tz101 Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Gyruss Space Invaders Demon Attack Enduro Beamrider Does anyone know if a mod can be done to make joystick-based 2600 games work with paddle controllers? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurisu Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Gyruss should have used the Driving Controller. Now THAT would be awesome. Not quite like the original AC game, but it would have been incredible to have that as an option. Then again, in ALL of these cases, the problem comes in that the paddles and driving units take more processor time to check, relying on that capacitance discharge, IIRC, so some of these games might not have been possible to do given the VCS hardware design. Now, let's say a new version is made for the 7800... I am pretty sure there HAS to be a way to get the paddles to work on when MARIA is active.. but I am not a top tech expert on the machine by any detail, and it may require the TIA to be accessed in a way that MARIA does not allow, and thus ruin the entire idea. As for modding a game, I would say it COULD be possible, but I would think a major re-write would be in order, presuming the game can even run on the VCS with that much system usage. :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Climber Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Tempest should have been completed and used paddles, that would have been sweet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
accousticguitar Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Tempest should have been completed and used paddles, that would have been sweet! Absolutely. It seems like every Tempest port uses joysticks. That just isn't right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+HatNJ Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Gyruss Space Invaders Demon Attack Enduro Beamrider Does anyone know if a mod can be done to make joystick-based 2600 games work with paddle controllers? Sprint Master - Guess that would be Driving controllers but still Galaxian - Heck if your going to say Space Invaders Gravitar Megamania Just a few off the top of my head Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VectorGamer Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Some good suggestions here. Especially with Sprintmaster. Why they heck would you design a piece of hardware (for Indy 500) and not re-use it for other games? It would've given Atari the opportunity to sell more DCs. Gyruss: now there's another game that should have been a DC game as was stated previously. But, I don't know what Parker Bros. position would have been on requiring Atari's DC to play their game. Has anyone played Asteroids DC? If so, what do you think of the controls in that version? Omega Race you may as well throw into the DC mix. Who was the brainiac that decided to create a custom controller to play that game? The ColecoVision port works fine with the stock controller as does the C64 port. If someone wants to do a DC hack for Omega Race, I'd buy it. I'm not seeing Space Invaders or Galaxian as paddle games. All the paddle games I've played have required swift left-right movements like in Kaboom, Circus Atari, Medieval Mayhem etc. The fact that Space Invaders, the arcade game, has a slow moving ship when compared to the speed of the Invader's missiles renders paddles unnecessary. The respective speeds of the missiles and ship on the original 2600 are not accurate and therefore incredibly easy compared to the arcade game. But, in both cases, joystick is appropriate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 (edited) I agree for sure that Gyruss would have been better with paddles. A spinner type controller would have been better, but paddles would have been a major improvement. I never liked the concept of any driving games using the joystick. I'm not seeing Space Invaders or Galaxian as paddle games. All the paddle games I've played have required swift left-right movements like in Kaboom, Circus Atari, Medieval Mayhem etc. The fact that Space Invaders, the arcade game, has a slow moving ship when compared to the speed of the Invader's missiles renders paddles unnecessary. The respective speeds of the missiles and ship on the original 2600 are not accurate and therefore incredibly easy compared to the arcade game. But, in both cases, joystick is appropriate. I have thought that a much faster (read: frantic) paced Space Invaders with paddle controllers would be an interesting hack. I have no clue whether or not the additional cycles can be squeezed out of the SI code. Edited January 6, 2010 by BigO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister VCS Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 (edited) Off the Wall, Enduro, Pole Position BTW some games work fine with the Track & Field controller (Space Invaders!). Edited January 6, 2010 by Mister VCS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Climber Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Gyruss Space Invaders Demon Attack Enduro Beamrider Does anyone know if a mod can be done to make joystick-based 2600 games work with paddle controllers? Sprint Master - Guess that would be Driving controllers but still Galaxian - Heck if your going to say Space Invaders Gravitar Megamania Just a few off the top of my head I like Megamania with the joystick, I don't think it would be as cool with the paddles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Helmet Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Tempest should have been completed and used paddles, that would have been sweet! Tempest with the stock paddle controllers would have sucked. How would you move 360 degrees several times when the paddle stops when you twist it too far? Now if the 2600 had a true paddle that twisted infinity, that would be different. The driving controller could work I suppose, but it wouldn't be as accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VectorGamer Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Now if the 2600 had a true paddle that twisted infinity, that would be different. The driving controller could work I suppose, but it wouldn't be as accurate. Why not? I'd be surprised if the 2600 version didn't suck anyway. I just can't see how this could be ported to the 2600. But hey, Stargate was a masterpiece... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic George 2K3 Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 I think using paddles to make the laser base of Space Invaders zip around along the bottom of the screen would take part of its fun away. Same with Galaxian and Megamania. