Newbie Time Soldiers question

[nortran11]

Hey guys,

I just got started in emulation and home arcades and stuff and I really really want to play Time Soldiers! I remember as a kid spending hours at my local 7-11 pumping quarters into this game and it is one of those arcade games that is really cemented in my memory with fondness.

Trouble is.....I can't figure out how to get the guy to spin around

I recall the game having a joystick that not only had directionals, but the handle also rotated which made the character rotate in a different direction. Is there any way to do that without having fancy hardware? Like a software setting that makes him turn in the direction you push the stick in?

I really want to play this game, any help at all would be greatly appreciated.

[Lucian045]

Love that game too!  The joystick was a rotary so unless you have rotary joysticks I'm afraid you are out of luck.  You could use a trackball to rotate the guy, but not sure what 3rd hand you have up your sleeve to hit the fire buttons 

[JDFan]

By default the game uses Z and X to rotate the firing position but you can change that in the MAME settings to use any 2 buttons you want - but as mentioned the original had an analog joystick so it will take some getting used to using buttons.

[PL1]

the original had a rotary joystick

FTFY

Xybots uses a twist-to-turn joystick similar to a rotary, but when you twist the handle, a rectangular extension on the joystick shaft presses a microswitch.

   *Photo from Ground_Gainer's restore thread here.

That game plays very well mapped as follows:
Btn1 - Left turn
Btn2 - Fire
Btn3 - Right turn
Btn4 - Start (Zapper)

A similar layout may work well for Time Soldiers, too.


Scott

[nortran11]

Thanks guys!

I appreciate the answers....bummer. I was just kinda playing on my PC with an old USB MS Sidewinder. Oh well....guess I am just going to have to try my hand at building a cabinet and wiring something up

Thanks again for the responses.

[PL1]

Does your Sidewinder have a twist function on the stick?

If so, you should be able to map the twist just like on Xybots.

You might need to tweak the analog settings a bit to get it to work properly.

Degenatrons posted these analog settings for use with a rotary joystick-type setup.



They are easy to overlook, but make a huge difference.

This thread on the KADE forums also has info on optical rotary game settings.

Also forgot to mention earlier, but some rotary games also have alternate ROM versions (ikarjpb, ikari3, etc.) that turn you to face the direction that you push the joystick.


Scott

[nortran11]

Oh sorry.....it's an old Sidewinder gamepad....the kind that looks like an old Genesis pad. I've been using it for years to play console emulation and just discovered arcade emulators and have been using that.

[gonzo90017]

Does your Sidewinder have a twist function on the stick?

If so, you should be able to map the twist just like on Xybots.

You might need to tweak the analog settings a bit to get it to work properly.

Degenatrons posted these analog settings for use with a rotary joystick-type setup.



They are easy to overlook, but make a huge difference.

This thread on the KADE forums also has info on optical rotary game settings.

Also forgot to mention earlier, but some rotary games also have alternate ROM versions (ikarjpb, ikari3, etc.) that turn you to face the direction that you push the joystick.


Scott

Are there sidewinders that have this function?

[Vigo]

mine does. It twists about 15 degrees in either direction. I never tried to use it for rotary though....just never thought about it. I think I have a Sidewinder 2. Maybe I will give it a shot and see if it works.

[PL1]

Are there sidewinders that have this function?

The 3D Pro version did.

the stick itself was twist able for Z/rudder/spin control.

 


Scott

[Vigo]

Rudder control, that is what it is called. Thanks. Yeah, the sidewinder 2 had that.