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| I think I hate leaf switch sticks..... |
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| Donkbaca:
Not to mention the horrible layout on the gauntlet cab itself. I don't buy the fanboy "they wanted the optimum experience" They weren't selling to gamers, they were selling to Ops, so things like a good looking cab and having it easy to maintain were probably higher up on their priority list. I doubt, if you actually talked to any of the designers that they would honestly say that they picked the parts that they did because they wanted to give the optimum experience, they were cranking out several titles a year, there just couldn't have been that much time for the care and testing and fine tuning that X2 implies happened. In fact, back then you had dedicated hardware people and dedicated software people. The software folks would design and test the game and then the hardware folks would design the cabinet after the fact. To say that leaf sticks were picked because robotron was designed for leaf sticks just isn't true, I found this interview with the designer: http://www.dadgum.com/halcyon/BOOK/JARVIS.HTM --- Quote ---The prototype was a "Defender" game with a "Stargate" board and a couple of Atari 2600 joysticks screwed to the control panel. --- End quote --- The 2600 sticks are not leaf sticks. It seems to me from reading various things about the development of the game from the designer himself that all he cared about was having two joysticks, I don't think he went to the next level and thought about types of joysticks. |
| CheffoJeffo:
Whoa, son of genesim ! ::) |
| DaveMMR:
--- Quote from: Donkbaca on February 03, 2012, 12:19:39 pm ---I don't buy the fanboy "they wanted the optimum experience" They weren't selling to gamers, they were selling to Ops, so things like a good looking cab and having it easy to maintain were probably higher up on their priority list. --- End quote --- To add to Donkbaca's Robotron example, there was also Marble Madness. Mark Cerny wanted motorized trackballs for a more realistic game experience. But Atari correctly assumed it would be a nightmare to keep functional. So regular Trackballs it was. |
| CheffoJeffo:
--- Quote from: Donkbaca on February 03, 2012, 12:19:39 pm ---I don't buy the fanboy "they wanted the optimum experience" --- End quote --- --- Quote from: Eugene Jarvis ---It's really a matter of philosophy. What is the objective of writing a game? I write a video game for the sole purpose of providing the player with the most awesome experience possible. The best interaction with the highest possible frame rate and quality. --- End quote --- --- Quote from: Donkbaca on February 03, 2012, 12:19:39 pm --- --- Quote ---The prototype was a "Defender" game with a "Stargate" board and a couple of Atari 2600 joysticks screwed to the control panel. --- End quote --- The 2600 sticks are not leaf sticks. It seems to me from reading various things about the development of the game from the designer himself that all he cared about was having two joysticks, I don't think he went to the next level and thought about types of joysticks. --- End quote --- So, apparently they didn't have any Wico leaf sticks lying around as you claim. ;) |
| RandyT:
--- Quote from: Donkbaca on February 03, 2012, 12:19:39 pm ---Not to mention the horrible layout on the gauntlet cab itself. I don't buy the fanboy "they wanted the optimum experience" They weren't selling to gamers, they were selling to Ops, so things like a good looking cab and having it easy to maintain were probably higher up on their priority list. I doubt, if you actually talked to any of the designers that they would honestly say that they picked the parts that they did because they wanted to give the optimum experience, they were cranking out several titles a year, there just couldn't have been that much time for the care and testing and fine tuning that X2 implies happened. In fact, back then you had dedicated hardware people and dedicated software people. The software folks would design and test the game and then the hardware folks would design the cabinet after the fact. To say that leaf sticks were picked because robotron was designed for leaf sticks just isn't true, I found this interview with the designer: http://www.dadgum.com/halcyon/BOOK/JARVIS.HTM --- Quote ---The prototype was a "Defender" game with a "Stargate" board and a couple of Atari 2600 joysticks screwed to the control panel. --- End quote --- The 2600 sticks are not leaf sticks. It seems to me from reading various things about the development of the game from the designer himself that all he cared about was having two joysticks, I don't think he went to the next level and thought about types of joysticks. --- End quote --- The first prototype for the modern automobile was a horse carriage with a motor bastardized into it. This means nothing. Honestly, folks who think like this have NEVER been involved in real product design at a large company. It's true that there are departments which handle different aspects of design and production, but to assume that they each exist in a vacuum is silly at best. They co-ordinate extensively, and if the controls do not meet the approval of the designer, they don't get used. Period. Arcade games which did not perform well for the player, did not get played. Games which do not get played, lose money for the operator. Operators who lose money on a title from a manufacturer, don't buy more titles from said manufacturer. It's simple economics in action, and it does not support the assertion being made. --- Quote from: DaveMMR on February 03, 2012, 12:37:08 pm ---To add to Donkbaca's Robotron example, there was also Marble Madness. Mark Cerny wanted motorized trackballs for a more realistic game experience. But Atari correctly assumed it would be a nightmare to keep functional. So regular Trackballs it was. --- End quote --- You may wish to note that that title did not use a typical trackball installation. It was oriented very differently, and programmed specifically to support this orientation, in order to provide a better gaming experience for that particular game. Your example actually proves he is incorrect. |
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