The "Help Using a Joystick" Thread

[donkatsu]

Obvious solution, why don't you just use the same button layout for BB that you use in P4A?

Well I'm did try the p4a layout and it just feels awkward for combinations like grab and burst. B layout just seem logical to me, but now I'm thinking about trying out A and see if it makes a difference. I figure it will because my ring finger would be assigned to the D button which I won't mash as much as C.

Just practice. Sounds like you just need to build up the muscle in your right hand. Especially if you're new to stick

I wonder if it's really a muscle thing... I just thought I had a improper way of laying my hand on the stick. Do you guys usually relax your hand palm flat down on the stick, or have a craw stance of sort with each finger tip on top of each buttons?

[Celerity]

Well I'm did try the p4a layout and it just feels awkward for combinations like grab and burst. B layout just seem logical to me, but now I'm thinking about trying out A and see if it makes a difference. I figure it will because my ring finger would be assigned to the D button which I won't mash as much as C.

I wonder if it's really a muscle thing... I just thought I had a improper way of laying my hand on the stick. Do you guys usually relax your hand palm flat down on the stick, or have a craw stance of sort with each finger tip on top of each buttons?

Is it just fatigue in your finger or is it a straining feeling near your wrist? Because if it's the latter, you probably have carpal tunnel issues and should take them very seriously. I ignored mine and ended up with permanent nerve damage.

Anyway, it shouldn't matter that much how you lay your hand on the buttons, but flatter will produce less muscle strain.

[donkatsu]

Is it just fatigue in your finger or is it a straining feeling near your wrist? Because if it's the latter, you probably have carpal tunnel issues and should take them very seriously. I ignored mine and ended up with permanent nerve damage.

Anyway, it shouldn't matter that much how you lay your hand on the buttons, but flatter will produce less muscle strain.

I don't think it's carpal tunnel, because I feel the straining feeling over my fingers and around middle to top part of the palm. I did experience carpal before (straining feeling over the wrist), but that was from improper usage of mouse with bad forms. I guess I'll have to experiment some more before I figure this out.

[Rishtopher]

I have a quick question: Will replacing the parts of buttons sometimes aid in the responsiveness of those buttons?

For clarification, I have a Brawl stick that I was gonna mod with some Sanwa parts. I've had the stick for a while, like maybe a couple of months, and today I noticed that my at least 2 of my buttons don't always respond when I press them. It's rare but noticeable. I also have one that seems overly sensitive in comparison. Will swapping the buttons fix, or at least alleviate the issue?

[Tigre]

In your case, you're making a huge jump in quality of push buttons (Madcatz to Sanwa), Madcatz did a fairly good job with the Brawlstick compared to older SE models, but they're still not fantastic (Their in house stick has problems hitting 7913 as well). So yes, it's entirely possible that the madcatz buttons are just failing, they're not the best buttons. Luckily a swap is incredibly easy, all you need is a phillips head screwdriver to get into the bottom (Make sure you use the right size! one that's too small WILL strip the screwhead!)

Even with Sanwa or Seimitsu buttons, you need to replace them on occasion (or at least the microswitches). They're a mechanical switch, they will get worn down.

[Rishtopher]

In your case, you're making a huge jump in quality of push buttons (Madcatz to Sanwa), Madcatz did a fairly good job with the Brawlstick compared to older SE models, but they're still not fantastic (Their in house stick has problems hitting 7913 as well). So yes, it's entirely possible that the madcatz buttons are just failing, they're not the best buttons. Luckily a swap is incredibly easy, all you need is a phillips head screwdriver to get into the bottom (Make sure you use the right size! one that's too small WILL strip the screwhead!)

Even with Sanwa or Seimitsu buttons, you need to replace them on occasion (or at least the microswitches). They're a mechanical switch, they will get worn down.

Thanks a lot for the answer, I was getting really worried! I'll try swapping them soon. If I use my stick for about an hour every day, how often would I have to replace the buttons?

[Tigre]

There is no solid answer for that. Naturally if a button is failing the switch needs to be replaced. The life of a button depends on not only how many presses but also how hard you hit the buttons, and even at that sometimes you get the odd button that fails early.

