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Smash TV inspired control panel -- please comment!

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ahofle:

You definitely will want to mock that up.  One thing that sticks out to me is that you may be uncomfortable playing trackball games with the TBs that close to the bottom of the panel.  You won't have much room to rest your wrists (or they will rest right on the edge of the CP which is not good).  The trackballs also look too close together if you were intending on playing two player simultaneous games.  If player 1 rolls right and player 2 rolls left at the same time, you will collide.  Player two will also be forced to stand sideways assuming they are right handed.

Aceldamor:


--- Quote from: m_mcgover on June 26, 2008, 03:08:07 pm ---I was not a fighter guy, I am definitely going for more of an "old skool" feel...but if I wanted to, I could always add another 3 buttons for joysticks 1 & 2 above the three already there.  I'm not sure I want to go two levels (by levels you mean elevations?)...one idea I had was to include the missing stargate buttons on the rotating/modular trackball area. 

--- End quote ---

Nah, I don't mean elevations as in different heights, I meant 2 levels as in the section where your joysticks are could be modular, allowing you to change joysticks/button combos as needed. Below it where the trackballs are, at the same height could be modular, for when you want to trade out spinners, etc.

I think ahofle is right though, you might be bumpin' if you use dual trackballs together.

Jakobud:

Sorry, but horrible layout imo.

The trackballs will be in the way for any game you use a joystick for.  Think about it.  How many games will you be using joysticks for?  Like probably 95+% of games?  And how often would you actually be using TWO trackballs?  Like <1% or less of games.

Sacrificing comfort and playability for 95% of the games you play just so you can put in 2 trackballs that you will use less than 1% of the time is just dumb.

Use more common sense when you design it and you'll figure out a better layout.

m_mcgover:

Thanks for the suggestions, Ahofle --
Can you share any rules-of-thumb for distance between trackballs?  Currently it is at 10".  I could easily make it 12" without too much trouble, but is this enough? 

Also, any guidelines on amount of space below the trackball?

And, I'm not sure I follow the player two sideways comment.  The center of J3/J1 and J2/J4 joystick pairs in my design are about 1.5" further from control panel center than the original Smash TV.  I would be surprised if this was noticeable.  But, I will be mocking up the design this weekend.  I'm just waiting on some controls to get through the US postal system  ;)


ahofle:


--- Quote from: m_mcgover on June 26, 2008, 04:03:39 pm ---Thanks for the suggestions, Ahofle --
Can you share any rules-of-thumb for distance between trackballs?  Currently it is at 10".  I could easily make it 12" without too much trouble, but is this enough? 

Also, any guidelines on amount of space below the trackball?

--- End quote ---

Really it's all personal preference, but just off the top of my head I would think you'd need more than a foot.  The best thing to do would be to take some very stiff cardboard and layout the controls on it.  Then you can try it out and see for yourself.  Have a 2nd person to use the other trackball and see how close you are, etc.


--- Quote ---And, I'm not sure I follow the player two sideways comment.  The center of J3/J1 and J2/J4 joystick pairs in my design are about 1.5" further from control panel center than the original Smash TV.  I would be surprised if this was noticeable.  But, I will be mocking up the design this weekend.  I'm just waiting on some controls to get through the US postal system  ;)

--- End quote ---

Well I was actually referring to the trackballs in coop play.  Assuming the 2nd player is right handed, he will need to stand slightly to the left of the trackball which would be right in the way of player one.  Standing sideways (so only your right shoulder is facing the CP) would be the only way to fit in.


EDIT: added a pic of a Marble Madness control panel to give you an idea how far apart the 2 TBs are.

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