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My ideas for a 2 player control panel, stop me before I do something stupid.

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unclet:
I have never seen 6 buttons in that layout before.  I would recommend having the top red/yellow buttons line up with the bottom red/yellow buttons ....... basically, do not have the top red/yellow buttons shifted over like that.

LeedsFan:
Your control panel is very similar to my own idea. But I will be having one spinner directly above the trackball, just to keep it central. It should be placed far enough away though so that exuberant spins won't have my hand hitting the spinner top.

I also thought about having 2x spinners like you. But how many games will use them? I love the Atari Super Sprint series of games and it would be really fun to play those with a mate. But how often would that happen? 90% of the time I would be playing alone on my panel. If you play a lot of a certain game to warrant 2x spinners then I say go for it. I decided against it to save costs. I'd certainly move the spinners though from where they are. I'd be inclined to move them towards the top of the panel above the joysticks. At least then the player buttons are in a good place for the right hand to get to. (This means moving the Admin buttons)

I wouldn't have the player buttons staggered like that though. I'd have them placed directly above each other but with the middle pair of the 6 just placed slightly above the others. That's just a personal choice so that as I lay my hand on them my finger tips just about fall right on top. I also put a 7th button in the bottom left where my thumb can easily tap on one. Not many games use 7 buttons but I find it's buttons 4, 5 and 6 which get used the least. It's just how I like to set up certain games for a comfy feel.

I'm definitely getting 2x Ultimarc 360s for my joysticks to get true analogue control. Just another base covered to get maximum game coverage. I always missed playing Star Wars properly on my cab.

I can't comment on the pinball buttons as I don't play those games. But as far as Coin Up buttons and Admin buttons go personally I wouldn't put them in. Are you gonna be putting some nice artwork on your panel? I just think that the less stuff on top of the panel means more artwork to see and just generally looks less cluttered.. You could always put the admin buttons at the sides towards the back. I always use the Player One button as a "shift" to input coins in games.

It's all down to personal taste really and how the panel "feels" to you. There's no real right or wrong way on these little details.

Malenko:

--- Quote from: LeedsFan on December 10, 2007, 12:41:23 pm ---I always use the Player One button as a "shift" to input coins in games.

--- End quote ---

great point. though I have buttons in the coin return of my coin doors to register as credits, the shift functions of the IPAC2 are awesome. why have an exit button if you can hold P1 start and tap P2 start to exit?

the hotrod SE (aka neogeo Sf hybrid) layout is the best all around layout in my opinion. Its what I use on my cab and it works fantastically

LeedsFan:
Love that MK theme there mate. The logos on the buttons are a neat touch.

Here's a pic of how I expect my panel to turn out. The middle buttons may not be as raised as they are here.... it's just a rough outline but it will be close. The spinner is as far up as it can be. The trackball is dead centre because of the artwork I will be using. (Same as Knievel used on Neon Mame). Still toying with the idea of putting in buttons for the spinner. I hope that the player two buttons will be close enough really. Buttons to the right of the spinner will spoil the look I feel, but playability is paramount over everything else.

The panel measures 24" x 12" which may seem a little small. I want the panel to be as compact as possible so that playing games like Smash TV and Robotron don't have the joysticks too far apart.

Hope we aren't hijacking the thread Taz.... just giving you an idea of how close your panel is to my idea and how the differences can affect playability.

FunWithFire:
I would drop that trackball down a bit. No reason to have it that close to the spinner. Plus it will make using the spinner a bit more comfy.

And Malenko, I would watch having exit being the player 1 and 2 start combo. You could be in the middle of a game and both of you die, only to have the game exit when you both hit start at the same time.

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