Will this work for Tron?

[Knievel]

Got a friend who wants to be able to play Tron on the machine I'm building for him. Since I don't have the proper setup on mine I've never gotten into the game...so be gentle.

Can someone tell me if the Happ Joystick in the link below will do the job, I'm looking at the first one with just the trigger...

http://www.happcontrols.com/joysticks/50997000.htm

And is the the push-pull spinner required or is that just for Discs of Tron?

[crashwg]

That joystick will be perfect for Tron and yes the push/pull spinner is only needed in DOT.

[NoOne=NBA=]

That joystick will NOT be perfect for Tron.

It is an 8-way, and will zig-zag on the lightcycle stage.
If you ARE going to try that type of stick, I'd pick up a used Xenophobe stick.
They are much cheaper, and are the same stick, except that they use a leafswitch setup rather than the microswitches on the Happ.

The push/pull is only used on DOT and Zwackery.

[Magnet_Eye]

Or you could save some money and make your own:

http://oscarcontrols.com/projects/triggerstick.shtml

[NoOne=NBA=]

Those feel really cheap compared to a real arcade stick though.
I did one, and didn't like it at all.

[Knievel]

Thanks for the replies guys. So the verdict is that it's not totally playable with anything other than the Tron stick?
I doubt I'll be able to locate one so I guess he'll have to scrap the idea.

[crashwg]

I would think it would be easy enough to cut your own restrictor for it with a dremel... 

[mahuti]

I built a tron stick based on 1ups plan... it wasn't any cheaper than just buying a Tron stick, but it looks brand new.

[Kremmit]

It's not the trigger, or the shape of  the stick that matters for Tron.  It's the restrictor.  The right setup ONLY came on Tron sticks.  Not Xenophobe, Not Discs of Tron, Not Gorf, etc.  The deal is that the stick is ALMOST a 4-way, but not quite.  The result is that you CAN hit the diagonals during the non-lightcycle stages, but you WONT hit them during the lightcycles, unless you try (and then you'll die).

The best thing is to get a true Tron stick, but those cost $$.  If you don't want to pay for one, there are still two ways to play Tron without the lightcycle zig-zag problem:

If your panel has an 8-way and a  4-way, you can use the 4-way during the lightcycles.  You can use a button in place of the trigger.  Or you can rig up a 4-way top-fire, or even a 4-way trigger stick. 

Or, (and here's what I'd do)- if you're building specifically for Tron, but don't want more than one stick on the panel, and don't want to spring for a true Tron stick, buy one of RandyT's Top-Fire Prodigy sticks from www.groovygamegear.com.  Play in 8-way mode for everything but the lightcycles, and then switch to 4-way for that wave only.  The top-fire is almost the same as the trigger and is useful in other games, you don't have to change sticks during play, you don't have to clutter up your panel, you don't have to sell your firstborn for a real Tron stick, and you've got the whole 4-way game problem solved to boot.

[paigeoliver]

I built a cabinet custom order for a guy who wanted a general purpose cabinet, but wanted to be able to play Tron. I ended up putting an 8-way top fire and a normal 4-way side by side (wired as the same stick), with the buttons in the middle and the spinner on the other side. It was the only solution I could come up with that worked well, other than a dedicated Tron panel, which would SUCK for everything else.

[telengard]

That joystick will NOT be perfect for Tron.

It is an 8-way, and will zig-zag on the lightcycle stage.
If you ARE going to try that type of stick, I'd pick up a used Xenophobe stick.
They are much cheaper, and are the same stick, except that they use a leafswitch setup rather than the microswitches on the Happ.

The push/pull is only used on DOT and Zwackery.

I have a Xenophobe stick and it still zig-zags on the light cycles stage.   
I'm going to either have to find an appropriate restrictor or buy a real Tron joystick.

[NoOne=NBA=]

I wasn't saying that it would work on Tron.
I was saying that the Xeno sticks are the same stick as the Happ, but use leafswitches, and are alot cheaper.

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Doc,

You really should try turning your top restrictor 45 degrees.
They are the same size as the Tron ones, but are just turned differently.
You'll have to cut two corners off to turn it, but it will work.

The top restrictor is the important one.
The lower restrictor is just cheap plastic, and helps guide the actuator.
The top restrictor is the one that takes all the abuse.

[daywane]

That joystick will NOT be perfect for Tron.

It is an 8-way, and will zig-zag on the lightcycle stage.
If you ARE going to try that type of stick, I'd pick up a used Xenophobe stick.
They are much cheaper, and are the same stick, except that they use a leafswitch setup rather than the microswitches on the Happ.

The push/pull is only used on DOT and Zwackery.

I have a Xenophobe stick and it still zig-zags on the light cycles stage.

[MinerAl]

I made a Tron stick out of a Happs Super and a blue trigger handle from an analog Mac stick.

I haven't tried this yet, but wouldn't it be possible to shave the hourglass shaped thinggy (that's the technical term) so that it would hit the corners, but only barely?  Seems like it'd be possible with trial and error to find a happy medium.

Just a thought.  I'll let the board know once I have the free time to try it.

[Knievel]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys...Paige/Kremmit steered me the right way.
Did some testing and we're going with 2 of top-fire sticks that Randy sells.
Cheap and effective.