Stick or pad

This is the main shmups forum. Chat about shmups in here - keep it on-topic please!
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louisg
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Post by louisg »

Holy crap, all of poor Daz's threads turn into flamewars!

I usually just end up using whatever controller comes with whatever system my game is running on (yeah, even Cube). I've got a DC stick but never end up using it, and the only time I ever felt a need for it was with fighting games.

Speaking of which, how do you guys set up your console sticks? Sit bolt upright with it on a table? Put it on your lap? Just wondering.

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icycalm
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Post by icycalm »

Damocles wrote:Oh my god. 4 pages on a preference.
Yes, but if you took out all the off-topic posts, like yours (and this one), it would be more like two pages. Maybe three.

Besides, what exactly is wrong with a long thread on a "preference"? What about all these other multi-page preference threads? (best game, system, etc. etc.)
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Post by Pirate1019 »

icycalm wrote:
Damocles wrote:Oh my god. 4 pages on a preference.
Yes, but if you took out all the off-topic posts, like yours (and this one), it would be more like two pages. Maybe three.
I found (being a little loose on the criteria) 18 or 19 off topic replies including mine. That's a little over half a page. This topic has actually stayed on the rails better then I expected.
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Post by freddiebamboo »

Considering what this could have turned out like, we did ok.

The only negative points were people winding up icycalm for the sake of it.
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Post by Damocles »

icycalm wrote:
Damocles wrote:Oh my god. 4 pages on a preference.
Yes, but if you took out all the off-topic posts, like yours (and this one), it would be more like two pages. Maybe three.

Besides, what exactly is wrong with a long thread on a "preference"? What about all these other multi-page preference threads? (best game, system, etc. etc.)
Daz@Retro Gamer wrote:When playing console shmups what do you prefer. I've got an official Sega Saturn stick that's great for Radiant, but I'm sure my Dreamcast scores are hampered by only having a pad :(
Key word being prefer. Nothing's wrong with long threads on preferences. This thread has ceased to be about that for the most part. Contrary to popular belief, a different stick or pad isn't going to magically raise your score unless you were using shoddy parts before...especially if it feels drastically different from what you're already using. Will your score increase over time? Maybe. Maybe you're better with one or the other. Maybe, just maybe, the fact that you're using a different pad/stick forces you to actually think about the game again and try to learn.

This is just like the recurring billiards question (not the original post by Daz): What cue will make my game better? None. There is no magic wand. If you have decent equipment it's all about experience and skill. Some people think that a certain type of stick will magically grant you god-like skill.
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Post by ktownhero »

My HRAP arrived today. It has been the better half of a decade since I last used a stick, and immediately I noticed an improvement. *Maybe* this isn't universal, but it sure is the truth for me. I'm not even "comfortable" playing with the stick yet, and I already feel more precise. There's just something about playing with a stick that I can't get with a pad. It's part enhanced fun, part enhanced precision. I just love me the arcade feel.
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Post by tekneekz »

i play with saturn pad but prefer my hrap over it anyday, it just boost the fun factor. i actually had to yank the spring out a little bit to make the stick a little tighter, worked wonders for me.
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Post by iatneH »

I am just getting back into Ketsui but since I didn't want to bring a lot of stuff from home, I am using a NGCD pad. It's a great pad (maybe nicer than the Saturn pad even... big flat buttons that feel good to push) but I'm still nowhere near my old high score with it. I still can't clear the 2nd stage in 2 days of playing, although I'm trying some new strategies after reading the ST, so that might have something to do with it. I'm sure I could learn faster if I had my good stick with me though.

So for me personally, good stick > good pad > crap stick > crap pad.
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Post by futurebiblehero »

A few weeks ago, I would have definitely said pad. I grew up as a console gamer and I've always struggled in the arcades because I found it difficult to adapt. Then, out of boredom, I decided to give Shikigami No Shiro 2 a shot with the Tekken 5 stick I had laying around. On my second run I finished the game on two credits, whereas I previously hadn't even been able to finish it with a controller. It blew my mind. Now I'm really curious to get ahold of a good quality stick.

