Newbie question

[san-d-2000]

Hi all,

As some of you might now i got my first Intellivision a month ago, i always wanted one as a kid, so now 30 years later i finally got one,

when i hooked it up i noticed the controllers did not work the right way. In the end i found some new membrane's on eBay from a South American seller, got them within two days super fast!.

So now everything is working but i really find it hard to play with these controls, so i got some Sticklers, my question is, before i open up these controllers again will these sticklers make a difference?

Thanks in advance for the advise!

 

-Sandy

 

[Ignorama]

For me the Sticks make it nearly impossible to play. Get used to the disk, its the best way to play most of the games.

[+cmart604]

Yah I'd say just get used to the discs, especially using your thumb around the edges of the disc.

[voltron]

agree the disc is the best. Once you master it you will love it.

[JasonlikesINTV]

Buy two Intellivisions. Set one up with discs and the other up with sticks. Solved

 

I would say give the discs a chance. It's not really the Intellivision experience without them and they are far from the weakest aspect of the console. However, if you get a chance to replace the fire buttons with Buttlers, I say do it

Edited September 8, 2013 by JasonlikesINTV

[Games For Your Intellivision]

I hold them with two hands....I use my left thumb to rotate the disc WITHOUT lifting my thumb off of the disc......my right thumb presses the right side buttons and the keypad when required and supports the controller at the same time.

 

I've seen people who hold the controllers awkwardly and pick up their thumb off the disc and set it down mostly in the centre of the disc or hit past the edge of the disc. No wonder they get frustrated I think. Change orientations for the right thumb controlling the disc.

 

I think we need to have pictures that show people how to use Intellivision controllers

[SoulBlazer]

Never used one myself, but just looking at it, I wonder if my experience in using the thumb sticks with the Xbox controllers (and the PS2 before that) might help as there seem to be similarities. Rotating and moving the stick the same way that you would with the disc, since it's not a 'full' joystick.

[Britishcar]

Stay with the original disks. Notice how people rarely change out a d-pad for a joystick on the NES, SNES, etc.? It's because they became used to that manner of control. The Intel disks are odd at first, but then they become very cool. If they are working correctly, they will be dead on and very responsive to you no matter how many articles by people who used them for 3 minutes and gave up write about them.

 

I'm right handed. I cradle an Intel controller in my left hand, and use my left middle and left ring finger to fire the upper and lower buttons respectively since they are already curled around the controller from the bottom. I use my right thumb on the disk and either thumb, depending on the game, on the keypad buttons.

 

The joystick add-on's are trash and will set you back, really set you back, from enjoying the games long term.

[+intvsteve]

I agree with Britishcar. I hold the control in my left hand and use index finger for top right action button and middle finger for bottom right. In the uncommon case of the lower left action button I use the left thumb. For the disc I use right thumb, and use the same thumb for keypad. Since key and disc aren't used simultaneously, this is fine. Of course, Night Stalker is the exception and uses keypad to fire, which is a poor choice imo. Some people use one controller to move and the other to fire for that game.

[san-d-2000]

Thanks for the responses, i'm happy i fixed the controllers so opening them up again is not something i would do for fun.

I guess i will take your advise and just practice till i master them.

[DZ-Jay]

The Disc!!! The Disc!!! Figure out the Disc!!!

 

Learn the Disc. Trust the Disc. Love the Disc.

 

Like William, I hold the hand-controller with two hands. I cradle the controller on the palm of my left hand, with the bottom edge nestled in the hollow of the thumb; and wrap my fingers around the back of the device.

 

I use my left thumb to press the left action buttons, and the middle fingers of my left hand to press the right action buttons.

 

I then wrap my right hand around the left, on the bottom of the controller, and rest my right thumb on the disc.

 

Also like William said, I never lift my thumb from the disc; I just roll it around the edge, like a wheel. This is how it was designed to be used: it is not a d-pad, nor a joystick, but a combination of the two. The edges of the disc are what make contact for control, and the disc is designed to be spun around. So you roll your thumb around on the disc, and apply pressure on the point you want.

 

Like I said, you don't have to lift your thumb or stop applying pressure on the disc. Most games read it like a continuous stream of input, noting the changes in direction--as opposed to the typical button, which expects to be pressed then released (the keypad works that way).

 

I think this design made the disc a superior control than many other alternatives of the day. Testament to this is the proliferation of the d-pad and analog knobs, which are direct descendants of the Intellivision disc. (You don't see joysticks around any more, do you?)

 

The EXEC in older games was glitchy and slow, which affected game-play. Unfortunately, people blamed the disc instead of the programmer, and so they received a bad reputation. (The action buttons, however, deserve to die in a fire and burn in hell for all eternity!)

 

So, tl;dr: learn to master the disc, it is the best way to play Intellivision games.

 

dZ.