Thanks for the tips! Do I just then replace the stock switches that came with the HAPP buttons with the switches, or do you think I need new buttons?
Sorry for the newbie questions
Hi everyone,
I'm using HAPP buttons, but I'm finding them not as responsive as I would like. For example, when playing games like Galaga, I'm wondering if using other types of buttons would make a better game experience for such games?
Thank you
You want leaf switch buttons. Check out GroovyGameGear.
I’ve used these with standard Happs and have been very satisfied with them...
https://paradisearcadeshop.com/home/electrical/components/microswitches/rollie/36_rollie-leaf-switch-for-pushbutton?search_query=Leaf&results=114
These looked interesting... but.. they are not going to have the same kind of feel and travel, as a typical Galaga leaf button.
Basically, Id guess that when pressed... they tend to bottom out, easily, and every time... without being able to keep that from happening.
When you bottom out these buttons.. it does not feel as good physically, but more importantly... it slows the rapidfire response potentials.
With a long travel leaf button... you press the button to the point of the leafs touching... which may be like 2mm down. Then, keeping this
mild pressure and vertical level position... you can lightly vibrate the leafs on and off... with less than a papers thickness worth of travel...
and with almost no physical effort at all. I believe the term used for this method, is called "Feathering". Its most especially useful in
games like Galaga... and even more critical in Haleys Comet.
Think about it like a Diving board. Imagine if someone put a box about 3 inches under the end of the board. It cuts the springy potentials
of the board, and how much you can optimize the spring to get maximum potential energy from it... And... once the board hits the box... the
impact feel into your body... is Jolting and Fatiguing.
When you move that box down 1ft away from that board... you can now bounce deeper, and get to the point where the board give you much
greater spring return energy... and yet, you can easily keep from going too far... and crashing the board into the box. Thus, each bounce, is
smooth, silent, and near effortless.. in comparison to the previous method.
Most modern games do not require high rates of continued fire-button presses... so that minimal amount of "Crashing", is not going to bother
much... nor will you really have much in the line of fatigue, due to a lot of rest moments, and lower fire rates being required.
But a game like Haley's Comet... that game basically requires you to fire at maximum fire rate, for the whole game. The faster the sustained
rate... the more powerups are capable of being earned, and used to clear the crazy fast and numerous enemies / rocks.
Galaga is deceptive.. because there are many moments were the fire rate seems capped... but... the game gives an immediate bullet
availability, once a target had been hit... so if you have a perfect string of hits... you get a far faster fire-rate, that what normally
is had when just shooting empty space. Also... due to the sheer amount of presses... and even with many break periods... it takes its toll
in regards to fatigue... if one is using a typical microswitch, and or any switch that is constantly bottoming out.
Andy is simply not correct in the matter. There is a mechanical advantage, and the game does in fact allow for fast firing, depending on
the players skill levels + enemy's relative distances / positions.
I Dare anyone to play Haley's Comet for 1hrs worth of time, no rests, over and over again... on non long travel / original leafswitches.
(If you make it past the 20 min mark... without major pain and fatigue issues... Id be surprised)
Then compare the next day... with the real deal... using the proper Feathering technique (not bottoming the button out) and see what happens.
(make sure to get leafs that are not totally metal-fatigued, or results may not be effective. Similarly, make sure all mounting, spacers, and
distances, are properly set up)