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Franken admin panel for MAME
eds1275:
Late to the party! This has been a hilarious read. I don't have admin buttons on my arcade, and I use p1+down for exit, and p2 down for pause. Nobody gets confused, and nobody can screw things up. I have a keyboard inside if I need to muck about, which is rare. I use pause frequently because I have a beer fridge really close by and that makes two reasons to pause.
I think you can have as many buttons as you like as long as you're happy. Preferably you make it look good as well.
jimmer:
--- Quote from: yotsuya on October 04, 2013, 01:53:52 pm ---A machine that plays one type of game extremely well impresses me more than a machine that half-asses 10,000 games ZOMG!!!!1!!. And trust me, I started out with the half-assed machine. :cheers:
--- End quote ---
What about a cab that plays that one game really well, and then with one panel swap plays another game really well?
Vigo:
--- Quote from: jimmer on October 04, 2013, 12:44:38 pm ---
A lot of scrounging going on to try and make your argument work there Vigo. Swappable panels is the opposite of trying to do everything right off the bat.
--- End quote ---
Well, let me first say, I am not trying to knock your idea. It is probably the first swap panel I can think of that tackles doing a few dedicated game really well, rather than cram everything on 5 or less panels. I think you can simplify on your wiring approach, but as far as concepts go, I really think your vision is much more focused than about any swap panel idea I can think of.
That said, I never recommend swap panels to anyone. They are the path of the dark side. Sure the thought of having one cabinet play everything with comfortable controls is enticing, and the idea of doing that over a period of time is even more appealing, but that leaves tremendous pressure to get the cabinet right for all games on the first try. It is more than just getting latches (which I use on dedicated cabs anyway), it is the wiring and the design of the cab itself. Is the control panel a good height for a racing wheel? Should the pedal be permanent, or pulled out along with the panel? Do I need separate panel for shmups and rotary games? Should I put a spinner with the trigger stick to play tron, or or double it up as a racing wheel? Can I split my analog inputs? Do I have enough clearance for my hand on a trackball panel, and If I angle the monitor for more hand clearance, will it be too angled to use lightguns? Etc, etc. Unfortunately, the way most people solve these questions is to just buy the goods upfront.
When I think back to the projects around here that never got off the ground, swap panels is really up there. I pin my personal failure in swap panels to the unforeseen complexity of it all. I tried to bite off more than I could chew on my first attempt, and in the end, I almost lost all my passion for the hobby.
That, and in the end, I realized I depleted my creativity reserves in the beginning of my project. As soon I had my theme, I found I was stuck with it going forward. I love the creative end of this hobby too much to just live with one theme alone.
yotsuya:
"Hey, that's awesome! Can I play Mortal Kombat?"
"Sure!" Turns cabinet around, open up back, takes out panel, swaps, closes, turns cabinet back.
Plays game.
"Hey, that's fun! Can I play Centipede?"
"Sure!" Turns cabinet around, open up back, takes out panel, swaps, closes, turns cabinet back.
Plays game.
"Radical, dude! Can I play Tempest?"
"Sure!" Turns cabinet around, open up back, takes out panel, swaps, closes, turns cabinet back.
Plays game.
"Sweet! Can I play Galaga?"
"Sure!" Turns cabinet around, open up back, takes out panel, swaps, closes, turns cabinet back.
Plays game.
"Hey, that's fun! Can we play Mortal Kombat again....."
BTW, I was cleaning out my utility room today and found two of my now empty swappable panels..... :laugh2:
TopJimmyCooks:
first the frankenpanel dissing and now you're all on to crapping on swap panels. Frankenstein CP, YotsuyaCadeCADE and I are getting a little peeved. :angry:
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