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eduke32 with retro arcade buttons

User is offline   JesseP 

#1

Hello, I'd like to get eduke32 working with retro arcade buttons and a joystick, and rather than reinvent the wheel I want to see if anyone has done this before. I couldn't find anything in the discussions.

My plan is to build a stand-up 80s style arcade machine with eduke32 running on it.

Buttons similar to this in a DIY arcade setup:

Posted Image


Thanks!

This post has been edited by JesseP: 21 February 2021 - 09:17 PM

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#2

There's plenty of people out there playing eDuke32 with analog and digital joysticks and a wide array of input methods.

It's not a matter of reinventing anything. You're going to need to build a control panel and use a dedicated joystick controller to map either joystick and button inputs to gamepad controller or keyboard button output then configure eDuke32's inputs to utilize them.

As you can tell in that picture there's ready made products available for arcade enthusiasts to easily construct a control panel.

You're going to want the bare minimum number of buttons to handle everything, otherwise it's going to be a really crowded panel.

Joystick and/or trackball for directionals, Attack, Quick Kick, Inventory, Jump, Duck, Weapon Switch, Inventoy Switch, Menu Entry / Escape

You should also consider WSAD style directionals in a four button configuration; Quake Arcade and Atari's "War: Total Assault" are two examples of how FPS controls on an arcade cab have been done commercially in the past.

Attached thumbnail(s)

  • Attached Image: wartotalassault_0.jpg
  • Attached Image: quakearcade.jpg

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User is online   Phredreeke 

#3

Expect to need more buttons than your typical arcade game

Stick - aim
4 face buttons or second stick - move
1 button - fire
1 button - jump
1 button - crouch (toggle)
1 button - use
2 buttons - next/previous weapons
2 buttons - inventory next/previous
1 button - use inventory item
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User is offline   JesseP 

#4

Thanks!

@comorbidity that pic of the atari war arcade game looks like a cool setup. A joystick like that might be necessary to at least reduce the fire button.

This post has been edited by JesseP: 22 February 2021 - 03:32 PM

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#5

View PostJesseP, on 22 February 2021 - 03:29 PM, said:

Thanks!

@comorbidity that pic of the atari war arcade game looks like a cool setup. A joystick like that might be necessary to at least reduce the fire button.


Aye. That was an analog stick much akin to a plane simulator stick (two axis with potentiometers, thumb button and a trigger button)

The Suzo-Happ 95-1431-00 is pretty much what they used in the cab. A few places have them in stock (gameroomguys on eBay has one left)

https://na.suzohapp....icks/95-1431-00
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User is offline   JesseP 

#6

@comorbidity, Thanks! Wow that's pricey, but I suppose you get what you pay for. Nice to see a Made in USA one.

I went ahead and purchased a "Reyann Zero Delay Arcade USB Encoder PC to Joystick" which had excellent reviews on Amazon
https://www.amazon.c...0?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm going to play around with it and some light up arcade buttons and a cheaper retro style joystick for aiming for now. Looks like there are plenty of wood arcade cabinet makers on Etsy that I can just tweak to customize, I see a few in the $100-200 range. Probably better since I'm not too handy when it comes to woodworking.

I'll post some updates down the road as it progresses.
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#7

[Definitely pricey. It's authentic arcade equipment that's still being manufactured and a name brand :)
Was only suggesting it due to axis resolution and how 'drop in' it'd be for a project cab (versus say hacking up a flight stick and trying to fit it into a control panel)

That Sanwa is a solid little joystick and will definitely take the abuse. Used to get joysticks similar to that with 8-way/4-way restrictor plates for all sorts of
arcade projects (fighter cabs, cocktail cabinets with older titles, etc); it's certainly a versatile unit.

This post has been edited by comorbidity: 25 February 2021 - 09:02 AM

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User is offline   JesseP 

#8

I accidentally posted the link to the joystick I got, but yeah that's the one. Meant to link to the encoder.

Here is everything I bought so far. Looking forward to tinkering around with them when they arrive. Whatever cabinet I build, even though tailored for Duke, will definitely be for a lot of the older arcade games too.

Encoder:
https://www.amazon.c...0?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Joystick:
https://www.amazon.c...0?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Buttons (I got a few different colors but here is one):
https://www.amazon.c...0?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This post has been edited by JesseP: 25 February 2021 - 10:35 AM

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#9

Good stuff. Are you going to go CRT for a more authentic arcade cab feel?
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User is offline   JesseP 

#10

I was thinking of getting an old CRT, still haven't decided. Those things are heavy! We'll see.
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User is offline   JesseP 

#11

OK so here is a quick update. I got it working with some of the basic controls mapped. To utilize the full capabilities of the game it definitely would require additional buttons, but here is what I have so far. Using the encoder I bought mentioned/linked previously in this thread, I mapped the buttons in Duke's controller settings. Mapping buttons in the engine definitely has room for improvement, unlike keyboard mapping I wasn't able to just press the button and have the system automatically recognize what it was for the controller, so I had to just go through and guess through trial and error. Note to developers, if automatic controller button mapping is able to be programmed into future eduke32 updates it would be a plus. Attached highlighted in yellow are what the buttons are called in Duke's controller button mapping settings, e.g. "Y" "B" "Left Shoulder" etc., and where they correspond on the encoder I purchased. I haven't mapped them all but these are the basics. Not sure if it's really worth it but it will at least give a cool arcade setting for the cheesy arcade project I am throwing together.

Attached thumbnail(s)

  • Attached Image: layout.jpg
  • Attached Image: IMG_20210314_190115.jpg
  • Attached Image: IMG_20210314_201819.jpg


This post has been edited by JesseP: 08 April 2021 - 09:28 AM

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