More total Newbie questions...

On Jan 31, 12:59 pm, bobnatlanta <rwke....DeleteThis@yahoo.com> wrote:
> I'm a pinball guy who would like to have a few classic vids in my very
> limited gameroom space.  MAME in a custom cabinet looks like the
> perfect solution to me.  Buying individual games is not a
> consideration due to budget and more importantly space constraints,
> and the pins are NOT leaving.  I have a corner of the gameroom all
> picked out for my BAM (Bob's Arcade Machine.) I have an older PC
> running Windows XP, and I'm starting out with the 15 inch PC Monitor
> that came with it.  I'm handy enough to build my own cab or refurbish
> an existing one, and good enough, I think, to hack some controls to
> accommodate my favorites.  I'd like to be able to play
> Asteroids
> Tail Gunner
> Galaxian
> Defender
> Centipede/Millipede
> Galaga
> Pac Man/Ms Pac Man
> Space Invaders
> Joust
> Tempest
> Gyrus
>
> I cannot name 5 more games I'd like to add.  Seriously, that's it.
>
> So...What advice do you have for someone who really and truly is only
> looking for a limited ROM set?  I looked at a couple of sites offering
> ROMs and was pretty overwhelmed and intimidated by the all of the
> choices.
>
> Am I fooling myself with this monitor?  Given the limited variety of
> games that interest me, I'm hoping it will do for a while.  What
> should I be aspiring to once I've learned enough to be more
> discriminating, or should I go ahead and go for more monitor now?
>
> I'm interested in creating more than one control layout, and switching
> them out ot accomodate different games.  My biggest concern is
> Tailgunner, becuase it is so different (seemingly) from the others.
> It used a joystick that behaved more like a trackball/mouse in that it
> was omni-directional.  Anyone have this game and have a suggestion for
> the control?
>
> That, along with the other newb questions posted recently is about it
> for now.
>
> Thanks!!
> Bob

Asteroids: 4 buttons, plus insert coin player 1 and 2 start (implied
from here on)
Tail Gunner: 1 Stick plus 2 buttons (fire and shield as I remember)
Galaxian: 1 stick plus 1 button
Defender: 1 stick plus 5 buttons (thrust, reverse, fire, bomb,
hyperspace)
Centipede/Millipede: trackball and 1 button
Galaga: 1 stick and one button
Pac Man/Ms Pac: Man 1 stick
Space Invaders: 3 buttons or a stick and a button
Joust: 2 sticks and 2 buttons
Tempest: 1 spinner and 2 buttons
Gyrus: 1 stick and 1 button


Let me recommend a partial parts suggestion:
Two Ultrastick 360's www.ultramarc.com $118 for the pair
2.25" trackball (same website) $39
player 1 and 2 start buttons
mounting plate for trackball (same site)
Six buttons for player one and two
Apache Controls Blackhawk primary usb spinner. $129

The apache Blackhawk has its own usb controls, and can support a
trackball too. (3 axis total, so 1 spinner and 1 trackball)
Its the best of the best, made in the usa and silky smooth. Its
wonderful for tempest.
The joysticks are usb, and can be programmed to stay joy1 and joy2 no
matter what order they are plugged in.
They each can support 8 buttons so your panel can support some beat-em-
ups if you like and still have buttons left to set as player start and
insert coin.
The spinner is the best on the market, and can also support up/down so
discs of tron can be played and it can double as mouse buttons with
the trackball.
The sticks are digital so they could be used for tailgunner with no
problems.
They are programmable so they can be just up/down sticks for defender,
4 position for pac-man.

Furthermore, with that combination you have the flexibility to try out
other games you may have never heard of but will love, like cameltry,
or Marvel versus Capcom, a real kid-favorite (almost always the most
requested when the neighbor kids come play with my sons). Or maybe
Pinball Action.

And being a pinhead you would want a couple buttons on the sides to
try the virtual pinball games.

