SGDK input

Make controls predictable for the player and easy for the game to consume. Use the project's selected SGDK. Verify unfamiliar APIs against its headers and implementation; do not invent a generic controller API or import an engine's restrictions.

Choose the devices and controls

Read existing game decisions first. Keep essential pad controls available on a 3-button controller unless the game explicitly requires six buttons. Ask about player count or required peripherals only when it changes the task.

Distinguish physical PORT_1/PORT_2 from logical JOY_1 through JOY_8. A Team Player supports four devices on one port; two can serve eight players. EA 4-Way Play uses both ports for four pads. Never assign a contiguous group of four SGDK joy IDs to a multitap without checking the mapping.