[Rishtopher]

There is no solid answer for that. Naturally if a button is failing the switch needs to be replaced. The life of a button depends on not only how many presses but also how hard you hit the buttons, and even at that sometimes you get the odd button that fails early.

Alright then, I'll use my discretion. Thanks for the help, I appreciate it!

[Delrian]

What's happening exactly? If you can provide more details we may be able to help.

[HappyChan]

Hi all,

Completely new to fighters here and recently bought a stick.

1) I know the sticky for stick said press the buttons how it feels comfortable, but i have little clue how for the default p4a layout.

4 button diamond shape= ??? using all 4 fingers feels awkward, and using 2 fingers to shift up/down seems like a lot of work. Is there a usual way of using this layout?

2) I currently hold the stick in wineglass/daigo way and it feels great. Only problem is i have trouble doing 4,4 backstep input and 8,8 (for 3d fighter). I can do 22 and 66 fine though since thats flicking the wrist/fingers.

To move the stick, are you supposed to be moving the whole arm/forearm? I've mainly been using my wrist thus far. I tried both ways and backstep and sidestep-up are probably the hardest inputs for me. Any tips?

Thanks:psyduck:

[00Bubbles00]

Try all of the pictured grips in the link. See which one works best for you. I started with the wineglass grip but ended up with something else that I thought was better for me.

http://www.eventhubs.com/guides/2009/jul/08/tips-switching-pad-joystick/

For P4A you could use the 4 buttons that are farthest to the right. They are less like a diamond shape and more like a square which is also "square" with the stick box frame.

[Solless]

You could try what I used to do when I played Mahvel. I mained Dante and had to learn his S+Atk jump cancel inputs. Easiest way I found to do them was to configure the buttons so I would be using the first 2 vertical buttons, then the next 2 side by side buttons on top. To give a better example, rest your hand on the buttons like you normally would. Now, in a (360/PS3) format, it would be that your thumb is resting on the (A/X) button, your index is on the (X/Square), middle is (Y/Triangle), and the ring will be on the (RB/R1) button.

As for the stick it probably mainly depends on your preferred way of holding it. I like the ring and pinky on bottom way of holding and have learned to move my forearm and use my fingers for notations. I think using the wrist to move your stick is avoided to prevent strain, you want to make the simplest and quickest motions, so moving my arm and fingers instead of maneuvering the wrist is best......And maybe I'm not used to it or just plain dumb but I can't use my wrist to move my joystick. Odd.

Try holding the ball top with 2 fingers instead of 3 like I do. If what I'm understanding is right about how you hold yours the reason why you have a hard time getting 8 8 in 3D games is because your pinky isn't strong enough to rely on moving the stick. And for 4 4 you can then move your thumb twice in quick succession.

Watch Desk's way of moving his joystick: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad-tZjOZ5tQ

Edited August 7, 2013 by Solless

[Delrian]

Hi all,

Completely new to fighters here and recently bought a stick.

1) I know the sticky for stick said press the buttons how it feels comfortable, but i have little clue how for the default p4a layout.

4 button diamond shape= ??? using all 4 fingers feels awkward, and using 2 fingers to shift up/down seems like a lot of work. Is there a usual way of using this layout?

2) I currently hold the stick in wineglass/daigo way and it feels great. Only problem is i have trouble doing 4,4 backstep input and 8,8 (for 3d fighter). I can do 22 and 66 fine though since thats flicking the wrist/fingers.

To move the stick, are you supposed to be moving the whole arm/forearm? I've mainly been using my wrist thus far. I tried both ways and backstep and sidestep-up are probably the hardest inputs for me. Any tips?

Thanks:psyduck:

For the buttons, I had to adopt a kind of weird layout for my fingers:

index middle

thumb ring

[Dusk Thanatos]

For P4A, it's going to be best to keep your hand how it naturally sits on the buttons and switch rows as needed.

[Kenrou.Horo]

So my Qanba Q1 just arrived :D For BB, should I even bind button combinations? And which gate is best for BB? Should I just get used to square gate, or switch to octo gate?

