do I need any buttons for the trackball? or other comments on my cp layout?

[shateredsoul]

I just received my first control panel draft.. it has two push buttons for the trackball. Do I need any pushbuttons at all? I'm not too familiar with trackball games, so if I don't need the buttons I'd rather not have them on there. I won't be using the trackball as a mouse.

-shatered

[Comtek]

u can just use buttons allready on your control panel

[shateredsoul]

ok, but what do the buttons do? I mean... I vaguely remember playing shooters with it so I imagine some games use one button as a shooting buttons, but do you ever need two pushbuttons for a trackball button?

Here's the layout

[Comtek]

instead of using those ones since you say you dont really want them on your CP you can just map the buttons for fire or whatever else is needed to any other button
some games use more than 2 buttons so if you wanted to play any of the following
arcadecl.zip
champbwl.zip
cubeqst.zip
dynobop.zip
missile.zip
missile2.zip
slikshot16.zip
slikshot17.zip
slikshot.zip
suprmatk.zip
suprmatkd.zip
they use 3 buttons so you will have to map buttons anyway

[ubiquityman]

I put 3 mouse buttons with the trackball.
For MAME it's not relevant, but to use the trackball as a mouse, you need at least 1 mouse button, preferably 2.

[shateredsoul]

Would having it setup as a mouse button make it easier for someone to mess up the game? What if someone just randomly started spinning the trackball and clicking the mouse buttons? Isn't there a potential for issues? I could assign them as some other keys to avoid that though...

[Dazz]

Would having it setup as a mouse button make it easier for someone to mess up the game? What if someone just randomly started spinning the trackball and clicking the mouse buttons? Isn't there a potential for issues? I could assign them as some other keys to avoid that though...

I don't think it's really an issue... I've had my cab out in public at a 3000+ player lan party for 3 days and not once were there any issues with my trackball with 2 buttons ever become an issue.  I've found it more comfortable to have the buttons  next to the track ball for playing Centipede and Crystal Castles.

[Blanka]

Would having it setup as a mouse button make it easier for someone to mess up the game? What if someone just randomly started spinning the trackball and clicking the mouse buttons? Isn't there a potential for issues? I could assign them as some other keys to avoid that though...

With mame not, that programs captures all inputs, but other emulators go out of full screen on mouse-buttons with me. With controller-mate it is possible to block mouse commands for those applications though.