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Let's make a "Well-Designed Cabinet Guide"

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Le Chuck:
I think you're well on your way to a good topic list.  Once you open it up for opinions I'd like to contribute.

Topics:

CP Composition:  So you've picked your controls, here are some things to consider when decorating your CP
Theme integrity:  Picking a theme, tying it all together, things that will stick out like a sore thumb
Printing media:  Do I need to spring for high-end vinyl?  What are some resources for printing likely local to me?
Oops I made a mistake:  Bondo - It's a miracle material.  Spackle, Woodfiller, dried toothpaste, hot glue, and composite materials.

DaveMMR:

--- Quote from: Xiaou2 on August 01, 2013, 06:55:00 am ---
--- Quote ---Tone? There is no tone. Nothing is written yet. I was jotting down and pasting quotes from other posts.
--- End quote ---

 If I say:   "Do I Really need special controllers?"

     that can be read as: 

 "its not really standard practice, and its only a fringe thing that most of us dont agree with"

      English is like that.  The way in which you word things can change the meaning a lot..  as you can infer different attitudes and ideas from the WAY in which things are said / words arranged.

 If I instead said:

      What kinds of Controllers will I need?   or   What kinds of controllers are there?

 It no longer is aimed at any specific initial opinion or bias.  The reader will look at the list of controllers, see which games used what + why...  see the Pros and Cons of each controller in great detail..  such as mounting depths, control panel space, and multipurpose use.. as well as Cost, to see if its even possible to budget it.

--- End quote ---

My suggestion of "Do I really need special controllers?" is worded vaguely right now; I'm not interested in writing a sentence for every single non-joystick piece of hardware (e.g. "Do I really need a trackball?", etc.)  And since it's just the product of brainstorming, there was absolutely no tone intended.

The reason for that topic is because there were plenty of threads asking if they "really needed a Trackball" or "should get a spinner" (I asked that same question for my original build, actually) or "should invest in lightguns" and so forth. So long as I'm understanding the mission of Vigo's guide, I'm under the impression that going so far as making tables, hardware comparisons, etc. is a little beyond the scope of it.

jdbailey1206:
I would like to see this called a "Generic" build guide as we all use different types of base materials.  That being said I would also like to see what MDF or birch is the industry standard for most cabinets.  I used 5/8 MDF and could have used 3/4 and it would have saved me at many different aspects of my build.

Afterburner:
Trying to be constructive here without getting into the opinions too much....

How about a section on your goals for the cabinet?  From some of the cabs I've seen on here it is clear that some people accept a few controls that may limit game playability, but they spend a ton of effort on cab presentation.  I have seen some *phenomenal* looking cabs decked out with custom themed artwork, yet have a single 8way and two buttons.  Those cabs are pieces of art in and of themselves.

Others are more interested in functionality.   They build a cab up enough to get it working with the controls they want,  and that's as far as they are really interested taking it.  Some of the frankenpanel and crapmame stuff clearly falls in this category.

Still others want to more or less faithfully reproduce (or restore) a classic cab as near perfect as possible for an authentic "experience".

A large majority try to strike a balance between all three goals and many have been highly successful at it.

So I believe any successful cab design has to take all of that into consideration.

AGarv:
If "best" design includes whether or not to make a 4-player panel and similar control choices... well that is like saying in car terms that a 2-door coupe is universally "best" versus a 4-door coupe, truck, SUV, etc.  It is Build your _OWN_ Arcade Controls.  If there is a "best", why don't we all just buy a Tankstick?  We don't buy Tanksticks mainly because we either 1) want custom control setups for our favorite games/systems, or 2) want custom aesthetic style (e.g., ONDs Retrofuture or any other cabinet you and I think is cool).

If "best" it is based upon "non-crapmame" principles, then it is really about AESTHETIC design, and maybe we can keep it focused on that.  People can put together Frankenpanels that play like a dream ergonomically, but the aesthetics (e.g., "wing" panels overhanging the sides, Defender button layouts, dedicated Wico 4-ways etc.,) are what is lacking.  If someone wants to sacrifice dedicated controls over aesthetics, that is their call, however we can still help them in other areas to make the cabinet look more pleasing.

Foremost, crapmame cabinets LOOK stupid (i.e., aesthetics).  There are plenty of topics to help reduce crapmames without getting into 4-player joystick angling, trigger sticks, and other nuances that people argue over.

Non-crapmame topics that may be useful:
1) Color schemes & coordination (garish colors that don't match, a crapmame staple)
2) Wing panels (these are plain ugly and often avoidable even for frankenpanels, a crapmame staple)
3) Monitor size vs. cabinet size (small LCDs/CRTs just don't cut it typically, another crapmame staple)
4) Overuse of existing video game art/characters/clip art, particularly if artistic styles are different (e.g. Donkey Kong right next to SF2, classic crapmame)
5) Cabinet naming ("Moms Arcade", MAMECade", other cringeworthy names that make no sense, yet another crapmame staple)

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