Arcade Stick vs Controller

[Delrian]

I really need help, recently I got a blazblue TE and I'm getting used to it but there is somthin I really don't get

My reversel for labrys is 214214D, I cannnnnooooooot input this while I'm also blocking its just to hard to sum how hold back while buffering the down and diagnal. Is there a trick to this?? I really need to be able to basically spam this input while blocking to get a quick inbetween hit sun reversel I have a box frame would octagon make this easier?

While being in blockstun, you'll still be blocking even if you're not holding back (until you leave blockstun). This is called absolute blocking (although I heard 3rd strike doesn't have it due to the threat of red parry).

Also keep in mind that 1 is a position for blocking as well, just crouching blocking (which won't block overheads), as opposed to standing blocking (which is vulnerable to lows).

Switching to octagon might make the input itself feel different when you do it, but it won't help you block better (although optimally you're not "riding the gate" and just doing the motion without hitting the outside edge).

[Kurushii]

Also like to add that in real fighting games octagonal makes it weird to do 623 and 421 motions imo if you are riding the gate. Just keep practicing.

[Raging Ghost]

Tell me, would getting a Nyko Free Fighter be worth it?

[Airk]

Tell me, would getting a Nyko Free Fighter be worth it?

I'd say no, unless you have some strange special need for it. Ambidextrous sticks always struck me as kinda silly, but I guess some people must find them useful. And the "programming" features are basically just gimmicks. You won't be allowed to use them in any sort of real event anyway.

Of course, I'm sure it's a perfectly fine stick otherwise, but a little shopping can get you a perfectly fine stick for $50 less than that one, or for about the same price, you can get a dual-modded stick. (Also, the link you provided goes to a PS3 stick, which is fine, but it's generally more difficult to dual mod a PS3 stick to work with the Xbox than it is to mod an Xbox stick to work on the PS3, due to Microsoft's peripheral validation scheme actually working. )

[Raging Ghost]

I'd say no, unless you have some strange special need for it. Ambidextrous sticks always struck me as kinda silly, but I guess some people must find them useful. And the "programming" features are basically just gimmicks. You won't be allowed to use them in any sort of real event anyway.

Of course, I'm sure it's a perfectly fine stick otherwise, but a little shopping can get you a perfectly fine stick for $50 less than that one, or for about the same price, you can get a dual-modded stick. (Also, the link you provided goes to a PS3 stick, which is fine, but it's generally more difficult to dual mod a PS3 stick to work with the Xbox than it is to mod an Xbox stick to work on the PS3, due to Microsoft's peripheral validation scheme actually working. )

Well, I'm not one to go to tournaments, anyway. Besides, isn't PS3 the tournament standard?

But hey, any sticks you can recommend otherwise?

[Anfingrimm]

Well... I've been using a pad since I started gaming on consoles (2007, IIRC) and having tried a stick before I have to say I prefer pads. The compact design just fits my hands a lot better, and to me playing with a stick is like two-handing a keyboard, which feels really weird. I use a Razer Onza tournament edition 360 pad and it works fine (though the rubber on the left stick got worn down by countless hours of futile training).

I dunno, maybe it's because I play a lot of shooters, but I play much more fluidly with a pad than a stick.

[Teutonicknight]

Thinking of getting an arcade stick. I want to bring back that nostalgic arcade feel, and re-learn my gaming fundamentals from the ground up with one. I've seen how people use them, and it is awesome to just watch them play. I've been on the pad for too long now. Will post picks of it as soon as I get a good-quality camera!

...Uhh... I am allowed to post them HERE in this thread, right?

[Delrian]

Thinking of getting an arcade stick. I want to bring back that nostalgic arcade feel, and re-learn my gaming fundamentals from the ground up with one. I've seen how people use them, and it is awesome to just watch them play. I've been on the pad for too long now. Will post picks of it as soon as I get a good-quality camera!

...Uhh... I am allowed to post them HERE in this thread, right?

It'd be better if you posted your pics in this thread.

