Everyone told me so. 4-way sticks rock! I shoulda listened sooner!

[chemame]

Budget problems have me always on the receiving end of charitable donors and castoffs...

Well, last week someone casted off a dedicated 4-way stick. As luck had it, I had a pushbutton mounted dead center of my panel, so I removed it, dropped in the 4-way, and mirrored all the lines from the P1 8-way...

WOW. WOW, HOLY COW. For the first time in years, I'm blown away.

Why a simple thing like a dedicated 4-way makes such a difference is hard to explain, but I truly feel like I never had true PacMan/MsPac etc emulation before this weekend. Clowns never laughed before, beanstalks never grew.

I find my playing style even changes on the 4-way. It's not just an accuracy issue. I totally forgot that, on a true Pac machine, I change directions BEFORE I get to a turn, not AT the turn. With the 8-way, it's too sloppy, and I wasn't doing this. With the 4-way, you feel it engage in the limiter *CLUNK* and it's just soooooo cool.

Anyway, this is to say THANKS to everyone who had me believing it was the way to go, and to admit that I wish I'd dumped the money into one sooner, and to tell everyone who doesn't have a dedicated 4-way to get one ASAP.

Chemame

[TheBrokentoken]

Who is the manufacturer and what model is your 4-way joystick?

Thanks.

[erictrumpet]

When I first discovered MAME and built my first desktop controller I used only one stick -- a Galaga/MsPac Reunion, and I have been a 4-way lover ever since. The move-the-stick-before-the-turn technique is crucial to real success in PacMan, and the 4-way precision in games like DK is an absolute necessity. Glad you finally discovered the magic of a true 4-way! (and in my experience, the switchables are OK but not the "real thing" -- a true dedicated 4-way is the ticket)

Eric.

[mahuti]

A switchable stick IS a true 4-way stick... they have a diamond restrictor, just like like a "dedicated" 4-way. So what SPECIFIC stick are you referring to that is so much better? Just for the record I'd like to know. 

[erictrumpet]

I know the switchables are real 4-ways, they just don't feel the same because they have compromises with range of motion and other factors -- at least the ones I've seen are like that -- there might very well be some excellent ones, but I never came across one that was truly a perfect alternative to a dedicated 4-way. As for the SPECIFIC 4-way stick I prefer, as I mentioned in my post I use the Galaga/MsPac Reunion. $25 from HAPP or less from PonyBoy

Eric.

[mahuti]

good to know.

[erictrumpet]

Yep.

P.S. Nice looking "Defendercade" Mahuti

Eric.