Re: Best Apple II emulator & joystick calibration

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

"Michael J. Mahon" writes ...
> 
> Rubywand wrote:
> 
> >   If you want your PC stick to look like an Apple II stick when running any
> > A2 game on an emulator, there is a mod you can do to the stick described 
> > in a GS WorldView article at ...
> >
> > http://www.apple2.org.za/gswv/a2zine/gswv/AppleizePCstick.html
> 
> Um, this mod describes how to make a PC joystick work like an
> Apple II joystick _when you plug it into an Apple II_, not when
> you plug it into a PC and use it with an emulator!

     It's the same problem.


> 
> The PC's joystick interface contains the correct capacitance to
> get a full-scale reading with a PC joystick.  And a reasonable
> Apple II emulator running on the PC will interpret full-scale PC
> joystick reading as full-scale Apple joystick reading.
>
 ....

     Except, they don't.

     AppleWin and Apple Oasis appear to access the PC joystick interface
without any attempt to compensate for stick differences.

     Apple II firmware will not reach a count of $FF (255) during the countdown
period produced by a properly calibrated (for PC games) 100k max control. The
same goes for custom sampling routines (which mimic the firmware) used in some
games.

     It is possible to modify the Apple II firmware to obtain a 255 count with
a PC stick and no special calibrations. But, that doesn't fix things for games
which do not use the firmware routines.

     Modifying the PC joystick to allow getting an Apple II stick time constant
is pretty easy and avoids all the bother with special calibrations, emu
changes, individual game mods, etc..



Rubywand