Octagonal Gates?

[HappehLemons]

Are there any arcade games that specifically use octagonal gates or is it a regional thing?

[skaar]

Circle gets the square.

[Arkhan]

Tempest? Thats octagon-like?

or are we talking about electrical components and other scary things

[kedawa]

Most american arcade cabs use Happ or IL sticks, and those have round gates.
Japanese cabs usually have square gated sticks, but I think there are some games that have octagonal gates as the default.
I'm sure someone with more knowledge about japanese arcades will know some examples.

[Sosage]

What really counts when it comes to "restriction hardware" on American classic machines, when it comes to sticks, is 2-way, 4-way or 8-way. I tend to say your classic American Happ stick has no gate at all instead of round. There isn't really anything restricting the stick from nakedly colliding however with the switches. Although I guess technically you could also say the body of a Happ is the gate...hrm.

I'm sure if you get your hands on some Japanese arcade manuals, some of them will mention a preferred stick or what sticks shipped with the original machine or kit.

[kedawa]

Yeah, it doesn't have a restictor like japanese sticks have, but the stick moves in a circular path.
I don't know if you could call it a gate or not, since it's above the pivot point instead of below, collides with the shaft instead of the actuator, and is part of the housing instead of being a separate component, but that's how I think of it.

[skaar]

So... this should be in the technical or arcade sections rather than mysterious and strange in Classic Gaming.

I fear it.

[HappehLemons]

aw I put this in classic, no wonder. Can someone please move this into the arcade section


I'm really a novice to anything arcade related since I have little experience with them.

So in a 2d beat'em up they use round gates and not octos? I figure they would use octos snice they only move in those 8 directions.

[A Black Falcon]

Octagonal? Nintendo controller analog sticks!

They really are the best kind of gate, it would be nice to see more arcade controllers with that kind of gate instead of circular or, worse, square ones...

I just don't really get square gates, for either analog sticks or arcade sticks. Why put the easy to use directions (that is, the ones where the stick will actually stay in place) in the corners, where you probably will not need it that much, but NOT in the middle of each side, where it'd be far more useful? It's annoying... octagonal would be far better!

[Sosage]

Octagonal? Nintendo controller analog sticks!

They really are the best kind of gate, it would be nice to see more arcade controllers with that kind of gate instead of circular or, worse, square ones...

I just don't really get square gates, for either analog sticks or arcade sticks. Why put the easy to use directions (that is, the ones where the stick will actually stay in place) in the corners, where you probably will not need it that much, but NOT in the middle of each side, where it'd be far more useful? It's annoying... octagonal would be far better!

It's a preference thing.

I use square gate on my main Street Fighter stick. I prefer square because there is absolutely no question where the four corners are. Each corner represents up forward, up backwards, down backwards and down forwards. I hit down, travel to the corner...hand feels corner and I know I've arrived. Start traveling up a little and hit punch for fireball. This all happens in mili-seconds.

Octagonal isn't bad and could be argued it gives more accuracy, but I prefer feeling the four corners instead of eight slots. When I adapted to Japanese hardware ten years ago, it just became a preference. Now days, unfortunately, I have a tough time on American sticks because of it. I rely on the "clicks" of the switches as a substitute (yes...I can feel/hear the subtle clicks)...if I play on a perfect 360, I am completely fucking lost.

[kedawa]

Square gated analog sticks actually allow you to reach the extremes of both axes simultaneously, so there is some justification for them.
As for Square gated digital sticks, it's really a matter of personal preference.
I used to swear by octagonal gate sticks, but I've had to get used to the square gates on my friend's TE fightsticks, and I'm actually starting to prefer them.
I do miss having corners for all eight directions, but for fighting games at least, that's not much of an issue.

[HappehLemons]

I'm asking this questing because I'm building an arcade cab, and I'm wondering if I should buy a round gate or octo for beat 'em ups.

[kedawa]

Buy whatever you're comfortable with, I guess. The Happ/IL sticks are cheaper and more durable, and can be easily mounted in wooden panels. Sanwa sticks are more precise, and the gates in them are easily swapped, but they're really only practical for metal panels.
What sort of buttons are you planning on using? I prefer the clicky Happ buttons personally, but most people will tell you that japanese buttons are more responsive.

[HappehLemons]

Thing is I honestly don't know what I'm comfortable with since I've never used an octo or round gate before, but I know for a fact that a square gate isn't going to work for some of the games I want to play.

I've got Sanwa buttons and a sanwa balltop JLF which I might switch in for a teardrop.

[Icarus Moonsight]

I fear it.

Then burn it with fire?

Does this make that large of a difference? Is there de facto gates for certain genres (as in their production), what are the trends? I find the thread very interesting because I've never thought of this. I know when I like/dislike the feel of a stick. Not much more though. The opposite of fear is not courage, it's curiosity.

[kedawa]

I've got Sanwa buttons and a sanwa balltop JLF which I might switch in for a teardrop.

Just spend the $5 it costs for an octo gate and see how you like it. It's incredibly easy to change the gate.

[Ed Oscuro]

Nobody mentioned square gates eh? (Well, skaar didn't know what the topic was about so it doesn't count.)

I'd probably go with square myself.

Plus-shaped gates for Pac-Man and similar games. Though those are old enough that you can use an old dedicated cabinet.

http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick/restrictors.html