Pads Vs. Sticks

[Rain.Dog505]

Greetings!

I have a very quick though likely subjective question. I just recently discovered Kaillera netplay for MAME (and more specifically MKII) and have been enjoying my time (and losses) spent playing on the net.

Though I HIGHLY doubt my growing pains associated with playing actually competitive players is associated with this; I am beginning to wonder what is the preferred input device for MK2 Kaillera. I am currently using a Logitech Precision USB gamepad (it resembles a digital PSX controller...the "classic" grey without the protruding analog nubs). This is my default emulator pad used for casual games of Joust, Mappy, and so on and so forth. Would it be worth my money to invest in a "fight stick"? If so, any recommendations? While it MUST be compatible with MAME 32 and Windows 7...it would be a sweet bonus for this stick to include dual functionality with my PS3 as well.

Thanks in advance
Rain

 

[yugimonz]

I use a Ps2 pad with a converter like this one

 

[wazz]

all those pads suck. I hate the d pad on those


I also use ps2 controller with this usb adapter/converter

U can get these adapters very cheap on ebay/amazon

I didnt use the cd that came wit the adapter. Jus plug and play. when u plug it in. it installs the driver. simple has that

 

[Dark_Rob]

Greetings!

I have a very quick though likely subjective question. I just recently discovered Kaillera netplay for MAME (and more specifically MKII) and have been enjoying my time (and losses) spent playing on the net.

Though I HIGHLY doubt my growing pains associated with playing actually competitive players is associated with this; I am beginning to wonder what is the preferred input device for MK2 Kaillera. I am currently using a Logitech Precision USB gamepad (it resembles a digital PSX controller...the "classic" grey without the protruding analog nubs). This is my default emulator pad used for casual games of Joust, Mappy, and so on and so forth. Would it be worth my money to invest in a "fight stick"? If so, any recommendations? While it MUST be compatible with MAME 32 and Windows 7...it would be a sweet bonus for this stick to include dual functionality with my PS3 as well.

Thanks in advance
Rain

This is an ages old question. And it usually goes something like this. The old school stick players will almost always say use a stick. Its what the game was designed to play on. They will argue that a stick affords more precision and that its easier having all the buttons in front of you and be able to use all your fingers on the buttons as opposed to just your thumb using a pad.

The pad players will say they can do anything a stick player can do and that using a pad is just whats more comfortable for them. Its what they learned on and its what works best for them. They will usually say use whatever is most comfortable for you to use.

I play on a stick and for me its all I can play fighters on. I learned UMK3 on a stick and its ingrained so much into my head I couldnt imagine playing any other way.
However we just had a major UMK3 tournament at NEC and the top 5 was crammed with some of the sickest players to ever pick up a pad and the 1st place winner used the most unorthodox stick layout Ive ever seen in an MK game.
In the end the statement of "use whatever your most comfortable with" rings true to me. If youve been using a pad for a long time, keep using it. Using a stick will not make you any better at the game. If you take to it eventually your execution may improve some. But the same thing will happen if you keep practicing on the pad.

If you do switch to stick I suggest looking at www.arcadeinabox.com Hands down they make the highest quality sticks out there. They arent cheap, but then nothing good ever is. They can make sticks for PS3 or Xbox 360, and also dual system sticks that work on both platforms. All AIAB sticks also work with PC.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Rain.Dog505]

This is an ages old question. And it usually goes something like this. The old school stick players will almost always say use a stick. Its what the game was designed to play on. They will argue that a stick affords more precision and that its easier having all the buttons in front of you and be able to use all your fingers on the buttons as opposed to just your thumb using a pad.

The pad players will say they can do anything a stick player can do and that using a pad is just whats more comfortable for them. Its what they learned on and its what works best for them. They will usually say use whatever is most comfortable for you to use.

I play on a stick and for me its all I can play fighters on. I learned UMK3 on a stick and its ingrained so much into my head I couldnt imagine playing any other way.
However we just had a major UMK3 tournament at NEC and the top 5 was crammed with some of the sickest players to ever pick up a pad and the 1st place winner used the most unorthodox stick layout Ive ever seen in an MK game.
In the end the statement of "use whatever your most comfortable with" rings true to me. If youve been using a pad for a long time, keep using it. Using a stick will not make you any better at the game. If you take to it eventually your execution may improve some. But the same thing will happen if you keep practicing on the pad.

If you do switch to stick I suggest looking at www.arcadeinabox.com Hands down they make the highest quality sticks out there. They arent cheap, but then nothing good ever is. They can make sticks for PS3 or Xbox 360, and also dual system sticks that work on both platforms. All AIAB sticks also work with PC.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Thanks for this insightful reply Dark_Rob. I sort of knew when I posted this question that I was going to get a stalemate response. The biggest problems I face on my pad are two fold: mushy d-pad input and difficulty maintaining my ability to execute commands when holding down a face button (as in buffering a bicycle kick or ground punch). I imagine playing with a stick would alleviate my troubles with the later as it would be easy to use my pinky finger to hold down LK while still being fairly nimble with my other fingers. The mushy d-pad issue, seen most notable with difficulties with sudden down, up movements for teleports. While my d-pad may not be the greatest in the world, this issue might also have to do with online lag...right?

rain.

 

[Dark_Rob]

Thanks for this insightful reply Dark_Rob. I sort of knew when I posted this question that I was going to get a stalemate response. The biggest problems I face on my pad are two fold: mushy d-pad input and difficulty maintaining my ability to execute commands when holding down a face button (as in buffering a bicycle kick or ground punch). I imagine playing with a stick would alleviate my troubles with the later as it would be easy to use my pinky finger to hold down LK while still being fairly nimble with my other fingers. The mushy d-pad issue, seen most notable with difficulties with sudden down, up movements for teleports. While my d-pad may not be the greatest in the world, this issue might also have to do with online lag...right?

rain.

As far as charge commands go I would say its probably easier to do on a stick. But getting used to playing on a stick all around is a challenge in and of itself. Especially if youve been playing on a pad for a long time and its second nature to you.
However if your determined to learn to play on a stick the biggest piece of advice I can give you is to play on the stick and never look back. Lock your pads up and never use them again. Learning to play on a stick means your level of play will take a big hit at first. The frustration that follows often can lead you to break out the pad for the time being so you can play at a better level. Doing this actually does more harm than good. What your really doing is prolonging the time it will take you to become fully adjusted to the stick. So the best thing you can do is just stick to it. You will suck at first but over time you get better and better until eventually one day you will be better on a stick than you are on a pad.

I dont know much about mushy Dpads because I play on a stick, but my guess is the quality of a dpad can vary greatly from pad to pad. Most people seem to think the PS3 Dpad is pretty good, while most say the 360 dpad is horrid. I cant tell the difference to be honest because Im equally horrible on both.

Delayed inputs, and lag are just a fact of life when playing online. Lag will always be with us and there will never be anything that can be done about it. Good netcoding helps. Having a good connection helps. Playing people relatively close to you will help. But even in the best of connections there is still lag. You might not notice it but its there, and it will always be there to some degree. This is a problem of physics, not technology so it will always be with us to some degree.
When Nasa talks to astronauts on the moon it takes nearly a second for each transmission to travel to and from earth. If the astronauts were on Mars it would take 40 min. The further away, the longer it takes. This is because the speed at which information can travel is finite. The same hinderence is at work with regards to online gaming and will never change. Its just something you have to live with.