[Vattic]

Hello I am new to FreeSpace 2 and in fact all FreeSpace games, I got FreeSpace because I love Elite, Vega Strike and Allegiance and I got told that FreeSpace was something I really need to play. I have a few questions for you all.

Firstly I rather shamefully don't have a joystick as until recently I was a poor student. Now that I have a job I would like to buy a good joystick for the games I have mentioned and this one. Any advice on this front?

The second question I would like to ask is about control with no joystick until I get one, does anyone know a good set-up for keyboard only control? Keeping in mind that I am currently using a laptop with no numpad.

Third and final question, when it comes to using the mouse is there any way to set it to follow the mouse, I prefer this to how the game default mouse movement which is like playing a FPS.

Cheers for your time.

[FreeSpaceFreak]

First of all,



Welcome speeches can be found here. I won't post one, since the admins complained about it. But I like a nice speech anyway

First of all, go get a joystick. It will add to your joy of playing with about 500%, if not more. Any joystick will do, but one with lots of buttons would be practical. I'm using a Logitech one myself (which came with a demo of FS2, and that started me off ).

Keyboard only control will be quite difficult, certainly without numpad. I've tried it with, and I couldn't even hit a drone. Guess it requires some training.

[Dilmah G]

hey, welcome, im relatively new to hlp, but ive been playing fs2 for years

moving on, i can offer advice on the joystick front. i recommend a Saitek Cyborg Evo, most good stores still stock them, and it also has a FF (force feedback) cousin, if feeling the kick is your thing. i cant begin to imagine your pain, playing without a joystick is pretty much nigh on impossible to me, but i would recommend maybe that you map the direction controls to the arrow keys, depending on your playstyle you might not use the function assigned to arrows too much. Personally i prefer equalising shields, but its up to you. I believe the other functions should be fine at their assigned keys, but as you play you'll notice some keys are easier to reach than others. As a joystick, the Cyborg Evo is good in this respect, as it has six different trigger controls, (dont worry, this doesnt mean it has six different triggers, but rather six different buttons at the head of the joystick). if you have any questions hit reply.

[Jeff Vader]

The second question I would like to ask is about control with no joystick until I get one, does anyone know a good set-up for keyboard only control? Keeping in mind that I am currently using a laptop with no numpad.

Though I can't be sure of what kind of a keyboard layout your laptop has, here's what I always change to the default configuration. Has worked so far:

Bank left - Right Ctrl. Bank right - End. Pitch forward - Up arrow. Pitch backward - Down arrow. Turn left - Left arrow. Turn right - Right arrow. Set throttle to max - Left Ctrl. Set throttle to one third - 9. Set throttle to two thirds - 0. Increase throttle 5 percent - 8. Decrease throttle 5 percent - 7. Afterburner - Q. Fire primary weapon - D. Chase view - 6. External view - 5. Cycle radar range - Alt-5. Increase weapon energy - ´. Decrease weapon energy - +. Increase shield energy - ¨. Decrease shield energy - Å. Increase engine energy - '. Decrease engine energy - Ä. Equalise shield - W. Augment forward shield - Delete. Augment rear shield - Home. Augment left shield - Page up. Augment right shield - Page down.

[Vattic]

Cheers for the great welcome, seems this site/game has a good community.

I checked out the logitech joysticks just now, seems my choice their is between the Cordless Freedom 2.4 which eats batteries or the Force 3D Pro which looks pretty good, heard some complaints about the dead zone. I do like how it looks though and I've had a few Logitech Peripherals before and had few problems but the price puts me off hehe. Then there is Saitek Cyborg Evo, I don't like there being buttons on both sides but I will be using the keyboard with the joystick I'd imagine, its cool that its adjustable and the price is more pleasing, I'm not overly impressed with how it looks but that matters little.

Cheers for the advice all of you, I need to find a good hardware store where I can try them really.

[Bob-san]

Thrustmaster, CH, or Saitek--I have a Logitech stick myself--and that's how I got into Freespace.

[Dark Hunter]

I use a Logitech 3D Pro (no force feedback though), and the deadzone isn't a big issue. Besides which, the deadzone is adjustable, so you can tinker with it until it is to your liking.

[Thor]

I use a flightpad....gamepad myself.  I go on and on about my trusty old Wingman Extreme, but its a great pad thats impossible to find now.  I always found the sticks way to precise for my liking.

[Vattic]

Cheers for all your advice once again, I think I'm going to go with a Logitech joystick.

I use a Logitech 3D Pro (no force feedback though), and the deadzone isn't a big issue. Besides which, the deadzone is adjustable, so you can tinker with it until it is to your liking.

Is that the Extreme 3D Pro?

Another question I have, do you know any other similar games I should sink my teeth into? Other than Vega Strike and Allegiance which I have played already.