it but here she goes!

Ive known about MAME Built Arcades for two years but my dad has always said NO to be doing it. Thats until i convinced him that its for me and him to do as a project together. Well, he asked me what the hardest part was... and i said the controls (obvious).... well, my dad said that if i can get a Street Fighter style controller up and running on our current comp then i CAN build a mamecade!  

Well heres the questions!

1. What is reccomended to use for a newbie? Hagstorm, IPAC? Im leaning towards the IPAC56.... is it good? USB IPAC good?

2. What kind of joystick would be good for most games? 8 Way? 4 Way? Leaf? Micro? And what joystick is the best?

3. What kind of buttons should i purchase? I dont know alot on this subject but i could sure use some help!

4. What kind of wiring do i need? And where can i buy it? Radio Shack?

5. How thick should the wood be for this type of project? And what kind of wood?

6. Once i have all the parts, how easy is it to learn how to wire it all together?

7. Is it worth it for me just to buy the XArcade or HotRodSE? Which is better of the two? Is it cheaper for me to  get a Xarcade then to build one myself?

These are all the questions for now. I would really appreciate some answers!

Build Your Own Arcade Controls ROCKS.... i will donate money to the site once i get my credit card (June!)

This is the one of the best examples of repeated questions I've ever seen! Scotty here has inadvertantly skipped by all the information on the site, missed the search function and jumped straight into the forums asking for everthing he wants to know. Why is this?

Now I know this looks like I'm having a go at Scott, but it's not his fault. Anybody wanting to build their own system has gotta have an ounce of cool in them   and I reckon he did have a look around. What I'm sayin' is that if all the stuff he were looking for was easier to find and in more intuitive locations, then he wouldn't even be in the forums - he'd be building his cabinet by now.

The forums are great, but the site needs a facelift desperately. I'm doing a Digital Media degree at university and would love to completely redesign the site, make it all flashy and functional, graphics, interactive, bang, pow, shazam and give you a template for future expansions. The Works. I have a ba-zillion ideas. It'd be great. But...

What I'm really trying to ask is: Saint, what's the progress report on that site update you've got up your sleeve? Any chance of a preview? Any hints? Is it going to be a complete revamp or just a replay on the current theme?

[saint]

I don't want to mislead anyone...  I very much want to do a major facelift on the site, and have had several talented people offer to help me do so.  The bottle neck is me, and isn't likely to ease up anytime soon.  My efforts right now are in switching from a static HTML based web site to a PHP/MySql based site.  The donations page & the news submission page are examples of what I'm after.  Updates now on those pages are all automated, instead of requiring me to manually edit html pages and upload them.  Once I've converted the majority of the site to this, then the look/feel will be my major focus.   It should be relatively easy then to put a different look and feel on it because the actual content will reside in databases.  From time to time I'll play with a different look (cosmetic, not navigational usually) on a page or two just to experiment (see downloads page for somethings I was/am toying with).

However, my first priorities are family, and then work, and then last personal interests including the web site.  That means I can't give anyone a timeline for progress on the site.  It tends to come in fits and starts.  It may go weeks without my doing anything, then I'll spend an entire weekend doing nothing but (this weekend for instance).

Regarding the new look and feel -- there isn't a gameplan yet, although several good suggestions have been made.  I am personally partial to something close to what we have now.  I think the more involved with java/javascript/flash/asp you get, the more you limit the number of browsers/users who can properly use the site.   Server side stuff == good, client side stuff == bad IMHO.  I've seen some excellent sites with client side stuff, and I'm not slamming them as I think they're really well done.  I prefer, however, to employ KISS.

Having said that however, everyone should recall that I really liked the old message board, but changed to the current one after user demand indicated the need.  I'm not adverse to change even if I 'm not personally in favor of it...

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What I'm really trying to ask is: Saint, what's the progress report on that site update you've got up your sleeve? Any chance of a preview? Any hints? Is it going to be a complete revamp or just a replay on the current theme?

[Rasher2k]

Nah cheers Saint. Was just wundrin what was happenin', what with me bein' interested in web design and talk of a revamp hangin' in the air. You got you're priorities straight (and they look to be in the right order to me), so that's not a bad thing.

I only ask because where I'm at, I have to look at a lot of newer flashy sites every week (and you dont need java or flash to make it look spiffy btw), and then when I come here (for the content of course) it feels like the page is stuck in the 80's (no offense).

Then again, I guess if you're building your own controls you're trying to go back in time to re-live the 80's, so I guess it works on that level. It's just sometimes I just think with the amount of traffic you guys must rack up here it's a shame not to show off a little.

All in good time.