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Main => Software Forum => Topic started by: D10 on July 02, 2005, 12:27:40 am

Title: Trackball settings?
Post by: D10 on July 02, 2005, 12:27:40 am
I just connected my Wico trackball via a mouse hack and everything works OK on most games I tested. I tested it in a few games like Shuuzs, centipede, and such and it works fine.

 However I tried using in on shuffleboard (bullseye game) and it worked, but no matter how hard I spun the track ball the puck will not cross the second line right next to the target. Its like it just runs out of steam before it gets to the line. I am using Mame32 and did not see any place to adjust the mouse sensitivity within MAME so I used the mouse settings within Windows, set to full fast or slow there was no difference in the outcome.

Since I have just hooked up the trackball I didn't know if this was normal for this particular game, or if there was something I needed to adjust.

D10


I just noticed I probably posted this in the wrong forum. If this needs to go to the main forum could a mod move it?
Thanks..
Title: Re: Trackball settings?
Post by: Howard_Casto on July 02, 2005, 06:19:57 pm
No it's software related.... you are good.  :)


Well each trackball is different depending upon the interface, but I can tell you that shuffleshot and marble maddness in particular usually require a good deal of tweaking.  So you aren't alone.  the games probably used odd optics (or interfaces to the optics) which ramped up the signal quite a bit. 
Title: Re: Trackball settings?
Post by: StLouisRod on August 21, 2005, 11:14:22 am
You need to dry a different mouse driver, such as Microsoft's or Logitech's. Then fire up the control panel mouse software and disable acceleration. If you are using a PS2 port mouse, also try changing the poll rate. I think only the Logitech driver gives you that option, though, so try it first.

There is a freeware PS2 poll rate changer available on the web as well. You can make that PS2 mouse more smooth than a USB mouse if you want!

I struggled with the Shuffleshot dilemna for a long time and a combination of drivers along with the poll rate change made it play perfectly for me  :angel:
Title: Re: Trackball settings?
Post by: u_rebelscum on August 22, 2005, 02:37:31 pm
... but I can tell you that shuffleshot and marble maddness in particular usually require a good deal of tweaking.  So you aren't alone.  the games probably used odd optics (or interfaces to the optics) which ramped up the signal quite a bit. 

FWIW, marble madness probably needs the tuning because it had the TBs rotated 45 degrees from normal, with both rollers on the bottom 45 degrees from horizontal: \/ vs the normal _|.  This was great for MM, since most of the movement is toward the bottom of the screen, and the playing field was also at a 45 degree isometric view.  Mame converts the normal (x,y) mouse/TB movements to the game's (downleft,downright) in the driver.

FWIW 2:  Is it possible to mount your TB in the MM 45 degree way and use it in mame and PC? 
IMO, sort of. ;D
If you only want to use it for MM, you could just remove mame's (x,y) translation and just go with that.  This would be the most accurate to the original machine. :)
OTOH, if you want to use it for windows and other mame games, the driver will to translate the input to normal (x,y) coordinates (which some drivers can do).  However MM mame will need to translate it back.  This will worse than the current tuning, I bet. :(