Which joystick do you use ?

[sushi]

Hello,

Maybe it could help members and readers to know which joystick we use and how it is configured to play HardWar.

Here are mines.

THE OLD ONE
It was a Microsoft Sidewinder precision 2.



Discontinued but still a good joystick. Unfortunately, the software to configure buttons is no longer supported on XP an Vista, it is impossible to remap or reallocate the axes ans buttons. Anyway, a good joystick that still works under Vista if plugged to an usb port before running the computer.

THE NEW ONE
It is a Thrustmaster T-Flight Hotas X.
It's a cheap but really good joystick with 12 buttons and a big throttle.



It doesn't need any software to be configured cause there is a mapping button and a memory that allows user to remap all the axes and buttons "on the go" really easily.

When configuring controls in HardWar control pannel, I enable every functions (UIM06 patch):
"Use POV hat for directional thrust"
"Use rudder for pilot's head"
"Use Zaxis full reverse to full forward".

Then I configure the buttons (button 0 = button 1 on joystick) :
Button 0 : Fire
Button 1 : Chaff
Button 2 : Next weapon
Button 3 : Flare
Button 4 : Navigation
Button 5 : Messages
Button 6 : Drone
Button 7 : Next target
Button 8 : Cockpit view
Button 9 : Inv target view
Button 10 : Nightscope
Button 11 : Chase view

Then, in the game, i use the mapping button to reallocate (one for all cause the joystick keeps it in memory):
Right and left thrust from POV to rotating handle (rudder)
Up and Down thrust from POV to the tilting lever on throttle (picture back left corner)
Pilot head from the rotating handle on Right and left POV (automatically assigned when right and left thrust assigned to rotating handle)

And now it is really cool to fly.

[Captain Zedo]

I use the Logitech Extreme 3D Pro:


It's got a nicely placed button on the side of the stick that I can operate with my thumb. I use it for targeting. I scan through targets constantly.

I don't like the throttle as much as earlier Logitech models. I like the Microsoft's throttle. Very loose. Mine is a little stiff, but I don't notice it so much now that I'm used to the stick.

I got into Logitech when they used to send me free sticks to promote them on my site. The Extreme 3D Pro is about the only one you can find nowadays. Everyone's gone to gamepads.

I still think that Hardwar was perfectly made for joysticks. I'm old school about going to gamepads. I still play DOOM and other 1st Person Shooters with the keyboard.

[sushi]

I'm wondering if it is possible to play that game with a mouse ? I tried it but it was a bit disturbing. Up and down is inverted compared to CounterStrike!!!


I'm not a fan for gamepad as well... My logitech gamepad didn't gave the change when i tried it... Joystick gives a better flying feeling.

[Pilot]

I think I also have one like Zedo's (in storage) I mainly use a light weight Saitek ST290, It's too big a hassle to set up the one with a throttle since since you don't really need more than 5 or 6 buttons anyway. (Not when you know the map like the back of your hand, and can guess what message you just received was.)

[Captain Zedo]

Jul 1, 2011 13:18:16 GMT -5 Pilot said:

I think I also have one like Zedo's (in storage) I mainly use a light weight Saitek ST290, It's too big a hassle to set up the one with a throttle since since you don't really need more than 5 or 6 buttons anyway. (Not when you know the map like the back of your hand, and can guess what message you just received was.)

I *love* a throttle. My favorite was Logitech's old Thrustmaster series that had a cage for your left thumb. The fingers rested nicely on the buttons at all times and you could throttle by only moving your thumb around the stick. Great design. I'm wondering why they didn't contiue that idea.

The rolling throttles in the back take practice to use. Hardwar makes good use of a throttle as speed control is as often used as any directional control.

[sushi]

Do you mean this one ?



He he, i loved it as well. Still beautiful... My first joystick...

There was a pb when enabeling "Use rudder for pilot's head" the screen was shaking mad right and left and it was impossible to fly...

[Pilot]

I had one of those too, sweet joystick, upgraded my audio card and was no longer able to use it. But my first was a simple two button joystick, Button 1 was fire and the other was weapon switch, TILL I discovered God Hanger worked by assigning it to the joystick. ^^ Good times.


I haven't seen any joysticks at most places in a long time.

[Hammer]

I use a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro the same as Zedos. It fits my had well. I do wish the throttle had a detent in the middle position to help with stopping at zero thrust. Love the joystick though.
Hammer

[ouch]

Here is mine. Thrustmaster T.16000M It has better precision than most $150+ sticks and it's under $60.

But the best part is that the same legendary software that puts the $300+ hotas sticks above the rest, works on this stick. So you can do things like swap axis's, create response curves on each axis, and assign custom scripts to each of the 16 buttons plus the hat switch.

It's by far the best stick I've ever owned.

I had to get a new stick when I upgraded my computer. My old sidewinder precision pro (the first, original version) had a gameport plug on it. Stick still worked fine though, but the return springs seen better days.

