Main > Main Forum
Yet another control panel critique
vorghagen:
--- Quote from: javeryh on August 28, 2007, 09:52:10 am ---1. I like that you are going for an ergonomic button layout but I've found that it's way more comfortable using the attached layout instead of keeping the middle button raised.
--- End quote ---
I made a 1 player panel from scrap wood with this layout to use until the cabinet is built and it seems to be pretty comfortable so I'm sticking with it.
--- Quote ---2. If you add a trackball make sure that one of the joysticks isn't in the way
--- End quote ---
That's why I thought I'd shift it to the left a little, but apparently this will make my cabinet explode.
--- Quote ---3. I'm not sure what the dimensions are of that thing but it looks HUGE. I'm not a fan of 4P panels but a lot of people are so I won't go into that but yours seems much bigger than a lot of the other ones I've seen.
--- End quote ---
46inches across. So it's not quite as huge as some 50"+ ones I've seen.
--- Quote ---4. I also think you should scrap buttons 5 and 6 on P3 and P4 as well as not angle the joysticks
--- End quote ---
Agreed. The more I look at the mockup the more I can't understand why I wanted them there in the first place.
--- Quote ---5. Are you going to be using the 4/8 way switchable Omni-stiks? I'm not a big fan of the visible mounting plate but I guess you could work around it if you notch the CPO for the lever... seems like a pain though. I prefer a dedicated 4-way on there somewhere or something that is switchable like the t-stik or better yet the ultimarc 360 that you can map to do whatever you want. I've found that most people who play on my cabinets don't grasp the concept of switching from 4-way to 8-way for more accurate controls - they just want it to work properly. This is why I LOVE the ultimarc 360 - it makes the different control setups a non-issue.
--- End quote ---
I think you mean the Omnistick prodigy with the lever above the control panel, in which case.... no. My ones are the standard omnistick which are switchable from underneath. 8-way, 4-way, 2-way, even 3-way and 5-way is possible.
--- Quote ---6. Spinner?
--- End quote ---
Still not sure about this. At the moment I'm leaning toward leaving it off.
Thanks heaps for all the tips. Invaluable!
javeryh:
--- Quote from: vorghagen on August 28, 2007, 10:10:27 am ---
--- Quote from: javeryh on August 28, 2007, 09:52:10 am ---5. Are you going to be using the 4/8 way switchable Omni-stiks? I'm not a big fan of the visible mounting plate but I guess you could work around it if you notch the CPO for the lever... seems like a pain though. I prefer a dedicated 4-way on there somewhere or something that is switchable like the t-stik or better yet the ultimarc 360 that you can map to do whatever you want. I've found that most people who play on my cabinets don't grasp the concept of switching from 4-way to 8-way for more accurate controls - they just want it to work properly. This is why I LOVE the ultimarc 360 - it makes the different control setups a non-issue.
--- End quote ---
I think you mean the Omnistick prodigy with the lever above the control panel, in which case.... no. My ones are the standard omnistick which are switchable from underneath. 8-way, 4-way, 2-way, even 3-way and 5-way is possible.
--- End quote ---
You have to actually go underneath the panel to switch them? I really wouldn't go that route - no one is going to want to do that in the middle of a party or something (including yourself). Nevermind the fact that no one will even know or care that pac-man should be played with a 4-way joystick instead of an 8-way (even if you have a fancy instruction card or lay it out on the launch screen). They will launch the game and play it with whatever the restrictor plate is currently set to and either not care or think that it controls a little funky and not quite as precise as they remember...
A few years ago I think this was a necessary evil but there have been a lot of advancements recently - like the t-stik/mag-stik which switches from the top by twisting the joystick or something digital that just knows what to do based on the game that is launched.
xmenxmen:
You can also consider scrapping button 4 on the 3rd and 4th player as there is really no game that use them on a 3 or 4 play setup. I have one and have had to use them. Definitely something to remember is that you will need 4 coin buttion or slot as most multiplayer games require their seperate button. So in your case if you get a coin door, it must have 4 slot. Hint....coin button much easier and cheaper..., but u can still have the coin door for the 1st 2 player.
And if space becomes tight, I would move the 3rd and 4th player closer to the 1st and 2nd player. Why? I tend to allow more space between 1st and 2nd player as they get used the most, so a little crowding around when playing 4 player game is fine.
quarterstringer:
Since you have so much CP space, put your hand on the lower buttons and see if feeling the edge of the CP annoys you while playing. If it does, you have enough room to move everything up to give you more area to rest your wrist and palm.
RyoriNoTetsujin:
--- Quote from: xmenxmen on August 28, 2007, 11:06:44 am ---You can also consider scrapping button 4 on the 3rd and 4th player as there is really no game that use them on a 3 or 4 play setup.
--- End quote ---
Actually, both D&D games (Tower of Doom and Shadow Over Mystara) are 4-Player, 4-Button setups.
Granted, that's only 2 games, but they are really fun games, especially with 4 players going at it at once.
No one has asked if vorghagen plans on adding any console emulation to his setup yet, either. . . that might affect things.