*This thread is pretty outdated now.*
Disclaimer: Just keep in mind that everything about controls for this game (and fighting games in general) is all about preference. It’s all about what you play your best on and what you feel the most comfortable with.
Why joysticks?
To be frank Guilty Gear was made with the joystick in mind. Most serious players will tell you once you put the time into learning stick its much easier and much more comfortable then playing on a pad.
How much should I expect to pay?
This depends on a number of things:
- Are you making it yourself?
- Buying/modding a manufactured one?
- Requesting one from a custom stick builder?
- What kind of parts and materials are you looking for?
The bottom line: If you’re expecting a good stick, you can expect to pay anywhere from $60-200+.
What companies make GOOD pre-built sticks I can buy?
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What companies make BAD sticks that I should definitely not buy?
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Okay so what brand parts should I look for in a stick?
If you go to tournaments, generally you’ll usually see three kinds of parts in sticks: Happ, Sanwa, and Seimitsu. Which kind you want to get in your stick depends entirely on your own preferences. All of these manufacturers are very good quality, but they are all very different in style.
Happ (American)
If you’re lucky enough to have an arcade nearby then they’ll have some Happ parts in their machines. The joysticks have a bat style with a circle gate and the buttons are either concave or convex. Happ sells many different kinds of sticks, buttons and springs. Happ parts are bigger than Sanwa or Seimitsu in general, so your overall stick size will be larger and heavier.
Sticks - Typically used are Happ Competition sticks, although Happ Supers are also occasionally used as well. Happ sticks make circular motions very simple to perform, and as such can often be preferred for doing 360 and 720 motions and the like (not that GG has many). The stronger spring tends to make 'shaking' more difficult, which is bad news for escaping from stagger.
Buttons - The only buttons used are Happ Competition, convex shaped. The buttons require a bit more force than Sanwa and also have a smaller hittable area. The buttons also click when hit, and have a stronger restoring force than Sanwa. Happ buttons tend to be quite good for rapid tapping due to these factors.
Sanwa (Japanese)
Sanwa parts are very different from Happ, they are smaller and lighter and normally have square gates. If you are from America, your most likely exposure to Sanwa sticks would be in Tekken 5 machines, which are well known for their red sanwa controls. Because Sanwa parts are smaller, it's possible to get very small Sanwa sticks.
Sticks - Typically used are the JLF model sticks. These sticks have very light springs and square gates by default (although you can swap in an octagonal gate if you want). Because the sticks have light springs, they are very good for shaking out of stagger easily. They require less force to accomplish motions, however it may be more difficult at first to do certain motions due to the nature of the square gate.
Buttons - OBSN-30 or OBSF-30 are the typical buttons used. They are larger than Happ buttons and have a much larger hittable area. They do not 'click' when you hit them, and the force required to activate them is very small.
Seimitsu (Japanese)
Similar in style to Sanwa parts, you could easily mistake one for the other by appearances. Seimitsu parts are pretty similar in usage and size to Sanwa parts as well, but they do have a very different feel.
Sticks - The LS-32 is the standard Seimitsu stick. These sticks have a much smaller throw and a much stronger spring than Sanwa sticks. They still have square gates, and don't have options for octagonal or round gates either. These sticks are vastly superior to Sanwa for Shooting Games, but for fighting games it remains simply about preference.
Buttons - Similar to Sanwa buttons except the motion feels a little more clicky than Sanwa's. The buttons feel 'cheap', but in fact they are still quite good.
Where's a good place to buy custom sticks?
I recommend making an account on http://www.shoryuken.com and browsing the trading outlet forum every once in a while. You can find some decent sticks at good prices or you can have one of the stick builders make you one. Make sure you buy from a builder with a good reputation who is known to make good quality sticks. As a last resort, you can also make a 'want to buy' thread.
Who makes good custom sticks?
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What if I want to make my own custom stick?
Making your own custom stick is a bit of an undertaking. It will require lots of time, money, and knowledge to do. You will need a large assortment of power tools, and will probably have to spend a lot of money up front to even get started. If you don't already have a lot of tools as your disposal, you will probably be better off not trying to make your own from scratch.
More info will follow, but until then, please see the many stick building threads on SRK for more info on how to get started.
Other dustloop joystick links!
Have a stick already? Post a picture here!
Questions?
If SRK is useful for anything, it's joystick knowledge. There's a good chance your thoughts/questions have already been discussed and answered in great detail so check out this thread for more information.
REMEMBER: You should ALWAYS read up and understand what you are buying before you buy it. SPEND TIME READING WHAT OTHERS HAVE POSTED FIRST, there is a ton of good information out there already.
Etc~
- Used some of zand's thread as a guide (kind of).
- Updates later (just pm me if you feel something needs to be added, taken away, or fixed).
