pac man joystick question

[kiddk1]

I have 2 happs 8 way joysticks and a standard 4 way, my question is playing games like pac man and even  donkey kong jr, it seems that I cannot get the cuts/turns correct on pac man, the joystick is always causing me to over shoot my turns, is there a joystick that works well with pac man?

[NoOne=NBA=]

What is a standard 4-way?
If you're using a Happ stick that doesn't have the diamond shaped restrictor, then you're going to have lots of trouble.
The 4-way mode on Happ's regular sticks just uses a smaller actuator, to prevent hitting two switches at once.
This makes it sloppy, and prone to dead spots.

The two things that I look for in a 4-way are a good diamond feel, and as short a throw as possible.
I don't care for the Nintendo/Seimitsu/etc... cloverleaf 4-ways.
That little hump between the directions just bugs me to death.

My personal current favorite is a T-stik, with the RandyT mod done to it.
RandyT's mod was to loosen the screws that hold the base on, insert some washers into it, and screw it back together with longer screws.
That relieved some spring tension, and made the stick give you less of a workout while playing, while still maintaining the short throw.

[DeLuSioNal29]

I'm assuming that you have a Happs 4/8-way Super where you can flip the actuator over on the bottom to make it 4 way correct?  If so, you can buy this adapter and it will do the job.  It's only $4.95 and screws in on the bottom of the joystick.  Even if you have it set to 4-way mode, you would also use this restrictor and it will be instantly converted.  Works great!


http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=310&zenid=e95f3ade9392eb48c147136c92de2aa5

Mine works great with Pacman type games.

~ DeLuSioNaL

[Paul Olson]

I recently jumped on the wico leaf joystick bandwagon. I tried it on Ms Pacman, and it was honestly the first time the game has felt right on my cabinet. The difference is really amazing. My reunion stick does not even come close to this one. I picked up an original pacman joystick, but have not had a chance to install it yet. I will try to update when I do. I am really not as impatient to get it done since I got the wico, though.

[kiddk1]

sorry for being vague, I have the mag-stik it looks like this on the bottom

http://www.ultimarc.com/images/j-bot.jpg it is a real pain b/c it will over shoot all the time, should I toss it and get something else, if so what?

[NoOne=NBA=]

Dumb question, but have you turned the restrictor so that it is diamond-shaped, instead of square shaped?
That's the 4-way mode.
I only ask this because someone a few years ago didn't realize this, and couldn't figure out why Mario kept stopping while he was running.

The Mag-stik is very similar to the T-stik, and should give very good 4-way performance.
If you are in 4-way mode, and still missing turns on Pacman, the most likely cause is that you aren't moving the stick to anticipate the next corner.
As soon as you clear the last corner between you and your next move, push the stick to the direction needed for the next move.

You shouldn't have any problems in Donkey Kong, or DK Jr., if your stick is in true 4-way mode.
The biggest problem in those games is that an 8-way will cause the character to hang if a diagonal is hit.
You shouldn't be able to hit a diagonal with a true 4-way.

[kiddk1]

I actually have it just like it is in the picture, I will try flipping it to the diamond mode, thanks.

flipped to diamond shape and it works like a gem, thank you all.