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Best joysticks for specific game genres?

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emphatic:


--- Quote from: benarcade on February 18, 2013, 12:42:03 am ---I can't imagine that an original Pac-Man joystick is not the very best stick for playing Pac-Man. For that matter, I would guess that a solid 4 way leaf would be the best for classic 4 way games.

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Sure, this is what was chosen in the factory, but was there much to choose from at the time? I'm not saying it's a bad choice, but theoretically, there could be something better than factory for every game.

I don't own any dedicated cabinets, just JAMMA PCB's and Japanese cabinets with balltop joysticks. I can play on bat top ones too, but I prefer the control I can only get from gripping a ball top just right. The best overall sticks I've tried (without any modding) are Seimitsu LS-56 with octo-gates. I'm not sure they are a prime choice for four-way games though, but I only have Rolling Thunder that I feel would need that.

rCadeGaming:

+1.  The choice of controls on original cabinets was often based on availability and cost, especially outside Japan.  Unfortunately, playability was often a third priority at best.  It's not that there couldn't be any exceptions to this, but they'd be the exceptions, not the rule.

mgb:


--- Quote from: sdweim85 on February 17, 2013, 10:39:41 pm ---Guess I'm the only one who prefers a Happ competition for just about everything.  I like ball tops, but I feel the bat top gives more control.  The competitions, quick return to neutral feels so good.

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I know its not popular to say around here but I also like the competition for many eight way games like neo geos.

CheffoJeffo:


--- Quote from: rCadeGaming on February 19, 2013, 04:34:48 pm ---+1.  The choice of controls on original cabinets was often based on availability and cost, especially outside Japan.  Unfortunately, playability was often a third priority at best.  It's not that there couldn't be any exceptions to this, but they'd be the exceptions, not the rule.

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I completely disagree, although perhaps it is a generational thing.

In the heyday, competition for the coindrop was fierce, gameplay was paramount and, since there often wasn't a generic throwaway alternative (like, say, the Competition), controls were well made and were designed for superior gameplay.

If what you say was actually the rule, then we wouldn't see things like the restrictor on a Tron stick or Monroe joysticks at all and everybody would be playing PacMan and Robotron with Zippys instead of authentic controls.

rCadeGaming:

Maybe it is a generational thing.  You seem to be talking about the 70's and early to mid 80's from your examples.  I won't argue about that time period I guess, but as an example of what I'm talking about, take a look at something later like Street Fighter II.  It was designed in Japan, then when it was brought over here they used the controls available here with little regard to the original intentions of the programmers or what controls they had in mind.  I doubt they were using Happ controls during development at Capcom in Japan.

Back in the era you were talking about, maybe they had better oversight of this kind of thing.  Weren't the rubber grommet joysticks for Donkey Kong cabinets and such actually made or specified by Nintendo?  This kind of thing doesn't seem to be case later on.  It seems like they kind of shipped over the PCB and some artwork, and the cab and controls were sourced here based on availability.

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