All in one MAME machine

[cdnbum]

First time poster.

I did some searches, but did not find a good answer. Please forgive me if there is a thread out there that I just did not key in on for this topic. Please point me there if there is one.

I am thinking of building a MAME machine and I would like the best of both worlds. Ok, sorry for not being the purist of hardcore MAME playing.

I would like to have a machine that can play Crysis and play Pacman. I have a good machine that will handle Crysis, so I know it should be able to handle Pacman 

But what I don't know how to handle the monitor/LCD piece. I was thinking of getting something like a 24' or bigger monitor and then I am not sure the orientation I should put it in.

Will the MAME games look crappy if I leave the monitor in its normal viewing mode? Will the black bars on the side be too big or any other screen issues?

I have heard of folks rotating the monitor for pinball games and then back to landscape for 'normal' games playing.

Any words of wisdom, recommendations, picture examples, anything to help me decide what and how I should proceed would be greatly appreciated. Any other issues I would need to be concerned with with this hybrid type option, please let me know.

Thanks for your assistance in advance.

David

[javeryh]

Welcome to the forum.  This is a tough one.  It's ultimately up to you but I don't think a typical FPS would be all that fun to play standing up (I get tired playing Galaga on one quarter sometimes).  Also, widescreen monitors really aren't ideal for MAME but if you don't mind black bars or weird stretching then go for it.    A MAME cabinet is really just a wooden shell around a monitor, computer and controls so you can build whatever you want.  I'd be curious to see what you come up with.   

[ArtsNFartsNCrafts]

If he put some smoked glass in front of the monitor, the black bars may be less of an issue/distraction.

[javeryh]

If he put some smoked glass in front of the monitor, the black bars may be less of an issue/distraction.

This is true - I have first hand knowledge since my vertical cab (3:4) runs a few horizontal games and the smoked glass works wonders.  I can't help thinking that using a widescreen monitor will make one fat cab though...

[ArtMAME]

It should look fine if you install the monitor normally.  The black bars on the side don't bother me.  I have a 27" monitor in mine.

Also, FPS will be hard to play standing up... especially if you are getting old like many of us...

But it is up to you, and also remember, if you don't like the cabinet when you are done, you can always build another one...

[TOK]

I think newer FPS's might use too many buttons to be fun on an arcade cab... Crysis for example could use the trackball for view, then you'd need 4 buttons or stick for movement directions, a couple to cycle weapons up and down, lean buttons, squat and prone buttons, grenade and ammo type buttons... Even if you skipped some that you could possibly do without, like the lean buttons, its still a lot.

If I had the desire to play both Crysis and arcade games on the same computer, I'd probably look more at building a desktop control panel for them and keep using the mouse/keys for the FPS's.

EDIT: I meant to add more and hit the send button... There have been a couple of FPS based arcade games. The original Quake (which was much simpler than current FPS's) and there is a version of Half Life 2 called Survivor that is a non-US arcade game. Its a sitdown, and kind of uses flight style sticks and pedals to help cope with all the inputs.
If you do a Google search for "Half Life arcade game" you'll find lots of pics and video.
 

[cdnbum]

You know I never really thought of standing up for that long, but to one of your points, back in the day one quarter for Galaga in my prime could last a long time. I am getting older, but I hope I could handle playing standing up for more than 30 minute intervals 

ArtMAME - could you send some pics of your machine? Is it any larger than a 'standard' MAME machine with twin controllers and a trackball because of the larger monitor?

As for the buttoms and programing all the things for Crysis if I where to do that rather than just using the mouse? (of which I agree, using the mouse for Crysis standing up...this would cause some long term chiropratic issues  )

David

[severdhed]

Doom plays pretty well on a cabinet, but anything more advanced than that could be very difficult.

[EwJ]

To run crysis and other demanding games at the native resolution of a 24" lcd monitor (or larger), you will need the highest end video card on the market (and even then it will be 'iffy').  You mentioned that your current machine will handle Crysis, but didn't mention vid card specs or monitor/resolution you're currently running. 
Setting up controls that will work well with FPS games will be a serious challenge. If you decide to use arcade controls for these games, you might want to consider swappable panels, one for FPS, etc, one for Mame as their configurations will likely be quite different. (Unless you just set up a keyboard/mouse shelf for FPS.)
Personally, I'd use old hardware to make an arcade cabinet and use the new stuff 'as-is' for FPS, day-to-day computing, etc. But would be very interested to see what you come up with.

[cdnbum]

My current PC has an 8800GT and I am playing Crysis at 1280x1084 and using the XP hack have it set to Very High and it plays just fine.
Based on other response mapping all the keys to the buttons could be an issue if I head down this route. But could probably manage with just enough to play with and use keyboard keys as needed. Who knows.

I just was thinking of having a one stop machine that I could play all games.

I should just go with my spare parts and make a 'MAME' machince and then upgrade down the road, but I thought if I am going to take the time and make the investment I wanted a machine to run the few PC games I have like Crysis and also the MAME stuff.

I was hoping someone out in the MAME world had already created a machine that is playing both now and could give me some words of wisdom and advice on options and stuff.

 

[ahofle]

In short I agree with TOK.  I don't think you will get much enjoyment playing PC FPS games on an arcade cabinet.  It's just trying to force something where it doesn't belong.  Aside from the fatigue associated with standing up, these games should be played with a keyboard/mouse type setup, not arcade controls IMO. 

[TelcoLou]

Well, he could just get a couple of barstools .. no more fatigue 

[Zobeid]

You know I never really thought of standing up for that long, but to one of your points, back in the day one quarter for Galaga in my prime could last a long time. I am getting older, but I hope I could handle playing standing up for more than 30 minute intervals 

I need to stand up once in a while.  I work at the computer a lot, and if I sit there too long it starts to hurt my back.  Standing up to play an arcade game for 10-15 minutes should be a welcome break.  This was one of my incentives (not the only one) to build an upright cabinet instead of continuing to play MAME on my computer.

[BASS!]

There is always the option of using a quasimodo pad. Then incorporate a saitek commander for hotkeys. A spinner and a trackball will also be necessary. Here comes the ultimate frankenpanel.