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Top 10 features for a typical cabinet


progets

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I say "typical cabinet" meaning these are low or no cost features that most can do. I know that that Utrastik360, RGB buttons and LCD marquees are super cool but most don't have them due to cost or time.

 

Not in any order:

 

- a way to search your games (I use HyperSearch but there are others)

- HiScore for MAME (after you get that great score, you want to save it)

- cpwizard to create the CP images of buttons to be used for each game with your CP in Pause/RLPause/HyperPause

- admin buttons (have separate buttons for genre, favorites, pause, exit, start, volume or whatever you things you need most)

- boot directly to HyperSpin as the shell and not Windows (explorer.exe) (instantsheller works well)

- install pinball buttons on the sides

- use HyperHQ to filter out games that are: only parents, have roms and have wheel art (you want it to look pretty, right?)

- change your MAME themes to Arcade or Arcade Classics (a lot of other people that play won't know what MAME is)

- make your control panel understandable by most (use button inserts, labels under lexan, labels on your CP panel print, etc)

- program a "roulette" button to randomly select games/systems (there are so many games/systems, sometimes you need to discover a few new ones)

 

I assume others will have strong feelings but that's the point.

 

Happy gaming!

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re themes..

 

on my Retrocade i have made a dedicated "Retrocade  Theme" mimicking the design of the cab. this theme has the 100 or so games i play the most (cross platform) so i only have to go into 1 menu to play the games i love.

 

this includes the best games from Mame, Megadrive, N64, Dreamcast, Daphnie, PC and Neo Geo

 

i still have all of the other systems on wheels and the obligatory 18,000+ games, but honestly who wants to trawl through that lot  :teehee: 

most people who play my cab stick to the Retrocade wheel (unless they want to play a specific game not listed there)

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That's a good idea and I've considered it. I never took the time to set one up (mainly because I play 90% MAME games). What tool did you use to make it? Want to share your database (XML) so others can see what you have in there?

 

I use "Favorites" to have a "best of" each system as well as "Genre" and have dedicated admin buttons for those.

 

A super subwheel sounds pretty cool, most games are available across many systems but they are usually known best on one specific system.

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Nice list.

-Personally I don't use a search method, I broke wheels down by manufacturer instead.

-Don't use CP Wizard or Hyperpause.

-Now that I'm using Win 10 I no longer have it shelled. Visually there's less need and it's easier to work on having windows boot normally.

-I quit using the hi-score stuff since it supports hardly any games and games.

-And no need for a roulette button since it automatically starts on (or spins to) a random game anyway.

The rest I also do though.

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Being a child of the 80's and 90's, I lived in arcades. They were a packed destination back then. You just have to understand that your cab is best enjoyed when others can too. Because of that, I really could care less about bells and whistles. I am for smooth functionality of software. No need to personalize it too much.

  • Hide Windows
  • Make it idiot/drunken friend proof
  • Remove MAME nag screens (I use GroovyMAME, so that is built in. MAMEUIFX has this too. No need to compile)
  • Go out of my way for a CRT-based cab
  • Have more than one cab!! Of course, you need the space
  • Keep buttons at a minimal (I aim for an SF2 style CP
  • Use genuine Happ parts. Stay away from Chinese knock-offs. You really can tell the difference
  • Only emulate MAME. No point emulating a 2600, 5200, Colecovision. Home consoles of old paled to the arcades. It was only when we got the NES that offered an experience that, graphically inferior to arcades, was designed for long periods of play; but this experience really is best served on a couch
  • The only exception to this is the Dreamcast console. So many of it's titles were arcade ports. But for Dreamcast, I have a cab that connects to it directly. It is quite easy to interface a Dreamcast to an CRT arcade cab.

I don't even use Hyperpause or the other effects. Just launch that game for me ASAP. It is all about the games. On some drunken nights, we will conclude the night with 100 games of SF2 Hyper Fighting played. No other games switched to. It is almost like I have dedicated machines on these nights.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Progets, 

It is a good list. After 1½ years f tweaking my cab with HS, I'm beginning to understand that I should stick to 4-5 systems top. 

 

- a way to search your games (I use HyperSearch but there are others)  What are the others?

 

 

- program a "roulette" button to randomly select games/systems (there are so many games/systems, sometimes you need to discover a few new ones)

 how do you - program a "roulette" button?  

I thought the Hyperspin button was for this but it is for what it says: hyper spin, increases the spin speed.

 

Thanks

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@Luck1 - I think HyperXMLspin can search too.

 

@Lucky1 & Metalzoic - The built-in HyperSpin button just increases the spin speed. I use the HyperSpin Startup Script to get the "roulette" function. I also use the HyperSpin Startup Script to run HyperSearch and JoyToKey when HyperSpin is launched as well as adding volume control and program menu to easily run other things from my arcade controls when Windows is hidden.

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No point emulating a 2600, 5200, Colecovision. Home consoles of old paled to the arcades. It was only when we got the NES that offered an experience that, graphically inferior to arcades, was designed for long periods of play; but this experience really is best served on a couch

You managed to explain an intangible feeling that I have had regarding my project since I began.

I don't have MAME setup in my build at all (I'm saving that for when I build a cabinet for ONLY arcade games)

However, having a console focused build, you have externally justified me not having pre-NES systems setup what-so-ever.

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