[HTWingNut]

I just downloaded and installed Freespace 2 Open. Thanks for the great effort to get this great game working on modern hardware and keeping it fresh.

That being said, I can't control my ship with my mouse. Is there something special I need to do to control my ship with my mouse?

Thanks.

[Mongoose]

If you go into the options menu (either by accessing it from the main flight deck or hitting F2 in-mission), one of the subscreens (though I can't remember which) should let you enable mouse control.  It's disabled by default.

[HTWingNut]

Thanks. I don't know how I missed that.

Now any recommendations for banking? I set my "ALT" key to bank, however, banking is sluggish using the mouse, and all the keys by my left hand are already used up. WIsh the "Press key to bank" allowed for sensitivity adjustment.

[Shadow86]

I use A and D for banking left and right, respectively. But if all your left hand is busy, I don't know.

It's not that banking is really that important anyway.

[Shade]

I dunno, I use banking so much I've mapped it to one of the precious hat switches on my joystick (along with forward and reverse thrust).

[Unknown Target]

Why would you put it to a hat switch instead of the axis? Or do you not have a twist stick?

[FreeSpaceFreak]

Joystick = FreeSpace
Mouse =! FreeSpace

[HTWingNut]

What does that mean:

Joystick = Freespace
Mouse =! Freespace

???

[jr2]

Nothing, he means he likes joysticks.  Try setting your sensitivity in the F2 screen to max.  I do, and I like it.  =]

[FreeSpaceFreak]

What I mean is that IMO, you miss more than half of the game 'experience' when you don't have a joystick. I can't imagine playing it without one. Well, I've tried it once, but it was

[jr2]

Thing is, I tried using an X45... it just doesn't work.  You get going, then the enemy changes direction, and before you can get the honkin' joystick to reverse, you've waaay overshot.  If you turn the sensitivity up enough to be able to just move it a little, the stick isn't well built enough to handle that kind of precision... it starts drifting.  I needs something light, fast, and precise that I can snap my fighter around with.  An optical mouse can do that (with the unfortunate side-effect of drag-pickup-drag, but w/e).  IDK if there any joysticks that can... I wish there were.  I mean, the X45 would be OK for piloting a freaking medium or heavy bomber, but not much else.  So, for Ursas, yeah.  For anything else, too slow to change direction, or drifting... not really much choice there.  What joystick you use, FSFreak?

[HTWingNut]

maybe a gamepad would work better? I dunno. I mainly want mouse/keyboard support because I'll be playing this on my laptop when on the road and don't want to have to haul a joystick or gamepad around with me.

[Shade]

Or do you not have a twist stick?

Yep, that's why. I swear by CH sticks, and they don't make twist sticks. I'd get a set of pedals for it instead, but I don't have enough room under my table

[Stormkeeper]

For the record, in programming, != or =! means 'not equal'

I use a mouse, cause its a DeathAdder which I forked out 90 bucks for and got a free game (C&C3 Kane's Wrath) along with it.

Seriously though, joysticks in singapore are quite expensive. Decent ones anyway.

[FreeSpaceFreak]

Thing is, I tried using an X45... it just doesn't work.  You get going, then the enemy changes direction, and before you can get the honkin' joystick to reverse, you've waaay overshot.  If you turn the sensitivity up enough to be able to just move it a little, the stick isn't well built enough to handle that kind of precision... it starts drifting.  I needs something light, fast, and precise that I can snap my fighter around with.  An optical mouse can do that (with the unfortunate side-effect of drag-pickup-drag, but w/e).  IDK if there any joysticks that can... I wish there were.  I mean, the X45 would be OK for piloting a freaking medium or heavy bomber, but not much else.  So, for Ursas, yeah.  For anything else, too slow to change direction, or drifting... not really much choice there.  What joystick you use, FSFreak?

I'm using a Logitech WingMan Force 3D, and I don't have any problems with it (but I'm a bad pilot, yes). It came with a demo of FreeSpace 2...

Oh, and this thread is about dogfighting with a mouse too.

[zonination]

You know, I noticed a while back that if you face your ship to an object, then make your HUD do a little circle around an object, you get a certain amount of roll.  Also, if you hit 7 or 9 on the keypad (if you have a desktop), you change your roll that way.

That's what i do for changing angle, at least. But then again, I've never used a joystick in FreeSpace.

[Nuke]

For the record, in programming, != or =! means 'not equal'

unless youre using lua in which case its ~=

[griffon67]

I'm currently using a X52 pro to play freespace2 and I don't have the problems you mentioned with a X45 (these joysticks have many common points). I played once a game with mouse (because it didn't support joystick play), but just 5 min, I couldn't do anything with mouse. I guess it's just some people who prefer mouse and other joysticks. (For information, I can play mouse games such as FPS with no problems)
But, playing with a joystick I have something to ask to mouse players. How do you make circles with your ship (like looping) ? even with a high sensitivity you can't move up your mouse infinitely and you need to "raise" your mouse to put it back to its normal place.
Still you more sensation with a joystick, and you're more precise with a mouse.
All this is only my pure opinion and should not be taken as reality.

Sorry for my bad English, I'm french.

[Stormkeeper]

I'm currently using a X52 pro to play freespace2 and I don't have the problems you mentioned with a X45 (these joysticks have many common points). I played once a game with mouse (because it didn't support joystick play), but just 5 min, I couldn't do anything with mouse. I guess it's just some people who prefer mouse and other joysticks. (For information, I can play mouse games such as FPS with no problems)
But, playing with a joystick I have something to ask to mouse players. How do you make circles with your ship (like looping) ? even with a high sensitivity you can't move up your mouse infinitely and you need to "raise" your mouse to put it back to its normal place.
Still you more sensation with a joystick, and you're more precise with a mouse.
All this is only my pure opinion and should not be taken as reality.

Sorry for my bad English, I'm french.

You kinda get used to it after a while. Yes, you do need to reset the mouse position after a while, but when you keep doing it, you don't really notice it after a while.

You're english isn't really that bad.

[Mongoose]

It makes me chuckle (but in a good way) when someone who isn't a native English speaker apologizes for their grammar yet has a better grasp of the language than at least half the people I know who have been speaking it for their entire lives.