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The MilkMan Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Crackpots. Seems like play would be better with a paddle device. Crackpots is kinda like an upside down Kaboom, for those who've never played it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zylon Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 All of these would require a large input code rewrite to use paddles. If they could do it for Astroblast, why not others? They should have finished Sinistar and used the driving controller! If you own a 5200, then most left-to-right shooters can be used with a modded controller. I did one years ago for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 (edited) I think using paddles to make the laser base of Space Invaders zip around along the bottom of the screen would take part of its fun away. Same with Galaxian and Megamania. I agree, (though I would say "challenge" rather than "fun") unless the pace of the entire game speeds up. I enjoy games like Kaboom and Circus and have on several occasions imagined that Space Invaders would be fun to play at a faster pace with paddle control. I've never mustered up enough interest or gumption to dig into SI to figure out if it could be done. Something tells me that the code is already pretty busy and couldn't have that much extra stuff jammed in, especially if the display is supposed to go even faster. Laziness might well be the something that it telling me that (I guess I'm deviating from the original premise of games that "should have" used paddles. This is more of something that might make an interesting hack.) Edited January 6, 2010 by BigO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tz101 Posted January 7, 2010 Author Share Posted January 7, 2010 Crackpots. Seems like play would be better with a paddle device. Crackpots is kinda like an upside down Kaboom, for those who've never played it. Agreed. I overlooked this one in my original post. This game would benefit nicely from paddle controls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animan Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 I'm surprised no one mentioned Gremlins yet. Also, Moonsweeper would have been pretty awesome with paddles. While i think about it, if Solaris used Paddles, that would have been neat too. Just use the second controller port for a joystick to use the map screen. Ooh, Turmoil also. But then again, you'd probably have to move down to turn right, and up to turn left, which would be weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sloth713 Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Sprint Master - Guess that would be Driving controllers but still Galaxian - Heck if your going to say Space Invaders Gravitar Megamania Just a few off the top of my head Some good suggestions here. Especially with Sprintmaster. Why they heck would you design a piece of hardware (for Indy 500) and not re-use it for other games? It would've given Atari the opportunity to sell more DCs. Thomas Jentzch made a Sprintmaster DC hack. http://www.atariage....ftwareHackID=44 I have never played it but I really want to; oh well one of these days I will get a Harmony Cart or Stella Adapter and be able to rock it. Also I greatly agree that paddle versions of Enduro and Pole Position would be awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gigabyte Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 I think it should be the other way around: all the paddle games should be compatible with joysticks. Breakout would be nice with a joystick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorf Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 I think anything that used a paddle in the arcade, should have done the same on a home version. Same with a joystick. Games like Space Invaders would be unchallenging with a DC or paddle. I think the 2600 should have come with a plastic stick insert for both sticks for games like Robotron, Combat and Battle zone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+HatNJ Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Sprint Master - Guess that would be Driving controllers but still Galaxian - Heck if your going to say Space Invaders Gravitar Megamania Just a few off the top of my head Some good suggestions here. Especially with Sprintmaster. Why they heck would you design a piece of hardware (for Indy 500) and not re-use it for other games? It would've given Atari the opportunity to sell more DCs. Thomas Jentzch made a Sprintmaster DC hack. http://www.atariage....ftwareHackID=44 I have never played it but I really want to; oh well one of these days I will get a Harmony Cart or Stella Adapter and be able to rock it. Also I greatly agree that paddle versions of Enduro and Pole Position would be awesome. Didnt know he made a DC hack for Sprint Master cool but your link doesnt work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
accousticguitar Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 http://www.atariage.com/hack_page.html?SystemID=2600&SoftwareHackID=44 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic George 2K3 Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Ooh, Turmoil also. But then again, you'd probably have to move down to turn right, and up to turn left, which would be weird. Trackball would be the more preferrable control for Turmoil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dauber Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 I think Pac-Man should have been made paddle-able. Let me explain. A lot of people think that the 2600 Pac-Man is a crappy port. Well, let's take that crappy port and add to it some other functionality...when I was in second grade, the big present I wanted for Christmas was a remote-control car...so what did my parents do? The cheaped out and got a remote-control car that has the worst controller ever: just a button. That's IT. A button. How did it work? You turn the car on, and it continuously goes around in a backwards circle. If you push the button, it would go forward in a straight line. Let go of the button, then back to a backwards circle. Let's add that crappiness to the crappy Pac-Man port! Make Pac-Man go backwards in a circle forever until you press the button on the paddle, at which point Pac-Man will go straight ahead. Use the rotary on the paddle to select the game level, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godzilla Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 I'd love to see some of these, I -LOVE- paddle games Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.