Admin Buttons

[Visitor Q]

What admin buttons do you recommend for a control panel layout?

I was considering the following.

Pause
Esc

I was thinking one or two others maybe good for games like Future Pinball to select screen veiws or maybe just two in general to set whatever.

Ideas and thoughts please.

Thanks.

[nipsmg]

Suggestions:


-Exit to frontend (your ESC may cover this)
-Enter/Continue/Select
-Menu (TAB for mame)

[Visitor Q]

Tab maybe a good one, I will have a keyboard draw so I will have access to a keyboard. I am more less looking for stuff that I will use a lot after configuration.

[javeryh]

I use 4 on all my CPs (but not necessarily ON the CP):

Pause
P1 Start
P2 Start
Exit to FE

[TAG]

I use 4 on all my CPs (but not necessarily ON the CP):

Pause
P1 Start
P2 Start
Exit to FE

I second those suggestions.

[Visitor Q]

Yeah I mean I am going to have these for sure.

Pause
Esc.
Coin 1
Coin 2
Player 1 Start
Player 2 Start

I am more or less looking beyond those...

[TAG]

Yeah I mean I am going to have these for sure.

Pause
Esc.
Coin 1
Coin 2
Player 1 Start
Player 2 Start

I am more or less looking beyond those...

Personally (and that's really what's important when designing your CP, since you're going to be the one using it most), I wouldn't put anything other than those on the CP.  Like you said, you'll have a keyboard close by when you need to take care of administrative matters, so why clutter up the CP with them?

[Todd H]

Yeah I mean I am going to have these for sure.

Pause
Esc.
Coin 1
Coin 2
Player 1 Start
Player 2 Start

I am more or less looking beyond those...

Except for Pause, those are the one's I'm going with. Thought about pause but decided on coin op games it took away some of the authenticity.

[mark shaker]

On one cab, I have a separate little area for admin buttons so I went a little wild:

   Menu
   Select
   Escape

   Pause
   Test
   Reset

On some of the cabinet's panels, I don't have a joystick, so if someone doesn't stop me I'm going to add an "OK" button!!!

   - Mark

[DaveStall]

I only have Escape and Pause on my panel.  Other less used functions (Volume, Tab, etc.) can be assigned to shifted keys.  If you have young children, you will probably end up using the Escape key only in a shifted mode as well after about half a day.

Dave

[Benevolance]

I liked Mountain's use of an admin bar, just above the control panel. It keeps the admin functions off the CP, but still gives you easy access to that functionality.

I think that my friends would abuse a 'reset' button, however.

[Ginsu Victim]

My setup:

On panel: Pause only (both players, next to p1 / p2 start). Shifted function - Esc (p1 start + pause)

On top of cab: Tab (shifted with p1 start = F2 settings), in Mamewah it's shutdown.

Under panel (flip up front): Coin, Reset, Lightgun cursor

Soon to be added under panel: Save state, load state

[DeLuSioNal29]

Enter is a MUST have if you are running PC games through your front end.  Some PC games have in game menus that require that you press the "enter" key to select/play the game, etc.  I created a button on my panel physically labeled "select" and configured it for the enter key.  Then I just assigned my frontend's "play game" key to be that button.  Kills two birds with one stone.

[Ginsu Victim]

I have enter, arrow keys, and space as shifted functions.

[javeryh]

Except for Pause, those are the one's I'm going with. Thought about pause but decided on coin op games it took away some of the authenticity.

If you have a wife and/or kids I HIGHLY recommend a pause button - authentic or not.   

[Loafmeister]

If you're getting old and frequent the can a lot, I also recommend the pause button