Found this beauty on the r/cade subreddit...

[vanrose72]

@vanrose72:  your cab?

Sorry, but no. It's not my cab (although I wish I had a man-cave like that). I don't have the skills necessary to slam other people's work. I will say I have an aversion to million-button layouts with Skittles color themes.

In the photo, the posters on the wall state "The Koopas are fighting." Ironically, people here are fighting as well.

It's not too bad, not crazy about the mk and sf button layout, but the rest of the cabinet is made well though. One thing about arcade cabinets, they are never really done. Honestly, Ive seen worse cabinets on Craigslist. 

Yes, I've seen much worse cabinets myself, mostly on CrapMAME. At least with this one, the builder didn't use shelf paper.
I'm sure all of the negative aspects of that cabinet can be changed. Who knows? Maybe it's a work in progress.

[CheffoJeffo]

In reading the recent threads related to the topic of CrapMAME, I remembered a point that I had made previously on the topic, which was that CrapMAME doesn't recognize a timeline.

Shelf paper was a popular option back before there were other options. Same thing with the small monitors -- there was a time when some of those cabs were built and even a 19" computer monitor was expensive (hell, I collected a ton of 19" monitors around that time just because they were expensive) and a 25" monitor weighed as much as the rest of the cab. Shelf paper and little monitors are the subject of ridicule today, but back then were cutting edge.

In at least some instances, CrapMAME picked on folks without whom this hobby wouldn't have emerged. And, as much as I like to punch his buttons, that includes Xiaou2, who did a lot of interesting working with controls back before anybody else did.

Just something to bear in mind as we mock. Stuff is still funny, but some of it is worthy of respect considering it was built before saint (and others) made it easy for anybody to make a nice cabinet.

And, before Xouchey shows up, let's all agree not to call each other Nazis, because that is just a ---smurfing--- stupid thing to do.

 

[leapinlew]

In reading the recent threads related to the topic of CrapMAME, I remembered a point that I had made previously on the topic, which was that CrapMAME doesn't recognize a timeline.

Shelf paper was a popular option back before there were other options. Same thing with the small monitors -- there was a time when some of those cabs were built and even a 19" computer monitor was expensive (hell, I collected a ton of 19" monitors around that time just because they were expensive) and a 25" monitor weighed as much as the rest of the cab. Shelf paper and little monitors are the subject of ridicule today, but back then were cutting edge.

In at least some instances, CrapMAME picked on folks without whom this hobby wouldn't have emerged. And, as much as I like to punch his buttons, that includes Xiaou2, who did a lot of interesting working with controls back before anybody else did.

Just something to bear in mind as we mock. Stuff is still funny, but some of it is worthy of respect considering it was built before saint (and others) made it easy for anybody to make a nice cabinet.

 

Totally true. It's like making fun of old black and white movies because they aren't in color. I actually think a critique style site can be done non offensively. Calling it Crapmame might not be starting out on the right foot, but the scope of a new critiquing site should be defined:

• Is it going to attempt to educate through ridicule and belittlement?
• Is it going to attempt to educate through comedic commentary?
• Is the goal to have a good laugh at poor design decisions? 

I think everyone can agree that peoples feelings should be spared. No one should feel bad for building something. Obviously if you went to someones house and they proudly presented their Crapmame worthy project, you wouldn't proceed to critique them. One mans critique is another mans belittlement. It's a tough line to walk.

[Unstupid]

If you are going to take photos or video of your project and put them out there you should be willing to take what ever criticism comes your way.  Even more so if you are going to use glowing adjectives to describe your build.  If you call your project "awesome" or "the best" then your cab better be perfect or you should be prepared for a reality check.  On the other hand, if your post is humble or you are simply asking for help or suggestions those dont usually warrant a smack down, but ya still can't get offended if any criticism comes your way! 

[Ginsu Victim]

Obviously if you went to someones house and they proudly presented their Crapmame worthy project, you wouldn't proceed to critique them.

