question: control layout for arcade classics

[bkrownd]

I ordered a trackball, spinner, 2 joysticks, and a heap of buttons. I want to make a freestanding (table/lap) control console with these which is suitable for "classic" arcade games of the 1970's and 1980's. Most of the control panels I've seen seem to be laid out for "fighting games", and I will NOT be playing any "fighting games". I also obviously can't allow for some real oddballs like Sundance.

 

Are there any obvious classics that would not be covered by 4 buttons for each joystick? Is there any obvious reason to arrange the 4 buttons in a pattern other than a slightly curved row ( o ^ ^ ^ ) ? I'm assuming that for "player 1" I'll be fine using the joystick with my left hand or the spinner/trackball with my right hand, and using the left side buttons with the other hand.

 

So a simple layout left-to-right will be : joystick, 4 buttons, spinner above trackball, joystick, 4 buttons

 

Just thought I should check the pool of community wisdom before i start cutting wood.

Edited July 27, 2014 by bkrownd

[omegadot]

http://arcadecontrols.com/arcade.htm

 

I'm a fan of that site for arcady stuff.

[Rybags]

Defender is the one game I remember with lots of buttons and hard to play partially due to their layout.

 

How about if the 2 Start buttons are incorporated such that they could also be useful in gameplay? For tricky games you could do a custom reassignment.

 

Then there's those rarities that use 2 joysticks - didn't Robotron do that?

Edited July 27, 2014 by Rybags

[omegadot]

Defender is the one game I remember with lots of buttons and hard to play partially due to their layout.

 

How about if the 2 Start buttons are incorporated such that they could also be useful in gameplay? For tricky games you could do a custom reassignment.

 

Then there's those rarities that use 2 joysticks - didn't Robotron do that?

 

Support Golden Tee, Robotron, Arkanoid and Mortal Kombat 2-Player on one machine can seriously be the path to the dark side!

[bkrownd]

Yeah, I guess Defender has 5 buttons - it has been ages. But with a 4-way joystick can't left/right be remapped to the "reverse" button? Hmmmm...and Stargate has 6 buttons...

Edited July 27, 2014 by bkrownd

[bkrownd]

http://arcadecontrols.com/arcade.htm

 

I'm a fan of that site for arcady stuff.

 

Thanks for the link!

[bkrownd]

This is what I ended up with, but in the photo the second joystick is not yet installed on the right side. The second yellow button is also missing. It's intended to be a 1-player setup. Analog-capable Ultrastik on the left and digital Mag-Stik Plus on the right. Spin-Trak and U-Trak in the middle. The white buttons are admin functions - coin, play, escape, tab. That leaves 6 buttons for game functions once I get the second yellow one installed. Should be possible to reconfigure the controls for 2-player games.

 

Edited August 5, 2014 by bkrownd

[Cynicaster]

Here are my comments on the layout. Note, the issues I mention might not bother you, and if not, then great; I’m just saying they are things I would consider if I were undertaking the project.

 

- Spinner above trackball = potential hand injuries when playing “party games” like Golden Tee

- Two different types of joysticks makes for an awkward feel playing classic dual-stick shooters like Robotron, Rescue, and Smash TV (very important titles for me)

- The vast majority of games that use an 8-way joystick have the buttons to the right of the stick. This would make the “player 2” side a bit clunky, because it’s backwards. That layout is fine for lots of 4-way joystick games, though.

- Donkey Kong is a mandatory game for me, and I’d not be able to play on that panel because you absolutely need a 4-way stick to play seriously, and the only one available here has buttons on the wrong side of the joystick.

- Never used one myself, but I hear the mag-stick plus has too short of a throw in 8-way mode. YMMV.

- Good call on keeping the buttons to a minimum, but I would have moved the white “admin” buttons away from the “game” buttons just for a cleaner look (maybe even put them on the front or side of the controller box), and I would have put a 4th game button in the row to fully cover Neo Geo.

 

As I’m sure you’ve learned by now, building a general purpose arcade control panel is tricky and riddled with compromises.

 

IMO, since you said you mainly want to play “classics from the 70’s and 80’s” your panel layout doesn’t seem to give enough emphasis to providing a good 4-way joystick experience. Let’s face it, LOTS of the earliest classics use 4-way sticks, and the buttons on those control panels showed little consistency with regard to where they sat relative to the stick. For that reason, it would be nice to have the option of playing 4-way games either right- or left-handed. In order to do this on my control panel, I squeezed in a dedicated 4-way stick that uses the same button(s) as the player-1 8-way stick, which places the buttons to the left of the stick. If I want to play with the button on the right (e.g., Donkey Kong), I assign the player-2 start button to be jump. Sounds kind of dumb, but it works great, and for me it’s better than playing with backwards controls.

[bkrownd]

Thanks for the thoughts!

 

I'm basically ambidexterous with joysticks or buttons - right or left handed works for me. (This is the first time I've used a joystick in 20 years.) I am particular about using trackball and spinner right handed though. I'll find out how I feel about it soon enough. (I already feel like the red and orange buttons are too close together)

 

I put the admin buttons next to the others in case I want to switch them to game functions. I would have added more places for buttons, but the hole driller I had was a real pain to use with this kind of board.

 

The Mag-Stik is taking some getting used to. I don't mind a short throw at all, but its action feels more "sloppy" than "tight". I need to work with it for a while before I really know.