Re: PLEASE READ - Load o' questions / poll and some ideas for things I can offer back

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: Hey Billy Boy! I'll answer what I can for ya here. : : 1) How many/which games do you guys really like/need a trackball for? I'm not sure as I'm new to MAME too and am so addicted to control research i'm not actually playing many games ! : Centipede is the first to spring to mind, but you've also got Marble Madness, Missile Command, etc. The trackball also work kind of okay as a "poor-man's steering wheel" for the driving games. : : 2) What is the talk of 2 spinners about - how / in which games are they used? : Why, Pong of course! Warlords too, I suppose. : : 3) Can someone explain the use of the LED's in MAME (ie the optional one's that I-PAC supports)? How / in what games are they used? : On some MAME games, when you hit the "3" button (which simulates inserting a coin), your Num Lock light will flash. You've seen on the arcade games where the Player 1 light would flash after you put in a quarter? Same thing. I have no idea which ones do this and which ones don't. I'd say to just load MAME up on your PC and have a look-see. : : 4) Are there any games in MAME that REQUIRE the 2nd coin drop (button "6") : Off the top of my head, I know that Gauntlet credits the four various players depending on which coin drop gets the credit inserting into it (and remember, there are four players in Gauntlet). Not sure about other games, though. : : 5) In regards to 4/8 way sticks - has anyon tried to make the entier joystick assembly modular/hot swapable? ie a fixed connector and a couple of push 'n' turn connectors to make easy swapping of the entire stick? : I don't think that anyone here has done such a thing. So feel free to be the first and show all of us how ya did it! : : 6) can anyone point out he part number from the Happ web-site pics of the part in the "super" stick that has to be "switched" to convert from 8 to 4 way? How hard is it - is it one of those things that seems like a good idea but ends up a frustrating PITA? : http://web.happcontrols.com/amusement/joysticks/super_joy.htm : My control panel doesn't hinge and swing out, so to flip the actuator would be a major pain for me. The actual act of flipping the actuator isn't all that bad...it's more of a factor of how accessable you make the bottoms of your joysticks. : : 7) Anyone use the competition "convex" pushbuttons? Are the "ultimate" buttons with vertical micro still the consensus? : I'm using the "Pushbutton with horizontal microswitch", and I'm VERY happy with 'em. You can find them at http://www.happcontrols.com/amusement/pushbutts/5891xxl.htm . Oh, and if you're looking for the buttons with the little "players" on them, they're at http://www.happcontrols.com/amusement/pushbutts/589111l1ply.htm . : : 8) Is the consensus on microswitch sticks still Super fro 4/8 or ultimate if only 4 OR 8 is required? : The Super makes a great 8-way stick. I also believe that the people who have used the Super as a 4-way stick have also been pleased with it. : : 9) Does anyone like having any buttons to the left of the sticks (a-la one of the HotRod configs) - for what? : I have my control panel "symmetrically" laid-out, so that I can use the other side of it in a "right-handed" fashion, but to be honest, I never do. I thought that having the buttons to the left would feel better since I'm right-handed, but I like having the stick on the left. Most games were originally like this too. : : 10) Heard great things about both I-pAc and Fultra spinner and am 99% sure i will use both - anyone NOT happy? : I have neither, so I can offer no first-hand opinion. : : 11) Anyone got any "I really wish I had / had not tips to pass on? : No real regrets, thank God! The biggest piece of advice I could give is very obvious if you think of it, but it's easy to overlook: Playablity. If you build your own cabinet, make sure that its dimensions are comfortable for you to play. This also means to make sure that you design your control panel so that you can comfortably play all of the games that you want to. Just lay the sticks and buttons out and go by what "feels" right to you. : : Thanks for the help - in my compulsive research fashion I am planning a flowchart style Q and A document to help in design decisions (eg. PC or cab, MAME only or multiple emulators etc) as well as a comprehensive interface comparison chart and a database of games and the types of controls required. Is this repetative? When it's done, would it be any use to the site? Saint? : Hell yeah! I don't want to speak for everyone here, but I always look forward to the creations that people come up with! As far as the interface comparisions and database of games goes though, www.klov.com pretty much has that covered. But I'd love to see what you've done with your project! I just let Saint know when my webpage was up. Of course, you can always let us know via this message board too. : So good luck to ya laddie! And if you need any help along the way, you know where to find us! : : Regards to all : : Billy Boy

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