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The Ghost in the Machine (Updated with more Pics)
weisshaupt:
A slightly better video... You can now see how the text "floats" a little bit better, and you can see the MAME logo in the back is intentionally blurry and ghost like (rather than just blurred from my crap video equipment)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/v/Xu-DJfLrL64[/youtube]
ChadTower:
Wow. I couldn't dream of making one that good.
weisshaupt:
--- Quote from: ChadTower on February 05, 2008, 10:28:11 am ---
Wow. I couldn't dream of making one that good.
--- End quote ---
Thanks for the compliment, but really you could do this too. I got a C in shop class in jr. high.
You just need some tools -- table saw,hand drill, router and dremel... okay- I did borrow my Stepdad's drill press a couple of times.. but really the main thing in getting a good result is taking the time to do so and stealing everyone elese's good ideas...
koolmoecraig:
Isn't it a little lame to have a controller like 2 feet to the left or right of the monitor? How is that even remotely fun to play that way?
Sorry to bust balls but seriously. Why not just sacrifice those few games that use those specialized controllers? What's the point of having an "original" controller (4-way, diagonal, whatever) if it is so far off of the monitor?
weisshaupt:
--- Quote from: koolmoecraig on February 09, 2008, 05:52:30 am ---Isn't it a little lame to have a controller like 2 feet to the left or right of the monitor? How is that even remotely fun to play that way?
Sorry to bust balls but seriously. Why not just sacrifice those few games that use those specialized controllers? What's the point of having an "original" controller (4-way, diagonal, whatever) if it is so far off of the monitor?
--- End quote ---
Hi Koolmoecraig,
Your point is well made, and those 3 &4 player positions caused me some consternation during design. .
The center of the player 3 and player 4 positions are about 12 inches from the edge of the monitor, and the Monitor is actually pushed back from the CP by quite a bit, allowing a decent viewing angle.
Coming up with the orientation and angles so it wouldn't be a pain to play there was difficult and it took several mockups to really get one I was happy with. My son and his friends use the 3 & 4 player positions a lot when playing TMNT and they call positions by what character they want to play. I have even found 2 of them playing in the 3 & 4 player positions one day- leaving the 1&2 player postions open. So apparently 6-8 year olds don't find any benefit in one position or another... so I think I succeeded in making those positions useable.
However, in the end I still ended up with a CP that was about 6 inches wider than I wanted, and those controls further out than I wanted. I even toyed with the idea of making a panel that used an arc rather than 3 sections at angles, in order to try and move the controls in a bit. Sadly my woodworking skills are not as good as all that (but I would love to see someone try it) and it would require me to not only have 2 identical arcs for the rails, but also to cut varying width panels at specific angles, and place arcs at the top and bottom. At that point the panel lighting would have been made more complicated as well, though a string of LEDs along the arc would probably work... If I had unlimited funds and decided to pay to have the CP Plexi laser etched and cut, I would have done it, but at that point, I decided against that approach, although it would be undoubtedly WAY cooler than what I did.. who knows, if someday I retire and have more wealth and time than I know what to do with, it might still make a good project.
I suppose I could have also just made the player 3 & 4 positions part of a dedicated panel that extended to the left or right of the modular one, allowing me to move those controls in closer, and angling them enough so there would be enough room for 4 players to stand side by side. My original thought however was also one of storage. When I wasn't using a panel, at the moment, but knew I would be putting it back in soon, it seemed like it would be a good place to park it. In practice, my kids have their friends playing so often that I need to leave the joys and buttons in the 3 & 4 player positions 98% of the time. I guess I also had dreams of one day having a 3 TB panels for Rampart, but it wouldn't be too much to ask to let that dream go. In retrospect and now that you suggest it, doing a hybrid Modular /dedicated panel would probably have been a really good idea... But hey its detachable, so if it ever really bothers me, off it comes and a new one is put on..
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