Paddle games do not work. No support for analog controllers.
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Standalone Stella (not libretro) works perfectly with paddles as it allows users to map analog gamepad directions to "Paddle 0 Analog", paddle 1 analog, etc, but Stella-libretro does not and it seems libretro forces mapping of analog directional gamepads to just left,right,up,down joystick directions only :(
Please fix Stella-libretro to allow users to map analog controls to Stella analog 0/1/2/3 as its designed to allow.
Its a real shame that we cant play any paddle games and all the systems that use retroarch which uses lr-stella do not support atari paddle games :(
Some additional info. Basically it looks like only d-pad is mapped to stella joysticks and analog controls on modernc controllers are not mapped at all :(. When you map them manually in retroarch, they get mapped to joystick left/rigght/up/down in Stella which is useless. All that needs to be done is for the system to map analog controls of retroarch to Paddle 0/1/2/3 analog settings in stella. Currently games designed for analog controllers (like paddles) are basically unplayable. its like trying to move the mouse on your screen with keyboard. its just not playable.
Hi @jdgleaver , I noticed you added mouse support bach in march, but how is it enabled? I am not able to get mouse working in stella paddle games. Any instructions?
Could you also add support for absolute positioning on analog gamepads please. currently analog controls just move left/right/up/down and we really need them to be absolute positioning so we can play paddles style games with precision. currently they are unplayable.
I noticed you added mouse support bach in march, but how is it enabled? I am not able to get mouse working in stella paddle games. Any instructions?
I did not add mouse support - I added support for using the analog stick of a gamepad to control the paddles: #71. This is 'real' analog control, and it works well (for me, at least). There is no special config required - the analog stick 'just works' (although you may wish to adjust the sensitivity via core options). If it is not working for you then either (a) you are running an old build of the core without my commit or (b) you have Analog to Digital Type set to Left Analog in your input settings (which disables analog input).
If I can find some time, I will look into adding mouse support...
Could you also add support for absolute positioning on analog gamepads please. currently analog controls just move left/right/up/down and we really need them to be absolute positioning so we can play paddles style games with precision. currently they are unplayable.
The current analog support is relative for a reason. I did try implementing it using absolute positioning, and the result was 100% unusable - it was entirely impossible to control the paddles with any kind of accuracy using a conventional gamepad. Only relative analog positioning works.
If you are referring to absolute positioning for some kind of specialised input hardware that mimics a real paddle, then sorry, but no - I do not own such a device, and I cannot write code that I cannot test...
If you are referring to absolute positioning for some kind of specialized input hardware that mimics a real paddle, then sorry, but no - I do not own such a device, and I cannot write code that I cannot test...
Hi @jdgleaver. Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. I disabled analog to digital and made sure I have the correct build and its working much better but unfortunately the experience is no where close to the standalone Stella, and let me explain.
BTW, I make and sell USB adapters for retro equipment such as Atari paddles that lets people play these games with original joysticks, driving controllers, and paddles. I would be happy to send you a FREE unit along with some Atari paddles if you are willing to assist. See www.icode.com for an example adapter I can send you for free.
I made a quick video here that shows the issue more: https://youtu.be/H_90k_SJizg
As you can see in the video, in your implementation, as the player say moves say to the right slightly on a paddle device and lets go, the object they are controlling on the screen keeps moving to the right which is a problem. Only way to stop the object from keep moving is to spin back to left which should not be needed. Absolute positioning for paddles is important for this reason and it makes paddles games very difficult to play with out them and the experience is nothing like the original consoles with relative positioning. Standalone stella uses absolute positioning so perhaps the reason you had trouble is because you were using a gamepad and not a paddle. Modern game controllers analog thump sticks have springs and they return to middle so they behave very differently than paddles.
Me and my fans (1000s of people using my devices) would be grateful if you can help us solve this. I get requests daily on why they cant play on retroarch like they do on standalone stella.
You can message with your info and I will ship you a unit. thank you again in advance, I know its much to ask but people like you make the retro community possible.
Ah, okay - I understand the issue here. I guess it would be nice if your paddle hardware emulated mouse input, then adding mouse support would kill two birds with one stone :)
But no matter. Since the paddle is essentially just an analog stick without automatic centring, I don't need any additional hardware for testing. I am busy this week, so cannot give you an ETA yet, but I will put optional absolute positioning on my TODO list.