So there's a newbie's perspective on things. I do feel that it's a matter of personal preference, but you may be making a mistake if you don't at least try the other method before dismissing it.
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Post by GaijinPunch »

One official vote for "pads suck dick" as I'm learning the hard way. Wish that fucking converter would get here.
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Post by icycalm »

Oh, and one more thing.
Arznei wrote:You were cooked long before I entered this thread, turkey.
I've never wished for anyone to be banned from a message board, but God knows if there's one person here that truly deserves it it's this guy.
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Post by Arznei »

icycalm wrote:I've never wished for anyone to be banned from a message board, but God knows if there's one person here that truly deserves it it's this guy.
I'm not the one dodging and missing points, thread derailing, trolling, and being biased. It's evident in this thread that you've done just that. Why do I deserve to be banned? Because your retarded ass can't hold up an argument without resorting to "I know I get angry sometimes......" when everyone calls you out on your bullshit? I don't think so.

You're the last person who should be throwing around authority (which, might I add, you don't/won't have) over others when your current position is pathetic.
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Post by szycag »

Be Praying
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Post by icycalm »

Arznei wrote:Hate.
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Post by Shocky »

What's best for what:

Vert shmup: Stick
Hori shmup: Pad
Fighting: Stick
Run'n'Gun, Platformer: Pad


And no, I don't have any more proof than anyone else, just my own experience and gut feeling.

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Post by Martinov »

Daigohji wrote:Image

Seimitsu-modded HRAP1: it's the only way to reach Super Saiyan level 2, Gohan. :lol:

My performance in PS2 shmups is definitely better with the HRAP than it is with a dual shock 2 or SFII anniversary pad, but the main reason I bought it is because arcade sticks are more fun. When you consider that import shmup ports cost £30-40 each, squeezing out all the fun potential is important.
Love the colour scheme you picked on your HRAP1, I'm damn impressed infact. It's better than mine :cry: .

Personally, I use pad on Saturn and a stick on everything else.
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Post by Sonic R »

futurebiblehero wrote: but you may be making a mistake if you don't at least try the other method before dismissing it.
I have tried using the stick, I have a friend who swears by it, and when we gather he brings his stick(s) over. We'll switch up between games and I'll use the stick as it's plugged in, but I don't feel right, playing the game becomes a chore rather than enjoyment. I eventually switch back to the pad. Using the stick during these times just reinforces my hate for the stick but again, its all personal preference. Play what you like with what you like :wink:
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Post by Monk 0 Nuggets »

So, I got my Hori RAP today in the mail, but I only got to try it out for a half hour before I went to work. That shit is hard! I played some ESPGaluda, which I started playing 2 weeks ago and have been getting to the fourth stage regularly on one credit with a pad. First try with the stick I got a game over on the first stage. I've never used a stick before, so this is going to take some getting used to.
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Post by ktownhero »

Monk 0 Nuggets wrote:So, I got my Hori RAP today in the mail, but I only got to try it out for a half hour before I went to work. That shit is hard! I played some ESPGaluda, which I started playing 2 weeks ago and have been getting to the fourth stage regularly on one credit with a pad. First try with the stick I got a game over on the first stage. I've never used a stick before, so this is going to take some getting used to.
I was the opposite. I got my hrap and with my first play on espgaluda I got to stage 3 on one credit... which was a first for me :)
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Post by GaijinPunch »

ktownhero wrote:I was the opposite. I got my hrap and with my first play on espgaluda I got to stage 3 on one credit... which was a first for me :)
Me, too. I was playing ESGaluda at home. Tried it at the arcade and was like "Shit...gotta get me a stick". Never looked back.
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Post by Monk 0 Nuggets »

Update:
After an hour with the stick I'm back up to speed. I like it a lot. I've been playing ESPgaluda and it feels a little touchy except when I hold the laser type shot, thats when it feels like have I have better control. Overall, I'm happy with my purchase so far.
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Post by ktownhero »

