Which games utilized the 2nd button on 7800 controller?

[Dauber]

Found out the hard way that Klax requires the second button.

[edladdin]

IMHO, Asteroids is an infinitely superior game with both fire buttons. The 7800 knows the difference and a one button stick plays like the 2600 game, where you pull back on the stick for hyperspace. The way I play, that means at some point I am headed to hyperspace when I least expect it.

 

In two button 7800 Asteroids the stick delivers rotation, thrust, and deceleration when you pull down, which gives you a ship that is much more nimble than even the thrust-only coin-op version of the game. No more tiptoeing around that "down" pull! You can fly the ship like you mean it. Meanwhile, Fire is on B1 and Hyperspace is on B2, so its almost impossible to go to hyperspace by accident.

 

Interestingly, just now I was switching between a 2600 CX-40 and a Super Twin 78 and found out that I had to turn the console off and back on for it to also switch controller modes. Before the reset the Super Twin was also serving up hyperspace with a down movement on the stick.

 

BTW, for me even the Pro Line delivers Unintended Hyperspace in Asteroids thanks to the problems of its wretched design. I end up clamping my left hand around that slippery fish shape of an enclosure while also trying to keep the thumb and index loose and frisky for the buttons. Since the left button is getting most of the use with the thumb, eventually the index will wander onto the right button and "vrrrpp!" off we go to hyperspace. Terrible!

[Jinks]

What does the second button do on klax? I press it and the same thing happens it flips the pieces over.

Also pulling down on asteroids does nothing for me. It just glides the same as not pulling down.

[themushroom]

I thought Tower Tumblr was two-button but I was mistaken. I will agree that the brakes in Pole Position and the flip in Jinx are not justification to put a ProLine into the jack since you can play those two just fine without those functions.

 

And then there's the converse to this thread: the one game for the 2600 that required a two-button joystick, Omega Race. (I've never tried to play it with a ProLine and have never had the bundled controller to try it on a 7800.)

[chas10e]

 

And then there's the converse to this thread: the one game for the 2600 that required a two-button joystick, Omega Race. (I've never tried to play it with a ProLine and have never had the bundled controller to try it on a 7800.)

 

Omega Race needs the booster grip , both buttons on the Pro-line stick will thrust , the pro-line stick will work in conjunction with the booster grip but held separately

 

these solutions to play Omega Race don't seem the best either

Edited December 11, 2014 by chas10e

[Trebor]

I thought Tower Tumblr was two-button but I was mistaken. I will agree that the brakes in Pole Position and the flip in Jinx are not justification to put a ProLine into the jack since you can play those two just fine without those functions.

 

And then there's the converse to this thread: the one game for the 2600 that required a two-button joystick, Omega Race. (I've never tried to play it with a ProLine and have never had the bundled controller to try it on a 7800.)

 

What I was thinking in connection with the topic and the 7800 is the game that only requires one button, when two should have been utilized...

 

Kung-Fu Master.

 

Disappointed to a degree with how the graphics were handled as Absolute's results are similar to Activision's for Rampage (Fair), but better than Double Dragon (Poor). To add insult to injury, maintaining the 2600-like control scheme just sinks the gameplay immensely. Utilizing only one button and having the joystick positioning determine whether a punch or kick is being executed was a poor decision. The control scheme should have provided one button to punch and the other button to kick.

[RevEng]

these solutions to play Omega Race don't seem the best either

If you have a way of playing 2600 ROMs on real hardware, and a Genesis controller, the 2600 "rom hacks to support 2 buttons with genesis controllers" thread has a Genesis controller compatible Omega Race.

 

 

 

What I was thinking in connection with the topic and the 7800 is the game that only requires one button, when two should have been utilized...

 

Kung-Fu Master

Completely agreed. The 2600 version was given 2 button support in the thread I linked to above, and it improved gameplay quite a bit. Someone should definitely take on a similar hack for the 7800 version.

[themushroom]

 

Omega Race needs the booster grip , both buttons on the Pro-line stick will thrust , the pro-line stick will work in conjunction with the booster grip but held separately

Thanks for the followup on that. I didn't expect the two sticks to be completely compatable but have never been able to test the theory. Someone hack an Omega Race ROM into using a ProLine?

Edited December 11, 2014 by themushroom

[chas10e]

Thanks for the followup on that. I didn't expect the two sticks to be completely compatable but have never been able to test the theory. Someone hack an Omega Race ROM into using a ProLine?

prolly someone hack the controller , switchable to use as either stock 7800 stick or Omega Race stick

[uveprom]

I wonder the exact scheme too.

 

I know that the Proline stick is compatible with the 2600 (and 2600 games run on the 7800) because it ties the "Button" (aka fire) pin to ground with either controller button press. However, at the same time it's doing that... it connects the pins on the controller port that would be used for analog paddle inputs on the 2600, to Vcc or +5v in this case.

 

I found this out while debugging the NES controller adapter I am currently working on for 7800. It is major reason I decided to not make both "b" and "a" buttons on the NES controller equal a "fire" in 2600 mode. It would require another gate or some more components from what I know now, as connecting both buttons to the 2600 "fire" pin also allows current to flow between the 2 buttons when in 7800 mode. Effectively making the 7800 think you are pushing both at once no matter which you pushed. I was able to exclude one button from this fiasco with a diode, but adding a diode to the other line caused the button not to work properly in some 7800 games.

 

I think I need to just understand what is going on a little better. Any help is greatly appreciated.

The 7800 pro joy is other schema ... pin 5 right button...pin 9 left button... http://old.pinouts.ru/Inputs/JoystickAtari7800_pinout.shtml