Feedback on this CP layout please

[ddr]

I am building a CP for a 24 inch wide cabinet (originally a Sega Gremlin Championship Baseball) and would like to have:

• Two 8 way joysticks, each with three buttons
• one trackball
• one 4 way joystick
• one 2 way tank stick

This layout has buttons to the left of the sticks:



Is this a good design?  Should the buttons be to the left or right for right handed people?  I put the tank stick and 4 way behind the buttons so that the joysticks would not block each other.  I figure when using the tank stick the only button needed is the one on the top of the stick, and when using the 4 way for galaga the only button needed is the player 1 number 1, so everything is accessible.

I only have three buttons because I do not expect to play any of the 4 or more button games.  Game play is generally Metal Slug, Ms Pac Man, Galaga, Centipede, Battle Zone.

Sorry if the image looks bad when it gets shrunk, if you right-click and view image it looks better.

Thanks for any feedback,
Dan

[NickG]

All the Metal slug machines [I have seen] have the buttons to the right of the joystick.  My right-handed friends seem comfortable with the buttons-on-the-right orientation for every two-player game I've ever played with them. 
Do you already have all the parts?  If you are really limited to the dimensions in the image, one concern is to allow for the distance that your 8-way joysticks' switch terminals protrude beyond the joystick base itself.  Not a big deal, you'll just have to keep them about a quarter of an inch away from the walls (and possibly other components) if you haven't already allowed for it.

[diverdown]

My personal pref is for buttons to be to the right of the joys.

Perhaps if you havnt already bought the parts you could save some money and get a mag stick plus.....  this it top switchable between 4 and 8 way.... so you would save a lot of space

[ddr]

Thanks for the feedback.  I do have all of the parts, but I could buy a mag stick plus.  I had thought about that, but I kind of want the 4 way to line up with the tank stick, and I was concerned about the short throw of the mag stick.  I have never used one, have you?

I will build a test panel out of a scrap piece of plywood (there is alot of construction in my neighborhood, so free scraps) and try the buttons on both sides.

thanks for the feedback,
Dan

[shardian]

That is too much stuff to put on a 23" panel. Use restricted switchable joysticks if you want true 4-way action. Although most will swear against it, 4-way games play "good enough" on an 8-way with a square actuator.

Buttons should definitely be on the right. Nintendo made sure of that with the NES.

If you truly need the top fire stick, just make player two's stick a top-fire.

Then you will have a MUCH cleaner setup.

[XyloSesame]

That is too much stuff to put on a 23" panel.

Agreed. I've just made three mocks in cardboard, a 24", a 26", and a 28". Two 8's one 4, a TB and Spinner was waaay to cramped on the 24". I was amazed at the difference the 2" increments made. Maybe my wife and I are just too fat, but we couldn't comfortably play on anything smaller than a 28" with the three joy/trackball setup...

[ddr]

Thanks all, I will search for an 8way with a top fire button, and replace player 1 with a switchable.

Take Care,
Dan