Games for a Spinner?

[lovespicyfood]

Okay, I have very fond memories of Tempest, but besides that game, I can't remember many that used the spinner.  I used to love Frontline, but if I remember right, that was a positional spinner which may not work w/ the type of spinner I'm thinking of...

I'm in the planning stages of my arcade build-out and *think* I want a cp w/ 2 joysticks (probably 4-8 switchable Magstick Plus'), a 3" trackball (probably a Happs) and a spinner.

The more I think about it, perhaps I don't need a spinner?  Would I be better off putting a dedicated 4 way stick in its place?

I barely remember Tron.  Does Tron necessiate that I buy a push-pull spinner or can that be accomplished w/ a normal spinner and a joystick?

Any thoughts or advice is much appreciated!  I figure the more research I can do now in the planning stages, the better off I will be in the long run!

[Mark70]

Warlords
Discs of Tron
Arknoid (or any similar... breakout etc.)
These are games that just aren't the same without a spinner

You could potentially use it for
Super Sprint
Off road

Just some of my favourites off of the top of my head.

[vizzinni]

You could also use a spinner for Omega Race and Arkanoid, as well as Tempest.  Also for many driving games like Pole Position and Iron Man Stewart's Off Road, in lieu of a steering wheel; it's not the same, but it's better than a mouse or joystick.   

I think it was Discs of Tron that used the push-pull spinner. Tron uses a spinner along with a trigger joystick.  It's really tough to play even with a spinner using a regular joystick like a Happ Super.

Personally, I put a lot of effort into building my own spinner, and I even bought an Oscar MAME knob for it.  Had a great time doing it and it works great, but I really don't use it much!   If you like driving games and don't envision building/buying wheel controls, maybe you'd use the spinner.  Otherwise, if you're not a Tempest addict, maybe you could do without.  Probably ought to come down to budget issues rather than space, since it shouldn't take much space on a two player CP. 

That's just my 2 cents.  I'm sure you'll hear more examples of spinner games from others...

[mahuti]

Okay, I have very fond memories of Tempest, but besides that game, I can't remember many that used the spinner.  I used to love Frontline, but if I remember right, that was a positional spinner which may not work w/ the type of spinner I'm thinking of...

You could always try it with a mouse in MAME.

The more I think about it, perhaps I don't need a spinner?  Would I be better off putting a dedicated 4 way stick in its place?

Unless you want a specific 4 way, the 4/8 way switchable IS an official hardware restricted 4 way, so I don't see the value in that.

I barely remember Tron.  Does Tron necessiate that I buy a push-pull spinner or can that be accomplished w/ a normal spinner and a joystick?

until you get to the higher levels you could accomplish what you need to with a topfire stick and a normal spinner. Once you get past the first few levels though.. it really needs the up/down spinner.

Click here for a pretty good list of spinner games

OH, and "search is your friend", as is the stickied FAQ at the top. These topics have been all been covered pretty extensively.

1. 4/8 way switchable vs. dedicated controls (might also see GP-wiz & 49 way joystick topics)
2. discs of tron options
3. spinner games & favorites.
4. control panel planning & building.

Note; Not trying to give you a hard time... there has just been some pretty extensive discussion about all of these things in the past that will provide a wealth of information.

[GGKoul]

http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=19817

[RayB]

hey, only DISCS OF TRON uses a push-pull spinner. Original TRON uses a regular spinner.

[Kremmit]

hey, only DISCS OF TRON uses a push-pull spinner.

And Zwackery!

[Kremmit]

used to love Frontline, but if I remember right, that was a positional spinner which may not work w/ the type of spinner I'm thinking of...

Correct. 

The Frontline "spinner" is really a topfire joystick underneath the panel.  It uses a rotary knob to determine which position the joystick is pointing, and you push down on the knob to activate the button.  There's no reason you couldn't play Frontline with a topfire stick in place of the "spinner".