Prototype Panel Wired
With the prototype panel wired and assembled, I’ve begun testing configuration and layout of the controls. This test run is performed on the iMac running “MAME Library” and “MAME OS X” plugged in through the USB port. With all of the controls wired up, there are a total of 8 USB connectors coming of the top deck. Currently, I only have a 4-port USB dock, so a full test won’t be possible until I can pick up another 4-port at the local electronics store. This test run was performed using the main control deck, player two and three sticks and the trackball.
The main control deck is the top the defender layout. It contains “Ultimarc’s “Mag-Stik Plus” with 10 buttons manually wired to the I-PAC 2 board. The I-PAC was custom encoded using John Keoni Morris’s “MacIPAC.app” The first thing noticed is how high the sticks feel from the deck. The original Defender cabinets have the stick riding closer to the deck which which gave easy access to the reverse button. These sticks screw in from the bottom and the remaining stick just up through the hole. I’ll be glad to play them once they’re sitting deeper on the final 1/2″ plywood rather than this 1/4′ test plywood. I may even toy with adding an additional spacer to sit it even lower. I like the feel of the Ultimarc control. It’s a 4-way/8-way stick with 4 switches that sit horizontal at the bottom of the shaft. They that make a satisfying “click” when they make contact.
This is the first time I found an emulated version of defender to be playable. That includes home console versions as well as MAME where I find extremely difficult to play defender using a keyboard or any of the console controllers. Having an actual deck to play from makes the game fun again. The spacing of the buttons feel great and instinctive and even though the original defender joystick was limited to up an down, the 4/8-way stick does a fine job.
Players one through four all use the Ultimark “UltraStik 360″. Although a bit pricey, these are the easiest to wire up. These controllers come with a harness to allow 7 buttons to be connected directly to the joystick and from the joystick to the computer is just one usb cable. This stick acts like a giant analog controller. I used it to play the fighting game and although it does have quite a long throw, I found it to be quite responsive. This test had Players 2 and 3 connected. I wanted to make sure two people can play comfortably. I did a test run with Mrs. Martoon where, not only did I discovered that her cat-like reflexes are a valuable asset to kicking my ass but the controllers also have plenty of space for two people to sit side by side with adequate room to play.
The final game test was Robotron. Unfortunately, the MAME setup on my MAC does not allow for individual mapping of controls for separate games. As a result, I could not control the character using the two analog sticks. I was forced to use one stick to move and the buttons to shoot. Less than ideal. I’m hoping this will be different once I move my tests over the PC.