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Fightsticks: octagonal gate vs square gate

A

adamy

Banned
I recently picked up a new fightstick as my old one was some wireless cheap piece of crap and I've recently decided I wanted to try to get into fighting games and invest some serious time with them

the new stick I picked up is a square gate which I have no experience with. I have very little experience with sticks to begin with but all my past experience has been with octagonal gates. seems like playing characters like ryu/ken/etc. was much easier with the octagonal gate.

was wondering if someone could let me know what the benefits of the square gate is and whether they recommend I stick with the square gate and get used to it vs replacing it with an octagonal gate. what's the pros and cons of square vs octagonal?

thanks in advance!
 
C

Cosmo Clock 21

Banned
dU4YN.png


/thread
 
M

morpix

Member
I use an Octagon gate in my TE2. I've been using them since I started in arcades in South Africa (where they were mostly round/octagates).

For clarification: I can't play charge (or left/right character in KI) because of this. Tried to do Guile's Flashkick -> Super and moving from down-back to up-back to forward sucks on octa due to the notches in the way.
 
D

Dio

Banned
Most fighting games were made for the Japanese arcades, where there's basically no such thing as an octagonal gate. That's why all the pro fighting game sticks like Hori and Madcatz TEs use square gates.

I prefer square because it's what I learned fighting games on.
 
R

Rusty

Neo Member
I think square was more common outside of the States?

Personally I've been quite happy since I installed an octagonal. It can be a cheap upgrade. And if you don't like it, you can put a square one back in your stick too. (Depending on the fightstick).
 
mdsfx

mdsfx

Member
Take the time to get used to square. Once you do, you'll probably dislike octo altogether. If not, I guess you're a weirdo.
Also, "preference" is a thing ;)
 
R

RS4-

Member
I fucking cannot stand perfect 360s, despite growing up playing on them for years and years.

Fuck octagons too. Square all day.
 
Z

ZeroCDR

Member
I played with the stock square gate for years in my SF4 TE sticks, always seemed to have trouble with SRK motions. Put in octo gates last year and I've had a much easier time, I can still play charge characters too.

Worth it for me, never using square again.
 
J

Jebusman

Banned
adamy said:
what am I looking at
Click to expand...

On a square gate, each "section" of the gate (up/down/left/right and the diagonals) each take up an equal amount of the total movement area.

But on octagonal, you lose part of the diagonals. This makes it more difficult to hit diagonals (especially if the motion you're doing ends with one, like a DP). The shape also doesn't help, since slamming into the diag means you're going up against a flat wall, and you're naturally going to get pushed towards one of the cardinal directions instead if you're doing it as part of a motion. On a square gate, if you slam into the diagonal, you're staying there.

Essentially, there is nothing you can do on an octagonal that you can't also do on the square gate. The only thing the octagonal gate does is take the work out of doing circle motions.
 
D

dezzy8

Member
Square gate is good for charge characters and for people who are used to Japanese arcade sticks.
Octogate is good for more circular motions and is preferred if you are more used to American arcades where it was circular.
 
T

Teknopathetic

Member
There's no reason to use an octo gate.

Even if you grew up playing octogates in arcades, if you played in American arcades, the difference between a Japanese stick and American stick means you're relearning all over again anyway. Might as well use the superior, default square gate.
 
entremet

entremet

Member
ZeroCDR said:
Growing up all of my arcades used octo gates, maybe that's why I'm better with it. I gave square quite a long time to adjust to in my TE's, never quite could.
Click to expand...

The only octogate I remember wasn't even in the arcades--it's the Gamecube controller.
 
D

daxy

Member
Square offers more precision. You'll learn to use it over time and stop riding the gate. You only need to go as far as when you hear/feel the click for the input to register.
 
M

Marceles

Member
No real benefit, it's whatever feels right to you, but square is the norm nowadays.

In more common sense terms, it's easier to use charge characters on a square and shotos on an octagonal. If you have a tough time finding up, down, left, and right because there's no edge for it, then pick octagonal I guess, but IMO it's easier to adjust to a square gate.

Octagonal is pretty old school, back to when an SF2 arcade cabinet would spell out every direction and button used. Going back to neutral on the stick takes longer on an octagonal since the gate extends out wider, but if you're an absolute quarter circle/half-circle monster then I guess you can go octagonal.
 
T

Tripon

Member
Eh, I'm playing on a Korean stick, which means a circle gate. I had no problems pulling out a DP with it. Plus the fact that the Korean stick is way tighter than what stock joystick levers have it means the return of neutral is way faster.
 
Fermbiz

Fermbiz

Gold Member
I use the Octagonal Gate.

Everyone says the Square Gate is easier and superior but I always fuck up with it. When I hold back, My joystick tends to slide either up or down resulting with me jumping back when I don't want to or I'm crouching by mistake. I need the sides of the octagon to help me out, been using it for years.

Seimitsu LS-56-01 Joystick with the Octagonal Gate is heaven to me.
 
T

Tripon

Member
oneida said:
IF you ride the gate, which you shouldn't be doing anyway.
Click to expand...

Not everyone is able to play within the gate naturally. Incorrect inputs also happen when people are unable to stay within the game.

If you're the type of player who wants to push hard on the joystick, a Korean Lever like the Crown is the way to go, IMO.
 
T

Teknopathetic

Member
"Everyone says the Square Gate is easier and superior but I always fuck up with it. When I hold back, My joystick tends to slide either up or down resulting with me jumping back when I don't want to or I'm crouching by mistake. I need the sides of the octagon to help me out, been using it for years."


Jesus, how hard are you pulling on the joystick, dude?
 
M

Mechazawa

Member
Once upon a time, when I was first using a stick, I put an octo-gate and battop in a Hori VF5 EX2.

The octo is nice for smooth fireballs but man, pulling off dp's is a MOTHERFUCKER on them. Ended up ditching both and going back to the square gate/balltop combo. Never looked back since.
 
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