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Is it possible to build a 6 player X-Men?

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Silver:

--- Quote from: jlfreund on October 09, 2006, 12:27:30 am ---Really?  I haven't seen a setting in Mame to lay out multi-monitor output side by side on a single monitor.  When I say "possible", I mean possible without chaning MAME.  How would you do it?

--- End quote ---

If you are happy to just use 1 monitor with the image squished, then I am not sure quite what you are asking when you ask "is it possible". Not sure how well the game runs (a lot of games listed as 'imperfect' in MAWS will play fine).

I believe mame defaults to showing multimonitor games on one monitor. With the new rendering system now in place, you can define a layout for each game that will display it however you want. For example, Ninja Warriors and Darius are both triple-screen games (3 CRTs side by side - although actually done with mirrors to avoid the gap) and mame plays them fine on 1, 2 or 3 monitors. No changes to mame required, just creating a correct layout file. I believe just running "mame darius" with default settings will play it with all 3 screens shown on one screen.

The only other potential to check is that all 6 players controls have been hooked up in the driver (probably have).

Note, if you build a 6-player control panel, you will find one monitor quite small for 6 people to crowd around - especially when you consider you will have large areas of the screen black as the wide image is squished to fit on a single TV...

davieboynj:
I know this isn't really going to be constructive, but I would just hang tough and get the original cabinet - - you'll eventually be able to find one.  even in an arcade, i'm sure they'd be almost happy to give it to you.  a 6p xmen doesn't pull quarters today, and cannot be converted into anything else. 

But, if that doesn't pan out, or if space is an issue, i would go completely off the beaten path: make a showcase cabinet that is just a pedestal with 6 sets of controls on top of it and a projector at the base firing up into an adjustable mirror directly underneath the control panel.  pull it 7 feet away from the wall and VOILA - - best 6p Xmen experience ever, and on your wall, no less.  old projectors don't cost much these days, and it can be easily converted into something else if you get bored with it. 

sphetr2:

--- Quote from: davieboynj on October 09, 2006, 05:12:37 pm ---I know this isn't really going to be constructive, but I would just hang tough and get the original cabinet - - you'll eventually be able to find one.  even in an arcade, i'm sure they'd be almost happy to give it to you.  a 6p xmen doesn't pull quarters today, and cannot be converted into anything else. 

--- End quote ---

I agree. I saw one go for $300 in my area. Cheap! Especially for what you're getting. 2 Big CRT's, and one of the best multiplayer games around!

Also, shipping for this baby is a  :censored:, so you'll want to make sure you find one near you.

Oh, davieboynj-  thanks a lot. I drooled on my pants.

jlfreund:

--- Quote from: Silver on October 09, 2006, 03:48:27 pm ---
--- Quote from: jlfreund on October 09, 2006, 12:27:30 am ---Really?  I haven't seen a setting in Mame to lay out multi-monitor output side by side on a single monitor.  When I say "possible", I mean possible without chaning MAME.  How would you do it?

--- End quote ---

If you are happy to just use 1 monitor with the image squished, then I am not sure quite what you are asking when you ask "is it possible". Not sure how well the game runs (a lot of games listed as 'imperfect' in MAWS will play fine).

I believe mame defaults to showing multimonitor games on one monitor. With the new rendering system now in place, you can define a layout for each game that will display it however you want. For example, Ninja Warriors and Darius are both triple-screen games (3 CRTs side by side - although actually done with mirrors to avoid the gap) and mame plays them fine on 1, 2 or 3 monitors. No changes to mame required, just creating a correct layout file. I believe just running "mame darius" with default settings will play it with all 3 screens shown on one screen.

The only other potential to check is that all 6 players controls have been hooked up in the driver (probably have).

Note, if you build a 6-player control panel, you will find one monitor quite small for 6 people to crowd around - especially when you consider you will have large areas of the screen black as the wide image is squished to fit on a single TV...

--- End quote ---

Thanks!  I didn't know there were settings to layout multiple monitors' output into one.  I'll give that a try.  If MAME can layout the two screens side by side, and the video driver could support a resolution that allows the two side by side frames to take advantage of the full width of the television monitor, then I could conceivably get an image as wide or wider than two landscape-oriented arcade monitors (depending on how biggie my television is)

I'm still in the what-if phase now.  Just finishing building my first cab. I don't know if there will be a second.  But it's great to know there is a possibility.

If I were to do it, I might start with an old unit and refurbish it.  My goal would be to replicate the cabinet and artwork, but upgrade the controls and guts on the inside to make it more mamey.  That would require the widescreen television so that I could play single monitor games.

Jason

Silver:
Yeah I just fired it up. Seems to work perfectly with full sound. mame does default to both screens on 1 monitor, but has options to split across two screens in the arcade.

Heres a quick snap. Note the large amount of black space top and bottom, required to maintain the aspect ratio while squeezing the image onto one monitor (ie stops the graphics looking squished). If you want to play this on one monitor with 6 people, you need a LARGE monitor or projector IMHO.

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