Tron, stick, spinner, and I am a goof.

[paigeoliver]

OK. I am still awaiting the spinner to make my pseudo-tron panel, and then I realized something.

TRON PUTS THE SPINNER ON THE LEFT!

Would putting the spinner on the right and the stick on the left compromise gameplay or anything? I just always remember turning my Atari 2600 paddle with my right hand, and never with my left.

Also, I am using a Wico Command control top fire stick for the stick, and not a massive hulking tron stick.

Or, for you that have spinners, which hand do you use them with? I have always thought the general rule was digital controls use the left hand, and analog ones use the right hand. Most games seem to follow that rule, but Tron seems to break it.

[nighthawk2099]

well.... You lose the authenticity points (if that matters).

To me, i'd say it's all about feel from that point.  Do you like using the right hand on the spinner and the left hand on the stick.

(yea, I know someone is going to drag that comment straight to the gutter, but hey, it wouldn't be as much fun if they didn't..hehe  )

If you haven't played Tron in a while (and don't already have a Tron cab.) then I guess your mind would learn the new way and adjust, making it the New Correct way to play.

Just my 1/50 of a dollar....

[paigeoliver]

I was originally planning on it just being a spinner panel. But then I found the Wico Command Control at a thrift store, and thus had the Tron idea. I have actually never even played Tron.

[Chris]

I used to play cross-armed, with my right hand on the spinner and the left on the stick.  I always promised myself that if I ever managed to own one I would swap the controls.....

--Chris

[clok]

"and not a massive hulking tron stick."


those is fighting words, like calling my moma ugly!

hehehe

Clok

[jerryjanis]

It's my belief that you would want to have the controls the same way as they are in the arcade...  I think that it would really suck to get really good at Tron and then when you finally see it in an arcade (heck, I saw Tron for the first time a few days ago at NH's Funspot) you can actually beat your highest score instead of struggling at the foreign machine...

It's all about "practise" for that big day at the arcade - the public recognition of placing your high score at the top of the list.

[GamingGreg]

An idea you might consider is using two top fires, one on each side, then you could play it either way.  I've seen this configuration on a number of panels.  Another benefit to this is that you'd then have two sticks for playing tank games like Battlezone as well.

[jerryjanis]

Top fire won't cut it for Discs of Tron or Zwackery...

By the way, for me there's not a particular side that the spinner is right for.  It depends on which hand needs priority.  I am right handed.  For Arkanoid the vital organ is the spinner, so I need to have the controller in my right hand.  The fire button is secondary.  In the arcade it's backwards for me, so I do the hand crossover thing.  For Tempest I don't really need precision on the spinner.  I really need accurate firing on the buttons, so that's where my right hand goes.

The actual Tron setup always seems backwards to me at first, but then I get used to it.

[crsdawg]

i play tron a lot, i'm lucky enough to own one. i have to say, if your right handed, having the joy on the right is a must. when i'm playing the joy is the most used control, it's almost always in motion. i'm either moving the character all over the place or firing, usually both. the spinner gets used quite a bit as well but not nearly much, one stage you don't use it at all(cycles), and it always has just one use(aim). generally the aim adjustments just need a small movement, which doesn't require much thought or hand eye coordination. i can only think of one round(tanks) where you would ever need a 180 degree turn, and even then it's not common or very difficult. so my thinking is that i want the joy, which requires the most attention and is dual purpose, in my strong hand. just my 2 pennies. good luck.

[Sasquatch!]

This is exactly why I have my spinner in the middle of the control panel - so that I can use my right hand for "spinner-only" games, but use my left hand for Tron.  I would honestly drive me bonkers to play Tron reversed, but hey, that's me.

[u_rebelscum]

Or, for you that have spinners, which hand do you use them with? I have always thought the general rule was digital controls use the left hand, and analog ones use the right hand. Most games seem to follow that rule, but Tron seems to break it.

I usually use my right hand for the spinner (I'm right handed), but it's not one of my "need to be right" controls.  I remember playing 2600 paddle mostly with my right, but I'd switch to my left for a round (kaboom!) to give my right a rest even on the high levels.

As for "standard layouts", there wasn't any at the beginning.  The controls were new, so the players had not "learned" with one layout or another yet.  Many games had symmetric controls.

Later, as more games went to 2 player with more buttons, the manufactures decided to go joystick left, buttons right.  Players who liked the other way (like one of my friends back then) either had to re-learn, stick only to the older games, play cross armed, or ultimately drop out (like my said friend ).  (The manufactures also liked trackball right, buttons left.)

Blastriods and OmegaRace also had the spinner on the left, buttons on the right.  Many 360 degree wheel games had the wheel on the left, button on the right, although some had a p1/p2 "mirrored" layout, and they aren't the normal spinner game. *shrug*

FWIW, my spinner CP has the spinner in the middle:
button button Stick button button Spinner button button Stick button button.

[paigeoliver]

Well, I got to play a real Tempest machine today. It had the spinner on the right, and I liked it that way. So I am going to reverse my Tron layout.

[night]

and in smashtv, etc, the left moves and right shoots, so....

[grafixmonkey]

Tron's one of those games where you have to smack a button as fast as possible, and personally I have trouble doing that with my left hand.  Think that's about it though, you can probably control the movement of the guy just fine.

I got Happ top fire button joysticks to play Tron with.  The trigger in the arcade slowed me down too much, so I'll enjoy playing with that style of button more.  But oh, would an authentic Tron cab be beautiful!

[1UP]

This is why I put my spinner in the middle!



That seems the best place for the greatest flexibility in games.  For spinner games, it puts the buttons on the left and the spinner on the right, and for joystick/spinner games you have a choice of using the stick to the right or left ( most prefer stick on right, spinner on left like Tron did it.)  Also puts the buttons in the right place for Missile Command or other trackball games.  And as someone mentioned, the dual-stick setup is perfect for BattleZone or Asssault!