Yes, you are wasting time with that monitor. Any PC secondhand store
will sell you a 19"-21" display so cheaply you can buy two identical
ones and have a spare you can hot swap when/if the original dies.
Chances are good if you ask around you can get a big display for free.

If all you need is a half-dozen roms and you aren't in a hurry, just
email me and I can help you find them.

Here is a picture of my machine, http://tinyurl.com/yvgy53 and the
only thing it doesn't do well is support driving games.
I overbuilt the heck out of the machine, but I was shooting for a mega
system that could play almost all the games.
Since player 3 and 4 only used half the buttons available with the
iPac4 board, I have long term plans to build a metal/wood DDR dual pad
and plug it in when desired.

If you build the panel right you can play almost all the games you
want with only one layout. There are concept designs on
http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/wiki/Main_Page and other places that
can help guide you through some ideas.
 >> Stay informed about: More total Newbie questions... 

Some people might argue with my recommendations, its not the only way,
just one way. You could use a Mini-pac from that page and use
standard, cheaper joysticks/spinners. My opinion is that its worth
spending a little more up front, to insure more gameplay and less
repair down the road. There are cheaper spinners, but then you lose
the up/down capability, and again its a very well crafted spinner.
There are cheaper joysticks, but you would have to buy multiple
dedicated sticks to emulate the different gametypes you want to play.

Or you could hack a keyboard, stick and set of controllers and roll
your own. But I'd rather be playing pinball or Mr. Do. Time invested
versus value of your free time...
 >> Stay informed about: More total Newbie questions... 

On Feb 1, 4:30 pm, lostinm... RemoveThis @wilderness.where wrote:
> Tail gunner needs an analog joystick to play well otherwise movements are
> too slow with the digital sticks

Which is why I recommended the Ultrastick 360. Quoting from their
advertising:

True analog "engine". Full-motion "flight-stick" type control for
todays games for which a switch-type stick is simply not enough.
On-board high-speed USB 2.0 interface. No need for any special
interface board.
State-of-the-art sensing technology. No pots or other electrical
contacts to wear out
User-definable IDs allow 4 joysticks to be plugged into a PC and
individually controlled.
On-board interface which can optionally be used in two auto-detecting
modes:
Input mode: Allows connection of up to 8 buttons per joystick.
Output mode: Allows joystick to be connected to an interface such as
the I-PAC, to replace a standard switch-type joystick.
Sends analog data via USB to the PC either alongside the above modes,
or when the auxiliary interface is not used.
User-definable mappings. 9 X 9-cell matrix ovelayed onto the analog
motion allows 4-way, 8-way or any other maps to be created and stored
semi-permanently in flash ROM.
Each cell can be set to any of 8 directions, centered, analog, or
"sticky".
Any number of maps can be created so you could have special mappings
for different games if you wish.
No need for any other stick as the UltraStik can operate in ANY mode,
4-way, 8-way, 2-way, 45 degree mode or any special mode you wish to
define.
Maps downloaded instantly to joystick via USB and this can be done in
the background when starting a game.
User-upgradeable firmware, downloadable via the web, for future
updates.
Advanced configuration program allows creation and storage of maps,
assignment of ID, and has a test facility.
Standard mounting hole pattern. Available with ball or bat-top
handles
Polished chromium plated shafts.
Fast on-board 24 Mhz processor performs automatic calibration,
linearization and all other functions.
14 bit analog-to-digital conversion for maximum resolution.
Customize your stick! Two different mechanical restrictor plates can
optionally be fitted, for mechanically-limited 4, 8 or "reduced
travel" analog operation, for those who prefer a hardware-limited
stick.
Optional longer handles available
Optional extra-stiff spring available


I played tailgunner and I remember the tiny analog stick that came
with it.
I may go and buy the extra stiff springs, mine are getting a little
mushy with the abuse my kids flailing on them for beatemups.
 >> Stay informed about: More total Newbie questions... 

Tail gunner needs an analog joystick to play well otherwise movements are
too slow with the digital sticks
 >> Stay informed about: More total Newbie questions... 

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