Using The Paddles

[scorpion]

I bought an atari 2600 'woody' last month from a local auction. Its in great condition and whoever owed it before me kept great care of it as it looks brand new so was very well looked after. I have just bought a few games that use the paddles (circus atari and super breakout) and I find them very difficult to play. I tried circus and found it very difficult to play so much so that I thought one of the paddles was damaged so I put it in 2 player mode and tried the other paddle and found it very difficult to use that one too.

 

In my opinion both paddles can't be damaged but I wondered is there some kind of 'knack' to using them? Do you have to spin the dial fast or slow? When I used them both they weren't very responsive.

 

[accousticguitar]

If you are finding them hard to control then they probably need cleaned. It is common to have them both "jittery" at the same time. There are tutorials on the internet that show how it is done. It is quite simple.

[BigO]

Did they appear to be unstable or "jittery"? If so, that's a defect that severely hampers the usability but can be easily fixed.

 

If the action is smooth, then it's just you.

Seriously, I had occasion a couple of nights ago to witness an adult using 2600 paddles for the first time. She kept turning them too far, so they were too responsive for her.

 

Generally speaking, you'll find that about 90-ish degrees of rotation of the knob will cover the full on-screen range.

 

If they aren't responding smoothly, there are procedures posted in the forums here on restoring the paddles to normal functionality. Include "jitter" in your search and it shouldn't take long to find those posts.

Edited December 23, 2008 by BigO

[theking21083]

If they are working correctly and not jittery then you should use slow & smooth movements. Don't just spin the paddle back and forth wildly. It doesn't take much movement to move the object from one side of the screen to the other. If you spin it too fast then you will lose control of the object on the screen. It will take a little practice to get a grasp of how it works. Don't give up on it since some of the best games use the paddles.

[BigO]

Don't give up on it since some of the best games use the paddles.

Agreed. And when you get the situation under control, get yourself a copy of Kaboom. Tac-Scan is another paddle game I enjoy.

 

Believe it or not, the Sears exclusive "Steeplechase" uses the paddles and is one of the more clever/creative control schemes in my opinion.

[fiddlepaddle]

Paddle games are my favorite (hence my handle). Paddles are easy to clean... and cheap to replace if you happen to damage one. I usually just take out the screws and spray a little WD40 or silicon spray into the contacts. Favorites: Kaboom!, Super Breakout, Astroblast, Night Driver.

[cvga]

The kids and I have been playing lots of paddle games recently also. Our favorites are Kaboom!, Circus Atari, and Medieval Mayhem. I especially recommend buying a copy of Medieval Mayhem from the AA store. I've owned it for a long time but we played it for the first time last night and I was blown away!