FireTrap - my greatest triumph

[JimmyFromTheBay]

Data East's FireTrap is a great game ruined by its idiotic controls. It had no reason to copy Crazy Climber's wacky one-stick-per-hand movement system - Crazy Climber needs it because it's all about precise positioning, but FireTrap is a fast-moving shoot-'em-up where a straightforward left-right-up-down would have done the job perfectly well (as the C64 port showed) and let you get on with the real job of putting out fires and rescuing puppies.

Without what I presume were dedicated arcade controllers with a trigger on one or both sticks it's close to unplayable - you need three hands just to move and fire - and I've spent ages trying to work out a MAME configuration that unlocks the enjoyable game inside.

Well, I think I've finally cracked it.

PLAYER 1 LEFT/UP - joystick 1 up
PLAYER 1 LEFT/DOWN - joystick 1 down or A button
PLAYER 1 RIGHT/UP - joystick 1 down
PLAYER 1 RIGHT/DOWN - joystick 1 up or A button
PLAYER 1 FIRE 1 - B button

Now you have full control with a single stick - waggle it up and down to climb the building (which you normally have to do with both sticks anyway), fire with B, and use the A button if you need to drop down a level, as you sometimes do.

Your little firefighter can scamper up the skyscrapers at full speed without you having to touch the second stick, and the game is now approximately 40 times more fun. YOU'RE WELCOME.