I helped a friend with his first MAME cabinet, and he isn't a member here or anywhere else, so he kept coming up with ideas that I had to shoot down, but I gave him solid reasons why his ideas were bad. After all was said and done, he wound up with a better cabinet than me.

[shmokes]

If you are going to take photos or video of your project and put them out there you should be willing to take what ever criticism comes your way.  Even more so if you are going to use glowing adjectives to describe your build.  If you call your project "awesome" or "the best" then your cab better be perfect or you should be prepared for a reality check.  On the other hand, if your post is humble or you are simply asking for help or suggestions those dont usually warrant a smack down, but ya still can't get offended if any criticism comes your way! 

Well, I guess you should always be prepared for the world to be filled with ---uvulas---. But that doesn't make it cool.

[lilshawn]

Yeah, I saw this one too and the first thing I thought??

I don't know whether to chop vegetables on it or build a house out of it.

[kahlid74]

What an interesting design.  If the design meets what the builder was going for then more power to them.  I think the amount of buttons are just crazy but to each their own.

[Vigo]

I actually like the cab. Except for the field of buttons, joysticks of questionable quality, and lighting that I hope turns off during gameplay, I would probably love that machine. If I owned a log cabin or at least a den with shag carpet and a bear head on the wall, that bad boy would be welcome to stay. I also love the USB gamepad ports on the cabinet. They look pretty slick.

I kinda wish it had a wood burned marquee, that would fit perfectly with the theme.

[paigeoliver]

Exactly. There are a lot of bad ideas relating to this hobby that seem like good ideas at first. You can either let your buddies make their own mistakes on their projects, or try to help them out.

It also doesn't help that a few of the earliest and most well documented cabinet builds on the internet were done by people who weren't really familiar with real game cabinets. Those guys made a lot of very well documented build mistakes that were then copied over and over and over again.

Obviously if you went to someones house and they proudly presented their Crapmame worthy project, you wouldn't proceed to critique them.

I helped a friend with his first MAME cabinet, and he isn't a member here or anywhere else, so he kept coming up with ideas that I had to shoot down, but I gave him solid reasons why his ideas were bad. After all was said and done, he wound up with a better cabinet than me.

[Unstupid]

It also doesn't help that a few of the earliest and most well documented cabinet builds on the internet were done by people who weren't really familiar with real game cabinets. Those guys made a lot of very well documented build mistakes that were then copied over and over and over again.

You talking about Saint and that book of his?     J/K cab god!

[paigeoliver]

No not Saint. Things like the arcade at home cabinet, the original arcade paradise cabinet and most of the other early cabs.

Then came the cabinet plans, most of which were designed by people who didn't seem to have any real cabinets to use as reference points (lusid's plans aren't bad though). The "Ultimate Arcade" plans in particular got a lot of people building a lot of weird cabinets because they incorporated a lot of design features that weren't really common on real cabinets.

The fronts of those cabinets made it hard to reach the coin door, the two piece design that was supposed to make them easier to move just made them heavier and more complicated and thus harder to move (free hint, build out of plywood instead of MDF and your cabinet will weight a lot less). Ultimately a lot of cabinet designs loosely based on the Ultimate Arcade plans end up hard to move, top heavy and prone to tipping over.

[CheffoJeffo]

Someone is showing what happens when you get a job and are out of touch ... At least I am not the only one who is old!

 

[nitz]

If I owned a log cabin or at least a den with shag carpet and a bear head on the wall, that bad boy would be welcome to stay.

+1

That cab would actually be awesome in the right atmosphere.

And as much as people rag on the CP, I get it if he's a diehard MK and SF fan and needs the original layout for each. Not all of us can have more than one cab - it's more space, another computer, another monitor, etc. It really doesn't make sense to have another cab just for another CP layout. Most of us compromise by using the SF layout, which is at least adequate on the vast majority of games, but to each their own. If he's happy being able to play both games with their original layouts then good for him.