Do I really need a four way joystick?

[rackoon]

Ok here is the deal. I am already building a three sided cocktail cab with four way, eight way, and a 360 ect..   Im a pureist.

But I am also building a bar top for my class room.

 I teach really bad kids that only work for free time playing video games on computers.  I decided to build a cab that took tokens and I would be able to regulate their free time. Regardless, If they have never played a arcade game with a four way will they notice or will they pick up a desk and smash the thing from frustration (not kidding)?

[drventure]

Sounds to me like +they+ are the ones that need to be building the cab. they might not want to smash if they've got skin in the game.

[Beretta]

well from the sound of things i wouldn't wanna be that bartop 4 way or not.

but if you're gonna be playing a 4 way game ya, you need a 4 way they can be played with a 8 way but if you hit a diagonal you'll get nothing, very frustrating.

so if you're going with 4 way games then get a 4 way if you're going with a 8 way then use a 8 way.

4 ways suck for 8 way games and vis versa.

there are some sticks out there that can be switched easily into either mode..
the mag-stick plus can be switch form the top of the panel by pulling up and twisting the joy stick to switch modes.. http://www.ultimarc.com/controls.html

sounds nice but iirc i read it has a short throw.. and i hate short throw sticks.. but the 4/8 way flexibility is mighty tasty.

[Queeg]

I agree, playing a four way game with an 8 way stick is incredibly annoying and frustrating. i can actively try to not hit diagonals while I'm playing for a while, but years of d-pad game playing (which is what kids will be used to) instinctly make me hit diagonals, which do.......nothing.

On another note if I was a kid and got sight of any game playing contraption I had not seen before I would be ecstatic and not bothered by possible poor control.

[GaryMcT]

If you can afford an ultrastik 360 for it I would put that on there to cover all bases. Works great for 4-way. 

[XeviouS]

there are some sticks out there that can be switched easily into either mode..
the mag-stick plus can be switch form the top of the panel by pulling up and twisting the joy stick to switch modes.. http://www.ultimarc.com/controls.html

sounds nice but iirc i read it has a short throw.. and i hate short throw sticks.. but the 4/8 way flexibility is mighty tasty.

I also think the Magstick Plus is a good option, and if it's on the machine when it's built then the kids won't know the difference between the short throw and the long throw.

I've said it before, but when I got my MagStick Plus I hated the short throw - within a few weeks I grew to love it and wouldn't want to go back. It works beautifully on both four-way and eight-way games, and is exceptionally easy to swap between the two modes.

But won't the kids pick up a desk and smash the cab anyway when they find it won't play the latest Xbox 360 games? 

[Ginsu Victim]

Kids won't know to switch from 4 to 8-way with a magstick, though. They'll fire up Donkey Kong in 8-way mode and say, "DIS IZ TEH SUX! WARE IZ COD4?!?"

[severdhed]

the u360s do work great as a universal stick.  from what i can tell, they are only real option if you want a single stick that can do everything well, without anyone having to switch anything.  you just walk up to it, launch the game, and it just works the right way.

however they are not cheap, and if you are worried about people playing rough with the cab, might not be worth the risk. 

the other option would be to build two bartops

i'd do one with a horizontal monitor, 2 8way sticks and a bunch of buttons, and a second one with a vertical monitor, 1 4way stick and a button or two.

the 4way cab would have a much smaller set of playable games, but most of the good classics would be playable on it.

[rackoon]

Yo Drventure, I am having some of the the kids help me build the cab. It will create some ownership for some, but that just makes it a target for others. Lets just say "meth is a bad drug." Regardless I will give my principal a list of money I put into it so I can get it back if it gets smashed.

Regardless. it sounds like I should put a four way in the middle of my panel. I have magstick  or a 360, but I think it would be just another thing for them to mess with.

Thanks for the comments guys. To tell you the truth I dont know how these kids are going to react to a game that gets harder fast because it wants another quarter. It might tick em off. I guess Ill find out.  

[mvsfan]

Yo Drventure, I am having some of the the kids help me build the cab. It will create some ownership for some, but that just makes it a target for others. Lets just say "meth is a bad drug." Regardless I will give my principal a list of money I put into it so I can get it back if it gets smashed.

Regardless. it sounds like I should put a four way in the middle of my panel. I have magstick  or a 360, but I think it would be just another thing for them to mess with.

Thanks for the comments guys. To tell you the truth I dont know how these kids are going to react to a game that gets harder fast because it wants another quarter. It might tick em off. I guess Ill find out.  

yeah they dont make dip switches for nothing.

when i first set up my cabinet i set everything to hardest to give me a challenge. i really didnt think at the time that everyone else would like it too. i built the thing for myself really.

eventually my nephew got a favorite game and was complaining that it was too hard.
i also got a lot of other complaints that things were too hard so i set it all to easiest. anyway then i was getting just about anyone who walked up telling me they beat the game and it was too easy.

ive learned a lot.

you definately need to set difficulty on a game to game basis.

point is you can access virtual dips for difficulty level and other things in each game by pressing Tab or F2 depending on the game.

[drventure]

Hey Rackoon

All I can say is my hat's off to you    Even if only one or two of those kids light up and take on an engineering route, I'd say that might be worth a trashed cab.

The best of luck to you!

[rackoon]

Well, most will probaly go into construction, or prision, but I do have one kid who wants be an engineer. One of the only students who isnt a drug addict. 

He is a nerd who simply stabbed a bullly.    

Yea, I know.

[Ummon]

What happened to Vision Quest?

[mytymaus007]

get a midway original pacman 4 way leaf switch jooystick it the best all around 4 way and its critical if you play fast pacman, im sure the kids will be smashing the glass top if they meant to up and the 8 way stick made them go left