Hi, i was just wondering how the restrictor plates make a difference when switching for the original restrictor plate in my SSFIV fightstick to a sanwa octagonal restrictor plate? since it is a square now it is very easy to determine exactly where the diagonal down forward direction is, will switching to a octagonal restrictor plate make gaming better? i just wanna know some more info on this anything will help. 
Everyone has their own preference. Use whichever one feels best for you.
Ask any more questions you have concerning that here: http://shoryuken.com/forum/index.php?forums/tech-talk.6/
Oh god no, donāt do it. Trust me, you really really donāt want to even try it. I started off with octo, but once I switched to square I never looked back.
Itās a matter of preference. I have lots of trouble doing QCF or SRK with square, but square would probably be easier for a charge character.
Excellent video showing the differences between them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILkn4xSQ4mc
Itās all preference and you may be surprised what you actually like. Iām a horrible example for this, lol.
I grew up in american arcades so first thing I wanted to do to my TE was replace the square gate. I got an octagonal and after a few days playing with it, I started to hate how āclickyā it was. I then tried a round gate which I loved for about a month until I started playing MvC3 again and needed precise tiger-knee motions.
Just to try it out I replaced the original square gate back in and now Iām addicted to the thing.
Using the round gate really helped me improve my execution for fireball - srk type characters and I also learned fadc on them. Now that Im back to a square gate I can easily pull off the srk character stuff, have much quicker dashes and fadc due to the shorter throw length on those motions, and also have precie tiger knees and charge characters.
If youāre insisting on changing the gate thinking it will make you a better player, go round for a while then switch back to square :D. Itās a great training tool for it in my opinion.
When I first got my stick, I was thrown off by how it felt so different from true American arcade sticks. SRK motions I was about 9/10 to the left, but to the right I was lucky to get 5/10, so I knew something was off. The smaller ball top limited grip options, and gave much less control w/ the right/downward directions.
I modded my Sanwa JLF stick with an Octagon gate, Bat-top, bat top adapter for the JLF, and a Seimitsu 55 spring. Only cost around 10 bucks.
Best thing I ever did. Iām 9/10 or 10/10 with SRK in both directions, consistently. But most of all it just feels so much more comfortable. It feels exactly like the American arcade sticks. I wish I ordered these parts when I first ordered the stick, would have removed the learning curve nearly completely.
You know I donāt really know why so many people complain about Octagon gates compared to Square. People claim squares better if you dont āride the gateā - but I compared mine before putting it in. Your stick has pretty much the same exact distance in to the diagonals with the octagon gate (not enough to tell a difference by eyeing it at least), the only difference is the r/l/up/down have a little more distance. If you donāt ride a gate with square, you wont ride the gate with octagon either.
In my opinion you donāt lose anything from switching to square to octagon, honestly. You just have a little more distance in the 4 mentioned directions which allows you to ālockā them in to that position if you feel you need to be fully accurate for a specific move, without the possibility of messing up execution.
Restrictor plate differences? Here: http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick/restrictors.html
IMO the Sanwa JLF octagonal gate is ass. Unlike the octo gates on Seimitsu sticks, it increases the JLF throw range, and it just doesnāt work well with the JLFās non-levered microswitches and circle actuator because the area of activation isnāt equal for all directions like the stock square.
Use the true SRK motion ( :dp: ) and your SRKs will come out effortlessly on a square gate. For QCF/half-circle/360 motions, you shouldnāt be riding the gate to the point where you would run into corners that can mess up your inputs anyways. Get used to the engage distance of your joystick and learn to not rely on the gate.
You will find that the corners on a square gate becomes very useful for charge buffering, wave dashing, and any motion that starts or ends in a diagonal direction (ie: divekicks, Feiās chickenwing, TK motions).
Itās all preference. I can play just fine on a square gate, but I prefer octogonal gate because it just feels more natural to me than a square gate.
Once you get used to one or the other, there really is no difference.
It is all preference. āSquare Gateā is like the new cool. Just like nobody likes american sticks anymore. Its all bullshit. Most of us grew up on american sticks so to me, even a TE feels like a toy compared to a true old school Happ. I put an octo gate on my TE and enjoyed it much more. That is the key, what do you enjoy more? Its not the kind of thing you can ask though, the gate is cheap. Try them out and see what you prefer. There is no best option. It is what is best to you
Thanks for all of the great Information, i think i might stick to the old square gate then and if i really get curious again Iāll just purchase the octagonal restrictor plate.
Thanks again for all of the help :tup:
Well, another idea too, if you ever buy parts for your stick (new buttons, board for LEDs/dual modding, etc.), go ahead and throw in the octogonal plate. At least then you donāt pay for extra shipping, and theyāre only five bucks. Iāve got two sticks, one with and one without. After switching back and forth for a couple of months, I stuck with the octogonal plate, and my game has been better ever since.
