Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: chrisindfw on December 03, 2003, 09:29:21 am
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How many admin buttons are really needed? I see some control panels with 10 admin buttons and some with 3.
Thanks
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I have one admin. It is programmed as the Pause (very important for me) and also used as the SHIFT button (on the I-Pac). When combined with P-2 Start, it escapes me out. I found no need for any other buttons.
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I have no dedicated admin buttons. I like a clean panel. I use shifted inputs to do admin functions.
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I have zero admin buttons as well, though I did put in 2 dedicated mouse buttons that I now realize I didn't really need.
Shift functions let you do everything you need to, and the panel looks a whole heap less cluttered.
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How many admin buttons are really needed? I see some control panels with 10 admin buttons and some with 3.
Thanks
It's all personal preference, what buttons you want instant access to, how comfortable you (and visitors) will be using shift functions, etc.
Personally, I want Pause and Escape, and nothing else except for Coin and Start.
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I have zero admin buttons as well, though I did put in 2 dedicated mouse buttons that I now realize I didn't really need.
I agree that dedicated mouse buttons are also a waste. I use P-1's buttons 5 & 6 for the mouse L & R.
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Other nice ones are F10 combined with F11 (in mame) so you can speed the game up between levels / intro. I wish I could also make mame (with one button) change to frameskip 12 then back to normal.
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I have one shift/admin button but it is hidden on the underside of the control panel. That way people don't screw with the admin button, and using shift buttons like the ipac could result in people accidentally exiting a game. I use a 2-player coin door with a big bucket of tokens for coin-up.
When we have a big party where I can't be around to switch games, I'll just start one up and leave it. Sometimes people are better off with fewer choices. It encourages them to get competitive with the running game instead of having a 1 minute attention span and trying to play 50 different games. And inevitably, if you let them choose freely what game to play, then end up stumbling into a game without the controls configured or whatnot. I get enough questions like "how do I play 2-player?" and "how do I make the game start?" that I don't even wanna think about configuring something like MK3. Now when a smaller group is around it's no big deal, and some of my friends know how to change games and stuff.
Wade
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I have quit and pause. Pause being my shift function. I got sick of telling friends how to quit a game and I wanted instant access to pause incase the phone rang. I think it looks clean yet but that might be because my buttons are not on the control panel. I plan on redesigning my shelf. I want to color cordinate the coin and start buttons with each player and put those button on opposite sides of the shelf. The red middle button will be gone, that was going to be power but I decided against it. The USB portwill probably end up in the middle front and the quit and pause button right behind that.
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I haven't finished my cab yet, but I'm planning on having a hidden coin up for each of my 4 players, and an ESCape and a SHIFT button available on the top of the control panel. The ESCape button will allow the user to go in and out of games and the shift button will be for anything else I would want, but not neccessarily needed at a party: pause, screenshot, ENTER, TAB, TILDE, etc.
I think that will give me the most flexibility, while not messing up my control panel with all the extra admin buttons.
/Steve
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As seen in the attachment I have 4 admin buttons cause I'm lazy and had it in the initial design.
PAUSE (P)
START (ENTER)
EXIT (ESC)
OPTIONS (TAB) To change game settings)
Currently thought I am having a problem programming my IPAC4.
Hangs at PROGRAMMING IPAC PLEASE WAIT....
Still waiting........
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Currently thought I am having a problem programming my IPAC4.
Hangs at PROGRAMMING IPAC PLEASE WAIT....
Still waiting........
How is your ipac connected? If USB try using ps/2.
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I plan on addnig a couple admin buttons, probably under the monitor (on the front) rather than on the control panel. I'll be using other emulators (NES, genesis, atari 2600) so I'll probably have a save/load state button on there, as well as an escape and pause button. I'l also have shift keys on the CP for coin inputs -- so that the player 1-4 buttons double as insert coin buttons. I'm still looking for a nice layout to use for this, but I don't think it'll be a big deal or look too much over the top. I'm already making a 4 player cab, you can't help but put a ton of buttons on those anyhow. =)
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I've opted to go for just one also. Like zaphod's, it will be used for Pause and Shift.
As with slycrel's idea tho, it is not located on the control panel but on the panel between CP and monitor. Hopefully it will not look too much like it isn't supposed to be there...
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Another vote for Pause (P) and Quit (Esc). I wanted those to be easy to find and use.
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Ive got 4 of the mini momentarys on top of my cab, recessed. THey are Esc, F2, F3, and a pause. Ive also got a pause mounted in the coin door, in one of the blanks for a bill acceptor
Ive also got a wireless keyboard, but those 4 are all I really need
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I should put on my site how I have my ipac programmed.
Ok, I did
http://free.hostdepartment.com/S/SirPoonga/keys.htm
Will link to it in my menu soon.
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My Artic Mini has no admin buttons inside or at. There is one shift available admin function on the panel (player one start, down exits). Everything else is done via keyboard inside the cabinet. Of course every title on this thing was set up manually when I put it together, so there is no admin work at all to be done other than shutting down the cabinet, which I can do on the keyboard inside without even having to look.
My Amazing Mame has two admin buttons inside the coin door (pause and tab), and also has a remote control that can credit, exit, check framerate, and throttle. You can also credit it by putting in quarters.
My Tournament Mame (Dynamo Solitaire cabinet) currently doesn't have enough buttons to do anything besides play games, you can't even credit it without the keyboard (will be changing that). I usually just run games on free play, and have button one dual mapped to player one start and button one. Thinking about redoing this one with a vertical monitor anyway. All the good trackball games are vertical.
Mame Firebird has the coin reject buttons modded to be credit and exit respectively, and it has no other admin buttons. I think I set up a shift sequence for tab, but I can't remember what in the world it was.
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BKLYN-CADE,
I had the same problem with my IPAC USB. I just lowered the transfer speed and then it worked fine.
Cameron
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BKLYN-CADE,
I had the same problem with my IPAC USB. I just lowered the transfer speed and then it worked fine.
Cameron
I am starting my system up now, but where would I set this transfer rate, within WINIPAC?