I’m a TTT2/TekRev player, I just made the jump to a fightstick. I’m a fightstick noob so I don’t know much about them. I purchased the Qanba Q1 which has all Qanba parts. I’m getting better with the stick but I’m still very inconsistent and it still doesn’t feel natural like the pad. I haven’t given up though, which is why I’m here. I’m curious is not having Sanwa parts holding me back. Would getting Sanwa parts, specifically a Sanwa stick, help improve my execution?
Would a Fightstick vet using a stick with all Sanwa parts be able to perform the same with a stick with all Qanba parts?
Using Sanwa parts is mostly about longevity, I believe. They’re used in arcades, so you know they’ll last a good, long time. A microswitch is a microswitch, it’s either on or off. The only difference you’d see from a Sanwa stick would be maybe a different throw distance or spring strength, something that you’d more likely notice if you switched over from one to the other, but you could probably learn just as well on either.
How much force opposes you when you move the stick and how far you have to push it before it triggers one of the switches. Ideally, you want a short throw, though not so short that it’d trigger instantly, and spring strength is entirely a comfort thing.
edit: I stand corrected, throw is how far you can possibly move the switch. I was thinking engage distance. Either way, though, short throw is preferred.
It’s not something you can easily change. Well, spring strength is easier, 'cause you can swap or cut your spring, but throw distance requires you adding new pieces of plastic and such. And it’s not like that stick is bad, Engravings used one for a good 5 months or so before he replaced it with the Q4, which I think is also all Qanba parts. He only made the move because the Q4 was dual-modded.
Ah. Well then. Still, he hasn’t made any huge leaps in the 2 months he’s used the Q4, it didn’t step up his game or anything. Q1’s a perfectly good stick that you can use until the parts need to be replaced, then you can just upgrade.
You’re going to see more results with consistent practice than you will with just throwing parts at it. You really have to get comfortable using an arcade stick and develop a rhythm with it. It takes time, so be patient, keep practicing, and eventually it’ll feel like second nature.
Installing better parts help with consistency, longevity, and overall feel. However, these improvements are only going to benefit intermediate or advanced-level players who are pretty competent with using an arcade stick. It’s not really going to do a thing for someone who just started using it.
Think of it like a car. If you give a beginner an economy car or a sports car, he’s still going to drive like shit. The difference only crops up when you put an experienced driver behind the wheel of both cars.
Off-brand sticks have been known to have dead zones (I’ve experienced this myself). Sanwa parts are high quality and last a long time. Definitely worth the money. Off-brand parts that come with things like the Brawlstick only lasted me about a month before the ones I frequently hit died on me.
I know this is a bit off-topic, but how about Seimitsu sticks? The shmup community tends to favor them for tighter controls, but are they as frequently used in fighting games, too?
The Q1 is a great stick.
The stock parts are high quality and it’s not much of a difference in terms of the stick, though the buttons feel a little worse than Sanwa buttons.
Dunno why you’d switch to stick for Tekken though.
Personally I switched to stick because of Street Fighter since you need better right hand control in that game in order to be able to plink/piano/double tap and get combos out more consistently.
Tekken is an almost pure footsie based game though and it’s way fucking easier to move in that game with a gamepad.
The buttons won’t help you for shit hitting frame perfect moves and combos, since there’s no p-linking in that game.
I mean if you got an arcade background, sure go with a stick, otherwise I feel the pad is the superior controller for Tekken though.
Seimitsu sticks feel different, but generally are noted for a shorter throw distance and a smaller deadzone than the standard Sanwa JLF commonly found in most sticks. Takes some getting used to, but I definitely feel it’s a superior stick for fighting game use as long as it’s in good condition.
Seimitsu sticks are usually favored by old school Capcom games, i.e. ST, CVS2, 3s, for this very reason. Games that require that level of precision requires a precise stick.
But for modern fighting games, the Sanwa JLF is fine. The level of input leniency and shortcuts tends to cover common flaws that people find in JLFs.
A lot of guys prefer the K sticks because it’s level of precision in holding diagonal inputs, which is very important for Tekken, not so much for Capcom games.
IMO, K-sticks are a lot faster as far as inputs go, Infiltration actually uses a K-stick. The diagonals suffer a bit because of the circular gate but nothing you can’t get used to. I say you just try a few of them out to see which one you like best, you may surprise yourself.