Control board, spinner + 4 way

[Dafu]

I see a lot of CPs feature two joysticks, trackball, spinner and 4 way. What games is the spinner + 4way used for? I was not planning on putting a 4 way in my CP, what will I miss out on?

[HanoiBoi]

Hey Dafu,

A lot of people like to have a dedicated 4-way for games like Pac Man, Ms Pac Man, Donkey Kong, Elevator Action, etc.  Using an 8 way for those might sound good in theory, but really is erratic in controls.  What many do, and what I'd recommend is to get a joystick that is switchable from 4way to 8way.  Mag Stik Plus is a nice one that allows switching from the top (joystick itself) rather than needing to open the control panel.

As far as the spinner goes, you'd miss out on some popular games such as Tempest, Arkanoid (all 'break out' type games) and Tron.

A popular spinner is the Turbo Twist 2.  My understanding is that it can be mounted in the same size hole as a pushbutton so really, it doesn't take up too much real estate on your CP.

HanoiBoi

[supadave]

You could also try this, which is what I do.. 
http://headsoft.com.au/index.php?category=mame&page=joymap

Instead of installing a dedicated 4-way, you can map your 8 way to act as a 4way on 4way based games. Once I figured out this software I found that it worked just fine and I didn't need to mess with a dedicated 4 way stick. Keeps your control panel clean and it allows those 4 way games to work great.. Just takes a little time to set up for each of the 4way games but it's worth it IMO.

[Dafu]

I was planning on 2 U360s in my build, which are analog. While they can restrict to 4 way they don't do so physically, only by software, which is not the same thing. I added a 4/8way mag-stik to my order:)

[supadave]

I was planning on 2 U360s in my build, which are analog. While they can restrict to 4 way they don't do so physically, only by software, which is not the same thing. I added a 4/8way mag-stik to my order:)

You say not physically.. I don't really understand that cause my 4 way leaf on my dedicated pac moves and feels just like the 8 way leaf does on my TMNT.. It's just a matter of the contact being made on the leafs which is determined by actuators and such. The feeling is no different.. 4 ways feel the same as 8 ways it's all about contact being made. Therefore, by programming an 8 way through software for specific 4 way games will give it a natural feel and saves space on a control panel. Just takes time to program each 4 way game. I don't know if this works for multicade jamma boards but it will definetly work for PC based mame rigs.

[CheffoJeffo]

You say not physically.. I don't really understand that cause my 4 way leaf on my dedicated pac moves and feels just like the 8 way leaf does on my TMNT.. It's just a matter of the contact being made on the leafs which is determined by actuators and such. The feeling is no different.. 4 ways feel the same as 8 ways it's all about contact being made. Therefore, by programming an 8 way through software for specific 4 way games will give it a natural feel and saves space on a control panel. Just takes time to program each 4 way game. I don't know if this works for multicade jamma boards but it will definetly work for PC based mame rigs.

I pretty much totally disagree.

My dedicated Pac stick has a very different feel from an 8-way Wico (which is my favourite of all sticks and is what I presume you have in your TMNT).

Contact is not just determined by actuators, but also by restrictors -- that is why a 4-way Wico feels different than an 8-way Wico and why they have different bases.

The most obvious example can be felt by comparing a Donkey Kong stick to a VS stick.

[supadave]

You say not physically.. I don't really understand that cause my 4 way leaf on my dedicated pac moves and feels just like the 8 way leaf does on my TMNT.. It's just a matter of the contact being made on the leafs which is determined by actuators and such. The feeling is no different.. 4 ways feel the same as 8 ways it's all about contact being made. Therefore, by programming an 8 way through software for specific 4 way games will give it a natural feel and saves space on a control panel. Just takes time to program each 4 way game. I don't know if this works for multicade jamma boards but it will definetly work for PC based mame rigs.

I pretty much totally disagree.

My dedicated Pac stick has a very different feel from an 8-way Wico (which is my favourite of all sticks and is what I presume you have in your TMNT).

Contact is not just determined by actuators, but also by restrictors -- that is why a 4-way Wico feels different than an 8-way Wico and why they have different bases.

The most obvious example can be felt by comparing a Donkey Kong stick to a VS stick.

I believe that the feel might just be reletive to the joystick size as well. I took a look when I got home last night cause I was curious. Motion and Movement is very much so the same although the shorter joystick on the Pac did give it a more precise feel. To each his own is what I say. I believe that software programming an 8 way works and controls just fine but might lack the short stubby 4 way feel a bit but not enough to make me want to add more joysticks to my mame control panel. The TMNT does have the 4 way wico leafs and let me tell you it was a pain finding those for the restoration but well worth it.  All in all, it's all about having fun and doing it the way that makes you happy.