input since down is still being held. However, right is also now considered held, and when the user completes the motion to move right, it is also not a new input, and Pac-Man will still be moving down. In cases such as the above, a typical solution is to use a square (diamond) or clover-shaped restrictor, which prevents the stick from entering the diagonals. For home arcade controllers, the most common restrictor gate used in modding is the octagonal gate. This is because most mid-grade and higher controllers use Japanese-style sticks with a traditional square gate—which is chosen because it has an equal area of throw for each direction. However, because of the sharp corners, the stick can get stuck in the diagonals if the player is unaccustomed to using a square gate. The octagonal gate allows for continuous motion along the edges using inertia, more similar to the circular motion of American sticks. In a fighting game many 360 degree motion special moves are usually executed easier with an octagonal gate while charge characters and characters which utilize many directional based moves will benefit more from a stick with a square gate. Regional style Traditionally, there has been a divide between "American-style" (associated with the manufacturer Happ) and "Japanese-style" (common to Sanwa and Seimitsu) designs. American joysticks are generally made from hard plastic, with a tall, thick shaft shaped like a baseball bat (bat-top). Common grips for this type of stick utilize 4-5 fingers for pull and push, but all involve grabbing the stick from the side. The stick has a high resistance due to the amount of leverage that it gives to the user. American buttons have a long stroke, which is associated with a clicking action (which also adds to resistance) to let the player know when the switch has been activated. The buttons are generally concave and designed to be pressed with one or two fingers. Japanese joysticks have a large spherical ball (ball-top) positioned at the top of a short, thin metal shaft. In contrast to the bat-top, a ball-top grip can be reasonably approached from almost any direction—the side, above, or below, and with different placements of the fingers, according to preference. This gives the stick more flexibility towards a general audience, however the ball itself may be considered awkward to hold. Also, because of the shaft's low mounting height, users with large hands