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Controls for Robotron and 2 players?
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1500points:
I'm going to guess that they probably took the bell curve of shoulder widths and came up with a decent average.  Everything was about optimizing the coin-op experience during that era.

If you are using light action joysticks about any width is just fine.
it's when you have real wicos with stiff grommets, or wico 360s with the heavy spring action that you have to start muscling it and the physics of leverage come into play.
CheffoJeffo:

--- Quote from: 1500points on February 18, 2013, 07:03:51 pm ---Everything was about optimizing the coin-op experience during that era.

--- End quote ---

Don't let Donk hear you say that ...

(In case the reference isn't clear, I agree 100% with you and had a bit of a tiff with someone over this notion and Robotron in particular).

 :applaud:
1500points:
Larry and Eugene were solidly bred into the coin-op culture which is why they did so well in the industry.

For example, This fall I asked Eugene about Defender (baiters were modeled after the tiny saucer in asteroids they called lil b@$trds)  his reply for adding them. "time is money!"

And when asked about the choice in verbage in the defender manual here is Larry's recent reply:
Difficulty Label History (Larry DeMar Jan 2013)
  Hard for the player is a conservative setting by the operator.
 Easy for the player is a liberal setting by the operator.
 The manual and operator settings were created for the game operator’s point of view, with setting history going back to electromechanical pinball machines with jumper wires that changes the settings.  Often there were tags next to jumper blocks showing “Cons” or “Lib” to help guide these selections.


So back to Robotron.....the hulks are modeled after evil otto in berzerk which forces the game forward without milking time.

:)
Gray_Area:
I have a 35" wide panel, and I don't notice any difference in my playing on that versus a real machine....um, except that I've done better on my panel. Like, millions better.


On 1500points' remarks: it would seem at least Larry had a rather top-down method to creating game features, versus many others who just 'tried to come up with something cool', and didn't possibly because of it.
1500points:
Here is a tidbit for you.  Mame 148 has a complete re-write of the blitter emulation coming in near future.
I just did a field test and think it is PERFECT.  I'll be curious to know what you guys think when it is released.



http://www.seanriddle.com/blitter.html
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