Mag Stik Plus users - can you please test something?

[TheShanMan]

I absolutely love my mag stik plus for 4 way games, but the other day I tried using it for Indiana Jones (I normally use a Happ 8 way - competition I think it is). I found it extremely difficult to play due to the short throw (which again, I love for 4 way games) and the fact that nothing "holds" it in the up/down/left/right positions. Diagonals are much easier to hit because they are corners, so I find myself constantly falling off of ladders and so forth because the diagonals are so much easier to hit.

I looked at my happ sticks, and besides the longer throw, which I think helps with 8 way games, it also has a more rounded restrictor, rather than a square restrictor, which also makes it easier to hit up/down/left right without inadvertently drifting into a diagonal.

So I'm wondering... is it just a matter of developing the skill of using this stick, and once I do then it will be easy to play Indiana Jones effectively? Or is the mag stik plus just sub-optimal for 8 way games (especially ones that are as unforgiving as I.J.)? Or what?

I've emailed Andy about it, and he seems to think this is a non-issue (i.e. no one has reported the problem before), so I thought I'd ask if you can try your mag stik plus with I.J. and see if it's a problem for you.

[EagleTG]

I like mine for 8-way and (especially) for 4-way games.  I just posted a thread about changing out the factory SAIA switches, as I really didn't like their "harder" snap action.  Maybe that'll give you a better feel?  It's a quick and easy hack once you find the parts to swap in.

Here's a link... http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=79803.0

[TheShanMan]

Thanks, but I don't think it really has anything to do with the switches themselves. I think it's just the fact that there is so little distance between "up" and "up/left" or "up/right" that it makes it hard to not end up in one of the diagonals, particularly since the restrictor is square so there is nothing to really keep you in the "up" spot.

Like I said, I think Indiana Jones may be more unforgiving with this than most 8 way games since you have to walk across narrow paths or climb narrow ladders. Hit a diagonal and you fall. I don't suppose you would be willing to give Indiana Jones a try and tell me if it's just me or if you find it to be a problem too.

Good to know that you at least like it generally speaking for 8 way games. I don't think I've used it with many 8 way games yet - I mainly have it for 4 way games, but since I have swappable panels, if I go from a 4 way game to an 8 way game, I would rather that not require me to switch to my double 8 way stick panel.

[EagleTG]

I think it's just the fact that there is so little distance between "up" and "up/left" or "up/right" that it makes it hard to not end up in one of the diagonals, particularly since the restrictor is square so there is nothing to really keep you in the "up" spot.

Hmm.  Hadn't noticed, but now that you mention it I bet I'll be noticing a lot more... LOL.  Maybe it's the games I'm playing that are causing me to not notice.

I mainly have it for 4 way games, but since I have swappable panels, if I go from a 4 way game to an 8 way game, I would rather that not require me to switch to my double 8 way stick panel.

Heh, I thought I was one of the few who wired for multiple sticks.  http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=55861.0

Dedicated iL Galaga/Pac Anniversary stick on there to feed my Pac-Man (specifically Ms. Pac-Man) obsession.  Heheh.  Back in the day, I had actually modded my Pelican Real Arcade (yuck) to have one of the iL re-release Pac sticks too.

I think the MagStick Plus has replaced the iL re-release Pac stick as my 4-way stick of choice though.

I'm getting off-topic.  I'll mess with the MagStick a little more and see if I can come up with an opinion about what you mention.

[TheShanMan]

I appreciate it.

Currently I have a double 8 way joystick panel with 6 buttons each (Indiana Jones is MUCH more playable on these, since the throw is much longer and the restrictor is more rounded), a single mag stik plus panel with 6 buttons, and a trackball/spinner panel with 3 buttons. Next is going to be a dedicated tron panel, then will come analog stick, light gun, and steering wheel panels. I'm already thinking about doing a second cab, and I figure I'll take the swappable approach again - that way the 2 cabs can just share the panels.

When I started my project I chose the swappable approach for 2 reasons. I'm not big on monstrous panels, and my centipede cab doesn't lend itself well to a large panel anyway (and I didn't want to modify the shape of the cab itself). I don't have a project thread yet, but sometime soon I'll have to start taking pictures and post them.

[EagleTG]

My newest sticks are all "universal" wired.  I bring the common ground, buttons and directionals out to a Male DB-25.  I then do a "padhack" to a female DB-25 for the various consoles (or PC) that I want to eventually connect to.  Doing this, I've made "adapters" for XBox, XBox 360, Dreamcast and PC.

I've built various sticks, one using all Sanwa parts (JLF stick), one using a Korean stick and Happ Buttons, one using the MagStick Plus and Happ buttons, and eventually will build one for my Suzo Inductive, Euro Stick, and Sanwa JLW sticks.  This way, instead of building 24 (or however many) separate sticks, with all the necessary "padhacks", I can simply build 6 base sticks utilizing the various components I want and then connect them to whatever platform I'm currently interested in playing.

The only stick not running my universal setup is the Happ/iL Pac Reunion stick that I linked to above.  That one is "dedicated" for XBox use (mostly for Mame and FinalBurn).

I'm so indecisive about sticks and controls, so I need to keep my options open.  I think everything I do in the future will be based around similar universal layouts.  That way I don't regret any specific component or whatever, it's all swappable.

[TheShanMan]

I used a DB-37 connector so I can support 2 joysticks, 12 buttons, and optical controls without having to deal with different connectors.

[Kaytrim]

I have the predecessor to the MagStick the T-Stick and I hate them for 8 way games.       I think that the MagSticks are the same action just the return to center method is different. 

Robotron is one of my favorites and I had a real hard time controlling the fire or movement in the cardinal directions.  I picked up two Happ competitions and never looked back.  The first game I played on the Happ sticks beat my previous high score by 40k and 2 levels.  My T-Sticks are great for 4-way games though and would use one as a dedicated 4-way anytime.

[TheShanMan]

Thanks Kaytrim for sharing your experience. Anyone else have the same kind of experience? Or the opposite (if you like the stick for 8 way games, particularly Indiana Jones, I'd like to know that too)?

I can happily live with using it basically as a dedicated 4 way, but if people have found that it just takes practice and once mastered, it works well on games like I.J. then I might be more inclined to practice using it. But I don't want to waste my time otherwise.

[Perogy]

I had alot of trouble at first with special moves in fighters, but after using them for a while and getting used to them it became muuuuuccccch easier. Still have trouble with robotron though, always hits the diagonals