[spartan_0214]

I also have an ST290 Pro, but I also have a Logitech G15 Keyboard. I've programmed all the commands into those 18 keys, the three sections of six each pertaining to each wing (If I need more, I'll use the other two modes ). The keyboard I also use for equilizing guns/shields/engines, and for jumping out. IMHO, nothing else needed

[haloboy100]

My Logitech Wingman force feedback 3D is the very reason i so much of HEARD of freespace. it came with a demo that features all of missions on freespace retail disk 2 (ALL of them) and it served me very well indeed, untill it completly screwed itself a year ago. It's very old design though, as i got it when i was still playing Star Wars: X-wing Alliance, and that was about 1999-2000 'ish.

[Huggybaby]

X-Wing is the only game that would make me consistently duck when pieces of a ship I had just destroyed came flying at me. I try to simulate that feeling with the fisheye lens look of -fov .9 but it's not the same.

I plugged up my Saitek Cyborg 3D today but it doesn't work right in FSOpen, not too surprising since it uses the gameport and has no XP driver support. I always thought the throw on that stick was too long anyway, I preferred the throw and shorter stick on my Advanced Gravis.

Oh well, I'm just a few days away from my first ever USB stick. Now watch it not work on Vista.

[haloboy100]

X-Wing is the only game that would make me consistently duck when pieces of a ship I had just destroyed came flying at me. I try to simulate that feeling with the fisheye lens look of -fov .9 but it's not the same.

  That happens to me everytime something hits me or near hits me in ANY game. especially with freespace. once i ducked so hard i flew underneath my desk head first into the wall behind it  meanwhile my roller chair went flying behind me and hit the wall.

[Harbinger of DOOM]

Dude, just use a mouse, you'll find it works just as well as a joystick (maybe better).

[Huggybaby]

Not for everyone I'm afraid.
http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,43895.msg897953.html#msg897953

[wighti]

Have the Saitek Cyborg and so far it has been really great. Basically I do everything 'cept sending orders to the wingmen on the stick.

... tho, the throttle switch is flimsy. Snapped it in two after a good month or two of use

[Herra Tohtori]

Heh, I managed to break my Saitek Cyborg Evo's trigger... And it didn't just wear out like the trigger switches eventually do.

No, I crushed it through the plastic holder that was supposed to keep it on its place, which ripped the switch that registers the triggerpress apart from one of the two cords that relay the signal to the base by closing the circuit... Luckily, the stick is rather easily disintegrateable so I took it apart, re-ensured the broken connection, stuffed the broken plastic parts sufficiently firmly on their place with duct tape packers, put it back together and it works again like always. Duct tape for the rescue...

The gimball mechanism is also starting to show small signs of wearing out - the mechanical deadzone of the stick has grown significantly, but the axis deadzone is still absolutely zero. It's still good to fly with, as the mechanical "deadzone" area offers an area of low friction and fine control.

All in all I can honestly say that Cyborg Evo is a stick well worth its price. Other than flimsy (?) trigger, it's rather solid stick.

[wighti]

Aye, agreed it's well worth the money. Not quite up to date with what version the one I have is. Saitek Cyborg 3D Platinum or summat read on the box. Best thing, it only cost around ~20 euros(might have been some bargain sale, lately been seeing the same stick for nearly twice the cost everywhere.)

The throttle switch still has more than half of it left, so using it is no biggie. Suppose I could glue/duct tape something for extra lenght if the need arises but so far it's good enough as it is.

[Grizzly]

I use either my Lifetec Erazer (bought for €1) or Logitech Wingman Light (bought for €1)

I had a Logitech Wingman Extreme but the fire and misselle button are not working on these.


You can bassicly use any joystick, look of you can "try" before you buy.

[wighti]

All in all I can honestly say that Cyborg Evo is a stick well worth its price. Other than flimsy (?) trigger, it's rather solid stick.

Flimsy is the word you'd use something that looks all shiny and stuff, but then isnt quite as sturdy as it should be.

... I think!

[Herra Tohtori]

Well, it's all relative. I tend to abuse the trigger frequently, and it lasted more than year of violent squeezing, and now that it's fixed it'll last even longer.

I think flimsy means jsut something that isn't sufficiently resistant to wear and tear of normal use... I dunno if my trigger finger counts as normal use, though.

[Huggybaby]

Hmm, I broke the trigger on my Cyborg 3D digital years ago. They had holes molded down the middle of it, a bad design flaw IMO.

I'll have to look closely at the Evo Force now because I don't want to break another one, especially at 70 bucks.

[[DW]-Hunter]

Dude, just use a mouse, you'll find it works just as well as a joystick (maybe better).

LOL the mouse sucks ass in freespace, no z axis. And it well... just wasnt ment to be in freespace if you get what I mean.

[Grizzly]

Hmm, I broke the trigger on my Cyborg 3D digital years ago. They had holes molded down the middle of it, a bad design flaw IMO.

I'll have to look closely at the Evo Force now because I don't want to break another one, especially at 70 bucks.

the good point of the simpler joysticks are that they are easy to repair... I managed to "break" my trigger too., but it didn't fell out, and can still be used

[Uninvited]

When I had a gameport card, I used the Wingman Interceptor. 9 buttons, throttle, and 3 hat switches. I had omething mapped into all 8 directions of each hat switch- targeting (bomb, turret, subsystem, etc) on one, wing commands on another, other things on the third. Was splendid.

Now I'm looking at getting a Logitech Extreme 3D Twisthandle joystick. 12 buttons, throttle, and 1 hat switch. Most buttons I could find on an inexpensive joystick these days. I don't like touching the keyboard.

