Posted by Joe on September 23, 1999 at 16:44:07:
In Reply to: Suggestions / Critique requested... posted by =-JacK-= on September 23, 1999 at 14:27:38:
Thanks for sharing! I have a MK2 cabinet, and I purchased a trackball and spinner. Hope I can help. If you can get this set up, you'll certainly have your bases covered.
Forgive me, but I am unfamiliar with a wobble joystick. In any case, I think it would be hard to reach around the Player 1 joystick.
Consider mounting MAME config buttons on the cabinet to alleviate some space.
For my own edification: does Q-Bert need its own joystick? Is it hard to play with one of the existing joysticks in a normal orientation? (I haven't tried.)
How are your buttons spaced? I have found that 1-5/8" centers are comfortable, and gives you a 1/2" between each pushbutton. You could even go as low as 1-3/8" centers. I have small hands, and even I think that's a bit crowded. But it reduces the gap to 1/4" between pushbuttons.
The Player 1 and Player 2 pushbutton arrangement is creative and user-friendly. If space is a concern, a 2x3 matrix will take up less real estate.
Let that trackball breathe. Try setting the trackball in front of you and act like you are playing Marble Madness. If you are like me, your hand flies at least four inches to either side with frenzied gameplay!
The Araknoid spinner I received is pretty stiff (not freely spinning like Tempest). I don't know if those buttons to the right will give you trouble as you put a little muscle into spinning. (It's not the fingertip operation I was hoping for.)
Finally, are we viewing width to scale? Only 13" wide? That would be a skinny cabinet. My MK2 cab has a control panel surface about 24" x 9". (Maybe because it used to be a Pit Fighter.)
Very nice.
: By the way I did this layout on Visio. Its great for jobs like this. In a few minutes you can make "master" shapes of each object, then move them around the page. If anyone wants my stencil master file e-mail me.
: =-JacK-=