Do you own a 2 button gamepad or joystick?

[idrougge]

Originally Posted by honx

amibay or here is mostly uk i assume. so shipping to austria would quite likely double the costs.

You can get one of those ugly CD32 joypads Vesalia sell.

[idrougge]

Originally Posted by Joe.

That being said... Anyone know some good vertical Scrollers that use 2 button?

Banshee.

[idrougge]

Originally Posted by alpine9000

Surely if the most perfect game ever created *cough* Turrican 2 *cough* needs the keyboard, then two buttons or one buttons + keyboard is a perfectly acceptable solution ;-)

Turrican 2 was one of the first Amiga games to support two buttons.

[BlankVector]

I use a SEGA Master System joypad and the 2 buttons work fine
See R-Type, Apidya, and Turrican there: (English subtitles available)

[ Show youtube player ]

[Swevicus]

Used to. It was a homemade 2-button arcade stick with genuine Sanwa parts, lasted me about 7 years before the case fell apart and couldn't be repaired. I didn't feel like making another because I don't think there are that many native (NOT WHDLoad) games supporting more than 1 button.

[AmigaMark]

I use a mega drive clone "16 bit" pad on my a1200 and it the game supports 2 button that seems to work. B and C - PETSCI robots i think does....

[Swevicus]

Joystick - yes, a homemade job with arcade machine parts (though I think it's a little too small, seeing as it's a bit uncomfortable even for my miniscule for an adult male hands). Gamepad - yes, an 8BitDo M30 wireless Bluetooth controller.

[stefcep2]

I use a mega drive clone "16 bit" pad on my a1200. I've been able to do better in games with one of these than I ever did with a joystick. More comfortable to use too.

[manossg]

I have a 2-button joystick, but I much prefer using my single button one.

[AmyMor]

Dual Shock 2 via Kipper2k adapter
I can't help it anymore!

[Aulapatchuc]

I have a CD32 joypad which is the most crappy joypad evar!

[fisken uno]

I own several CD32 controllers with standard DB9 connectors. One original and several Honey Bees. Also, I have several DB9>USB adapters that actually work with old Windows style USB controllers without sticks. I have a lot of those, so nice to be able to use them in case the Honey Bees will give up one day (which I'm sure they eventually will).

So I have to say I am very grateful when I find WHDload installs with multi- or two button support.

[Photon]

Yes, there are some things to consider.

I have multiple 3-button joysticks and gamepads, as well as multiple 2-button joysticks and gamepads.

For some of mine, Fire2 also triggers "up" via a switch. Same for Fire3+down. (To jump and open things, because so few games supported Fire2+3.)

Up to jump made it harder to time and hit when you wanted to jump, and it was more difficult to avoid when you didn't. Many joysticks were hopeless.

I think every new game should support Fire2+3 for useful things (like separate jump button), even if it doesn't need them for extra functions. It will make the game more enjoyable.

Take as example a classic platformer with "up" to open door, open chest, climb ladder, and jump.

If you do replace a direction (like up) with a button (e.g. for jump), you can make it automatically ignore the direction (for jump). What this will do is allow to climb ladders with up, which feels natural, and jump with a separate button, which also feels natural.

E.g. it would feel weird if you outright replaced it for all functions, because then you would have to hold Fire2 to climb ladders.

But this is just smart tuning, trying your game with some different controllers and making it feel nice to play. (I.e. this code should be in the game loop, not in the joystick routine.)

Hope all this makes sense. I tried to write lots of detailed ideas, but generally you can replace it with the last paragraph. Make controls as nice as you can, and more people will enjoy it.

[alexh]

Most adapters these days support CD32 serial protocol for more buttons

[Photon]

Regarding controller criticism: you should hear the feedback from players today with latest XBox and PlayStation

Yes, I haven't seen a decent CD32 controller.

I definitely recommend supporting multiple buttons on CD32 of course. You could add the special code for it as option, and then it could be played on them.

Volumes could be written on the topic of why so few decent controllers or joysticks. I think we know most of the various form factors that don't perform so well, or only for specific games.

I think (S)NES controllers are the best ones, because you can hold your thumb across the - of the DPad, and this is good for horizontal games (platformers, hack n slash). And the other thumb across two buttons also horizontally. Very comfy. NES is better than SNES here.

Then there are the other configurations. And the DPad and buttons are always weirdly placed so your thumb is offset and slanted across DPad and buttons. Megadrive type controllers are like CD32 I guess, you have to move your thumb = no chording (like the vital B+A on NES) or twitch/strum (like for Tetris).

DPad as separate buttons is kinda misguided... maybe forced from some old patent fight?

Best would be like a Gulikit but for Playstation and with 2 DPads instead of analogs and move the analog sticks up.

Joysticks with hard-to-hit diagonals, or floppy slapsticks like Sanwa with ghost triggers... volumes, I tell you...

Best is just a board with some holes for joystick and buttons (both Happ).

It's maybe OT, but also a bit relevant because you don't know what people will use to play your game, so you should have a precise joystick or controller and a few crappy ones like Tac-2 or creaky pilot joystick to see if you require some movements (or button chording) that are frustrating to "get". At some point the game must rule and ppl must get a decent controller or joystick, but you can get some "A-ha!" moment to maybe change some movements or put an option (like e.g. rotate stick for blast in Battle Squadron which is not easy to do consistently, so another option would be nice).

Some games after 1990 supported 2+ buttons like Mega Typhoon, Snow Bros.

[eXeler0]

I have a bunch of gamepads but I dont think I have a 2 button joystick.
Some games are barely playable with a gamepad. Tried the awful Kick Off 3 the other day and noticed it requires a 2 button stick or pad.
My goal was to mod a Wico Bathandle so that the second button is wired to a secondary fire….

[Snoopy1234]

Yes - SIGMA 1001 and Coleco Paddle.