Buzzer Lock-Out Software

[Sodboy13]

I just bought "Buzz! The Mega Quiz" for PS2, and it appears the USB buzzer cluster is very PC-friendly.  The device is completely plug-and-play, and gets recognized as "Buzz" by the computer.  Now, I'm just looking for some software to go along with said buzzers.  I gave the free buzzer software from buzzers.com a go, and yeah, that's crap.  Next to no customizable options, and an incredibly grating buzzer noise.  I realize that if I want to get something good, I'll likely have to lay out some money, but I'd actually like to know it's good before I buy it.  Can any of you point me in the right direction?  If it helps, what I'm really looking for is something which would make a good setup for "Sale of the Century," but the more adaptable the program is, the better.

Oh, and a Super Mega Double Bonus if anyone knows how to make the big red buttons light up when pressed, like they do when plugged into in the PS2 game.  (That was a pleasant surprise.)

[jmangin]

When you push the buttons, do they register a character input?  To check, plug the USB in and open MS Word, then hit each of the buttons one at a time.  Check if any characters are typed when you hit each of the buttons.

If they do register a character, I might be able to help you out with some custom software.

[Sodboy13]

I should be able to accomplish that with a program I already have called Joy2Key, which translates joystick buttons into character inputs.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Sodboy13\' post=\'174313\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 11:31 AM\']
I should be able to accomplish that with a program I already have called Joy2Key, which translates joystick buttons into character inputs.
[/quote]
Yeah, I was just gonna suggest that. Jacob, the Buzz lockouts show up as standard USB gamepad buttons...I haven't had a chance to play with them to find out exactly how they map, but Joy2Key can remap those to the keypress of your choice, if you (like me don't know how to address the gamepads directly.

Making the buttons light up is going to be a REALLY tough nut to crack...you'd have to figure out what call that Buzz was making to the controller that triggered the light, and I don't have the first inkling how you would go about that without the source code to the game. And I'm guessing that the Buzz folks aren't going to be sharing that anytime soon.

(I would have been ALL OVER the Buzz controller if the wiring wasn't so flimsy and the buttons didn't feel so cheap.)

[parliboy]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'174315\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 01:55 PM\'] Making the buttons light up is going to be a REALLY tough nut to crack...you'd have to figure out what call that Buzz was making to the controller that triggered the light, and I don't have the first inkling how you would go about that without the source code to the game. And I'm guessing that the Buzz folks aren't going to be sharing that anytime soon. [/quote]

Well, given that the only real input that ever got sent back to PS2 controllers was force feedback, I suspect it's a hack of that.

So the question is, "How do you toggle force feedback in a PS2 controller when it's plugged into a PC?"

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'parliboy\' post=\'174334\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 01:31 PM\']
Well, given that the only real input that ever got sent back to PS2 controllers was force feedback, I suspect it's a hack of that.
[/quote]
But remember, this isn't a PS2 controller, this is a USB device. (Which is why you can plug it into a PC in the first place...this is going directly in and is being enumerated by the OS, this isn't going through a PS2-to-USB dongle.)

[jmangin]

Let me see what I can do in Flash and I'll try to post something here in a few days.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'jmangin\' post=\'174345\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 03:10 PM\']
Let me see what I can do in Flash and I'll try to post something here in a few days.
[/quote]
In Flash you can address the gamepads directly, too, can't you? Pretty sure you can.

[pacdude]

Oh, if only. It'd make life easier for me.

From what I know, Flash only recognizes mouse, keyboard, microphone and webcam input and can do anything with that.

You'll definitely need the previously mentioned Joy2Key for any kind of Flash to joypad input.

[Sodboy13]

Fidgeted a bit tonight, and here's how the controllers map for Joy2Key.

Controller 1 maps as buttons 1-5, starting at 1 for the big red button and then going 5-4-3-2 on down the line.

Controller 2: 6-10-9-8-7.
Controller 3: 11-15-14-13-12.
Controller 4: 16-20-19-18-17.

Simple as that, and completely compatible.

And jmangin, if you are actually building something from scratch in Flash, first off, a hundred thousand thanks - I certainly didn't expect anyone to go that far with this.  Secondly, PM me at your leisure - there are a couple of specific things I'd like included in the program if you're cooking it up.

[clemon79]

So it's one single 20-button gamepad? Kooky.

[jmangin]

I tried sending you a private message but it said I'm not allowed to use that feature (?).  I can program in Flash yet I can't send a simple site message, haha.

You can find me on AIM--my screen name is in my profile.

I'll try to post a picture later today when I get home.  Here's what I've got so far:

Keys q, w, and e will be buzz-in keys for the players going left-to-right from the host's perspective.

+/- will change the buzzing player's score by 5 either way.

Other keys will amend the score by +-1 for adjustments after instant bargains/fame games.

I'll put in the necessary sounds (IB bells, FG doorbell, Sale Surprise, etc.) and add in a speed round clock too.

[chris319]

Try sending him an email at the valid email address you provided us when you joined.

[dzinkin]

[quote name=\'jmangin\' post=\'174507\' date=\'Jan 11 2008, 08:58 AM\']
I tried sending you a private message but it said I'm not allowed to use that feature (?).
[/quote]
To save bandwidth, only mods have PM enabled (and we have it only because "reported" posts come to us as PMs).

[jmangin]

$otC Control

Let me know what y'all think.