Posted by Matt M. on September 23, 1999 at 12:27:27:
I am going to build a MAME cabinet, and I want it to have a four player setup for games like Gauntlet, T.M.N.T., etc. Has anyone ever built a homemade cabinet like this? I’ve been looking for examples and I can’t find one. My concern is with the joystick / button setup. This is my dreamlist:
(2) 8-4 way joysticks (players 1 & 2)
(2) 8 way joysticks (players 3 & 4)
(6) player 1 buttons
(6) player 2 buttons
(4) player 3 buttons
(4) player 4 buttons
(8) buttons (coin and start for each player)
(1) spinner (just for Discs of Tron, I LOVE that game)
I know this is a lot of controls, but the cabinet will be used mainly for fighting games (hence 6 buttons ea. For players 1 & 2) and the Gauntlet. I don’t think I can use a keyboard controller setup because of ghosting (especially with this many buttons) so what are my options? These are the questions I need answered:
1. Do any four-player games use more than four buttons per player?
2. How should I tie the controls to the computer? Will a keyboard interface work? Can I use two double-joystick game cards in the computer, or do I need to use USB controllers (I don’t want this because cost is a factor)
3. Am I shooting for too much?
Any help would be appreciated, I plan to take my time and do this justice (even if I have to save money for a long time)
Matt M.