[Captain Zedo]

Jul 2, 2011 11:03:37 GMT -5 sushi said:

Do you mean this one ?



He he, i loved it as well. Still beautiful... My first joystick...

There was a pb when enabeling "Use rudder for pilot's head" the screen was shaking mad right and left and it was impossible to fly...

That's the stick I was talking about. I really loved it, especially the throttle. I remember the big buttons on the base now. Easy to hit. Loved that stick.

I had a Thrustmaster when the throttle and joystick had separate bases. I liked having so many buttons that I could program. I spent hours programming that thing. I got banking in games that didn't normally support it (older Star Wars games). Eventually the trigger quit working. Of all the buttons to go first. I could have lived without almost any other button, but the trigger. Still and all, I transferred firing functions to the thumb button and kept using it for a while.

[riedquat]

Great thing that Thrustmaster T-Flight thing... its about 150 dollars here... what the flying fck!!?

My last joystick lasted for about six month before suffering a general failure which I gently repaired but its not the same...
--------------------
Ok... It seems I've been out of the loop about prices lately... lol.. I checked twice already I'm in an argentinian site... video cards are about 1500 dollars??

^^It seems I just checked for the latest crap out in the market... rest of prices go from 200/300 bucks what is normal here; still 150 dollars a plastic joystick is to much for this market...

[Captain Zedo]

ouch - about your Thrustmaster:

How does the throttle on that work. Does it slide forward and backward? I can't tell from the pix and the Thrustmaster site didn't have an answer. Nice looking stick. I like lots of buttons on the base, but I couldn't reach across to use half of them.

[ouch]

yes it's a slider. The stick is designed for left and right handed users so all the buttons and throttle is symmetrical.

and I use those buttons on the opposite side for a lot of things I don't need immediate access to. For instance in hardwar I assign things like navigation, messages, starflares, etc...

Those extra buttons on the opposite side really pay off in the more complicated games though. Games like falcon4:AF, Evochron Mercenaries, and to a lesser extent X3:TC.

The stick isn't perfect though, for one that light on the base is puzzling... If you move the stick it turns on. Ok, but why is it there? It's very bright too for some reason. Sometimes (rarely, but enough to be mildly annoying) when the computer shuts off it comes on and doesn't go out, which seems to be a firmware issue from what I heard, But I Haven't seen a fix posted for it.

The buttons are nice and big, which can make for a frustrating learning curve. Because there is no button nubs for tactile positioning, and the button designs themselves feel identical, you have to keep looking down to see what you pushing and often you push the wrong one or 2 at a time. Once you learn where the buttons are though it's not an issue, but like I said it can be frustrating at first.

the throttle can bind when you try to move it if your thumb sits on the raised part. But like the buttons, all it takes is learning to keep your thumb towards the center of the slider and off the raised edges.

the weakest link on this stick would probably be the throttle. the joystick has insane precision, 0 to 16383... and the throttle only has 0 to 255... (same as the rudder) When flying in formation or refueling with a tanker in falcon4af I run into problems where when the throttle reads 203, it isn't enough, and 204 is too much. But that's the only game so far that I've run into that.

I shopped around pretty hard to eventually get this stick over the higher end sticks like the x45/x52 because of it's price per functionality and build strength. I can be found for around $30-$40 new without hawks bundled with it. (I payed $36 or so at amazon I think)

I looked at the t-flight stick and throttle combo, but it's analog, I.E. It's sensors are mechanical and over time will develop deadspots. Hall effect sticks don't have this problem, and will self-calibrate each time they are turned on as well. They work by mounting a magnet over a chip and then moving the magnet, So there is no wear and tear, sensor wise. My old sidewinder stick (which was hall effect too) still tracked as good as it was new 8 or 9 years ago. I can't say that for my previous analog joystick to that one. If you moved it a certain spot to the right, it would spaz out and cause me to crash... I wanted a separate throttle badly but I couldn't deal with those dead spots again. However keep in mind that most joystick setups that tout hall effect actually have analog rudder and throttle sensors. This one is no different. Even on high end stuff like logitechs G940 ($300) this is the case. (the resolution of which is only 1024... 512 to -512) but it has force feedback, which from the reviews makes for un-smooth movements because of the motor pulsing constantly.

Currently if I had $300 to blow on a joystick it would be the new thrustmaster A-10's. The resolution of that is 0 to 65536! I can already focus on a single pixel in hardwar wile straffing and moving with my 16383 resolution on my joystick, I can't imagine the precision that thing must have.

here is a precision test of popular hotas sticks (Whenever you read hotas remember that it just stands for expensive... lol)

www.simhq.com/_technology3/technology_174g.html

notice they talk about the programming software called t.a.r.g.e.t. for the a-10 stick. this is the exact same software you use with the T16000M. For like $260 less. lol

[xaffax]

I use this:


And used to use this cooler one in the pre usb days: