Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: Dave Wave on September 30, 2005, 12:09:54 am

Title: How many push buttons?
Post by: Dave Wave on September 30, 2005, 12:09:54 am
I am trying to come up with a layout for my control panel. I have seen plenty of units with up to six push buttons per joystick. I am interested mostly in old school games....so is there any need for more than three? How many are in your game?

-Dave
Title: Re: How many push buttons?
Post by: Skadar on September 30, 2005, 12:18:12 am
Many people also run SNES emulators which is very easy to do with excellent results.  You'd want a minimum of 6 buttons per joystick if you were going to do this.

Also, a popular game whether via MAME or SNES emulators is Street Fighter II.  Once again, you'll need 6 per stick.
Title: Re: How many push buttons?
Post by: RTSDaddy2 on October 02, 2005, 01:42:55 am
I'll weigh in  here...

I agree, 6 buttons is a pretty fair number to expect per stick.  For just old school games (Pac Man, etc.), I can't think of any that would require more than 3, but like the guy said, 6 is a good number for other emulators you may decide to use at other times.

I also see Dave's concern though, in that one can get so wrapped up in trying to have a button for every conceivable manuever that it becomes overkill and the CP looks "busy."

The hard part is deciding if you're going to leave it old school, or expand.  If you're expanding later, go with six...better to have unused buttons on the CP than have it all set up and have to try and drill new holes while avoiding existing wires, etc.
Title: Re: How many push buttons?
Post by: missioncontrol on October 02, 2005, 11:28:06 am
3 is a good number for oldschool games. that's what I'm going with.

gives me the option of building another cabinet so I can play games that require more than 3 buttons  ;D

Title: Re: How many push buttons?
Post by: starnix17 on October 02, 2005, 11:43:13 am
If your playing older arcade games you can get away with 3 buttons and a 4 way joystick. However, for more recent games your gonna want an 8 way joystick and 6 buttons.
Title: Re: How many push buttons?
Post by: DaveMMR on October 02, 2005, 10:17:05 pm
Many people also run SNES emulators which is very easy to do with excellent results.  You'd want a minimum of 6 buttons per joystick if you were going to do this.

Also, a popular game whether via MAME or SNES emulators is Street Fighter II.  Once against, you'll need 6 per stick.

Nope, minimum of seven (assuming your have a start button - otherwise eight - but who doesn't have a start button?).  The select button is the seventh. 
Title: Re: How many push buttons?
Post by: Mark70 on October 03, 2005, 07:40:07 pm
I'm looking at six per stick.  A 1 player button, a 2 player button, two mouse buttons to go with the trackball, and two admin buttons for escape and enter.  If I want other admin functions I'll make sure my encoder has a shift function.
Title: Re: How many push buttons?
Post by: knuttz on October 04, 2005, 02:02:52 am
I'm looking at six per stick.  A 1 player button, a 2 player button, two mouse buttons to go with the trackball, and two admin buttons for escape and enter.  If I want other admin functions I'll make sure my encoder has a shift function.

You really shouldn't need an enter button.  I made that mistake and later changed it to pause.
Title: Re: How many push buttons?
Post by: Mark70 on October 04, 2005, 08:43:20 am
I'm looking at six per stick.
Title: Re: How many push buttons?
Post by: Minwah on October 04, 2005, 09:44:49 am
Nope, minimum of seven (assuming your have a start button - otherwise eight - but who doesn't have a start button?).  The select button is the seventh. 

You can get away without a Select button though can't you?  I don't play a lot of Snes but I don't remember ever using it.
Title: Re: How many push buttons?
Post by: Minwah on October 04, 2005, 09:45:52 am
Don't you need enter in the tab menus?  I guess if you get them all set up with the keyboard,  you won't need an enter button on the cp. 

No, just remap UI_SELECT in MAME.  I use my P1 Start buttin for enter in the tab menus.
Title: Re: How many push buttons?
Post by: stratjakt on October 04, 2005, 03:43:23 pm
500000 buttons and 14 trackballs and 8 spinners and 6 4-way joysticks and 12 8 way joysticks and a tron stick and a yoke and a steering wheel and a spittoon.  This is the only way to get the authentic arcade experience.

Do whatever you want..  You can always drill another hole.
Title: Re: How many push buttons?
Post by: Avery on October 04, 2005, 06:18:15 pm
For old school stuff I'd say 4 per player in a stargate (right hand) layout with what would be the smart bomb or inviso button placed close enough to the joystick that you can use the left button set's as reverse.

Can you tell where a lot of my quarters went?
Title: Re: How many push buttons?
Post by: KungFuJoe on October 04, 2005, 06:27:21 pm
Unless space is a serious issue, I would definitely go with 6 for players 1 and 2.  The extra cost is almost nothing, would require little extra work, and the extra space needed is also negligable.  Do it...just in case you run across that one game you want to play and it needs 5 or 6 buttons.
Title: Re: How many push buttons?
Post by: RTSDaddy2 on October 06, 2005, 07:16:11 pm
I just reread my original post and realized it made no sense in that you could build another cab or control panel and do the same thing. 

Kudos, Kung Fu - you took the words right out of my mouth though...that's what I MEANT to say!

RTSDaddy2