Please help with RetroPie Build (USB ports and Atari Paddle Questions.)
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@lfrank22001 said in Please help with RetroPie Build (USB ports and Atari Paddle Questions.):
I "think" the only difference between the two is that Steall-Ir is "configurable" and Stella is "hard-coded".
It's actually quite the opposite. lr-stella is at the mercy of whichever features the RetroArch team decide to include from the mainline Stella release. This being the case, there are a wide array of useful and sometimes outright necessary features that can only be accessed by running Stella proper.
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I'm assuming Stella is bigger than Stella-Ir. Given what I'm trying to do, I don't think memory card space should be an issue, or even speed of running a program.
Are there any draw-backs to using Stella instead of Stella-Ir?
Still wondering about how Stella will sense controllers and would sense and assign controllers with a 6 port hub with either 4 game pads in ports 1-4 and 2 paddle sets in 5 and 6 or reversed.
Thanks!
Lee
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Are there any draw-backs to using Stella instead of Stella-Ir?
Higher learning curve? One aspect of lr-stella that I imagine many people find appealing is that having the options stripped away makes it more straight forward to configure the few options that remain. It's sort of the same trade off you would find in a Apple verses Android comparison.
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@lfrank22001 said in Please help with RetroPie Build (USB ports and Atari Paddle Questions.):
Still wondering about how Stella will sense controllers and would sense and assign controllers with a 6 port hub with either 4 game pads in ports 1-4 and 2 paddle sets in 5 and 6 or reversed.
You just map the physical controller to whatever virtual 2600 port you want through the GUI. It's not too dissimilar from any other emulator.
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@lfrank22001 usb'have an order. Plug the paddles into the higher numbered ports. They should auto work but if not tab is the menu button and you can change everything in there. For ease of use plug in a mouse. I originally had my 2600-daptor external and would plug into usb 0. Configured all my controls that way. Then i swapped to usb 3 and it worked correctly. Stella has a strange way with the configs. It reconizes different setups. If you change controllers
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Sounds like everything should work! I'll let you know how it goes!
Thanks!
Lee -
Plug the paddles into the higher numbered ports.
Very nice.
One question I have for you that I imagine will be informative to the OP as well is if the onscreen paddles "stick" to the side of the walls using these adapters as they do when simple mouse movement is used? I've mentioned this bug before in other threads and that in later versions of Stella it's been fixed, but I'm curious if it's an issue with the 2600-daptor II here.
Have you ever noticed if this is an issue?
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@mediamogul i have not seen any sticking with the paddles. Explain exactly what happens and i will test it. I play warlords and meidevil mayhem the most.
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The actual issue is a side effect of how the games were originally programmed rather than being an actual Stella issue. When an onscreen paddle hits a wall, the location of that paddle has the potential to keep moving indefinitely, even though the graphic looks to be at rest against the wall. To move the paddle to the other side of the screen, it must then travel the extra distance it went past the wall before it comes back in line with the graphic, where it will then begin to travel. For all uses and purposes, it gives the impression that the onscreen paddle sticks to the walls.
As mentioned, this eccentricity also exists in the original software, however there is a limit to when the physical paddles will keep sending input that corresponds with the intended onscreen movement. When older versions of Stella make use of a mouse for analog movement, there is no limit to the movement and continues on past the walls. Now, I know that the 2600-daptor II makes use of the original paddles, but sometimes adapted controllers don't always perform 1:1 with their original design and I was wondering if this "bug" was an issue before I went through the trouble of buying a few myself.
The biggest offenders to test would be any of the 'Breakout' titles.
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@mediamogul ok so this is not an issue really with the paddles. If you set an analog stick up as a paddle and not a dpad its not an issue either. There is only so far you can turn a paddle or an analog stick set up as a paddle. So if you go too far it is a fraction of a second to be back on course. With the 2600-daptor you need/want to center-ish the paddle before plugging in. Doesnt have to be exact because there is little movement that you truly use on a paddle. Tom designed it to mimick the 2600 with paddles as much as possible. I assume the real atari is identical to this so i dont see the "flaw" in the game design being a problem at all.
As far as putting the paddle to center before plugging in, i turn my paddle turned all the way to the left. Then i put my fingers on 1 and 7o'clock. Then i turn it back to the right until my finger are on 12 and 6 o'clock. Then it is centered. You can hot swap the paddles and joystick. So if you plug the paddle in and you have it turned too far one direction and it interferes with your ability to move further one of the directions, just unplug the paddle itself, recenter and plug back in. No need to mess with the usb end.
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@edmaul69 said in Please help with RetroPie Build (USB ports and Atari Paddle Questions.):
If you set an analog stick up as a paddle and not a dpad its not an issue either.
Every time I've tried to do this, the analog stick simply acts as digital input, with the least little bit of movement thrusting the paddle in either direction. However, as this particular issue veers too far away from the OP's query about the adapter, I might tag you into another thread regarding this sometime else.
As for the rest of your comments on the specifics of operation regarding the 2600-daptor II, it's great to know exactly how you dial these things into range. based on your comments, I think I'll go ahead and make an order. It sounds like they're a great option.
Thanks for the input.
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@mediamogul actually at the moment it still pertains to him. He asked about how they work and alternatives. The analog stick is the only real alternative and i explained the paddles.
So for both of you here and everyone else who stumbles on this page this is how you set up an analog stick as a paddle. Keep in mind that when an analog stick is untouched you are centered so if you let go you will jump back to the center position on the screen. So in the input settings/emul. events scroll down to paddle you will see three options, paddle x analog, (x being the number displayed) paddle x decrease and paddle x increase. I believe paddle analog is for when you only use one potentiometer like an unmodified paddle. Increase and decrease is for analogs. If that doesnt work to your liking try analog. If you are using all seperate controllers with analog sticks, then set up their joystick fire buttons but dont set up their paddle fire buttons. Only set up paddle fire buttons if they are going to be different buttons than the joystick fire button.
If stella doesnt already preset up the 2600-daptor which it should and is programmed into stella to do, here is what you need to know. So for the fire button for paddle 0 (player 1) do not set a button to fire because if you do you will cancel out the joystick fire. However you need to set player 2's paddle fire to button on the paddle if you are using them.
I hope this helps both of you in your decision. I personally will not play them without paddles. It is perfect with them.
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Thanks for the extra info!
Lee -
Very, very informative. My TV is currently occupied for a NetFlix binge session, but I look forward to trying your suggestions. With any luck it'll solve my issues. Of course the paddles are looking like a better option anyway.
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@mediamogul if i could recommend any controller for any emulator this would be it.
Here is something cool i made. I gave these to a friend after having them for a while, but i made them by mixing joysticks and paddles. Then i found out some company actually made them in brazil back in the day.
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Very slick! Do they function as both paddles and Joysticks?
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@mediamogul nope. Just paddles sadly.
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