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Opinions needed before i begin
Nacimroc:
Right! I'm ready to kick off building my MAME upright cabinet. Few quick noob questions.
1. Do I really need a trackball. I don't know that many games that need it and although it would look good they aren't cheap and it adds more work that I'm unsure I need ?
2. I bought an illuminated button from ultimarc to test and seen that its just a normal 5v bulb, not an LED. Are these prone to fail often and am I better off going without if they do ?
3. Do I need a spinner! Same as question 1! unsure if its needed! It adds more cost! Im not on a tight budget but dont want to waste money I dont need to.
4. Anyone regret not added a light gun or pedals to their build ?
5. I'm planning on using a 28'' Sanyo TV for this! Is this too big? I'm in Ireland and its almost impossible find an arcade screen so I had this spare and a friend has identical model if things go tit$ up with mine!
As I said, I'm a complete idiot when it comes to this and hopefully i won't make a mess of it when I get around to building it!
Thanks
GaryMcT:
For the questions about whether you need a trackball or spinner, that's entirely up to what games you like and how much space you have to work with. Go through mameui and make a favorites list and see which ones need trackball and spinner. For me, only one game I care about that uses a trackball is Centipede, but it also happens to be my favorite arcade game. :)
Ginsu Victim:
1, Only if you feel you need it.
2. It IS an LED.
3. See #1
4. Nope, but see #1
5. If you've got the cab to support it, it's the same as having a 27" arcade monitor, which is common.
saint:
Yes to the trackball question. That it functions as a mouse makes it extremely useful and flexible. You may not have a front end that can use a mouse at first, but later you may want to add one. You might not start with PC games on your cabinet, but there are a ton of good PC games that use a mouse that work very well with a trackball. One example is one of the PacMan PC games. You need a mouse to select the level you want to play. You could use a real mouse either wired or wireless, but you lose some of the illusion then and you have to have the mouse somewhere near the machine. Having the trackball built in already is highly recommended IMHO.
I would personally have a spinner as well, because there are many games that can use one (for instance, Breakout type of games. A ton of good ones out there). However, if you don't care for those types of games then you could leave the spinner out.
Download Hamsterball and try it - you'll want a trackball I bet :)
--- saint
protokatie:
I am going to look like a major noob and possibly get exiled from BYOAC for saying this, but:
For your first CP just do the basic Joy + Button setup. Keep in mind that this doesn't mean your first (and most likely only) mame cab will be joy only. Try to design your CP so it can be removed and replaced. Once you get it all set, in the future you can make a new (and better) CP which includes the controls you want. The first CP you make will most likely suck (not on paper, but after hours of playing), so you will then know what you need to do with it. (This includes any simple joy + button only CPs, as we imagine that we have the perfect setup only to find it doesnt pan out so well).
The basis here is to start out simple, and work your way up. Once you have made CP#3 or 4 you will have it the way you want it.
(Personally, I won't have a trackball or spinners on my CP, as I do not play any games that require them (marble madness MIGHT change my mind on that tho)).