[Celerity]

So my Qanba Q1 just arrived :D For BB, should I even bind button combinations? And which gate is best for BB? Should I just get used to square gate, or switch to octo gate?

Use whatever button layout is most comfortable for you. Most people seem to prefer A-B-C / D or B-C-D / A to keep all of their fingers on the buttons. It's your call though.

Square gate is best, really. You're ideally not going to be riding the gate too much, as compact motions are more efficient, but there will be times when you want to make sure you get a precise diagonal, and a square gate can help with that. I also hate the way down-backing feels on an octo gate, but that's just me.

[Kenrou.Horo]

if you're using the daigo grip, do you use just your thumb or your whole hand to do 44 / 7?

[Speakeasy]

I've had my fightstick for about a month now, and I love it, but I'm worried I may not be doing as well with it as I could for reasons outside my control. You see, I play Blazblue Extend exclusively on my Vita. I have a 360 copy too, but I play that and MvC3 (the only fighters I have on the 360) exclusive with one of those fightpad things, and my stick is for PS3, so it wouldn't exactly solve my problem. With the Vita, I obviously can't use my stick, so I have to play with the Vita's pad. It's amazing, don't get me wrong, but is splitting my fighter time between my Vita and my stick hurting me in the long run?

[BlacR3ap3r]

Anyone have any tips for IADing on stick and is it easier with octagonal or square gate?

[crimsonstardust]

Anyone have any tips for IADing on stick and is it easier with octagonal or square gate?

I play on square gate, so that's my personal preference, basically I go from 9 5 6 when I do instant air dashes, I might do 99 without realizing it sometimes but either way works, its gonna be something your gonna have to mess with yourself to figure out what works for you.

[Airk]

I think having a square gate makes hitting diagonals a little easier, and that's key for IADs, but like most 'gate' questions, it's really what you're used to. Therefore, you should get used to square gate because that's what most sticks you may have to use will have. :P

[Celerity]

I would also recommend a square gate.

If you're having trouble doing IADs because you feel like you're moving too much of your arm, try adjusting your grip. Most good grips are centered on using one or two fingers to do most of the work, so that dashing and IADing is as simple as double clicking a mouse.

[Shockna]

Fair chance that this is the saddest question ever asked in this thread, but here goes:

 

I got a Hori V3SA stick a few years ago, three-ish months after CS2 came out. I played for a couple of months extremely casually (so I never really got a hang of it), and then life happened, and I didn't play for ~2.5 years. I got CP a couple weeks ago and I'd like to finally get into the swing of it (now that I have the free time to do so). My reaction time is a lot better now, so combo basics aren't a huge issue, but I have a lot of trouble with 236236/214214 inputs. It feels like I'm making the right motion with my hand, but when I look a the input log it has lots of ridiculous fuck ups, like 21241236 (when attempting 236236). This happens mostly in combos, if it makes a difference.

 

I'm pretty sure this is an issue with my execution, but just to eliminate the remote possibility, might there be something wrong with the stick?

[Justice7541]

Get a circle gate.

[Airk]

Fair chance that this is the saddest question ever asked in this thread, but here goes:

 

I got a Hori V3SA stick a few years ago, three-ish months after CS2 came out. I played for a couple of months extremely casually (so I never really got a hang of it), and then life happened, and I didn't play for ~2.5 years. I got CP a couple weeks ago and I'd like to finally get into the swing of it (now that I have the free time to do so). My reaction time is a lot better now, so combo basics aren't a huge issue, but I have a lot of trouble with 236236/214214 inputs. It feels like I'm making the right motion with my hand, but when I look a the input log it has lots of ridiculous fuck ups, like 21241236 (when attempting 236236). This happens mostly in combos, if it makes a difference.

 

I'm pretty sure this is an issue with my execution, but just to eliminate the remote possibility, might there be something wrong with the stick?

 

While it's theoretically possible there might be something wrong with the stick, odds are you'd notice it in other places as well.  Do you see weirdness when doing 236? 623?  When just moving around do you randomly jump or crouch? If the answer to those is 'no' then it's almost certainly your execution.  Can you do the motion extra slow and get it right?