Pinball Controls

[stace]

Guys

I am hoping to incorporate some controls for pinball into my current project.  I initially thought I just needed a left & right flipper button on the sides of the cab.

Will that do it or do I need a few more?

Thanks
Stace 

[genesim]

Depends on how "authentic" you want it.

Not only is there left and right..and a plunger button(or actual plunger if you are crazy about it), but there should be a second set for left nudge and right nudge(and possibly doubling as a second set of independent flippers, but most work at the same time I think).    Then if you are like me, I actually made what some people would either call ugly or overcall, another front button to have front nudge.   I put the button exactly where the right pluger is on the left side to make it all even.  But to be honest, if I had the right kind of control panel I would have put it dead center to actually nudge it with my big fat belly.

I suggest Pinball Pro series cause they are simply the BEST.   That and the fact that with the XP patch all 4 games work with Vista in high resolution(if your card can handle it).  The Big Race, The Web, Time Shock, and Fantastic Journey...breathtaking graphics!

[stace]

Thanks, got any pics?

So could I get away with left/right flipper, left/right nudge and a plunger button?

[vidmouse]

I use Visual Pinball and 7 buttons:

Left/Right Flipper
Left/Right Nudge
Center nudge (doubles as a pause button for MAME)
Plunger
Start key ("S" -- some Visual Pinball tables require this
to start vs a "1")

I guess technically I use 9 keys, the 8th and 9th ones
being reuses of Coin1 and Player1 buttons from MAME.

In truth, I've never had to really use center nudge when
playing a game, but I wanted to have all-options.

[stace]

I'm not really a pinball player, but would like the option and may even get stuck in.

Do you think its worth incorporating? 

[gatordad]

Excellent question as I am at the same stage, considering my options for pinball as I am currently almost ready to cut my cp top.
For what its worth  I researched this topic and was only going to use 1 Plunger, lt and rt flipper and lt and rt nudge, for a total of 5 buttons. I have no idea how to wire this up to my i-pac 2 so I will be watching this thread and I hope someone can add something more useful than I.

[vidmouse]

In Visual Pinball you can set which keys control which functions.
So, you could wire up your pinball buttons to the same connectors
as some of your player1/player2 fire buttons and just remap
the keys in Visual Pinball.

Alternatively, you could use those fire buttons to control Visual
Pinball, so you wouldnt' need to install more buttons at all.
-- but really, not as much fun.

I'm only using a 27" TV screen and it still works beautifully on
most tables.  (vs a photo-realistic LCD or something).  Best
"add-on" decision I ever made for my cab, next to the trackball.

Note:  I use an IPAC4 so I just wire stuff up to the unused P3/P4
buttons but I don't see any reason why the above wouldn't work.

[DaOld Man]

Has anyone ever thought about making real nudge switches?
Maybe a pendulum type device inside the cabinet that makes switch contacts when the cabinet is actually nudged?

[gatordad]

Has anyone ever thought about making real nudge switches?
Maybe a pendulum type device inside the cabinet that makes switch contacts when the cabinet is actually nudged?

Check out this thread on Moutains machine, it has something like that, pretty cool, but that is way over my head at this point...
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=63629.0

[ratzz]

I am really struggling to setup the software to run the roms. I'm so confused as to if I use vp or vpmame. I just get loads of errors and give-up.

Not sure advice is allowed for this issue though.  

[vidmouse]

You need both.
Try this:
http://www.vpforums.com/modules.php?s=&name=FAQ&myfaq=yes&id_cat=2#5

It should get you started...

[genesim]

My attitude about Visual Pinball/Pin Mame is that I totally appreciate the effort and the work put into preserving the original vision is astounding...and getting better.

But for me there is a problem.   I am not a huge pinball fan and I don't see alot of difference between one pinball game and another.   So I would hardly play tons of them as opposed to an arcade game.

Yet I do see the fun in getting hooked on a machine.

So in retrospect, pro pinball is just as much fun and it looks incredible.   I just don't see the same quality with Pinmame...yet.    But it has been a while, and if I see some better screen shots I am all there.   

As for the front nudge.   I admit, I don't use it much, but it is there for me to hit  if I want to.   Anywhere else on the control panel just isn't quick enough.    So it serves meage purpose.   Yet, to me, it doesn't look stupid .....just more even when paired with the other plunger button on the right side.    It also serves as an extra button to program with while also being easily acessible with my thumb.   Propinball has a need, so I fill it. 

[ChadTower]

That'd be 'neat' but pointless.  The nudging input on VP is discrete (off/on) and it wouldn't make any difference how hard or soft you shook it. 

It's also way too sensitive on the tilt and pretty much useless to begin with.  The playfield shakes a little bit - a very little bit - but the ball doesn't really react.  Unless you're going to get so good at it that you can do a single nudge-post to ball-ricochet in VP, nudge is useless.  You can't do any of the more important nudges that keep the balls entirely away from the outlanes, for example, because the ball doesn't react to simple playfield movement unless something physically strikes it in the process.

My recommendation is to keep this one simple - accept VP for the software simulation it is - and don't bother with nudging.  It complicates device design and adds very little aside from a buttload of tilts.

[patrickl]

I was thinking about a two piece CP. The top piece would be moving (held by springs and switches on the sides and back) so you could nudge it.

[stace]

So in retrospect, pro pinball is just as much fun and it looks incredible.   I just don't see the same quality with Pinmame...yet.    But it has been a while, and if I see some better screen shots I am all there.

OK Cool,

Seeing as I don't have any pinball games yet......Can you map the enter key on pro pinball to the plunger action?

[genesim]

Hell yes you can.   You can map any of the buttons to whatever you want.    The Web I think is the only exception.   I can't remember but it may have a different default.   Never liked it as much anyway, but I mapped it to whatever it called for, and made the rest the same way.     It was worth it for me....but then again, I think you can still program that the way you want as well.    The main problem is starting the game.   As I remember it takes two commands.   No big deal though.  Just map your coin or start that way.    Thankfully MAME and other emulators are much more forgiving.

[Dazz]

I love pinball and it was a MUST have for my cabinet....  2 flippers and 2 nudge buttons on each side, a center bump button and of course a real pinball plunger via a custom designed optical switch.  http://dazz.genmaygamers.com for pics.

[ratzz]

You need both.
Try this:
http://www.vpforums.com/modules.php?s=&name=FAQ&myfaq=yes&id_cat=2#5

It should get you started...

Perfect ... that's exactly what I need to get started.

Cheers vidmouse 

[ChadTower]

If you must have nudge buttons, Jim's suggestion of the Pin2k buttons is a good one.

[genesim]

Dazz,

Where did you put your front nudge button??

[Dazz]

Dazz,

Where did you put your front nudge button??

It's on the front side of the control panel about hip high.  When playing pinball I can simply bump up against the control panel and it nudges like a real machine.

It's the white button below the trackball.

[genesim]

That "lip" doesn't hinder it at all?   I have a Slikstik panel and it seemed to wide.   

[Dazz]

That "lip" doesn't hinder it at all?   I have a Slikstik panel and it seemed to wide.   

The lip is only about 1 to 1.5in deep.  It is also far enough back so you don't hit it on accident, but a simple bump with the hip or belly fat hits it perfectly.

[shock_]

I don't know whether others are doing this, but I've mapped the plunger to "down" on my right joystick.  The spring in the joystick gives a nice "thwack" when you let go.  Heaps nicer than using a button!