Why is the star wars yoke so popular?

[Generic Eric]

Why is the star wars yoke so popular?

Are the other yokes just not sold(or auctioned off) as much?

Is it the style?

Is it the "hack-ablility" of the star wars yoke that makes it so popular?

I saw another cockpit game that had a yoke that you pushed into the control panel instead of turning the handles towards the control panel.

[paigeoliver]

Star wars was the most common game that had a yoke.

Color vector games have a HUGE rate of monitor failure. A replacement monitor (which can also fail at any time) costs almost as much as the game is worth.

Star Wars machines were not very likely candidates for conversion. Wierd controls, vector monitor, etc, made them likely to just sit in storage rather than get that new Final Fight kit.

So, with 12695 Star Wars machines produced, and perhaps 500 working monitors left, that leaves 12195 yokes to get sold off.


Also, on a related issue. I have no idea why Atari vector boardsets are worth anything at all. Almost all the Atari vector games had huge runs, and defective monitors, the monitors are the problems, not the boardsets.

[Xiaou2]

 Actually,  

  Its because the game kicks some serious --I'm attempting to get by the auto-censor and should be beaten after I re-read the rules--!   And to be able to play it correctly, you really need the same type of controller.

  The push-pull type of yoke feels completely different and is not good for this type of game as its too slow and clucky.

  Starwars yokes have grips that move back/forward, and so it makes targeting/flight  easy, accurate and lightning fast.
   

[rampy]

Well... I'm  sure in 20 years people making MAME cabinets will all be clamouring over the "nimbus 2000 stick" to play some harry potter game "just like in the arcade"

Ditto what xioa2 said...

I loved star wars as a kid (ok and still do -- but I stopped making lightsaber noises... no reallly..) and that game at the time seemed pretty close to the experience and was fun to play... and it's not the same without correct controls (which is why one's motivated to buid mame cabinets in the first place... pacman is no fun no a keyboard....by extension Star Wars isn't as fun with a trackball/analog stick)

There were other jokes that'll suffice (but not the push pull kind):  turbo sub prototype yokes, stunn runner yokes, and hydra yokes... =P

rampy

[1UP]

I think when we say "Star Wars yoke" we really mean "Atari X-Y yoke".  The same yoke was used on many other games like Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Stun Runner, and I think Road Blasters too...  As far as I know, it first appeared on Star Wars, but was based on some prototype controls for Battle Zone.  Since Star Wars was the most famous game to use the yoke design, that's what we call it!

As to why it's so popular -- it was simply one of the most accurate analog controllers ever conceived!  It allowed stabile, accurate, fast two-handed aiming.  In MAME, it doubles as a limited-range steering wheel, motorcycle handlebars with throttle, flight stick, or even as a pot-based gun!  It works in many other games than the ones intended (Spy Hunter is a good one, allowing you to steer with the X-axis, and accelerate with the Y-axis, while the 4 trigger buttons give you your machine guns and van button.)  It's just a darn good controller to have!  It is so choice...if you have the means, I highly recommend you pick one up...  Chicka-chikow.  Oh yeah...  

[Tiger-Heli]

Road Blasters too...  

Road Blasters was optical, FWIW

[1UP]

Road Blasters too...  

Road Blasters was optical, FWIW

My bad.  But the cool thing about MAME is that it really doesn't matter!  You have a choice (usually) of using analog OR optical...  So a Star Wars yoke should still work.

[Tiger-Heli]

Road Blasters too...  

Road Blasters was optical, FWIW

My bad.  But the cool thing about MAME is that it really doesn't matter!  You have a choice (usually) of using analog OR optical...  So a Star Wars yoke should still work.

No problem, I always used to forget that too.

Whether it matters depends on your interpretation - - -

I think Roadblasters in MAME will play just fine with a SW yoke.  I think I've used an analog joystick with it and it did alright.

However, I don't think a Roadblasters yoke will play very well in games that want a yoke.  I know JoeyH used optics in his home made yoke and said he would use pots if he ever rebuilt it.  And I don't think SW plays well with a mouse.

I was mainly pointing it out so people don't go buying a RoadBlasters yoke on E-bay and then finding out it only works for a couple of games.  Also, I'm not sure if Hydra and Stun Runner used the full Y-axis, but it was covered in a previous thread.

[1UP]

Good point.

[rampy]

Road Blasters too...  