[Dersu Uzala]

I've seen people using a PS3 > 360 converter, but it's kinda weird and awkward, because you actually have to plug in a 360 device as well, so that the 360 sees there's a "legit" 360 peripheral attached. It's sortof clunky, but apparently some of them do work. Not sure which ones or what though.

I feel the need to mention that these add a good deal of input lag. I considered using one with my 360 stick on the PS3, but backed out once I learned of this.

Mayflash did recently come out with a PS3 > 360 adapter that does not require a legit 360 controller to be plugged in, though.

[Ægis]

If your starting on a stick I recommend trying to rapid output hazama's astral (pretzel motion). I started on KOF, and after you can do that consistently, I find that nothing much can frustrate you.

[vOddy]

I wish it was possible to play on a keyboard. Then 150$ wouldn't have needed to be spent on a hitbox. I got so mad when I plugged my keyboard in to my PS3, and it worked for typing, but the game wouldn't let me bind any of its keys.

Anyway, now I have a hitbox which is very similar, so it's all good now I suppose.

Speaking of getting advantages based on the input device you use, the hitbox gives you an almost unfair advantage in Soul Calibur 5. I'm not sure about BlazBlue because I'm new at it, and I know this is a bit off topic (wrong game) but it's still somewhat on topic and interesting, since it deals with input devices:

If you have a hitbox, you can side step while inputting a super, because you have multiple directional buttons, so you can hold 2 and press 3 twice. It will count as 2323, while still letting you step. Talk about option selecting, lol. This is impossible to do with any other input device. You can also hold guard (since guard is a button in that game) while inputting long command grabs. You can technically do that on a stick as well, because of the buttons, but it's not as good without multiple directional buttons because you can't keep as many options " in the bag " at the same time.

I wonder if BlazBlue has anything like this for hitboxes. I don't really hope so because it's unfair. It'll be interesting to find out.

Another huge pro for the hitbox in all games is that you won't ever get the wrong directional input. You just press a button, and you get that input. Period. Simple as that. On a pad you might get something you don't want. As you get better, it happens less and less, but there's still a small risk of you dropping a combo or doing the wrong move and getting punished, and losing a game because of it. With the hitbox, there is no such risk.

Sorry for being a little off topic, but since pros and cons were listed for pads and sticks, I felt like adding some for the hitbox. =)

The reason I talked about Soul Calibur V is that it was my first fighting game, and so the only one I can use for examples, and I got somewhat decent at it before I realized I would like BlazBlue / Guilty Gear better and switched.

Edited December 23, 2012 by vOddy

[Tigre]

I wish it was possible to play on a keyboard

It is. You just need to make it work with the system. It can be done, for a price.

[vOddy]

I realize that it would be technologically possible to build a device with the buttons and layout of a keyboard, that would work with consoles (register as a pad or a stick), but I don't know how, and it would most likely have cost money as well, so I just got a hitbox. It's basically the same thing anyway. You're using your fingers only, rather than your wrist or your thumb, and that's what matters.

[Tigre]

No I mean, it wouldn't be hard at all to wire up a keyboard to a ps3 pcb. You don't need to build anything, honestly.

[vOddy]

Is there a guide on how to do it anywhere? Or could you explain it to me? Also, does it take tinkering with hardware, or just software?

Edit: Not having to build anything sounds like no hardware editing is required.

[Tigre]

Entirely hardware. You just need to run the signals from the keyboard to the pcb of your system of choice. I don't know of any guides, because I don't know of anyone who's actually done it. Knowing how all this works though, Its not hard to understand the process.

a mechanical keyboard would be the easiest (it has easy solder points on the board) you would just run signal and ground to all of the keys you wished to use.

By no building I mean you don't need to build a case or buy special buttons or anything. You could take an off the shelf keyboard and something like a Cerberus or Cthulhu PCB and find a way to house it in the keyboard.

[BlackYakuzu94]

Greetings everyone. I have a friend who I think is committed to getting better in Extend, and I put forth a suggestion for a stick based on my own experience with it. He feels it's a waste of money and I respected that, but I have to know, does mastering a controller have an overall benefit than a stick or is it entirely dependent on the person. I want him to have the easiest time.

