Control Panel Options

[kLAcK]

I have built most of my arcade cabinet and am now going to start working on my control panel.  I have attached the design I am working from below, the Ultimate Arcade II Control Panel from mameroom. 

I just got a few questions:

-I like to play fighting games, should I add a 7th (or even 8th) thumb button like the X-Arcade Tankstick has?  What games even use these extra buttons?

-Do I need the spinner and trackball?  What games use these?  Do you think I will miss them?

-Do I need a dedicated 4 way joystick for pac man and donkey kong (not really my favorite games anyway, but would still like to play them)

-What admin buttons should I incorporate? 

-Do I need 1 button for coin, and one button for start for each player (thats 8 buttons!)

[javeryh]

Welcome!  You should read the wiki and do a search - these questions get asked all the time.  There are no definitive answers... but here goes:

- The 7th button is because people prefer to play Neo Geo games (4 buttons) in the standard layout all in a row.  The 8th button is probably for console emulation or something.

- You don't "need" any particular controls - it all depends on the games you want to play.  IMO, yes of course you would want a spinner and trackball but really only you can decide.  Check maws for the list of games - there are lots of great ones. 

- Again, you don't "need" to have a dedicated 4-way.  Some people like them for authenticity but I stopped caring about them ever since the U360 came out along with the MaLa maps plugin.  I used to love the feel of a Pac-Man type stick but I quickly got over it once I got used to the 360s (in like an hour).

- You are probably getting tired of reading this but ... it's up to you.  I use 4 admin buttons on my cabs not including the on/off button I hide (P1 Start, P2 Start, Pause and Exit to Front End).  P1 Start doubles as my "Select Game" button.  I use real coin doors but I turn the reject buttons into "Coin" buttons so I'm not constantly fumbling around for quarters/tokens.

- Think long and hard about whether you need a 4P CP.  IMO, there are less than 10 MAME games worth playing with 4 people at the same time.  Also, I rarely, if ever, have 4 people around to play.  I'd never build one myself.  I've seen some great examples of 4 player cabs though - KrawDaddy's Gold Mine is probably my favorite but it's a monster.

[kLAcK]

Thanks for the reply!  Yes I know I should have probably read more, its just that I spent my whole day at work drooling at control panels, when I was done I had so many questions!

I will check out the U360, I am not really going for authenticity, I just want to be able to play it correctly and not have a cluttered panel.

I defiantly want a 4P control panel.  We entertain a lot at my place, almost weekly, and we can't get enough of 4 player games.  (Rock band, rock band, rock band!).  There are some non mame 4 player games I'd like to play too.  Atomic Bomberman, You Don't Know Jack Series (3 player), Powerstone for Dreamcast, Mario Kart, Golden Eye, Hungry Hungry Hip... wait nevermind. 

I might double up the start buttons as insert coin buttons.

Thanks for the tips!

[torcer]

Am I crazy to think that the trackball is in an odd spot on that CP?  I guess that I like symmetry.

I didn not have a trackball on my 1st Cab and regreted it, if only b/c you can also use it as a mouse to navigate around windows.

[unclet]

If you can afford it and also plan on keeping this cabinet for a long time then I would recommend getting a spinner and trackball since you most likely would like to use it eventually.   After putting in all the effort on building a cabinet, you do not want to be short of any real controls which are considered common.

Say a friend, neighbor, family members come over and want to play Golden Tee Golf, Missile Command, Centipede, etc....   and you do not have a trackball ......   These are very command games which a people who come over to my house request.

Just something to think about ...... but of course it is up to you   

[kLAcK]

Am I crazy to think that the trackball is in an odd spot on that CP?  I guess that I like symmetry.

I didn not have a trackball on my 1st Cab and regreted it, if only b/c you can also use it as a mouse to navigate around windows.

Should I move it down and make it wider to accommodate it?  I think it looks fine, but should it be easier to get to?  Never played any games that use the trackball.

Say a friend, neighbor, family members come over and want to play Golden Tee Golf, Missile Command, Centipede, etc....   and you do not have a trackball ......   These are very command games which a people who come over to my house request.

Good point, those are some popular games.

[chessmastor]

Lots of stuff going on in that panel; seem a bit overcrowded. I want to build a 4 player CP, so I'll watch this thread to see all the good suggestions!