Mouse Acceleration - Shuffleshot

[GameOver]

Ok I'm a new guy.  I'm having the same problem as another recent post getting 'Shuffleshot' to work.  That post said to turn off mouse acceleration to get the puck to go.  It also suggested getting a 'intellimouse' driver update if your current mouse driver didn't have a check box to turn off acceleration.  Well, mine didn't so I did, and the intellimouse driver apparently doesn't either!  

Can someone tell me how to turn off mouse acceleration so the puck in Shuffleshot will go further than 4 inches?  Or is there something else going on with Shuffleshot?  (I just wired some 12v super bright LCD's to my TB & coinslots - maybe I got a short in my brain).

[Thenasty]

in this game or any bowling game, you supposed to ROLL the trackball forward and the puck will go. If using a mouse, then just shove forward your mouse quickly so the puck goes.

[GameOver]

Ohhh....roll it forward....I thought you had to roll it backwards...

I am rolling it forward!  The puck always stops in the same place, a few inches down the board (but the trackball is still rolling (forward))

Do you have to adjust the analog settings a certain way?  I've got a Happs 3.5" trackball.

[BuZz880]

I had this same problem long ago at the time we figured our it was a limitation of my aerial based optipac.  I upgraded to USB and problem was solved.

[GameOver]

Hmmmm...that would be a bummer.  Can anyone else confirm that a mouseport based trackball/spinner interface could produce flaky results as it does in Shuffleshot?  Here's what I've got - if you've got the same, I'd be interested in hearing if you have the same problem or not.

Windows XP
Mame32 .79
Happs 3.5" trackball using Hagstrom ME4

If this is true, I would advise Mr. Sinclair to make mention of this in the next edition of his book!  Not about Shuffleshot, but about the potential limitaions of a mouse port based trackball solution (Excellent book, Mr. Sinclair.  I used it to build my cabinet.  Great fun!).

Thanks for your feedback.

[Minwah]

If this is true, I would advise Mr. Sinclair to make mention of this in the next edition of his book!  Not about Shuffleshot, but about the potential limitaions of a mouse port based trackball solution (Excellent book, Mr. Sinclair.  I used it to build my cabinet.  Great fun!).

What port are you using, PS/2?  I don't think this is a problem with the mouse port - try a different Intellimouse driver, and/or adjust the sensitivity in MAME.  Sensitivity can make a BIG difference in some games...

[GameOver]

Thanks - I adjusted the sensitivity/speed until I was blue in the face last night!  It helped some - the puck did break thru the virtual brick wall (it still hits the wall, sputters, then screams down the board).

I was hoping someone with the same set-up as me could confirm if their Shuffleshot works using this configuration.

[ErikRuud]

I have a Betson/Imperial trackball with a built in PS/2 interface and Shuffleshot runs perfectly on my machine.  Mouse acceleration must be turned off for ShuffleShot and World Class Bowling to work properly. to work properly.  I had to do the same thing on my laptop that uses an MS Intellimouse Trackball Explorer which is a USB device.

The puck gets stuck if it is not moving fast enough.

You should also try adjusting the mouse speed in your mouse driver.

Adjusting the trackball "Speed" in MAME has little to no effect on an actual trackball.  It is really for the emulation of a trackball using keyboard inputs.  The "sensitivity" does have a big effect.

Here is what the panel looks like on my mouse driver.

[johnnysmitch]

yeah, make sure you check your mouse speed in the windows control panel - i was having similar trouble, and found out in this forum that i was getting backspin on my trackball because of my mouse acceleration.  I turned my speed all the way up, and my acceleration all the way off, and it's working well for me now (except that my trackball goes dead for a few seconds every once in awhile, damn micro$oft...)

[GameOver]

Thanks Erik & Johny.

Erik - are you running Win98?  My 'mouse properties' in the control panel does not have radio buttons to adjust acceleration.  If you're running XP, please tell me what mouse driver you're using.

Can anyone out there tell me how to turn off mouse acceleration in Windows XP?

[screaming]

Can anyone out there tell me how to turn off mouse acceleration in Windows XP?

  You've searched Google, right?

-Steve

[ErikRuud]

You probably should be using this driver: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=4348502a-61be-4072-abe2-e3fc3aa0eee6&DisplayLang=en

Both of my PC's are running Win2k currently, but the GioCade machine that I built for someone else is running 98se and uses this driver.

[BuZz880]

Andy (Ultimarc) used to sell a conversion kit to upgrade your optipac to USB.  I bought one and it fixed this same problem.  It is not on his website anymore but if you have the old optipac I would send him an email and have a chit chat.

[GameOver]

Problem solved!  I think the lesson learned is there are different solutions for diff config's.  Here's my (former) problem,  config & solution;

Problem
Puck would move an inch or two down the board, then hit a virtual brick wall and stop even tho the tball was still spinning.

Config

Windows XP
Mame .79
Happs 3.5" tball thru Hagstrom ME4 via PS/2 port

Solution

Update your mouse driver to one that allows you to adjust/disable mouse acceleration.  I ended up using Logitech Mouseware driver c9.79.  An add on to this driver is 'advanced settings utilities'.  Both are available at www.Logitech.com

after installing new driver, actvate the 'advanced settings utilities', and turn off mouse acceleration

in the mouse properties on the motion tab, set the 'PS/2 Report Rate' to 80

Comments

Most of the feedback I received pointed to disabling mouse acceleration, which is very important for the overall playability of Shuffleshot, but this was not the cause of the puck getting stuck.  Only after I turned down the mouse 'report rate' from 100 to 80 did the puck get thru the virtual brick wall.  Combined with disabled mouse acceleration provides a playable game (on my cnfig anyway).  I've also found that turning down this report rate also helps in tempest (the only other game I've played so far).  The 'backspin' problem that was apparent before is now gone.  Hopefully this solution will have advantages in other games as well.

Thanks to all for the feedback.  You kept me going!  Hopefully someone else will benefit from this post.  Shuffleshot anyone?  

[electricd]

Ok I had the original question.  Now, any idea how to help me?  I have the original optipac that hooks up via Serial port.  My shuffleshot doesnt work as the puck always speeds down the lane and ALWAYS goes off the table.  I experience "backspin" in tempest as well.

[Minwah]

Ok I had the original question.  Now, any idea how to help me?  I have the original optipac that hooks up via Serial port.  My shuffleshot doesnt work as the puck always speeds down the lane and ALWAYS goes off the table.  I experience "backspin" in tempest as well.

Reduce the Sensitivity in Analog Controls (TAB menu).

[electricd]

Yea I have messed with those until my head exploded with no increase in playability.  Oh well...

[ErikRuud]

Try reducing the speed in the mouse driver.

[electricd]

I dont seem to have much control over the optipac on the serial port via the driver.  Not sure if there is a newer/better driver than the one that nativily comes with xp pro for a serial mouse or not?