Road Blasters was optical, FWIW

My bad.  But the cool thing about MAME is that it really doesn't matter!  You have a choice (usually) of using analog OR optical...  So a Star Wars yoke should still work.

I was mainly pointing it out so people don't go buying a RoadBlasters yoke on E-bay and then finding out it only works for a couple of games.  Also, I'm not sure if Hydra and Stun Runner used the full Y-axis, but it was covered in a previous thread.

FWIW I'm *pretty* sure hydra and stunn had y axis... or are you implying that they had Y axis movement but it wasn't the same "travel" as a SW yoke?

Also I believe they (stunn/hydra)  lack the thumb buttons (nothying a little ingenuity couldn't fix)... YMMV as I don't own either ... and klov has been wrong before =P

rampy

[u_rebelscum]

Road Blasters too...  

Road Blasters was optical, FWIW

My bad.  But the cool thing about MAME is that it really doesn't matter!  You have a choice (usually) of using analog OR optical...  So a Star Wars yoke should still work.

No problem, I always used to forget that too.

Whether it matters depends on your interpretation - - -

I think Roadblasters in MAME will play just fine with a SW yoke.  I think I've used an analog joystick with it and it did alright.

Actually, Road Blasters plays pretty poorly with analog inputs.  Mame treats analog inputs as a digital input for dial and trackball types.  So an analog input works as poorly as a keyboard or 8way input in steering Road Blasters.

Analog inputs and lightgun type work well, however, as do trackball inputs for AD stick type or any optical input for an analog type.

[rampy]

Road Blasters too...  

Road Blasters was optical, FWIW

My bad.  But the cool thing about MAME is that it really doesn't matter!  You have a choice (usually) of using analog OR optical...  So a Star Wars yoke should still work.

No problem, I always used to forget that too.

Whether it matters depends on your interpretation - - -

I think Roadblasters in MAME will play just fine with a SW yoke.  I think I've used an analog joystick with it and it did alright.

Actually, Road Blasters plays pretty poorly with analog inputs.  Mame treats analog inputs as a digital input for dial and trackball types.  So an analog input works as poorly as a keyboard or 8way input in steering Road Blasters.

Analog inputs and lightgun type work well, however, as do trackball inputs for AD stick type or any optical input for an analog type.

Well.. if one were to use a dual strike hack as the interface to the yoke, and used the dual strike software to tell it to act as a "mouse" interface it would work better than digital?

*shrug*  I guess I could get off my butt and try it... nah!

rampy

[Minwah]

The RoadBlasters controller only has an X-Axis, combined with the optical-ness of it makes it pretty useless for most other game (in standard form) IMO.

I have one that I plan to use for of course RoadBlasters (one of my favorites), but I am also *trying* to add a bracket, some gears and a pot so it can be used for other ~270deg wheel games.  I think it'll work, and it should be cool

[1UP]

Yes, the mouse mode in Dual Strike should work well for games that were originally optical.  For steering wheel games there are also the "spin zones" on the DS, so when you hit the end of your turning limits, it continues to send signals as if you're still spinning the wheel beyond its limits!

[Tiger-Heli]

Road Blasters too...  

Road Blasters was optical, FWIW

My bad.  But the cool thing about MAME is that it really doesn't matter!  You have a choice (usually) of using analog OR optical...  So a Star Wars yoke should still work.

I was mainly pointing it out so people don't go buying a RoadBlasters yoke on E-bay and then finding out it only works for a couple of games.  Also, I'm not sure if Hydra and Stun Runner used the full Y-axis, but it was covered in a previous thread.

FWIW I'm *pretty* sure hydra and stunn had y axis... or are you implying that they had Y axis movement but it wasn't the same "travel" as a SW yoke?

Also I believe they (stunn/hydra)  lack the thumb buttons (nothying a little ingenuity couldn't fix)... YMMV as I don't own either ... and klov has been wrong before =P

rampy

I think you're right about the thumb buttons.  There was a post implying that StunR only had Y-Axis down and not up, but I don't remember the outcome.  I was mainly trying to point out that the other yokes were similar, but not identical.

[Chris]

Actually, Road Blasters plays pretty poorly with analog inputs.  Mame treats analog inputs as a digital input for dial and trackball types.  So an analog input works as poorly as a keyboard or 8way input in steering Road Blasters.

That explains a lot... I was wondering why RoadBlasters wouldn't play well with my Thrustmaster wheel...