[lostllama]

A Microsoft SideWinder Precision Pro (the non-force feedback version), keyboard and occasionally the mouse.

[Rodo]

only keyboard.

[torc]

joy hotas and keyboard is the best... 

[FreeSpaceFreak]

Joystick and keyboard, Saitek Cyborg-something

[headdie]

currently play keyboard only, i used to use a joystick but it broke and i haven't gotten round to replacing it

[Aardwolf]

I used to only use keyboard, but my laptop has no numpad, so I learned to play it with a USB optical mouse.

[Wobble73]

Erm...... You also forgot Gamepad.

I use Gamepad and keyboard! So Voted Joystick and keyboard as it's the nearest option!

[Eltrotraw]

Eh, I've mostly used Keyboard in most of my playthroughs of the game, but I've attempted to play the game using the Ace Combat flightsticks that run about like what, $200 with the game and all that?

It wasn't bad by any means, and I don't have much of a preference, though I'd usually stay away from the mouse... Even though I do prefer mouse+keyboard for FPS, for some reason it just doesn't flow with me very well when I play Freespace.

So I just stick with default keyboard controls, though I do have to compensate a bit when playing on my laptop.

[Sarge126]

I use Joystick only. I use a Saitek X45, as it has more than enough buttons for everything I need. Using a TrackIR also gives me 8 more functions on my hat switch. Pretty nice setup, but X45s are getting rare and expensive.

[Androgeos Exeunt]

* Androgeos Exeunt has voted.

Keyboard ONLY for me. I can't handle a joystick, and the mouse sensitivity in Mac is crap.

[TopAce]

...and the mouse sensitivity in Mac is crap

You can get used to it, like driving.

[Dilmah G]

I don't know how you can't handle a joystick. That said, I've used one since the age of four.. So..

[Androgeos Exeunt]

You can get used to it, like driving.

Sure, but I can't be bothered. Keep in mind that I'm so used to flying like rubbish in D3 using only the keyboard that I don't really care about my performance anymore.

[Toekutr]

I played through FS2 for the first time last year on my 360 pad, it worked quite well for me, but it felt like I was missing something compared to a joystick.  I found a nice deal on a Saitek X45 on ebay sometime last year, but I can't get used to the stiffness of the stick, especially in a fast paced game such as freespace.  In most sims, I still seem to play better with a 360 pad.  Do I just lack joystick experience and need to work on it, or should I get something that isn't so stiff?

I use Joystick only. I use a Saitek X45, as it has more than enough buttons for everything I need. Using a TrackIR also gives me 8 more functions on my hat switch. Pretty nice setup, but X45s are getting rare and expensive.

Do you have a FS2 profile for the joystick?

[Klaustrophobia]

the x45 IS a bit stiff, but it will both break in a little and you'll get used to it.  you can also aleviate some pressure by twist-tieing the spring, and get a smoother feel by rubbing a dryer sheet on the underside of the baseplate and the rim it touches.  i've seen vasoline recommended here too, but i personally didn't want to put that on my hardware.

[Toekutr]

the x45 IS a bit stiff, but it will both break in a little and you'll get used to it.  you can also aleviate some pressure by twist-tieing the spring, and get a smoother feel by rubbing a dryer sheet on the underside of the baseplate and the rim it touches.  i've seen vasoline recommended here too, but i personally didn't want to put that on my hardware.

Thanks for the help, another problem, a couple of the rubber feet on the joystick are missing (I bought it used), so it moves around quite a bit in dogfights.  Would suction cups work in stabilizing it at all?

[Iss Mneur]

the x45 IS a bit stiff, but it will both break in a little and you'll get used to it.  you can also aleviate some pressure by twist-tieing the spring, and get a smoother feel by rubbing a dryer sheet on the underside of the baseplate and the rim it touches.  i've seen vasoline recommended here too, but i personally didn't want to put that on my hardware.

Thanks for the help, another problem, a couple of the rubber feet on the joystick are missing (I bought it used), so it moves around quite a bit in dogfights.  Would suction cups work in stabilizing it at all?

Keeping the joystick from moving is vital for dogfighting with a joystick. So anything that will keep the stick from moving is good, I would personally stick with rubber feet though because they will keep the base from wiggling as much.

I personally hold the base of my joystick (a Saitek Cyborg EVO) when dog fighting, either on my lap, or on the desk (mostly in games that require the keyboard like Freespace).  That being said, my joystick still has its feet.

[Dilmah G]

I usually have my left hand on the throttle control, and right hand on the stick, so my 'Throttle-Hand' also keeps the stick in place. After washing the feet of my Cyborg Evo, it stays in one place now, though.

A Microsoft SideWinder Precision Pro (the non-force feedback version), keyboard and occasionally the mouse.

What OS do you use? I've got my Precision Pro sitting here on my desk, and I still love it more than my Saitek.
By the way, does anyone know how to loosen the spring on the Cyborg Evo? It's gotten quite stiff as of late, making precise targeting a pain in the ass, since the joystick doesn't want to let me move it less than two centimetres.

[Klaustrophobia]

use the same twist-tie trick.  run a tie through two of the rings and tighten it down, compressing the spring a bit.  it pulls some tension off the base.

[Dilmah G]

I think it's just the way the spring-base works on the joystick, it still feels like I'm pulling back the stick in increments.