I thought it would be useful to have a topic where you can ask questions about tech matters as they concern games.

So, here's my question to start things off.
I have an analog joystick, a Flightstick Pro. When I go through the setup routine, the little dot in the screen always is jittering. When playing games, I often notice the centering won't stay in adjustment, requiring fiddling with the trim wheels. Do digital joysticks suffer from this problem? I don't want to buy a new digital joystick and find it suffers from the same problem.

I don't know about all digital joysticks but I've got the Microsoft Precision Pro one, which is the next step down from their force feedback version, and it's not too bad. I really only use it for Star Wars: Racer, or Microsoft's two Combat Flight sims, whenever I get around to playing them. I tried it with with Soul Reaver: Legacy of Kain but that game just blows chunks as far as game control goes, and as for ingame saving, fuggedaboudit.

I get the same problem with my Saitek Cyborg 3D stick, joystick port version (which is an analogue/digital stick) - I don't know if the problem remains in the USB version. It can get problematic in digital mode especially with space sims like the X-Wing series, but is not usually too much of a problem overall. Strangely, when I calibrate the stick using Windows Control Panel, the crosshairs stay perfectly still and centred - it only jitters when I test out the stick. I'll try it in analogue mode and see what happens....

... OK, I'm back. Analogue mode eliminates the jitters compared to digital mode, but as you'd expect the controls are far less responsive for some games than others.

Hey Sven, when I'm playing X-Wing Alliance (demo version) is when the centering drift is most noticeable. Do you get this problem?

Yes, I get it with all the X-Wing series, inc. the original "X-Wing" and "TIE Fighter". I also get this with "X-Tension", the little-known Elite clone from Germany.

Oh, well. (sigh)

I've recently gotten the Castlevania and Contra Konami Collection and have installed it. When I try running it, the screen goes all white until I hit the Enter button, when it goes all black. Does anyone know what the problem is?

Yes, your computer is possessed by the evil spirit Whynndios, Lord of Hard Drive Crashes, Duke of Blue Screen, and Grand High Vizer of Disturbing Whirs and Buzzes Comming From Your Computer.

Seriously though, I've had the same problem with many old games, and the answer I usually get is Windows XP doesn't like old games and tries its best not to let them run. I eagerly await a solution to this as well, since I have been wanting to play Star Trek 25th Anniversary for quite some time now.

Mind you, Whynndios is very hard to get rid of. I recommend buying the Bill Gates bobble-head doll, placing it ontop of your computer monitor, making sure that it is facing due north, surround it with $10 bills (at least 5 of them), then smash it with a hammer. It will not help your computer work, but you will probably feel better.

What is the difference between Microsoft Works and Microsoft Word?

What programs are available on "Word" that's not on "Works"?

Word is an advanced word processor only. Works is an "integrated package" that contains a basic wordprocessor and a basic spreadsheet (and possibly a few other *basic* packages).

Office consists of Word (an advanced word processor), Excel (an advanced spreadsheet), PowerPoint (advanced presentations), Outlook (email -- I hesitate to say "advanced" ), and Access (in the Pro and higher version -- a relational database).

I've got Works on my computer and for most common tasks it's quite sufficient. At least it doesnt feel too much different than the version of Office I used when I worked for Sprint.

My version of works has a the word processor, spreadsheet, a databse, a calendar, address book, portfolio , and outlook express.

I can take and do the mail merge thing, add pictures to documents, put spreadsheets into word documents and link them, make documents look pretty and fancy and etc. Maybe I'm not really pushing the software to the hardest point but I've used it for my home business and the records for the farm and a newsletter and other such stuff and I havent had an issue.

>What is the difference between Microsoft Works and Microsoft Word?>

I thought that was punch line to a joke.

No, the punch line is "neither one works".

I just saw "Star Trek-Legacy" at the store.

QUESTION:

Why do all the recent "Trek" games have:

"Shoot or be shot....kill or be killed"
missions to them?

Why can't they make a game where you discover a planet and see if you can obey the Prime Directive? Or better yet, make "First Contact" with an alien species?

To keep up with the other ADD feeding shoot em up games on the market. A true seek out and contact new life forms RPG peaceful RPG would not get the same maret share as explosions, combat modelling and neato beam weapons.

I still say it's a VERY TIRED format for games.