5200 Controller issues moving right in handful of games

[shadwolf]

I've got a weird issue I thought I'd see if anyone's seen before... I can't move right in Gyruss, Blue Print, or Congo Bongo. All of the other 50 or so games I've got work perfectly, with no issues moving towards the right.

 

This is on a two-port system with a Best Electronics rebuilt (gold contacts) controller.

 

It just doesn't make any sense to me. Am hoping someone can point me to what might be going on. Yeah, I know the 5200 controllers are weird, but really - jacked up control in three games, while the rest work great?

[atariksi]

I've got a weird issue I thought I'd see if anyone's seen before... I can't move right in Gyruss, Blue Print, or Congo Bongo. All of the other 50 or so games I've got work perfectly, with no issues moving towards the right.

 

This is on a two-port system with a Best Electronics rebuilt (gold contacts) controller.

 

It just doesn't make any sense to me. Am hoping someone can point me to what might be going on. Yeah, I know the 5200 controllers are weird, but really - jacked up control in three games, while the rest work great?

 

Some games calibrate the joystick when you start the system/game. So if it's off-centered initially, the game controls will be off.

[shadwolf]

 

Some games calibrate the joystick when you start the system/game. So if it's off-centered initially, the game controls will be off.

 

That doesn't seem to be it in this case... after reading your post, I went and held the joystick in the center, then turned the 5200 on w/ each of these three games. Same thing, so then I alternated holding the stick to different angles as I turned the system on to see if I could get the right to work, but no dice :-(

[+Mitch]

It could also be that your 5200 console is slightly out of calibration. Not enough to cause a problem on most games but the few picky ones won't work.

 

Mitch

[Divya16]

It could also be that your 5200 console is slightly out of calibration. Not enough to cause a problem on most games but the few picky ones won't work.

 

Mitch

 

I think Gyruss has a weird way of moving already-- you have to make a circle or something with the joystick to get it to revolve around the planet/enemy in the center. I haven't had problems with that one but I had problems with Qix.

[shadwolf]

It could also be that your 5200 console is slightly out of calibration. Not enough to cause a problem on most games but the few picky ones won't work.

 

Mitch

 

Hmm. I wonder how to adjust the console - would I need some kind of diagnostic cart to show what it's reading from the stick? I glanced through the field service manual but didn't see anything that jumped out at me.

[shadwolf]

It could also be that your 5200 console is slightly out of calibration. Not enough to cause a problem on most games but the few picky ones won't work.

 

Mitch

 

I think Gyruss has a weird way of moving already-- you have to make a circle or something with the joystick to get it to revolve around the planet/enemy in the center. I haven't had problems with that one but I had problems with Qix.

 

The control in that game does seem strange - I do kind of "rotor" the stick around and to move. Leftward circular movement is fine - it just stops at the top center and won't rotate on around to the right.

 

I remember reading a review on vidgamecritic.net on Gyruss, and he was complaining about how you couldn't go immediately to the right on the game - you'd have to circle up and around to get to the other side? Is that how the game behaves? I had wondered from what I'm seeing if perhaps he wasn't just encountering a similar issue to mine (only mine won't continue go to the right even from the top).

 

It's been like this for years w/ Gyruss; I just picked up Blue Print and Congo Bongo a couple of days ago and discovered no rightward movement on them either. It's just nuts that it's just with these three games and no others.

[shadwolf]

Something else to add... I noticed B1shop's post about having his setup having issues not being able to move all the way to the right. I've checked the range of motion on my controller in Missile Command and the cursor goes to all corners and extremities of the screen perfectly correct.

 

If the issue is just that my console is funky, I wonder if the readings from the stick are too low (or too high) for these three games to recognize? Is there a diagnostic cart that will tell what the console is reading from the sticks?

[atariksi]

Something else to add... I noticed B1shop's post about having his setup having issues not being able to move all the way to the right. I've checked the range of motion on my controller in Missile Command and the cursor goes to all corners and extremities of the screen perfectly correct.

 

If the issue is just that my console is funky, I wonder if the readings from the stick are too low (or too high) for these three games to recognize? Is there a diagnostic cart that will tell what the console is reading from the sticks?

 

I don't know about the diagnostic cart, but I have experienced not being able to move right in some games while developing the digital joystick adapter for A5200 and it was always due to calibration and detecting of joystick type. Some games detect the joystick type to be trackball instead of paddle or something else and this causes weird behavior. And calibration had something to do with the resistance which causes centering. Even if voltage level was off by 0.3V, it would cause not being able to move right.

[bohoki]

Something else to add... I noticed B1shop's post about having his setup having issues not being able to move all the way to the right. I've checked the range of motion on my controller in Missile Command and the cursor goes to all corners and extremities of the screen perfectly correct.

 

If the issue is just that my console is funky, I wonder if the readings from the stick are too low (or too high) for these three games to recognize? Is there a diagnostic cart that will tell what the console is reading from the sticks?

 

there are a few games that want more right and down than they should like gyruss and popeye i measured my tipping points with a potentiometer and they really want near the 500k to trigger

 

you got dig dug? try it its pretty forgiving

[Prodos8]

There's a litte pot inside the console for controller calibration. You can make do using Missle Command or Super Breakout to adjust it. Basically center your stick than turn the pot until the cursor or paddle is centered. The field manual should provide you more info on it.

[atariksi]

Something else to add... I noticed B1shop's post about having his setup having issues not being able to move all the way to the right. I've checked the range of motion on my controller in Missile Command and the cursor goes to all corners and extremities of the screen perfectly correct.

 

If the issue is just that my console is funky, I wonder if the readings from the stick are too low (or too high) for these three games to recognize? Is there a diagnostic cart that will tell what the console is reading from the sticks?

 

there are a few games that want more right and down than they should like gyruss and popeye i measured my tipping points with a potentiometer and they really want near the 500k to trigger

 

you got dig dug? try it its pretty forgiving

 

More games should use movement like DigDug. I would say Joust, Pac-man, DigDug, Wizard of Wor, Berzerk, and some others seem to have a bigger threshold so slight voltage/pot changes don't affect them.