[Goober5000]

Game ports, serial ports, and parallel ports (particularly the latter) are cool because you can use them to control electronic devices from your computer. I got this book several years ago and it's really neat for experimenting with basic interface stuff.

1o bucks

Wow, I thought people stopped confusing the letter O and the number 0 (on the keyboard, at least) back in the 80s. Guess I was wrong.

*mocks Kazan*

[Cyker]

I'm sure they will have support, because if they don't then I'm not sure even a USB Gameport adaptor will work because they usually just emulate gameport devices rather than turning the 'stick into a USB device, 'tho I don't know if they all work like that...

If I can just snag one of these http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,40958.0.html Sidewinder convertors I'm sorted 'tho!

But yeah, with USB it's a LOT harder to make a custom stick - You need to build a fully fledged friggin' microcontroller before you can even *think* about the pots/buttons/sensors/switches!

[Nuke]

i just noticed my newer computer doesnt even have a gameport (and my old one has 2). i should probibly remedy that with a new sound card.

[Mongoose]

I'm still thanking my lucky stars that Grendel from the DBB made the 3D Pro converters that Cyker mentioned above.  The MS Sidewinder 3D Pro is, in my humble opinion, the greatest little joystick ever made, and certainly the best one out there for playing Descent.  I've been using mine for what has to be almost ten years now, and it's still plugging along, albeit a bit battered.  My sound card doesn't have a gameport, so I was forced to get a new stick (Saitek Cyborg Evo) when I got the machine.  It's a good stick in its own right, but it still doesn't beat the great feel of the 3D Pro.  Now, with the converter, I can keep using it for years to come.

Oh, and the Luddite in me greatly rebels against removing compatibility for any sort of old technology, no matter how archaic.  Hell, I don't even know why something like DOSBox should be necessary.  I should still be able to plop in a floppy-based DOS game and have it run natively, damn it!

[Nuke]

i second that last part. i used to have a collection of boot disks for all my old games, i based it of the windows 98 boot disk, added a few nessicary files, sound drivers and such. sometimes id just use the generic disk, other times id have to do something custom. but theese days noone makes dos drivers anymore and my boot disk doesnt work, hell i dont even have a floppy drive anymore.

anyway about those usb-gameport adapters, do they still work with wire it yourself jobs, or only with comercial joysticks? and can you use more than one of them? cause id like to build a virtual cockpit at some point, with aleron, rudder, elevator, throttle (for at least 2 engines), flaps, elevator trim, mixture (at least 2 engines), cowel flaps, prop pitch (2 engines), and wheel breaks (one for each side), and maybe ground steering and pretty much anything else i could think of. thats 16 axes, about 4 gameports worth. or will i have to construct my own interface for all that stuff (with drivers)?

[Cyker]

USB Gameport convertors seem to vary quite wildly - Extrapolating from the two I tried.

One only worked as a 2-axis 2-button stick (USELESS!).

The other worked as a 4-axis 4-button, but My Sidewinder 3D Pro still wouldn't work in digital mode on it, and when I flicked it into CH Flightstick Mode, the Hatswitch wouldn't work.

I hope to get one of Grendel's dongles so I can use it in the future - Most sound cards and mobo's don't even come with joystick ports anymore. If you're REALLY lucky, it'll have a header socket you can plug a DA-15 bracket into.


Nuke: Be aware of that if you get a new soundcard... MAKE SURE it has a joystick port on it! I don't think Craplative Labs's cards do... I ain't touching their cards anyway - X-Fi doesn't even work on Linux, Win98 or Win2k!!!

Mongoose: You got one of Grendel's boxes!?!?! You bastard!!!! 
I agree with the phasing of old tech 'tho - Hell, I wish my computer still had ISA slots so I could use my AWE32! (Best damned card ever made!!). I've always been an "If it works, go with it!" person; Never liked the whole upgrading for the sake of it thing we get here