12 replies to this topic

[lucifershalo]

is it me or the sounds on Live Arcade classic version of Tempest are different than the original ones?

[moycon]

No clue. I wouldn't purchase an arcade port of the original Tempest without a spinner controller.

[Hyper_Eye]

moycon, on Wed Oct 21, 2009 2:39 PM, said:

No clue. I wouldn't purchase an arcade port of the original Tempest without a spinner controller.

http://www.planetxbo...amestick_Review

[moycon]

Hyper_Eye, on Wed Oct 21, 2009 2:52 PM, said:

http://www.planetxbo...amestick_Review

Not so sure I'd call that a spinner control so much as maybe a travesty.

[HammR25]

moycon, on Wed Oct 21, 2009 2:58 PM, said:

Hyper_Eye, on Wed Oct 21, 2009 2:52 PM, said:

http://www.planetxbo...amestick_Review

Not so sure I'd call that a spinner control so much as maybe a travesty.

Yeah it's suppose to be pretty bad.

[Atariboy]

Yeah, it's not a true analog spinner. It's just mapped to left and right on the d-pad.

[cimerians]

Someone needs to invent a paddle controller for modern systems and have devs develope for it.

[bloodreptile]

HammR25, on Wed Oct 21, 2009 3:24 PM, said:

moycon, on Wed Oct 21, 2009 2:58 PM, said:

Hyper_Eye, on Wed Oct 21, 2009 2:52 PM, said:

http://www.planetxbo...amestick_Review

Not so sure I'd call that a spinner control so much as maybe a travesty.

Yeah it's suppose to be pretty bad.

Words cannot describe how bad this controller is. I was playing gyruss and thought what could improve this game. Better and closer control might get me to mars. Not with the mad catz arcade stick. It is so sluggish to render it unusable. I borrowed a pal's controller he desribed it as poo as well.

[RARusk]

Atariboy, on Wed Oct 21, 2009 7:15 PM, said:

Yeah, it's not a true analog spinner. It's just mapped to left and right on the d-pad.

I have one of these and opened it up. It uses a mechanical encoder similar to ones normally used for "Tempest 2000" rotary controller hacks.

And the rotary controller code for T2K also maps the encoder to the left and right to the Jag's D-Pad similar to what the MadCatz Pad does for the X360.

Right now I am trying to make a circuit to "translate" the signals from an optical encoder to a mechanical one for my T2K optical rotary controller to remove the last bugs from it. If I can get this to work for T2K then it can also work for "Tempest" (XBL) using the MadCatz Pad as the base unit for the rotary controller to plug into. Then you can use something like a Slik-Stik (arcade style optical rotary encoder for "Tempest" cabinets or MAME) to play the XBL version.

Then all will be right with the world.

[Crazy Climber]

R.A.Rusk, on Tue Mar 2, 2010 10:46 PM, said:

Atariboy, on Wed Oct 21, 2009 7:15 PM, said:

Yeah, it's not a true analog spinner. It's just mapped to left and right on the d-pad.

I have one of these and opened it up. It uses a mechanical encoder similar to ones normally used for "Tempest 2000" rotary controller hacks.

And the rotary controller code for T2K also maps the encoder to the left and right to the Jag's D-Pad similar to what the MadCatz Pad does for the X360.

Right now I am trying to make a circuit to "translate" the signals from an optical encoder to a mechanical one for my T2K optical rotary controller to remove the last bugs from it. If I can get this to work for T2K then it can also work for "Tempest" (XBL) using the MadCatz Pad as the base unit for the rotary controller to plug into. Then you can use something like a Slik-Stik (arcade style optical rotary encoder for "Tempest" cabinets or MAME) to play the XBL version.

Then all will be right with the world.

Any update on this?

[RARusk]

No.

I am having trouble trying to get help on the first part of the circuit (which is to mimic the detents found on mechanical encoders). But I could get a copy of "Tempest" and do a quick hook-up to the MadCatz controller with my current optical encoder to see if the concept works regardless of any additional clean-up circuitry.

[RARusk]

I acquired "Tempest" and gave the controller a try to see this for myself.

After playing around with it I have come to the conclusion that my idea can't work. The reason is that the shooter can only move at a fixed rate of speed because of how the controls are.

The spinner on the MadCatz fakes a rotary controller but cannot make it go any faster than what is programmed for the buttons that it is hooked up to. If you you spin it real fast, just like you could on the real deal, all you're going to do is make it spaz in place because the game was not programmed for a real rotary controller - buttons only.

Even if you use the analog sticks you still move at the same fixed rate of speed.

And since the XBL version of "Tempest" is not programmed for a rotary, unlike "Tempest 2000" (Jaguar) which has the hidden option for one, then there is no way to make one work. And I doubt very seriously that the programmers had any foresight to replicate the hidden rotary option that was in T2K. Although I will probably send them an e-mail to ask about the game.

[Video]

R.A.Rusk, on Sun Mar 21, 2010 9:58 AM, said:

I acquired "Tempest" and gave the controller a try to see this for myself.

After playing around with it I have come to the conclusion that my idea can't work. The reason is that the shooter can only move at a fixed rate of speed because of how the controls are.

The spinner on the MadCatz fakes a rotary controller but cannot make it go any faster than what is programmed for the buttons that it is hooked up to. If you you spin it real fast, just like you could on the real deal, all you're going to do is make it spaz in place because the game was not programmed for a real rotary controller - buttons only.

Even if you use the analog sticks you still move at the same fixed rate of speed.

And since the XBL version of "Tempest" is not programmed for a rotary, unlike "Tempest 2000" (Jaguar) which has the hidden option for one, then there is no way to make one work. And I doubt very seriously that the programmers had any foresight to replicate the hidden rotary option that was in T2K. Although I will probably send them an e-mail to ask about the game.

Well, that's probably more to do with the game itself than the controller. I'd be willing to bet the controller will actually pulse out Left Left+right Right Nothing as fast (or slow) as you spin it, but if the game isn't programmed to read it, it'll flake.

Now I won't swear, I haven't seen the controller (in person) but it could be hardware programmed to act at only a certain speed....and that would be just dumbass shit.