In games like Track And Field, or The Simpsons Arcade Game, or Mortal Kombat or all those other games where how fast you can hit the buttons is a big part of the game:

Is it illegal to assign multiple buttons to the same fire button? How about if the arcade machine itself has two buttons, are you allowed to assign two buttons? I was just wondering - I don't play button-mashers but I was thinking if I wanted to do REALLY well, I could assign like, the whole left half of my keyboard to the fire button, and just kind of mash the whole left half of the keyboard...

... It seems to me that games in which this technique would actually give the player a substantial an advantage are probably no fun anyways :-) But I was curious, so there.

-- Aaron Pieper (apieper@vt.edu), April 10, 2001

Answers

There isn't a on paper rule against this, but it's frowned upon. Since I don't think it would be "allowed" by your local arcade owner to open up the arcade console and hardwire multiple buttons together. Actually for track and field I don't think this helps much? Doesn't it matter how many times buttons are hit and "rested" to run fast between so fusing the two buttons would just be like hitting one button anyway? dunno, but this would be somewhat advantageous on fire/bomb shooters where you can bomb and fire at the same time. plus, it's easy to detect from the inp if this has happened, so if there is ever a vote against this it's easy to be retroactive.

-- Chad (churritz@cts.com), April 11, 2001.

Ummm, I don't think "smashing" 10 buttons simultaniously works for T&F. Nothing beats the good ole sixfinger style, because of rhythm issues, me think. If that does work for other sportsgames/shooters etc, that would be cheating...

umh, HELP NEEDED! I know I'm a bit late :(, but I played my second goal*3 game yesterday, got only past first match. I tried to copy marp top recording style, didn't work, even if I kicked(pressing kick button only) the ball from the same spot into right corner, that #¤%# goalkeeper did not jump the other way. How can you get goalkeeper to duck your shots???? Maybe my timing was off, or is there a special trick? Also, can, or can you not control your own goalkeeper movements?

Tommi, less than 2 days left...looks I'm out...

-- Tommi (tiihoto@hotmail.com), April 12, 2001.

Actually I have always wondered on the legality of this.

However in Track & Field, for example, it wouldn't be best simply to bash half the keyboard since (correct me if I'm wrong) if 2 buttons are down simultaneously then they cancel each other out, you'd have to hit whatever keys you assign in a careful rhythmical fashion anyway. I remember someone once telling me about an arcade with an 8- directional joystick used for running, so an idea for people with HotRods is to assign each direction of the joystick to a run button, use your imagination.

But getting back to the question there is also the converse, are you allowed to assign the same key to multiple actions? eg. one key for firing and the same key for bombing as previously mentioned. In Whack'A'Mole type games you could assign one key to hammer all 9 positions at once, and indeed I did this for the game 'Stompin`'. In a platform game I might assign the same key for jumping and climbing etc...

MAME has the facility to redefine the keys in many ways and I always use this to my best advantage, if this isn't allowed it should say so in the rules.

-- LordGaz (garyjlee@hotmail.com), April 12, 2001.

Gary , I once spoke of using an 8-way directional jotstick on T+F , but as far as I know , MAME can`t allow this ? , even with Hotrod . You have one button option for run-left , run-right ( + ' jump ' ), and thats it.

Button-mash as much as you like , but like Tommi says , for T+F /HS , the 6-8 finger method works , and thats it.

Unless there`s something I don`t know about 'abusing' MAME , regarding these games ?

Cheers , AL ( still recovering :))

-- AL (alexweir@indigo.ie), April 12, 2001.

Oh , btw , I found that the only big advantage using an 8-way joystick was on the Javelin throw , plus a guaranteed 2.54m on High Jump. Sprints were always left-to-right....

-- AL (alexweir@indigo.ie), April 12, 2001.

2,54 High Jump, yukh!

-- TJT (tiihoto@hotmail.com), April 17, 2001.