Some fixes to try to improve the performance of your controller

[revstro]

TL;DR - The deadzone shape should be square, and your joystick might not be allowing you to reach full acceleration. If you don't want to play with controller settings, heres the config I made with the fixes:
steam://controllerconfig/1316910/2617736981

I've heard a lot of people saying that stages like Swing Bar Long are too hard. I was in the same boat initially, but after playing around with the controller configuration tool on steam I was able to complete the stage consistently. The fixes I have below should help you in improving your controller performance

DISCLAIMER: I'm using an official GC controller with an official Wii U adapter. Your results may vary. The Mayflash adapter will work as reported by Flair.

So what's wrong? My controller is fine and doesn't seem to have any problems
The problem is how modern controllers are made nowadays. Most controllers are made with a circular deadzone, which can pose a problem for this game. If you didn't know, the original Super Monkey Ball games on the GameCube interprets the joystick with a square deadzone. This, along with the notches on the controller, helps with moving straight and increases precision.

Changing the deadzone shape is pretty easy through steam. All you need to do is open the controller configuration (located on the game's library page) > select the left stick > advanced options > deadzone shape. There are 3 options: circular, cross, and square. I've found that the square setting works best (who would've guessed). With that, your inputs should be more precise and accurate.

However, this is only half of the issue. The other half is the size of the outer deadzone of the joystick. Open up controller settings under Steam > Settings > Controller > General Controller Settings, then select your controller. If you are using a GameCube controller, there is a good chance that the little dot that the joystick moves in the calibration screen won't reach the edge. This is very problematic because that means you aren't accelerating as fast as you should be.

Thankfully, this is also a very easy fix. In the same advanced options screen (from the controller configurator), you can change the size of the outer deadzone. Increase the size of it and you should be good to go.

What if I'm not using a GameCube controller?
The fixes I've listed above might still do the trick, but don't quote me on that. Some controllers I own do not have this problem at all and work out of the box. For example, my Logitech F310 by default has square deadzones and reaches the ends in the calibration menu.

But by the end of this, stages like Swing Bar Long should be a bit easier to complete. If you find any other solutions to this or further optimizations, reply down below.

EDIT 10/3/21: Added the Mayflash adapter to the disclaimer and made the guide much more clearer.

[revstro]

Bumping to make sure more people see this.

[Flair]

Using a Mayflash Adapter instead of the official one, still works beautifully. This is absolutely the way the game should have felt at default and its kind of ridiculous we have to go through this to play like it was intended, but hey either way, thanks for the help

[Aquilux]

Thanks for the tips! I'm stuck at the part where you get the official gamecube adapter working... there is no detection for me by steam.. or apparently windows. Did you need special drivers? I tried the zadig replacement - no luck.

[revstro]

Originally posted by Aquilux:

Thanks for the tips! I'm stuck at the part where you get the official gamecube adapter working... there is no detection for me by steam.. or apparently windows. Did you need special drivers? I tried the zadig replacement - no luck.

Theres a thing called GCN USB adapter that uses vJoy to make the official adapter work on PC.

Just follow the github tutorial and you should be good to go!
https://github.com/shockdude/gcn-usb-adapter

[GamerXT]

Cant select sticks in the menu, also doesnt the per game controller setting need to be set to use the Steam settings, otherwise I dont think those settings are used.

[SA]

They should really release an update that defaults the deadzone to Square, so that people don’t have to go out of their way to change it. Also, for consoles too, of course.

[Aquilux]

Originally posted by gamerXT3:

Cant select sticks in the menu, also doesnt the per game controller setting need to be set to use the Steam settings, otherwise I dont think those settings are used.

Same here. I've uninstalled, reinstalled, and restarted like 10 times now. VJoy shows up on steam controller list, but it doesn't register any buttons for mapping. Similarly, it shows up for windows and doesn't register any buttons for calibration purposes.

[GamerXT]

Okay I see now

Right click on the game in the library, select manage > controller settings > select the LS rectangle box at the bottom-left > then select additional settings (not called advanced settings like the guide says) > select enable DZ (configuration version) and select the DZ shape and maybe increase the outer DZ limit.

There`s no need to select the Steam version of the config from the game`s properties page like I thought previously, and changing the DZ shape cant be done from Steam`s main settings menu like the guide makes it seem like, only the DZ range can be done from there.

[revstro]

Originally posted by gamerXT3:

Okay I see now

Right click on the game in the library, select manage > controller settings > select the LS rectangle box at the bottom-left > then select additional settings (not called advanced settings like the guide says) > select enable DZ (using the config version of this and not the global calibrate version) and select the DZ shape and maybe increase the outer DZ limit.

There`s no need to select the Steam version of the config from the game`s properties page like I thought previously, and changing the DZ shape cant be done from Steam`s main settings menu like the guide makes it seem like, only the DZ range can be done from there.

Made the guide a bit clearer, sorry for the confusion!

[GamerXT]

When you tried this, did you select the "enable DZ" setting ? The custom ranges never seemed to enable unless I did, not sure if the same for the shape though.

[ZelosZalis]

God thank you so much for this, the more specific you had to get with the game (thin platforms) the more the dead zone issue became clear. This made made a night and day difference on how I could control the ball.

[Mr. Awesome]

Using a Gamecube controller with a Mayflash adapter, this worked great!... But tonight I booted up the game again and it had the original deadzone settings. I tried setting all the detected controllers on Steam (Since Mayflash has your PC detect 4 controllers) to the proper deadzone, but still no dice. Anyone who might know what's going on? This sure is frustrating.

[Flair]

Originally posted by Mr. Awesome:

Using a Gamecube controller with a Mayflash adapter, this worked great!... But tonight I booted up the game again and it had the original deadzone settings. I tried setting all the detected controllers on Steam (Since Mayflash has your PC detect 4 controllers) to the proper deadzone, but still no dice. Anyone who might know what's going on? This sure is frustrating.

Had something similar happen but at the same time the opposite. When I try to play any other game aside from Super Monkey Ball with a non-GC controller, it keeps the dead zones that were created for the GC and applies it to any controller. Messed around and tested a bit and found that I had to uninstall vJoy to get it back to normal and if I wanted to use the GC controller in SMB Mania again, had to reinstall vJoy and do the whole process over.

In your case, the only thing I could think of trying if you havent already is reinstalling vJoy but I'm no expert, just a shot in the dark.

[Pyrollux Jay]

Originally posted by Sandoval:

They should really release an update that defaults the deadzone to Square, so that people don’t have to go out of their way to change it. Also, for consoles too, of course.

to my knowledge with how the jankass steam input stuff this game needs they dont even need to push an update to the game itself, just the default settings
all the more reason for sega to do this asap

[Middy]

Originally posted by Pyro Jay:

Originally posted by Sandoval:

They should really release an update that defaults the deadzone to Square, so that people don’t have to go out of their way to change it. Also, for consoles too, of course.

to my knowledge with how the jankass steam input stuff this game needs they dont even need to push an update to the game itself, just the default settings
all the more reason for sega to do this asap

I'm no expert, but playing with a 360 controller has been fine so far for me. Until I get to something I actually find a problem with, I'd rather not screw with the settings. I have absolutely no interest in merely making the game "feel" like one that was made 20 years ago if the current method is comfortable.