Games you think would have been better with different controls...

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Games you think would have been better with different controls...

I don't recall this thread before (maybe - possibly even by me), but here goes anyway.

What game do you think would have been better or more fun if they had used a different control setup than they did?

For example, I think Bubbles would have been a lot more fun had it used a trackball instead of an optical joystick.

Someone mentioned to me a while back how my Gyruss would have been better with a spinner (like Tempest does), although I'm not so sure about that myself.

Any other thoughts?
 
I'm not a big fan of left/right buttons when a 2 way joystick would have worked nicely (phoenix for instance).
 
Defender would have been easier for me to play (maybe not better) if thrust and reverse were part of the joystick controls.
 
controls

Adjusted joystick and position for the sega games zaxxon and congo bongo. They're good games with poor controls.

A lot of 80s games with flightsticks really are better to play with a standard ball or bat top.

Defender could really be a LOT more fun with better controls. A joystick and buttons.
 
Operation wolf should have had a mounted positional joygun rather than a mounted light gun.
 
RC Pro-Am with a steering wheel.
Tron with a traditional fire button as a second option.
 
The Japanese Taito Space Invader cabinets had joysticks on them, and the sideart was a sticker instead of paint. I think the cab looks a little better, but I'm not so sure that it had the same 3D reflection "floating in space" display setup as the Midway cabinets. I just KNEW someone would say Defender, but to be honest, I can't IMAGINE that game with different controls. Using a trackball with Bubbles would definitely be much better, but I NEVER understood why ANYONE would like that game.

I can't imagine Tron or Mad Planets with a different control scheme, either. Pleaides and Phoenix both had buttons, and MIGHT have been a little different with a stick, but when I play Pleaides I prefer the buttons (I have the option). Asteroids would have DEFINITELY been better with a spinner knob, but I can't think of any pre-1979 games that used an optical unit. All spinner knobs before that were just turning pots that had stopping points (I believe). So, I'm not sure that ANY game at that point had used an optical knob. Guess that is why they did Blasteroids that way.

You know, with all of the hacking going around these days, it wouldn't be ANY trouble for someone to make a new control panel for Asteroids and AD and outfit it with a tempest spinner. The ROM hack/mod for it would probably not be that difficult, either. You would probably need to increase the maximum rotational speed of the ship to mach what would be possible with the spinner in order to make if feel "right". Interesting idea...

Lee
 
Oops...sorry, brain fart. I was thinking Asteroids. But yeah, Defender is super hard to control. Then again, it's just a hard game.
I know. And growing up I hated "hard" games like Missile Command, but really got into this one. There was just a thrill associated with constantly being on the verge of completely out of control. :D Maybe because it was my brother's all time favorite too and we've always been close.
 
Here goes:

1. Space Invaders is definitely better with the stick.
2. Asteroids would have been better with a paddle
3. Gyruss would have benefitted from a "720 Degree" stick
4. Zaxxon should have had the stick oriented diagonally like Qbert
5. Return of the Jedi, should have been a vertical scrolling game(or a vector) or used a diagonal oriented analog Zaxxon style stick
6. Missile Command cockpit as a touchscreen

And that's all I can think of right now.
 
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