A question on how Joysticks work.

[DiskTwo]

From the wiki, I understand the difference between a 4 way, and 8 way joystick, and how using 8 ways can cause problems with games designed for 4 ways.

Im slightly confused on the 360 or digital ones. Can these be switched from 4 and 8 with a button on the control panel, or are they smart enough to adjust themselves and are pretty much the "perfect" mame joystick for any occasion?

[TheShanMan]

Mame can convert analog joystick input into the digital input that is expected by a particular game, so in a sense it is the perfect mame joystick. Furthermore, if mame's conversion doesn't quite fit your needs, the Ultimarc stick has a config utility that will allow you to design a map for conversion from analog to digital.

Two reasons analog joysticks are not universally considered the perfect stick are that you don't get the mechanical restriction of movement that you would from a 4 way joystick (i.e. preventing you from moving it diagonally), and that you can't "feel" where the stick engages when you push it (though you can't with leaf switch joysticks either).

But if having just one stick is more important than the arcade authentic feel, then that is certainly the way to go.

On the other hand, there are sticks from GroovyGameGear and Ultimarc that are switchable between 4 way and 8 way from the top side of your control panel so in theory these could be the "perfect" stick. However, in the case of the Ultimarc stick (Mag Stik Plus), the 8 way mode is almost useless. I love it for 4 way mode and would recommend it for that, but the throw is so short that in 8 way mode it's hard to keep the stick out of the diagonals. Not sure if the GGG stick has the same problem.

[DiskTwo]

I think I understand. Maybe Im over thinking it a bit though. Will an 8 way stick cover any and all games  above what needs 4 way? or is there some games that the 8 way just isnt good enough for, and would require a digital?

Or is there pretty much only 4 way and 8 way, and the other sticks just handle the switching between the two better, not really improve quality, or reaction time or anything

Sorry for any dumb questions, I think this is one of the last things im confused on for my MAME machine.

[arzoo]

I think I understand. Maybe Im over thinking it a bit though. Will an 8 way stick cover any and all games  above what needs 4 way? or is there some games that the 8 way just isnt good enough for, and would require a digital?

There are definitely games that will not work with an 8-way. That being said, an 8-way is the most common stick type used by mame games. A programmable stick like the u360 is even more versatile and will cover even more games. But you'll never find one joystick for all - some games use two, others require a trigger, or rotation, etc. That's why modular control panels or mega panels are so popular.

Here's a list of game by control type...
http://fe.donkeyfly.com/controls/gamesbycontrol.php

[TheShanMan]

Yep, there are 49 way games too (road runner) which are like 8 ways but have multiple steps in each direction (i.e. 1/3 of the way up, 2/3 of the way up, or fully up), analog games (paperboy, star wars), rotational joysticks (heavy barrel), and a game that is a cross between a 4 way and an 8 way (tron). An analog stick won't cover the last 2 cases, but if you can live without the minority of games it can't do and aren't concerned about mechanical restriction, an analog stick would be a good choice for a single joystick.

And just in case it's not clear to you already... you do NOT want to use an 8 way stick for 4 way games.