How to tighten your Sanwa JLF

Just like women, after repeated use, your Sanwa stick tends to feel loose after a while. Although, unlike women, the stick will not tighten on its own when left unused. You have to make the necessary adjustments yourself.

It's quite simple, really. All you have to do is stretch the spring beneath the joystick's shaft.

To do this, you'll have to get beneath your joystick and remove this C-shaped washer that rests in between the minus screw and this black, plastic cap that holds the spring in place.

Simply take those small precision screwdrivers (3.0-3.5 mm works best) and wedge it in the center and slide the washer away by leveraging it out. (Note: You don't have to remove the entire joystick in order to do this. I just removed it in the picture so I could have an easier time photographing.)

See that C-shaped washer resting on the table beside the stick? That's what it should look like after it is removed. After that, this black, plastic cap comes out from underneath the stick's shaft. It may either pop out from the force of the spring beneath it or you may pull it out yourself:

As you can see, the spring is visible from the shaft, and you'll notice the shaft literally gets all flimsy and begins to fall apart. The spring, the C-shaped washer, and that black, plastic cap is what holds it all together. Take note that the black, plastic cap goes back into the shaft the same way it is pictured. Big butt first.

After that, take out the spring and stretch it out. The more you stretch it, the more tighter the stick will be, but try not to overdo it to the point where the spring is more than twice as long as it originally was. The spring is malleable and liable to bend in weird directions. Anyway though, even if you do mess up the spring, they can be replaced for as low as .95 cents at Lizard Lick.

On a closing note, this doesn't alleviate the complaints most people (shooter players, mostly) have about Sanwa JLFs having longer throws, but it does give it the illusion of having a shorter throw, while making your movements feel tighter and virgin crisp. Fighting game players typically do this and probably know of this trick already, but I wanted to include this tutorial since I haven't found any online as of yet. This will work for any Sanwa JLF stick, whether it is on a HRAP or a cab.

Special thanks to Last Elixir for showing me how to do this.

Ketsui: 898, DirtyMonk: 0

Ketsui : #15 (Day #3 of personal goal)

Current High Score: 91.947.608 - 1-5 - Panzer Jager

That picture cracks me up. Anyway, I'm wondering...if I complete the first loop, would that count as 1 victory or would that technically only count as half a win since there are two loops? What about completing the Tsuujou Loop vs. the Ura Loop? Either way, I still have a lot of work cut out for me.

Again it's been over a month since I last touched Ketsui, and I'm even more rustier than before. Yet, it all comes back quick. I began playing again a few days ago (finally!). I managed to scratch in a 72 million score yesterday (after like, what, 15 credits?), and then I was never able to touch it again after that. Must continue on...while not continuing.

I'm so itching to play ESPGaluda II since it's been so long, and I want to show it to my roommate, since Ketsui and DOJ's been the only games he's seen on my cab. So I'm determined to finish the first loop of Ketsui before I do so. Wish me luck...once again.

Never give up. And never stop believing.

"The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place, and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done. Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth."

--Rocky Balboa

Growing up, I was never a big fan of Rocky, but I must say, that shit was inspiring.

I take hits from myself all of the time. Emotional hits, like I'm not good enough to do that, or that I shouldn't do this because it's a waste of my time, my talents, and whatnot. I don't think there has been anyone more relentlessly brutal to me than my own self. I'll read some smart asshole insulting this other person on the internet who I can relate a lot to, and some part of my mind takes what that asshole says and uses it to cripple me whenever I'm feeling most vulnerable.

To be honest, I've had thoughts about ending this blog and selling my games, while forever denouncing shooters as being this dead, archaic genre that nobody gives a shit about anymore. In some ways, a lot of this is true. People in general really don't give a shit about shooters, but that's what cynical people would want you to believe; and nobody likes depressing, cynical people. That's probably why they never get laid.

Despite the rather bleak outlook, there is always something there that keeps me coming back; something which makes me stubborn enough to stand so defiant before the face of harsh reality. It's that something which makes people think I'm a fool for pouring so much time and energy in. I shouldn't care. Whenever you do something you want to do, you know what that something is, and nobody can take that away from you. There is a reason why you keep coming back, and that reason alone should warrant all of the pain and the humility that comes along with it. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows, after all.

A friend of mine once said to me: "One of the things I hate the most is the word potential. I hate it when someone is told they are talented and smart enough to do anything, and then they end up squandering it by accomplishing nothing. Why? Because they get lazy, thinking they can always do more to live up to their potential, but they never put out the work required to get where they want to go. Fuck the little shit with potential, give me the underdog everybody is rooting against. The one person that nobody believes is going to make it. I want the dumb, ugly son of a bitch who is willing to work the shit out of him to get what he wants, even if it kills him."

He also added that I was "lazy as shit" and "my own worst enemy", but that's another story for another day.