From: v923137@vms.ucc.okstate.edu
Subject: Re: 'Joy'stick blues
Organization: Oklahoma State University Computer Center
Date: Sat, 2 Jan 1993 04:58:32 GMT

In article <1993Jan1.174454.25658@bilpin.co.uk>, jim@bilpin.co.uk (JimG) writes:
> 
>     Could someone explain why all of the games I have which are supposed to
>     work with a joystick (which isn't many, fortunately, as I mainly prefer
>     adventures, which use keyboard or mouse) - just DON'T?! Even those that
>     provide a joystick setup program usually fall over when you try to use
>     the darn thing (that is, the cursor/character careers crazily around the
>     screen without taking any account of the actual joystick movements, or
>     just gets stuck in a corner and refuses to budge). I've tried three
>     different analogue joysticks (I've currently got a Suncom Analog Plus),
>     and haven't found one that works reliably. Some of the games where I've
>     tried using the joystick options are: Elvira Arcade Game, Gremlins 2,
>     Horror Zombies from the Crypt, It came from the Desert and Titus the
>     Fox; and I haven't got it to work properly with any of them, and have
>     had to revert to keyboard control (which usually seems at least as good
>     as a working joystick would be - I know I can wack the space bar to
>     shoot a lot quicker than I can press a button with my thumb, anyway).
>     Those joystick 'setup' options that some programs provide are just a
>     joke! "Push the stick to the top left and press the button". "Centre the
>     stick and press the button." "Your joystick is now configured". Play the
>     game - Total Chaos! Characters go bouncing around and shooting off all
>     over the place, or, alternatively, refusing to budge at all. They don't
>     shoot when you want them to, or do when you don't. It would be hilarious
>     if I wasn't so pissed off. Are there so many different joystick
>     standards that the games writers know that their games are only going to
>     work with a few of them, but still waste everybody's time putting in a
>     joystick option anyway - or do I just keep buying crock joysticks? I
>     don't know if anything else I have may be interfering with it; the only
>     other attachments I have are a Z-Nix mouse on COM1, a Soundblaster card
>     with twin speakers, and an Adaptec SCSI interface card, all of which are
>     working OK.
> -- 
>     Another Fine Product from <jim@bilpin.co.uk> {JimG : Hatfield, England}

I haven't played any of the games you mention, but I find it hard to imagine
that their joystick routines are that much different from any other games on
the market (especially "It Came From the Desert").  The configuration/setup
that you refer to actually is a very effective way of allowing the program
to adjust itself to your specific joystick, so that it will work with many 
joysticks, not just a few, as you suggest.

A joystick is a simple device.  There is a potentiometer (volume control knob
for any laymen out there) attached to the vertical axis, and another attached
to the horizontal axis.  When you move the stick, it rotates these and changes
the resistance on certain pins of the game card.  The problems you describe
do not sound like joystick problems.  They sound more like an I/O card / game
card problem. Have you tried these joysticks on another computer with a 
different game card?  Have you tried a different game card in your computer?
Have you tried eliminating TSR's, mouse drivers, device drivers, EMM's, etc etc
etc and see what the effect is?  Also, if you are using the soundblaster's
game port to hook up the joystick, what version of SB do you have?  If it 
isn't 1.5, perhaps an older version of the SB had joystick problems?

Anyone?

-Jason

Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games