Aha, i thought you were coming over from a pad to a stick, sorry. Yeah i know what you mean about the square gate. Me too. I love the long throw into the corner, the square angles make it so easy to find the diagonals it’s great, especially for charge characters, but then if you ride the gate at all, like i do, and you’re probably used to from using happs which i think are mostly circles, the straight edges make it a total pain to find the sweet spot for walking or neutral jumping, and there’s nothing worse than messing up the only opening you might get in a high level match, especially in ST or HDR where a round can depend on you capitalising on one opening.
Have you thought about just taking a tiny notch out of the straight edges at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o clock or just cutting away a tiny 10 degree angle off the 90 degrees or something so that the stick has some kind of “snap” into position for the horizontal and vertical axes? Kind of like a wierd best of both worlds combination of the octo gate and the square one. That’s really the best thing about the octo gate that i put on my TE. You can snap into position really easily by riding the gate, so you know where you are at all times, but you can keep pushing the stick and slide into the next position easily too without going too far and accidentally jumping or whatever. Going from say, defensive crouch to walking backwards is just a matter of sliding the stick along the gate to the next notch.
I had always played a circle gate and a bat top stick with a heavy spring (classic american style setup) until i modded my TE, and i would have to say, unless you’re on an upright cabinet that doesn’t move, and you know without a shadow of a doubt where up down left and right are on the circle, then i would go for an octo gate, especially for a mobile stick that you’ll take to tourneys and sit on floors etc with. It feels like the best, most freeflowing option and is by far the closest to what you will be used to from your haps that still lets you know “by feel” where you are on the stick because of the 8 notches on the plate. I actually prefer it to a circle gate now.
I could deal with anything on the TE stick out of the box except the gate. The square just felt wrong, and as soon as i switched it, literally within 30 seconds, i was like “yep” this is the one for me. I think being able to use the japanese sticks depends on NOT riding the gate, just using the stick in a “floating” position, i think that’s what they’re actually designed for but that was never my style. Most people on a circle gate ride the edges, and i don’t think that style translates over to a square gate very well.
i would just like to say that i started on a japanese stick, got an arcade cab with happ parts…and switched to happ. all the love for japanese sticks is fanboyism at its best. (no offense to those who genuinely prefer it, just dont tell me shit like its a fact they are better). one is NOT better than the other. its all about preference and opinion. i swear by HAPP and will forever.
i’ve recently started playing on a japanese stick again only cause ive been playing on PSN and didnt want to order or build a custom for it. so i just got an SE. i fucking HATE it! for shotos, the round gate is where its at. and i think the octo gates pale in comparison. something just isnt right about them. for charge characters, i can see how the square gate might help. but even then…i dont have any problems with charge characters on a happ.
all im saying is this…dont just switch cause you want to stay with the times. it isnt fact that japanese parts are better than HAPP parts. i personally feel that because the japanese are generally better at fighting games, that people think their hardware has something to do with it. yet, john choi does just fine with his happ sticks.
I’ve used circle gates before and don’t like the absence of corners. My SE has the square gate which I don’t like since it feels like I get stuck in the corners.
I’d really like to try an octo gate and see what it’s like.
Coth_X…what you described is why i use and you should try a HAPP. in my opinion, they have the best option for a round gate. they counter the round gate by making the actuator square so you get a more precise corner press than with a round actuator and a round or octo gate.
japanese sticks have a round actuator. so when you try to use an octo or circle gate, it has a very small amount of bite on both buttons while in a corner. because the happs have a square actuator, it has a full bite on both buttons in the corner.
if you do try one, it has to be a Happ competition or an IL euro stick. happ ultimate sticks are on the square side and still have that stuck in the corner feeling.