Using 8way for 4way games

[jlfreund]

I need really good 8way joysticks for games like Robotron, so I'm considering replacing my MagStick Plus's with dedicated 8ways such as Happ Competition, but I'm wondering how that will affect 4 way games? 

My guess is that only 4 way games where you need to turn a corner very accurately will be affected when the joystick hits a diagonal on it's way around the corner -- such as Maze games (pacman, Qix) or Run&Jump games (Donkey Kong, Lode Runner).   But all other categories such as Joust, Rampage, IRobot, Defender, Crazy Climber, Dragon's Lair, Dig Dug, etc should be just fine with 8 way.  Is that true?

Thanks,
Jason

[Kremmit]

Not entirely true.

The problem with 4-way games is that they don't know what to do when you hit a diagonal.  Some games just freeze the character as long as you're on a diagonal, some keep going in whatever direction you were in previously, some pick a random direction from the two your diagonal is split between.  How much trouble using an 8-way will cause depends on the behavior specific to the game you're playing, as well as the style of gameplay.

[jlfreund]

Can you give some examples of games that have unexpected behavior (ie not just the expected dead spot or motion stopping)?  I've only played a few 4way games with 8way sticks.

I wonder if I should just replace the right stick with a dedicated 8 way.  Mr Robotron is more interested in shooting accurately than moving accurately.

[vidmouse]

I notice it even in a simple game like Pac-Man.

Originally I wanted to build a 4-player cab but instead
opted to build my CP box as 2-player.  I WAS going to
add two "wings" to my CP to get players 3 and 4 into it,
but have recently decided to hook those up via USB
gamepads, and use my extra joysticks as dedicated
4-way and a diagonal (for Qbert, etc) joysticks via
add-ons as USB.

Zebidee gave me a great idea to hack a USB gamepad
for these, will post results as I get going...

[ArtMAME]

My Wico leaf switch 8-way ball top joysticks seem to respond pretty well in 4-way games.  I have a dedicated 4-way Suzo on the CP also which I use sometimes, but the Wicos are great because I prefer the classic feel.

If you can get some, try the Wico balltops.  They are usually the preferred joystick among classic arcade game enthusiasts.  They are not manufactured anymore so you will have to troll Ebay or post a WTB in the Buy/Sell/Trade forum.

[NoOne=NBA=]

If you want Robotron to feel anywhere near authentic, stay away from the Competitions.

They have a square restrictor on them, and heavily favor the diagonals.
This means that where your shots would be evenly divided between the 8 directions with the original Wico sticks, the Competition will put somewhere in the neighborhood of 66% of your shots into the diagonals.
It is also hard to do the sweeping move/fire circles that you would with the Wicos.

As an alternative, you might want to take a look at the Supers.
They have round restriction, and feel better for games that require large round movements around the perimeter of travel (Robotron, Time Pilot, Bosconian, etc...).


And just to keep misinformation from perpetuating, Crazy Climber uses dual 8-ways.

[fjl]

How about you get the U360 Joystick from Ultimarc? It's programmable to all types, 2 way, 4 way, 8 way, analog etc.

Although I've tried them on Robotron. There is no restriction of any kind so its easy to slip into any direction. While this may be good, I find myself shooting diagonal when I'm trying to shoot straight. Same goes for movement. Maybe it's just me not used to using a joystick with such free movement.

You can also try the Sanwa joysticks, they have a restrictor on the bottom that supposedly allows changing from 4 way to 8 way in seconds with no dismantling. I just bought one, but have yet to try it out.