[Airk]

Greetings everyone. I have a friend who I think is committed to getting better in Extend, and I put forth a suggestion for a stick based on my own experience with it. He feels it's a waste of money and I respected that, but I have to know, does mastering a controller have an overall benefit than a stick or is it entirely dependent on the person. I want him to have the easiest time.

IMHO, it takes more effort to achieve a similar degree of precision on a pad. Also, if your friend is serious in the "wants to play in tournaments" way, pad is a PITA, because it's not universal across systems.

[TheYukianesa-01]

Greetings everyone. I have a friend who I think is committed to getting better in Extend, and I put forth a suggestion for a stick based on my own experience with it. He feels it's a waste of money and I respected that, but I have to know, does mastering a controller have an overall benefit than a stick or is it entirely dependent on the person. I want him to have the easiest time.

I presume you mean me. I don't completely think it's a waste of money, I feel like it's too much money, I barely have enough for games.

IMHO, it takes more effort to achieve a similar degree of precision on a pad. Also, if your friend is serious in the "wants to play in tournaments" way, pad is a PITA, because it's not universal across systems.

I don't really myself in tournaments lol. Seems out of my league.

[Primiera]

A slightly small fix to the OP, but still an important one:

2: “P-Linking”- (SFIV & SSFIV) This trick uses input priority and multiple inputs to increase the windows of links. Button priority states that when multiple buttons and press at the same time, the highest priority move comes out. For instance: Pressing all three of Ryu’s kicks button makes a roundhouse kick come out. To consistently combo Ryu’s Cr. LP into Cr. RH (a 1-frame link) the “P-link” input makes it a 3-frame link. : Cr.LP, [C.HK]~[Cr.MK]~[Cr.LK] : You have successfully input Cr.HK (3) times.

This is not true. Plinking only gives one possible extra frame to a link, though adding extra inputs gives more of a chance for a proper plink. The only reason I bring this up is in case someone wants to get an arcade stick just because they think they can get SSF4's Rufus's st.LK > st.HP as a 5F link or something.

[Woocash]

Are there any solutions (most likely: converters, adapters) for someone who needs to use a PS3 pad on an Xbox-ran tournament? I haven't had any luck finding something. I don't play stick, unfortunately.

[Celerity]

Are there any solutions (most likely: converters, adapters) for someone who needs to use a PS3 pad on an Xbox-ran tournament? I haven't had any luck finding something. I don't play stick, unfortunately.

Converters from PS3 to 360 exist, but they all either have input delay or require a 360 controller from what I'm aware. And PS3 wireless controllers are banned at many tournaments because they cause sync issues.

The best solution is to get a PS2 pad, for which there are tons of lagless converters like this one. Also, the L2 and R2 buttons on a PS2 pad are much, much more responsive if you use them for RC'ing and stuff like I do.

[Sukezaemon32]

I play fighting games on keyboard much more often than I do controller or arcade stick.

[Tronotron]

This thread is somewhat pointless. There is no question that arcade stick is better than gamepad, or keyboard. You just have to look at tournaments where everyone uses a stick- those that don't, don't get very far.

In Windows, you can't even have more than 3-4 keys pressed at the same time anyway!

[Solless]

This thread is somewhat pointless. There is no question that arcade stick is better than gamepad, or keyboard. You just have to look at tournaments where everyone uses a stick- those that don't, don't get very far.

In Windows, you can't even have more than 3-4 keys pressed at the same time anyway!

...That is a very closed minded way of looking at things.

Please note that I am sleepy, and I don't know how much more well Arc System games play on arcade sticks, but this is all down to personal preference. Some of the best SF players (I know, it's SF, but the point is still valid!) play on controllers/gamepads.

Hell, a player by the name of BrolyLegs will probably wipe the floor with a lot of people from here on SF, and not because of a difference in game taste. He is a fair tournament level player, and uses a controller...

with one hand and his mouth! I don't know the name of his condition but his body is restricted to being stomach down on a ...gurney I guess, and his arms are not completely functional like a normal person's. But this guy goes to tournaments and places.

Watch it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=83nSodg-HTU

Then tell me no one on controllers can fight well.