Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: WillyByte on December 05, 2015, 11:14:17 pm

Title: MAME Cabinet - How many buttons do I need?
Post by: WillyByte on December 05, 2015, 11:14:17 pm
I'm building a cabinet limited to games that benefit from a 4-way Joystick.  Most of the games I anticipate installing are listed on the page attached to the link below.

http://armchairarcade.com/neo/node/486 (http://armchairarcade.com/neo/node/486)

Not including admin, coin, or player buttons is there a simple way to find out how many buttons I'm going to need?  Are there ways to sort game lists by number of buttons required?
Title: Re: MAME Cabinet - How many buttons do I need?
Post by: Ian on December 05, 2015, 11:23:14 pm
From what I can tell, it looks like only 2 buttons. You may want to go 3 just in case.
Title: Re: MAME Cabinet - How many buttons do I need?
Post by: WillyByte on December 06, 2015, 09:39:39 am
Thank you Ian.  I'm going to make it 3. 
Title: Re: MAME Cabinet - How many buttons do I need?
Post by: haynor666 on December 06, 2015, 02:08:14 pm
Iron Horse uses 3 buttons and that's a max but Telephone Mahjong uses also mahjong panel.
Title: Re: MAME Cabinet - How many buttons do I need?
Post by: mgb on December 06, 2015, 05:24:28 pm
3 will definitely cut it for you but I think you'll find two covers pretty much any classic 4-way game.
Title: Re: MAME Cabinet - How many buttons do I need?
Post by: paigeoliver on December 06, 2015, 08:14:52 pm
Iron Horse uses 3 buttons and that's a max but Telephone Mahjong uses also mahjong panel.

Iron Horse is an 8-way game that mame mistakenly lists as 4-way.

The real answer to that question is 2 buttons, unless you want Mouse Trap, in which case you need 4 buttons.
Title: Re: MAME Cabinet - How many buttons do I need?
Post by: PL1 on December 07, 2015, 08:12:50 am
Iron Horse is an 8-way game that mame mistakenly lists as 4-way.

The real answer to that question is 2 buttons, unless you want Mouse Trap, in which case you need 4 buttons.
Iron Horse looks like it allows you to use the whip on a down-right diagonal, but that's just the sprite animation for the down direction.

Gun only shoots in 4 directions.

Movement is only in 4 directions.

Based on first-level gameplay, this doesn't appear to be an 8-way game.

Am I missing something here?   :dunno


Scott
P.S. Updated this (http://newwiki.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?title=FAQ#Number_of_player_buttons) FAQ entry.
Title: Re: MAME Cabinet - How many buttons do I need?
Post by: kooky on December 07, 2015, 12:37:52 pm
Punch Out / Super Punch-Out has three buttons - those games are awesome and both on your list.
Title: Re: MAME Cabinet - How many buttons do I need?
Post by: haynor666 on December 07, 2015, 01:05:58 pm
Iron Horse is 4-way. Just try enter any diagonal and see what happens ;) This game uses 3 buttons - shoot (whip, gun, fist), bomb and kneel.
Title: Re: MAME Cabinet - How many buttons do I need?
Post by: PL1 on December 07, 2015, 01:29:06 pm
Punch Out / Super Punch-Out has three buttons - those games are awesome and both on your list.
Good call, Kooky -- added both games to the FAQ.   :cheers:

Minor correction, Super Punch-Out!! needs a 4th button for duck. (Verified in MAME)
Quote from: history.dat
Control : 4-way joystick (pull up on the joystick to duck)

Buttons : 3

=> [1] LEFT BLOW, [2] RIGHT BLOW, [3] KNOCKOUT BLOW


Scott
Title: Re: MAME Cabinet - How many buttons do I need?
Post by: PL1 on December 07, 2015, 02:12:09 pm
Took a closer look at the list linked in OP and noticed that Karate Champ is on it. (two 4-way joysticks per player)

(http://www.gamesdbase.com/Media/SYSTEM/Arcade/CP/big/Karate_Champ_-_1984_-_Data_East.jpg)

I'd take the list as a good starting point, but check the entries since the guy who compiled it posted this reply:
Quote from: Bill Loguidice
Quote from: ibdone
Hi Bill, thanks for this list. I'm wondering if I'll need (two) 4-way sticks for any of these? For instance, if PacMan was simultaneous two-player. Thanks much...

No, they're all pretty much one player alternating, so only one joystick is needed.

Interesting side note: The source Bill credits for the list is this (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=6716.msg48046) BYOAC thread from 12 1/2 years ago.

Paigeoliver started that thread -- his 83rd post here -- 10,052 posts ago.     :o    ;D


Scott
Title: Re: MAME Cabinet - How many buttons do I need?
Post by: paigeoliver on December 07, 2015, 02:53:31 pm
I was mistaken, Iron Horse is indeed 4-way.

Iron Horse is an 8-way game that mame mistakenly lists as 4-way.

The real answer to that question is 2 buttons, unless you want Mouse Trap, in which case you need 4 buttons.
Iron Horse looks like it allows you to use the whip on a down-right diagonal, but that's just the sprite animation for the down direction.

Gun only shoots in 4 directions.

Movement is only in 4 directions.

Based on first-level gameplay, this doesn't appear to be an 8-way game.

Am I missing something here?   :dunno


Scott
P.S. Updated this (http://newwiki.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?title=FAQ#Number_of_player_buttons) FAQ entry.
Title: Re: MAME Cabinet - How many buttons do I need?
Post by: keilmillerjr on December 09, 2015, 07:56:09 am
You don't need admin buttons.
Title: Re: MAME Cabinet - How many buttons do I need?
Post by: DeLuSioNal29 on December 09, 2015, 11:53:18 am
I have 3 on my 4-way CP, just in case.  I'm using a xx-in-1 and in the service menu it needs 3 buttons to navigate around.  So I'd go with 3 to be safe.

D
Title: Re: MAME Cabinet - How many buttons do I need?
Post by: WillyByte on December 15, 2015, 10:39:05 am
Just found out (or reminded after 30 years of not having played) that Defender requires 5 buttons.   It's not a 4-way joystick game as I specified in my original question and I am thrilled with the 3 button CP I built.  Still, I'm adding this comment in case it's helpful to anyone who may see this down the road and is at a similar stage of planning/building.

Defender
Joystick: 2-way (up, down)
Buttons: 5 [Fire-Thrust-Reverse-Hyperspace-Smart Bomb]
Title: Re: MAME Cabinet - How many buttons do I need?
Post by: Thenasty on December 15, 2015, 01:24:51 pm
unless you run the HACK for Defender and it brings you down to 3 buttons (Fire, SmartBomb, Hyperspace)

The hack if I remember correctly you use the LEFT/RIGHT on the Joystick to REVERSE/Thrust.