PeeknPoke Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 Just bought an official Atari trackball off ebay Before it arrives, what games do you recommend I should use with it apart from the usual suspects such as Missile Command (the main reason I bought it) Also could it work as a paddle??? Cheers, Lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeybastard Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 It'll work in joystick mode on pretty much anything that uses a joystick with varying results. As for "true" trac-ball mode, I can't think of any original release that uses it. Mine sits on the shelf and looks nice but it's pretty useless without the ability to have varying speeds like a real trac-ball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 Yup, unfortunately there are no original 2600 games which support the native trakball mode. And AFAIK my Missile Command TB hack is the only supporting game at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowscore Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 I believe that some people have found that sports games that require a lot of fast rythmic back and forth on the joystick works very well. Decathalon and most of the Epyx sports games are this way. Some events do not work well at all with the trackball, so I use a y cable adapter to switch rapidly between the two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeeknPoke Posted April 10, 2007 Author Share Posted April 10, 2007 Im confused? So if I played Missle Command with it why would it not use a "true" trakball mode? Thought I would just roll the ball and control what is on screen. Is normal released Missle Command (not the Thomas edit) playable on it? I just want to play some games like they were on the arcade cabs Lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeybastard Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 If you spin it, the cursor will move but at a constant rate of speed like it would with a joystick. "True" tracball mode would mean that the faster you spun the ball the faster the cursor will move. If you've ever played Centipede or Missile Command in the arcade(or on a 5200 with it's tracball) you'll see the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 "True" tracball mode would mean that the faster you spun the ball the faster the cursor will move. If you've ever played Centipede or Missile Command in the arcade(or on a 5200 with it's tracball) you'll see the difference. Yup. And the difference is HUGE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tremoloman2006 Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 I too found out the hard way after shelling out some moola for one of these. I dreamed of playing Missle Command, Crystal Castles, and Millipede like they were supposed to be played. Are there any hacks for Millipede to use the ball properly? If I knew how to program I'd do it myself but I'm clueless other than writing batch files. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danno Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 I too found out the hard way after shelling out some moola for one of these. I dreamed of playing Missle Command, Crystal Castles, and Millipede like they were supposed to be played. Are there any hacks for Millipede to use the ball properly? If I knew how to program I'd do it myself but I'm clueless other than writing batch files. There is a 7800 Centipede hack that uses it. IT's AWESOME. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow460 Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 Any arcade title that used it should give you good results as long as the controller is in Joystick mode. I have not seen Reactor on the list. I'd try any game that lets you move around the screen freely. Some will work better than others, but at least this way, you'll find out which ones you prefer the ball for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic George 2K3 Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 I played Turmoil using Atari's 2600 trackball controller, and it was fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plaidbrad3141 Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 Omega Race would be cool with the track ball if not for the booster grip thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BONEMAN Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 I always used the trackball to play Vanguard. It's slightly better in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homerwannabee Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Use Trackball with Decathlon. There is a major advantage in using it for this game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dauber Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Personally, I'm curious as to how Toyshop Trouble would play with a trackball. Due to the frictional elements, it'd be pretty interesting... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HP Atari King of Michigan Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 If you spin it, the cursor will move but at a constant rate of speed like it would with a joystick. "True" tracball mode would mean that the faster you spun the ball the faster the cursor will move. If you've ever played Centipede or Missile Command in the arcade(or on a 5200 with it's tracball) you'll see the difference. Speaking of the 5200 trak-ball, I just placed a bid on one on eBay today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mitch Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Use Trackball with Decathlon. There is a major advantage in using it for this game. Yes, but make sure it's in trakball mode. Mitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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