New SHMUP Player

[xris]

Allright! That's awesome! You worked hard and earned it.
I'd say do both. Clear it a couple more times so you're comfortable with it. Start on maniac, try some new tricks and have fun!

[Anesthetize]

Ok, so after playing this whole time with the 360 analog stick (and a cheap Logitech analog stick for the pc) I finally decided to try out an arcade stick. I got the HRAP-EX off of ebay for about $85; not sure if this is a decent deal or not.

As I figured, it'll take some getting used to, but doesn't seem like it'll be all that bad. I do have a couple of questions, though:

Is the ball on top of the stick supposed to twist freely? Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I never really play with a stick so I'm not sure.

Are there custom drivers I need to use to use this on the PC? I can't seem to get it set up for MAME or most of my other PC shmups (X.X stuff, Touhou, Patriot Dark, etc.)

[drunkninja24]

Yes, the balls are designed to twist freely *snicker*. As far as drivers, it should use the standard Xbox 360 controllers for Windows. If you have Vista or 7, they should install automatically. If you have XP, just have it search Windows Update for drivers when you plug it in (this is probably the one time that feature is actually useful). Depending on your MAME version, however, it may not support the stick natively since it reads the joystick as a POV switch. If it doesn't, you can use a program like Joy2Key to have the PC interpret the directionals as standard keyboard inputs, then put those into MAME. I'd recommend using a version if MAME that supports the controller though.

[Anesthetize]

Thanks.

Yeah, I'm using Windows 7, so the default driver was installed automatically. I've tried MAME .136 and the lagless MAME thing (whatever it's called), and neither recognizes the stick. I'm sure if I keep dicking around with it I'll be able to figure it out, was just hoping someone could point me in the right direction. Should I try a different version of MAME?

Same issue with most of the other games I mentioned: the stick just isn't recognized. Although with Patriot Dark, it appears to be calibrated incorrectly. The selection in the menu keeps cyling downwards without anything being pressed.

[CptRansom]

I use Xpadder and set Back to 5 (coin), Start to 1 (start), B/X/Y/LB across the top of my EX-SE to z/x/c/v (buttons 1-4), RB to p (pause), LT to F3 (reset), and RT to F11 (throttle). Works out pretty well for me in ShmupMAME, MAME32, and every other game I've ever tried playing.

[Anesthetize]

I use Xpadder and set Back to 5 (coin), Start to 1 (start), B/X/Y/LB across the top of my EX-SE to z/x/c/v (buttons 1-4), RB to p (pause), LT to F3 (reset), and RT to F11 (throttle). Works out pretty well for me in ShmupMAME, MAME32, and every other game I've ever tried playing.

Thanks, just what I needed. I'll give this a try tomorrow.

So was the $85 a decent deal, or did I get ripped off? I try to avoid buying stuff like this from ebay, especially when I haven't done too much research, but it seemed reasonable compared to the prices I've seen elsewhere. It appears like the EX-SE is a better stick overall according to comments I've read. Should I try to get a hold of one of those instead, or just get comfortable with the EX?

p.s. I can already tell that switching to a stick will help me a ton in the long run. Just got to figure out a consistant grip to use and then get used to it.

[drunkninja24]

That's a great deal. The stick retails now on Amazon for $110, and it was $140 when it came out:

http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Real-Arc ... 542&sr=8-1

It has all Seimitsu parts as well, so it's perfect for shmups.

[ncp]

I use Xpadder and set Back to 5 (coin), Start to 1 (start), B/X/Y/LB across the top of my EX-SE to z/x/c/v (buttons 1-4), RB to p (pause), LT to F3 (reset), and RT to F11 (throttle). Works out pretty well for me in ShmupMAME, MAME32, and every other game I've ever tried playing.

Why can't you just bind the buttons directly in MAME?

[CptRansom]

For some reason, it has always given me issues. Using Xpadder is easier and almost-universal for me since almost every other game uses at least Z and X.

[Anesthetize]

That's a great deal. The stick retails now on Amazon for $110, and it was $140 when it came out:

http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Real-Arc ... 542&sr=8-1

It has all Seimitsu parts as well, so it's perfect for shmups.

This is actually the one I got:

http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Real-Arc ... 135&sr=1-5

It's more expensive on Amazon for some reason but I don't believe it has Seimitsu parts (Sanwa, I think, with Hori buttons). Seems fine to me, but I have no other experience to base that on.

[drunkninja24]

That's a great deal. The stick retails now on Amazon for $110, and it was $140 when it came out:

http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Real-Arc ... 542&sr=8-1

It has all Seimitsu parts as well, so it's perfect for shmups.

This is actually the one I got:

http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Real-Arc ... 135&sr=1-5

It's more expensive on Amazon for some reason but I don't believe it has Seimitsu parts (Sanwa, I think, with Hori buttons). Seems fine to me, but I have no other experience to base that on.

Ah yes, I bought the same one when it came out. Yeah, it has a Sanwa stick and Hori buttons. It's not terrible at all, I did change the buttons in mine to Sanwas, which are much better than the Horis for sure. If you're mostly gonna be shmupping with it, I would definitely recommend replacing the stick with a LS-32 though (I left mine Sanwa cause I play fighters with it). You can get the LS-32 plus a S plate (needed to mount the LS-32 at proper height) at Lizardlick.com. Shmups on Sanwa sticks is fine, but it feels really loose and clumsy after using Seimitsu sticks.

But anyways, you still got a good deal. I bought my HRAP-EX for $130 when they were brand new.