Star Wars The Arcade Game

[thegamezmaster]

Hello, does anyone know if this game is trackball compatible? Thanks.

[Gunstar]

Any game on the 8-bit Atari that uses a joystick can be trackball compatible if you are using and Atari 8-bit trackball becuase it has a switch on the side of it that selects between joystick mode and trackball mode...err, come to think of it, as long as you are using an Atari trackball, any joystick controlled game on any compatible system (that uses the DB9 joystick connector) like C64, Amiga, ST, etc., etc. will work with it if you have it switched to 'joystick' mode.

 

Something else of interest, if you are looking for programs compatible with the Atari trackball in 'trackball' mode, there are several graphic arts programs and desktops that are compatible with it as well as Missle command and maybe a couple other games. With Missle command, you can also us an Amiga or ST compatible mouse in trackball mode too! Well, an ST mouse for sure, I never actually tried my Amiga mouse with it, just assuming there...

Edited May 2, 2005 by Gunstar

[Gunstar]

Just becuase I'm sure someone will ask anyway, becuase it's not documented, in Missle Command you press [control]+[T] to put it in trackball/mouse mode.

[thegamezmaster]

Is that the only game that trick will work? Also what about the Wico Trackball, will it work?

[mr-atari]

The ST-mouse works also as a track-ball. Fun to play missile command

on your 8 bit, with a ST-mouse attached. (do not forget the: press ctrl-t)

 

Cheers,

Sijmen.

[Gunstar]

Is that the only game that trick will work? Also what about the Wico Trackball, will it work?

848793[/snapback]

 

If the wico trackball has a switch to change between trackball&joystick mode like the Atari trackball, then yes, it will work too. I don't know if the wico is an authentic trackball (analog?) or if it translates the digital of a joystick. Give it a try.

[Jeff Lodoen]

Is that the only game that trick will work? Also what about the Wico Trackball, will it work?

848793[/snapback]

 

"Slime" from Synapse was another game that supported TB mode.

 

I seem to remember a PD time-waster for children called "Jane's Game" also did TB.

[JB]

Is that the only game that trick will work? Also what about the Wico Trackball, will it work?

848793[/snapback]

 

If the wico trackball has a switch to change between trackball&joystick mode like the Atari trackball, then yes, it will work too. I don't know if the wico is an authentic trackball (analog?) or if it translates the digital of a joystick. Give it a try.

849186[/snapback]

My 2600 Wico only outputs joystick signals.

 

Been debating using a dead mouse to mod it and then using it as a real trackball on my PC. There's plenty of space to drop new brains in.

But I'm lazy.

[ZylonBane]

I don't know if the wico is an authentic trackball (analog?)

Trackballs are digital devices. All they report is the axis of movement, not velocity.

[JB]

Which sucks.

Not even worth making a trackball if you're only gonna let it operate in digital mode, IMO.

[ZylonBane]

Which sucks.

Are you aware that you just said that trackballs suck?

[JB]

Which sucks.

Are you aware that you just said that trackballs suck?

850778[/snapback]

No, I said Wico trackballs suck.

 

All other trackballs report velocity.

IBM-compatible ones report it in the form of a 1-byte value per axis, as do mice. You can have any of 256 diffrent velocities per axis per polling period.

 

Atari ones report it by setting a single bit to indicate direction and then pulsing a second bit at a rate that reflects the ball speed. Resolution is determined by how often you can check the joystick pin it toggles.

 

 

 

Whether the data is communicated via a varying voltage or a serial data stream is irrelevant.

 

If you want to go that route, there is no such thing as analog input, because it all has to be converted to a digital value before the computer can use it. But that's a dumb and useless standard.

 

 

 

 

Wish I'd gone ahead with my rant earlier now instead of just assuming you actually knew something about what you were talking about and were speaking specifically about the Wicos.

[ZylonBane]

No, I said Wico trackballs suck.

That may be what you meant, but it's not what you SAID. I mentioned nothing about Wico trackballs, and neither did you.

 

Furthermore, your explanation of how proper trackballs worked is incorrect. There is not a direction bit nor a "I've been moved" bit. Atari and Amiga trackballs/mice of that era reported X/Y motion via pairs of two-bit quadrature-encoded signals, such that left/down would be "11 - 01 - 00 - 10 - 11" and right/up would be "11 - 10 - 00 - 01 - 11".

 

There is no A/D conversion here. The device simply signals when it detects its encoder wheel has been moved. Any concept of analogness must be inferred at the software level.

[JB]

No, I said Wico trackballs suck.

That may be what you meant, but it's not what you SAID. I mentioned nothing about Wico trackballs, and neither did you.

You quoted someone asking SPECIFICALLY about the Wico balls.

I assumed you weren't a raging moron, and were speaking of the specific brand of trackballs.

 

Furthermore, your explanation of how proper trackballs worked is incorrect. There is not a direction bit nor a "I've been moved" bit. Atari and Amiga trackballs/mice of that era reported X/Y motion via pairs of two-bit quadrature-encoded signals, such that left/down would be "11 - 01 - 00 - 10 - 11" and right/up would be "11 - 10 - 00 - 01 - 11".

 

There is no A/D conversion here. The device simply signals when it detects its encoder wheel has been moved. Any concept of analogness must be inferred at the software level.

851064[/snapback]

A. Note that the speed those values are generated at varies with encoder wheel speed, which varies with ball speed. This allows for analog input with digital signals.

 

B. That's only inside the ball. The interface board that is actually responsible for sending data to the computer re-interprets it. A Wico ball interprets it to strict 4-switch joystick up, down, left, and right output, making it a digital input device. A PC trackball re-interprets it into a pair of 1-byte velocities, making it an analog input device. An Atari trackball CAN function as a digital device, Wico-style, OR it can work as follows.

 

C. http://www.atariarchives.org/cfn/05/07/0037.php

HOW IS DIRECTION AND SPEED IMPLEMENTED IN THE HARDWARE?

 

A trak-ball plugged into port 1 will toggle the lower four

bits of PORTA located at $D300 and shadowed at $278. There are

two direction bits and two rate bits; one each for the hori-

zontal and vertical axis. The direction bits indicate which

direction along the axis the ball is rolling. The rate bits

change from 0 to 1 and back to 0 as the ball is rolled. The

faster the ball rolls, the faster the rate bits change.

 

I'm right. You're wrong. Live with it.

Edited May 8, 2005 by JB

[Gunstar]

What it boils down to for the person who asked about the Wico trackball in the first place is that the wico trackball will work with misslecommand, or any other game as a normal joystick does, but not in trackball mode on the game. But, it does still have a better "feel" to it than a joysitck with Misslecommand (at least the Atari TB in joystick mode does), but it's not as good as playing Misslecommand in trackball mode with the Atari trackball or a ST mouse. YOu should try the Wico or Atari TB with Ballblazer, it's pretty cool.

[ZylonBane]

And we've learned that JB is so cute when he shakes his little fists and shoots steam out his ears.

[JB]

And we've learned that JB is so cute when he shakes his little fists and shoots steam out his ears.

851795[/snapback]

OR that you're a dumbass that's incapable of admitting defeat.

...

It'd be cool if I COULD shoot steam out of my ears, though.

[Nukey Shay]

Look at the bright side...ZylonBane thinks you're cute

[JB]

Look at the bright side...ZylonBane thinks you're cute

851920[/snapback]

Imagine how THRILLED that makes me...

*barfs*