/agdg/ - Amateur Game Development General

The diy arcade machines that you see around online just have a computer inside. So anything that would run on a computer could run on those.

>>22671

do you think you could make it coin operated with game maker studio? if the coin slot could be registered to a key that isnt used for any other input maybe then it could be used to increment a credits variable?

i've heard of machines that use raspberry pi, PC parts and some arcade boards in some cases (i think they're called jamma?) but i don't know how the inputs work, so i just thought i'd ask if anyone here knows

>>22672

i know that the DIY arcade machines are different from the real deal and emulate (or atleast the majority seem to, maybe some people like to rehouse old arcade boards) since you often see prebuilt machines boasting a large amount of ROMs you can select from

can the buttons (and possibly a coin slot, i'm not sure if thats possible) be assigned to keyboard keys or gamepad inputs? if so getting a game maker game to work should be pretty easy if i do ever get around to assembling a machine

>>22675

>You have to show some imagination and do some research on your own, don't be lazy about that (no offence)

none taken, i've got to show some initiative on my own, and after doing a small bit of digging i've found this:

https://www.ultimarc.com/ipac1.html

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=88887.0

http://buildahomearcade.com/main-guide/building-the-control-panel/wiring-the-controls

it seems like the best bet for the kind of thing i'm looking for, i think it would be best for me to plan ahead for hardware to see what can be done and then work on a game and buy the hardware when my game feels complete or atleast playable (or i suppose i could make a machine to play some other games in the meantime, a cabinet version of Zombies Ate My Neighbour has been done before and sounds great to me)

>>22668

Arcades are computers with controller hooked up. Back in the day those were pretty specific computers since general purpose ones were shit for vidya, but nowdays if you want high specs you go with PC.

Controllers are just a bunch of buttons wired to a controller board, which is identified as a standard USB gamepad. There's plenty of those online.

Coin operation takes the coin machine, but that's easy part - you just configure it to eat whatever coins you got and it'd give an electric stroke whenever coin goes in - you then can wire it to the same controller board, that'd work as one of the buttons then. The hard part is that only arcade games are designed to be coin-operated, conventional games have no similar facilities so that'd be shitty emulation at best. But as far as MAME goes, you're good.

>>22706

the coin op would just be for arcade games that utilize it and then maybe for some homebrew arcade games (im thinking of making some simple enough 80s style arcade games in game maker, i could make it so it has a credit system using a button and assign the coin mech to that button)

im a little split on the coin mech anyway to be honest, it'd be nice to have it to make the machine feel more legit but im not going to make a any money from it so if the novelty wears off i might do better installing a button in its place for emulating arcade titles

i don't want to make any rash decisions so ill probably just a buy something like this for now http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BARTOP-ARCADE-MACHINE-2-PLAYER-DIY-FLAT-PACK-KIT-12MM-MDF-/161843606874?hash=item25aea1755a then put in my old pc monitor and tiny pc and try to get everything working with an IPAC (unless theres a better controller board you'd reccomend? im not sure which version of the IPAC i should spring for) then worry about the finer details, see what componenets i want to keep (if i don't fit them into the shell) and upgrade some bits maybe

is it possible or practical to make different controller panels for different games? sorry for the lnog rambly posts

>>22710

Why would you need 2 sticks? And why is there only 6 face buttons? You only need 1 stick and at least 8 face buttons, preferably with start/select on the face next to the rest of them too.

>is it possible or practical to make different controller panels for different games?

It's possible if you're willing to put up with having to design controller dashboard to be detachable and to have several of them. It's certainly not practical, no. So you better make an omniboard with lots of buttons and some auxiliary controls so it alone can replace any specific dashboard. I guess you'd need a trackball somewhere in there, and methinks two knobs since 1 isn't enough for some games. You can use linear sliders instead of knobs, they're functionally identical just different form factors, but IRL arcades traditionally use knobs so it may be more authentic.

>>22715

>2 sticks

where? the thing i posted only had 1 stick but was made for 2 player games too

also it seems like i should have a lot of controls according to you, could you please make a quick mockup in paint showing how you'd make a control layout? i was thinking of making a two player machine so maybe if i did i'd have to sacrifice some of the controller parts?

>>22733

i know, you only need one, if you want to play a 2 player game where each player hasa as tick then thats what the other one is for, its advertised as a frame big enough for 2 players, i think ill go for a two player set up to try fighting games with friends

i'll think about trackball and sliders but not sure i really care much about them, i might buy the 10 buttons and stick for now and see if i can leave space to add trackball and sliders later

if the trackball and sliders are cheap enough i might jsut buy them and try them out in a bit of cardboard first to see if i can find any games i enjoy that use them

>>22739

It's about whether or not game uses them, not whether or not you like those. You don't play Arkanoid with a fucking 8-way stick, you play it with a knob, neither you play golf/bowl/fucking missile command with anything other than a trackball.

>>22741

i meant to say im not really sure i care much about games that use them, ive never had experience with a trackball or slider on an arcade game

thanks for the button layout diagram though