Has anybody ever?

[rouge_leader]

HAs anybody ever constructed a cockpit cabinet from scratch?  I am considering this as I would love to have a Star Wars cockpit game but cannot afford to buy one on e-bay.  So I guess my questions are.. Is it feesible (sp?)?  Should I make it MAME or make it designated specifically to Star Wars?  And the last question for other Star Wars fans... If I do make it Star Wars which Star Wars game should I use?  The original game definately gets props for nostalgia... but there are cooler SW games out there?  So what game would you use?

[SNAAAKE]

www.mameroom.com

[shmokes]

Here are some links that may provide some inspiration (and maybe even plans - just make sure you alter them to include a seat rather than a board   )

http://www.cybertechdesign.net/mameroom/ultimatecockpit.htm

Something that might be nice to duplicate or buy and incorporate into a cab:

http://www.bobearlracing.com/

Here's another more polished and more expensive:

http://www.joy-stick.net/reviews/other/rasebase.htm

[CitznFish]

http://www.arcadecontrols.com/arcade_examples.php  look under cocktail

[Frostillicus]

http://www.arcadecontrols.com/arcade_examples.php  look under cocktail

which one? Is there a cockpit under the cocktail section?
 
A cockpit mame cab would be really cool - I've only seen the one, and cyberpunk didn't finish his (did he?).  

On a side note, Rouge_leader, did you mean to pick rogue_leader as a handle?     I'm picturing a game room in the moulin rouge for some reason...oh wait they were all game rooms  

[shmokes]

I think citznfish just read the original post wrong, thinking it was asking about cocktail rather than cockpit.  Otherwise reply was a little vague.

[rouge_leader]

I guess so.  Now THATS embarrassing.  Oops!  Thanks for the info.  Have some realy cool ideas will share soon if I decide to go forward with it.

Are there MAME Star Wars games?  That is probably what I don't understand.  Where do you get games for MAME?

[CitznFish]

I think citznfish just read the original post wrong, thinking it was asking about cocktail rather than cockpit.  Otherwise reply was a little vague.

LOL! I must have been heavily sedated when i read this post. Even I was confused by my original response.  

[paigeoliver]

Dead cockpit games can often be had pretty cheap at auctions. Nobody wants to fill up two or three spots in the truck/trailer to carry home a super heavy dead game, so they go pretty cheap.

Also, consider copying this design. It is very attractive and is probably a lot easier to deal with than a fully enclosed cockpit would be.

[unclet]

I am in the process right now of making a Mame driving cabinet.   It will have a rotating top so the user can select which driving control to use.  The controls which I am putting on the rotating top is as follows:

- Spy Hunter 270 degree steering wheel
- Pole Position 360 degree steering wheel
- Star Wars yoke
- Sega HangOn motorcycle steering assembly
- Two "Virutal On" 8way joysticks (with trigger/thumb buttons)

I pretty much have the rotating control panel finished and I am going to start thinking about the surrounding cabinet layout now....

PS:  I also will be using an "Indy 500" Fiberglass highback adjustable arcade seat for the cabinet as well.

I will let everyone know when I am done...
UncleT

[shmokes]

Paigeoliver, I've been thinking about this in the back of my mind for a bit.  Here is an idea for the ultimate Mame cab:

Build an open cockpit similar in design to the one you posted, but put in a much larger screen, 27" probably.  Now instead of making that back wall 4" thick make it about 18" thick and load the top of with controls for 4 players and a light gun, trackball and spinner.  For the sit-down portion I'd put a force feedback flight stick between my legs with a thrustmaster throttle stick on my left and an ACT-Labs GPL shifter on my right.  I think I'd go with a 270 wheel, but I suppose you could make some kind of insane horizontally rotating setup as described above to include both 360 & 270 wheels.  I guess you might then want want some kind of rotating pedals too so you could get some rudder pedals.  May as well get some good racing pedals with a clutch while you're at it like the ACT-Labs ones.

Anyway, just a thought.  If you're already going to build the cockpit cab I say, "why not?"  If there were any problems with the height of the control panel you could either lower it, or build some kind of platform that players stand on to bring them up to a comfortable playing level.  Shouldn't be difficult.

In the end you'd get a crazy nirvanaesque fusion between a full-on flight/racing cockpit cab and a do-all showcase cab.  I think it'd look alright too, unlike many other cabs that try to do too much in one cab.  It would be large enough, as a showcase cab, to accomodate all the joysticks and spinner and everything without looking cluttered.

[_Iz-]

I'll say one thing, It would be freakin' HUGE! I hope your rec-room is a gymnasium...

[shmokes]

You think?  It doesn't seem like it would be that big to me.   Just a little over a foot longer than it already is, and enough room for people to stand behind it.

[_Iz-]

exactly, that just added at least 4' to the length...

[hyiu]

I'm trying to visualize that imagination....
a sit down cab and at the back... a stand for like a 4 player panel...

That is a very good idea.....
now... keep 1 thing in mind....

assuming you're standing at the back playing SF games... the monitor will need to be mounted higher - so that you're standing there and NOT looking down to play..... (will hurt your neck...)

Now.... assuming you're sitting on the seat playing racing game.... if the monitor stays the same place, it'll be too high !!... So, you might have to raise the seat.... (the seat on a platform to begin with...)

you'll need a bigger monitor since when you're playing SF games you'll stand kinda far away....
but then it'll be too close when you're sitting in the seat (which is in front of the panel...)

maybe the monitor could be able to shift.... (front and back)...

that should solve most of the pblm..... hmmm..... come think of it.... this will be an amazing idea if someone can pull it off....