But again, itās all a matter of personal preference. I tend to ride the gate, and in doing so I have problems judging where left/right is on a square gate, so, whenever I do a QCF/QCB motion, I tend to stop short and nothing comes out (so the input is :d::df::hp::f: -->fail). Iām also a very tactile person, so, āfeelingā the three clicks lets me know I got it right. Iāll admit that SRK motions were easier on a square gate, but, overall, Iām far more efficient with an octo than a square.
You canāt really make a statement like you did in the first paragraph, because you canāt speak for everyone else. I found the exact opposite - the SRK motions gave me huge amounts of trouble with a square gate and come out effortlessly with an octagon gate (as mentioned in my earlier post).
All of the things you mentioned in your 2nd paragraph that a square gate helps you with, you get all of those things with an octagon gate as well. Because you can still ālockā the stick in to the corners of the gate if you want. The only difference is with an octagon, you can lock in to the horizontal and vertical directions as well.
For some reason people make the assumption that if you use an Octagon gate, you are āriding the gateā and that it wonāt help unless you are not riding the gate. This is not necessarily true. While Octagon does help people riding a gate, it can help people that dont ride the gate either (such as myself). You use an octagon just like a square gate - with a square gate on certain motions (such as the ones you described) you will ālockā in to the corners for precision. You use an Octagon gate the same exact way - to ālockā specific directions for added accuracy when needed. As mentioned earlier, if you donāt ride the gate on a square gate, you wonāt ride the gate on an octagon gate either.
If you are a potential buyer and donāt know what to buy, what it comes down to is this: If you played many hours of arcade games in American arcades, you will be more comfortable with an octagon gate and a bat top because thatās what you are accustomed to, plain and simple. If you did -not- play extensively in American arcades, then the only way to find out whatās more comfortable is to try both.
Thatās my best advice to the OP and anyone reading this post.
You are projecting. Lots of us spent years and years playing in American arcades, and at home on Happ sticks. I can play fine on my Happ sticks, but I canāt stand the feel of the octo gate on the JLF.
Iām not saying youāre wrong and that the octo gate is bad for everyone; itās just a preference.
Right its preference. The octo gate doesnt feel like an american stick to me. The throw is all different. Its much looser too. For instance, Ryuās air hurricane kick upon diagonal jump in is hell for me on a square gate. Especially when I am facing left. Octo, much easier. Still, the octo/bat combo feels nothing like a Happ to me. I just enjoy my TE more with that setup.
This is honestly a question I had myself, since Iām looking to buy a fightstick in the near future. After reading all this and that entire write-up from slagcoin, Iām just going to buy both and test them out since gates are so cheap. I played a bit in American arcades (mostly on Mortal Kombat and Tekken machines when it came to fighters, not many Street Fighter machines in my area), but unfortunately pretty much every arcade around here shut down before I was 10. Itās terrible, but thankfully the local comic shop brought back MKII and I believe it was SF3 as well for a bit and gained more hands on experience with those. I liked the feel of them. I assume those used the octagonal gates, but like I said earlier Iāll try them both. Square gate seems like it works perfectly with srkās due to itās evenly distributed design, but with it all being preference in the end I guess Iāll have to see for myself. Definitely appreciate this thread and the info from itās contributors.
For me itĀ“s imposible made a hadoken with a square gate, because the diagonal are very strange for me and i goes to play fighting in gamepad.
Honestly you need to practice more. With a Joystick on a stock square gate donāt think of your joystick quarter circle movements in circular motions, you want to make (and think in) L-Shape movements.
I donāt recommend Octo gates for beginners as there certain bad habits you never drop til you learn to use a square gate (Like riding the gate TOO hard). The gate should be a guide not a skate board rail for girding. Its not that bad on Square gates but on round gates you can chew up and wear out your joystick very fast.
Octagonal and Round gates has a different throw, and if you only learn on a round or octagonal gate but never a square gate you be at a huge disadvantage if you ever have to borrow a stick as square gates is the industry standard. Try to learn and get decent on a Square gate first, once you do that and got it down then try to experiment on other gates. Only then if the Octo gate or a round gate works for you then go with it.
As an octagonal gate user, I agree with the above that itās ideal to be able to use the square as well. Honestly, the engage difference in a stock JLF or Hayabusa versus oversized actuators or Seimitsu levers gives me more grief than using a square at this point. Still nothing crippling, but those long engages suck once youāre used to a tight one.
I grew up using Happ/IL components in my local arcades, when I got my cabs I started with JLFs. I had not much problem getting accustomed to using these new control parts. As time went on I started moving towards Seimitsu. Now I donāt think I could go back to American style components unless playing on a Neo. Otherwise I love the square gates of the Mitsus, but the JLF is too squishy of a stick and gate. But then again I play mostly shumps 
Most Shmup player prefer Seimitsu joysticks. Like how many Tekken players swear by Korean style joysticks.
In Reality it boils down to individual preferences, and everyone has what fits their comfort zone.