Ok, I noticed an immediate improvement in ESPGaluda when using the stick. However, I have some adjustment to do in Ikaruga. I don't know if it is the difference in precision required in Ikaruga over ESPGaluda's more "frantic" gameplay, but it's been a real challenge adjusting to Ikaruga with a stick. This period of adjustment is tough, but I know it will be better in the long run. I can already feel the improvement in the areas in which made me desire a stick for Ikaruga in the first place (tight spots like in stage 1 weaving between the tiny ships that come down the center of the screen between the giant battleships). The challenge is in adjusting to the sensitivity of the stick, I have a tendency to over or under travel right now. It'll be a few more hours until the stick feels like an extension of me. I went through the same transition to a stick in the past when I was a big arcade fighting fan. It was tough then, but ultimately paid off. I have no doubt my experience will be the same with shmups.
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Post by Pirate1019 »

ktownhero wrote:(tight spots like in stage 1 weaving between the tiny ships that come down the center of the screen between the giant battleships).
The only problem I had with that part was not becoming disoriented by their shifting. I was using the control stick on the GC version too. :shock:
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Post by Gungriffon Geona »

I'm with Arznei here. Icycalm has been nothing short of an over-controlling prick as far as this whole thing has been concerned. every last response he's given to anyone saying anything opposite of him has been quite essentially "I'm right, you're wrong, fuck you and get out". I say he needs to get it through his head that maybe his little war is been horribly worthless, and that not everyone is going to agree with his little "god has spoken! ur ban'd kthxbye" philosophy.
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Post by Davey »

Monk 0 Nuggets wrote:I've never used a stick before, so this is going to take some getting used to.
Yeah, there's that, but even using different kinds of sticks can take some adjustment. My old one was a Happ, then I used a pad for about a year, now I use a HRAP. All those changes required an adjustment.

Quality is the most important thing, though. Even though I prefer sticks, I'd still take a Saturn pad over a cheap, shoddy stick any day.

People that use keyboards, on the other hand, blow my mind. I doubt I could clear the first level of any shmup using a keyboard without losing at least one life.
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Post by iatneH »

Davey wrote: People that use keyboards, on the other hand, blow my mind. I doubt I could clear the first level of any shmup using a keyboard without losing at least one life.
Indeed. If keyboards were any good, we'd all be using USB keyboards to play shooters on our PS2s (if keyboard were actually supported). But they suck, so we don't.

One of these days I would LOVE to get a HRAP and stick some Seimitsu parts in it. But for now, my idea of a "good" joystick is my stock Saturn Hori Real Arcade VF. Hori parts, but sure beats that disgusting US Virtua stick (the one that uses rubber plungers for everthing including the stick), or any western-designed stick from MadCatz/Intec/Pelican/etc. I destroyed my old highscores by a large margin for many of my games on the very first play I used the stick.

What really blows my mind is people who use some Pelican stick and say it's the greatest controller ever made.
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Post by Arznei »

iatneH wrote:What really blows my mind is people who use some Pelican stick and say it's the greatest controller ever made.
Lol.

I bought one of those things and tried it out on Metal Slug. Before I was into shmups I was huge on Metal Slug. It was perfectly fine for the first day I used it.

Went to bed.

Woke up.

Couldn't get it to respond whatsoever. The entire thing was dead. Took it back to the store and the dude there was like "yeah.. we stopped stocking them.. they break all the time".
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Post by RGC »

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Post by icycalm »

What I want to see is a video of someone playing a manic shooter at a very high level with a pad, which would also show the player's hands.

I've never seen this either in real life or on video. I think it would shed some light on this issue for me -- these people must have unusually nimble left thumbs.
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Post by Edge »

Nothing new to this discussion but anyway:
I am prefering pads over sticks, I feel more comfortable with them. For me the movement with a stick feels not as accurate as with a d-pad. Though I can also play on a stick. And sometimes I even play on my keyboard, which isn't THAT bad once you got used to. It's all a matter of what you are used to. I can't see any "physical" reason why a stick should be more accurate than a pad and vice versa. :?:
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