[Thaeris]

It's possible for me to use my hat stick's full movement (as far as I'm aware) as of this time only through using the Logitech software that came with the device. In which, for the NE, SE, SW, and NW directions of the stick, I'd need to use the "Logitech Profiler" to combine certain key combinations normally on the keyboard to achieve simultaneous thruster reactions in more than two directions (ex: up and right). This is really useful for TBP and concievably Diaspora (once it's released).

Having 8-way viewing opitions available/multidirectional thrust options in the control configuration screen would be very nice indeed: Having to look only at 90deg angles is sort of stale...

[Mongoose]

I'd be all for this too, if it were possible (though I strongly suspect it's tied in with the general controller overhaul that's sorely needed).  When I was footling around with Descent-style ship movements, the lack of this killed me in the testing department, since I'm incredibly used to using the diagonal hat directions for trichording in Descent.

[Nuke]

I'd be all for this too, if it were possible (though I strongly suspect it's tied in with the general controller overhaul that's sorely needed).  When I was footling around with Descent-style ship movements, the lack of this killed me in the testing department, since I'm incredibly used to using the diagonal hat directions for trichording in Descent.

i know a little about hat switches (i have 8 of them). when it comes right down to it theyre just a convenient way to omit signal diodes from their button matrices and thus save the manufacturer a few fractions of a penny. forcing 4-way in your control software (if you can) kinda fixes this issue. 8 way hats are really just 4 way hats that assumes another button press when two of the angles are used at the same time, when in fact there is little mechanical distinction (if any) between an 8 way and a 4 way.

I'd be all for this too, if it were possible (though I strongly suspect it's tied in with the general controller overhaul that's sorely needed).  When I was footling around with Descent-style ship movements, the lack of this killed me in the testing department, since I'm incredibly used to using the diagonal hat directions for trichording in Descent.

another person has spoken the ancient words "input overhaul"! and the code gods must heed notice!

another idea that ive been toying around with in script, is using the mouse axes as a joystick to control vertical and lateral thrusters. this would benefit anyone who had a mouse stick (mainly x52, but with some ch scripts you can do the same with the mini joystick on the pro throttle). i actually have a working lua script derived from (or at least inspired by) wanderer's take on the mouse script that accomplishes this. so you get full proportional control of lateral and vertical thrusters. it has some other bonuses, such as a split throttle with proportional reverse thrust, as well as mousejoy features.  the bad news is its not modular, its currently part of a monster script than is not very organized. the good news is that i want to make it so, so that it can be added to the atmospheric script to provide better thruster control (at which point il post it in the scripting forum). still its no substitute for a complete input overhaul that this engine sorely needs.