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avatar_mr_lou

Any game for CPC+ that support analogue joystick?

Started by mr_lou, 18:58, 25 October 13

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mr_lou

So I recently got my hands on an analogue joystick for the Amstrad CPC+
...or at least it's an analogue joystick, and it's from Amstrad.

In order to test if it works I'll obviously need to load a game on my CPC+ that supports the analogue joystick.

Anyone knows of such a game? (Are there even any?)

TFM

Hi, I do not remember such a game right now.




But you can install FutureOS for 6128 Plus (sorry, only in German available at the moment). It uses a multicolor hardware sprite as mouse pointer. And this can be moved over the screen by using the analogue joystick. This way you can check if your joystick works. If yes, let us know.

TFM of FutureSoft
Also visit the CPC and Plus users favorite OS: FutureOS - The Revolution on CPC6128 and 6128Plus

beaker


MacDeath

that's right, Tennis cup 2 by Loriciels on cartridge..

TFM

Well... no... read the details...


Tennis Cup 2 ( Cartridge ) - allows to use Analog Joystick (as digital joystick replacement in two-player mode, selectable in options menu - the game merely emulates digital inputs, it doesn't actually support analog input)


  • So, you only see if your analogue joystick works at all, but not how precise. In case of FutureOS the mouse pointer moves in different speed, depending on how much you do move the analogue joystick. So you really see how well it works.
TFM of FutureSoft
Also visit the CPC and Plus users favorite OS: FutureOS - The Revolution on CPC6128 and 6128Plus

MacDeath

#5
but it can use the analog joystick plugged into the analog port... so you can test if it works, not if it is precise and nice as analog joystick, but if it works on the machine.


But yeah to run FutureOS PLUS is also a nice way to test it.


I always though a converter to use a modern USB mouse (or joypads ?) plugged on the Analog port to have a nice mouse system with varied speed could be great.


a modern joypad often cumulate both analog and digital pads/sticks and various buttons...


so an adapter which could connect on all those ports (both DB9 and the DB15) with something like 2+ USB ports for varied controllers... this could really be nice for nextgen PLUS games.

Gryzor

Always thought that the inclusion of an analogue joystick in the Plus line-up was a waste of money on Amstrad's part... didn't really fit with the 8-bit mentality, or were they expecting big flight emulators?

MacDeath

This port actually has some potential...


most only see an "analog joy port" but :


=analog joy can be used as digital as well.
=some extra controls which may enable more than only 2 controlers, or lessen joystick/keyboard clashes.
=some science things perhaps ? or idustrial controllers in Analog ?
=it has a 5V power supply I guess... so may enable some autofire or mouses.


the main issue is that Amstrad failed to offer proper adapters or specific joysticks, like some dual analog+digital as on modern consoles...
or specific mouse or whatever... was mostly an excuse to try to sell a few extra PC analog joysticks they designed for the PC200/PC20...


May even have been a clever way to get rid of some DB15 components in stockpiles for those failed CGA PCs looking like Amigas, also giving an excuse of a "cheap" extra feature...


Well IMO, better features would have been 128k, keyboard, Tape and extension port on GX4000...


And a proper sprite thing... 16 sprites per line, pointed into any RAM bank, multiplexable (= no vertical limitation for the sprite) in 4bpp...


And perhaps some sort of attributes or character mapping thing, not unlike the speccy ones... like you know ? attributes in Mode1, choice between 4 palettes (16 inks from the mode0 = 4x4 inks)... would be like 2bits per attributes in mode1...


and and and... ;D

Puresox

A question that is sort of related to this thread . Were there any joysticks for the Amstrad that had a working auto fire function?And why was the Amstrad not able to utilise the auto fire option on a Quickshot 2 joystick for example?

MacDeath

#9
If I remember correctly, didn't some joystick had a battery...


Quickjoy V Superboard SV-125 : I fail to remember if it could have autofire on CPC... I think it could, not sure...


I also wish i could find aone in good shape...


What about this one :

Spectravideo Quick Shot Professional 2-Player Board QS-128F


perhaps because it failed to provide a +5V somewhere on the Joy port ?
like you know, you had to get current from extension port with the mouse...


To me it is another flaw on the PLUS.


ok there is a lightgun plug... but it would have been cool to have a mouse indeed.
The Hardsprites being nice for decent mouse pointer after all...

remax

Quote from: Puresox on 22:23, 26 October 13
A question that is sort of related to this thread . Were there any joysticks for the Amstrad that had a working auto fire function?And why was the Amstrad not able to utilise the auto fire option on a Quickshot 2 joystick for example?

I'm 100% sure about this, but don't remember which was the joystick that allowed that.
Brain Radioactivity

TFM

@Mr.Lou: Did you find your analogue joystick working?
TFM of FutureSoft
Also visit the CPC and Plus users favorite OS: FutureOS - The Revolution on CPC6128 and 6128Plus

mr_lou

Quote from: TFM on 17:38, 28 October 13@Mr.Lou: Did you find your analogue joystick working?

Haven't had time to try yet.
Also don't have Tennis Cup 2 lying around.
Might try FutureOS, but it'll have to wait till all 32 ROM slots are supported.
(I have new chip for my 4-way cartridge on the way for that).

Gryzor

Yes, there were auto-firing joysticks for the Amstrad. I recall having one that actually had a switch for "Amstrad mode" auto-fire...

TFM

Quote from: mr_lou on 17:47, 28 October 13
Might try FutureOS, but it'll have to wait till all 32 ROM slots are supported.
(I have new chip for my 4-way cartridge on the way for that).


Well, if you can burn an Flash/Eprom then you can use the Cartridge version too. But that's probably way too much effort to just check a joystick....


Well, I could do an adaption of Cyber Chicken actually ;-)
EDIT: Does WinApe support the analogue joystick?

TFM of FutureSoft
Also visit the CPC and Plus users favorite OS: FutureOS - The Revolution on CPC6128 and 6128Plus

arnoldemu

my wip of arnold does :)

it supports 2 digital joysticks and analogue joystick of plus :)
My games. My Games
My website with coding examples: Unofficial Amstrad WWW Resource

TFM

Quote from: arnoldemu on 19:36, 28 October 13
my wip of arnold does :)

it supports 2 digital joysticks and analogue joystick of plus :)


Now I just need Linux, right? Ok......
TFM of FutureSoft
Also visit the CPC and Plus users favorite OS: FutureOS - The Revolution on CPC6128 and 6128Plus

arnoldemu

Quote from: TFM on 19:41, 28 October 13

Now I just need Linux, right? Ok......
The source builds on linux, windows and rasperry pi (requires sdl and wxwidgets). It's slow on raspberry pi.

It's been a while since I built some binaries for linux and windows, but I will do that soon.


My games. My Games
My website with coding examples: Unofficial Amstrad WWW Resource

TFM

Quote from: Gryzor on 18:19, 28 October 13
Yes, there were auto-firing joysticks for the Amstrad. I recall having one that actually had a switch for "Amstrad mode" auto-fire...


Yes, that's true. They had a switch for CPC464, but autofire never worked, because the CPC does not provide 5 V. So an adapter was needed with a battery (or psu).

TFM of FutureSoft
Also visit the CPC and Plus users favorite OS: FutureOS - The Revolution on CPC6128 and 6128Plus

TFM

Any news?


Does the joystick work?


New emu build for windows?

TFM of FutureSoft
Also visit the CPC and Plus users favorite OS: FutureOS - The Revolution on CPC6128 and 6128Plus

ralferoo

Quote from: Puresox on 22:23, 26 October 13
A question that is sort of related to this thread . Were there any joysticks for the Amstrad that had a working auto fire function?And why was the Amstrad not able to utilise the auto fire option on a Quickshot 2 joystick for example?

The CPC joystick port wasn't actually Atari compatible. The major differences were:

Pin 7 should have been 5V supply, instead it was the secondary fire button.
Pin 8 should have been GND, instead it was directly connected to keyboard matrix, so either GND or open circuit. When this was GND, the joystick behaved like an Atari joystick.
Pin 9 was similar to pin 8 for the second joystick on a CPC, on a 2600 it was an analogue input.
Pin 5 was the second analogue on a 2600, it was a digital input for the third fire button on the CPC (almost never used).

The upshot of this is that there's no easy power supply available for an auto-fire circuit. Instead, you'd need to use a capacitor to harvest from the pull-ups on the normal pins (actually, you could use pin 7 for this I guess) and be aware that 8 isn't always GND (and so you'd probably need a diode to provide a forward voltage drop against the cap and VCC).

arnoldemu

Quote from: TFM on 00:03, 10 December 13
Any news?


Does the joystick work?


New emu build for windows?
yes, I am adding Devices to the emu.

Yes it does.

No, because I didn't make one.

I work on Linux and my cross compiler has been broken for a while.

If you want to build it, download code:blocks and I'll tell you where the sources are.
My games. My Games
My website with coding examples: Unofficial Amstrad WWW Resource

TFM

Quote from: ralferoo on 01:38, 10 December 13
The CPC joystick port wasn't actually Atari compatible.


It was not c64 or spectrum or Jupiter Ace compatible either.


But the CPC Joystick port provides access for actually two joysticks with three fire buttons each! And this is great!  :)
TFM of FutureSoft
Also visit the CPC and Plus users favorite OS: FutureOS - The Revolution on CPC6128 and 6128Plus

Sykobee (Briggsy)

Quote from: TFM on 16:29, 10 December 13

It was not c64 or spectrum or Jupiter Ace compatible either.

But the CPC Joystick port provides access for actually two joysticks with three fire buttons each! And this is great!  :)


Except nobody except the AMX mouse used the third button.  But yeah, a good use of otherwise redundant pins (no A/D in the CPC for analogue data).


TBH I still think the CPC should have had two joystick ports, but Sugar knew how to cost cut... and encourage sales of the horrible Amstrad joystick!

TFM

Quote from: Sykobee (Briggsy) on 16:37, 10 December 13

Except nobody except the AMX mouse used the third button.  But yeah, a good use of otherwise redundant pins (no A/D in the CPC for analogue data).

Ah no. There is more software using that.

Quote from: Sykobee (Briggsy) on 16:37, 10 December 13TBH I still think the CPC should have had two joystick ports, but Sugar knew how to cost cut... and encourage sales of the horrible Amstrad joystick!



Agreed! So ultimatily one could have connected four joysticks and play games with four players, fun like with some consoles.  :)
TFM of FutureSoft
Also visit the CPC and Plus users favorite OS: FutureOS - The Revolution on CPC6128 and 6128Plus

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