J-Stick issue or wife issue.

[MameJunkie]

I finished my cabbie over the weekend and the wife was all over it playing Ms Pacman.
It has the Ultimarc J-Stick 4/8 way set to 4-way mode.

My wife was/is complainting that little Ms Pacman isn't going where she wants her to move.  She is blaming me for putting in a joystick that is faulty.

Is it a true 4-way just like the original arcade?  Should I get a reunion stick?

Telling my wife its her lack of skill is NOT a option.  Her approval/disapproval
will determine if I get to make another one.

[Hoopz]

The reunion stick is considered the best by a lot of people.  And Ponyboy has them at a great price in the B/S/T forum.

Or you can tell her that you will get a variety of joysticks and let her pick the best one.  That way, you can order one of every kind!!!

[pmc]

Yup. J-stick takes some time to get used to. I'm good with it after a long time of adjustment. But my wife complained as well. Make certain you are in 4-way mode. There are times I waz cursing about the sticks and then later realized that I was in 8-way mode.

I'm sticking with the J's for 4-way but am experimenting with Competitions for 8-way. In the end, switchable is the most desirable for me. I switch alot.

-pmc

[Minwah]

The J-Stik isn't exactly like the original Pac sticks, but the 4-way mode should work pretty damn well.

Make sure the restrictor plate hasn't moved round of it's own accord, this can happen.  Sometimes the screws just need tightening a touch.

Play the game yourself, I bet she's just crap at it 

[hypernova]

Her approval/disapproval
will determine if I get to make another one.

anyone know how to make a "whipping sound" in text?  maybe something like whuh-chshsh!

Play the game yourself, I bet she's just crap at it

it's quite possible!

for fun, ask her what's wrong with regular pac-man, and regardless of her answer, you can accuse her of being a sexist!

[mahuti]

To fix the problem... uninstall wife v1.0, and downgrade to girlfriend v.XX.

[LPZ]

I thought that a J stick would of solved my 4/8 way problems, but in 4 way mode I can still hit the diagonals.  I picked up a 4 way leaf switch from Gozur and it really made a big difference.  My wife plays alot more, since it is physically impossible to hit the diagonals with the 4 way actuator.  The classics(pacman, donkeykong, etc.) are a pleasure to play when you have the right joystick.

LPZ

[AndyWarne]

The J-Stik should not be able to actually hit diagonals when in 4-way mode, but it does come pretty close. Th "de-sensitise" the stick, turn the restrictor plate over. This reduces the restricted limit slightly.
Andy W

[Minwah]

The J-Stik should not be able to actually hit diagonals when in 4-way mode, but it does come pretty close. Th "de-sensitise" the stick, turn the restrictor plate over. This reduces the restricted limit slightly.

I have never been able to hit diagonals with my J-Stiks.  I've been using the restrictor plate flipped over for some time tho.

[LPZ]

Just when I thought it was an ancient Chinese secret, I checked out the ultimarc website and low and behold--there it is--the instructions on how to turn over the restrictor plate.....man, I gotta start reading things more thoroughly.  I'll take back what I said about the J stick and turn over the restrictor plate and see how things go.  Just when I was ready to ditch my J stick, it has a new born life!

[Minwah]

Just when I thought it was an ancient Chinese secret, I checked out the ultimarc website and low and behold--there it is--the instructions on how to turn over the restrictor plate.....man, I gotta start reading things more thoroughly.  I'll take back what I said about the J stick and turn over the restrictor plate and see how things go.  Just when I was ready to ditch my J stick, it has a new born life!

Yep the spring stretching tip is quite good as well, makes them slightly stiffer.

Wierd that I never hit the diagonals before I flipped the restrictor tho.  I presume it must be the alignment of the microswitches.

[MameJunkie]

Thanks for the info.

I'll try flipping over the restrictor plate tonight.

Right now, even in the 4-way, I can still hit the diagonals.
Since in 4-way the restrictor is in a diamond shape, I dont feel the corners but I can still hit em.

BTW...unable to uninstall the WIFE program.  Its now part of the OS.  And it will search and destroy and Girlfriend program I attempt to install. 

[Kremmit]

She may just hate the feel of the J, 4-way mode or not.  They're nice sticks, but they certainly don't feel like the sticks that came in the old early 80s games.

People that have never driven a car made before power steering freak out if you put them into one.  "It's too hard to turn the wheel, I'll crash!".  The problem isn't the steering, it's with the learned skil set of the driver.  Plenty of people drove non-power steering cars for a long time, with no trouble.  But once you've spent your adult life learning to drive with one type of control, it's difficult to adapt, and you stink at first, and you blame the new control.

Of course, it could also be that your wife just plain stinks. 

[Ldsfunaz]

Just when I thought it was an ancient Chinese secret, I checked out the ultimarc website and low and behold--there it is--the instructions on how to turn over the restrictor plate.....man, I gotta start reading things more thoroughly.

[LPZ]

They're not REALLY instructions, but the information that tells you to turn over the restrictor plate.  The info is right by the pic of the j stick, basically the description of it.

LPZ

[Havok]

Try switching to an omni-stick:

http://www.groovygamegear.com/page12.html

It does 4-way and 8-way switchable from the panel..

[Thenasty]

wife's not happy about the stick that you have now ? you should just give her more time to play with it instead of you playing it all the time.

[LPZ]

Try switching to an omni-stick:

http://www.groovygamegear.com/page12.html

It does 4-way and 8-way switchable from the panel..

I saw this option and just didn't want to pay the cash.

[jopenner]

[quote anyone know how to make a "whipping sound" in text?

[Ldsfunaz]

I just turned my J-Stick Restrictor plate over for the heck of it, even though i wasn't hitting diagonals.  But now the stick only hits some switches while in 8-way mode, making it unplayable in that mode.  I am using it as a dedicated 4-way so don't really care, but I was just wondering if this is a normal side-effect?

-LDS-

[PetitMorte]

[quote anyone know how to make a "whipping sound" in text?  maybe something like whuh-chshsh!

Your close, but I think it is more like Whook Tishhhh 

John

I usually use a fooooo'chhhh

[MameJunkie]

...Uh...Damnit...forgot what I was going to say

I blanked out after I saw PetitMorte's avatar...

[LPZ]

I wonder what it would be like to meet her in person..............?