[S-99]

Xbox360 gamepad.
After that, those who think the mouse isn't sensitive enough, need to think especially about the size of their craft, and realize it's more than a zip zooming paperweight, and that you have to EASE INTO THE CONTROLS with the mouse and then it becomes as sensitive as the joystick is.
Funny how a lot of people don't know this. It's one big reason people break **** all the time, from cars, to gamepads, and joysticks. Sorry, i was heavily reminded of the time my friend played fs2 with a mouse and friskly races it across the mousepad, expecting his craft about the size of a small house to go racing just as fast as he moved the mouse...(dumbass). He got extremely mad, because he was without the knowledge of EASING INTO THE CONTROLS, and LEARNING THE HANDLING. I bet he was wondering why with me moving the mouse ever so contently and gently and have more than enough maneuverability.
Why are people better with a joystick than a mouse in fs2 generally? Well, when you steer your fighter the farther left, up, right, or down you move the stick, the faster you will turn in that direction the more you move the stick in the said direction. Why is mouse so hard? It's not hard, it's different, but overall similar. For as fast as you move a joystick, it'd help to move the mouse slower, and especially helps when you realize that you don't have to use the whole mousepad. When you have a good sensitivity chosen, and i'm not talking about max sensitivity in fs2 and in windows (only idiots do that). The mouse is a more acurate tool, imagine it as the sniper rifle of fs2, it's a lot more accurate, but it can respond just as fast as a joystick...WHEN YOU EASE INTO THE CONTROLS and LEARN THE HANDLING.......yeah.......http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,43895.msg897953.html#msg897953
Try using your mouse in whole smooth motions that have a degree of restrain and then you'll figure out how to turn your craft at max speed in fs2 with a mouse without racing all over the pad with max sensitivity like a dumb****. Once this is learned, you would have successfully EASED INTO THE CONTROLS and LEARNED THE HANDLING of a mouse. Sorry but that forum was a very sorry excuse for human intelligence...but it was a mac user   Also when using the mouse, become one with your fighter, all the fighters and bombers in fs2 maneuver like the gentle giants of the ocean compared to an f15 (maybe fighters of fs2 don't perform like whales, but they sure aren't as small, and due to that aren't as maneuverable, move with finesse).
For now i'm weining myself off of the mouse and now using a madcatz xbox360 controller. This due to the fact that i use to be a double ace in fs2 when i was 15 years ago with a gravis xterminator gamepad. Then i started using the mouse for fs2. My skill went away to the point i couldn't even play an fps with dual joysticks. I was too sloppy, the two joysticks confused the **** out of me. Xbox360 controller on fs2 really works fast at getting you used to a joystick, not to mention it's ****ing beatiful with dual joysticks. After that, the xbox360 controller is a great controller. It's got a little bit of everything in it. It mostly resembles the layout of a ps2 controller, except it has a better positioned left joystick, better positioned 8 way dpad, and the top two shoulder buttons are digital with the bottom two shoulder buttons being analog. It's so much better than a ps2 pad. But, no sony just has to keep up with the ps2 design in the ps3, and still have that horrible placement for the left joystick on the new generation of wecantmakenewgamepadgamepads. Also xbox360 controllers don't have digital button pressure sensors (talk about a great way to make peoples gamepads wear out faster in a dumb way). **** pressure sensors on digital buttons, that's what analog things like joysticks and triggers are for. But yes xbox360 madcatz wired controller is good. Comes with the usual 9 foot long usb detatchable cable, invert switch for the right joystick, better shaped than average 360 controller, the joysticks and dpad are overly sensitive like on normal 360 controllers, and turbo for all of the buttons or combo's of buttons. The madcatz biotch is 25$, good gamepad for the money, especially when you pair it with the XBCD xbox 360 driver which will also let you use the xbox360 controller with more power and domination, and on more than just XP

[spartan_0214]

San, please tab every new paragraph. Your posts are EXTREMELY hard to read...

I used to play FS2 with my P880 Pad. I found out it was easier to use the one stick for all pitch, yaw, and roll. Plus it's easier to pull manuevers like dive up, quickly roll/drive to the left, then barrel roll up and to the right. I would've broken my P880 (or any gamepad) with that maneuver, but my ST290 Pro took it in stride. And, all the buttons are right there at your finger tips, not a long thumbs' reach away. I also found myself pressing the wrong buttons on the pad because of their proximity. On the Pro, the only thing I'll accidentally do is fire a pair of missiles reaching for the target button (I play right handed typically, and the big fat button in the middle is a little hard to miss...)

[Huggybaby]

What if you could roll using the scroll wheel on the mouse, or worse, the side buttons?

And if someone lacks maneuverability on the mouse, I don't see how moving the mouse less or more slowly will make the ship turn faster.

I also don't understand why some folks here insist on believing that those of us with a slow mouse are ignorant of anything.

[spartan_0214]

It's not to turn the ship faster, it's to turn the ship more accurately. The ship, when you use the mouse, reacts to the mouse being off-of-center, just like a joystick. The more you move it right, the more the ship moves right, but if you leave the mouse to the side, the ship will keep moving to that side. People don't understand that in Space Sims, the mouse reacts this way; in FPSs, when the mouse moves, the character follows, when the mouse stops moving, the character stops moving. A slow mouse has almost nothing to do with it. Most mice sold today have high sensitivity. Plus, you should be able to program the mouse to be more sensitive using the mouse options in the control panel.