What type of controller will you be using for Elite Dangerous

[Shotgun2097]

game pad relaxed

I have a cyborg, big ugly thing son sold it me cheap
But if i can get away with it it will be blessed 360 controller and a glass of whiskey

 

[Britheghost]

I have a T.Flight HOTAS x just hope I can get it to work in ED

 

[a_snail]

Just in case anyone is interested there is a Saitek X65F going on ebay at the moment (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291084637001?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649)
I got one a while ago for the cost of an X52Pro. Its a great joystick, but I would warn people the throttle on my one is very stiff so I have bound thrust to one of the other wheels. Not all the buttons are currently registering in ED Alpha, but it comes with a tool to setup macros so when you press any button on the controller, anything that doesn't work in ED can be configured that way to a keyboard button (or multiple buttons with time delays if you want to try and setup a special move sequence).
I've yet to work out the best button configuration, but there are a lot of buttons to customise if you have the time, although pressing some of them in the heat of battle is impossible for me (perhaps my hands are too small). Finally, for those who may not know, the stick of the joystick does not move - pressure sensitive - it takes a little getting used to, but now that I have, I think its really good and responsive (pressure sensitivity adjustable and can easily be changed in game).

 

[J.T.Kirk]

Has anyone tried to play the Alpha with Genius MaxFire Blaze3? Is it okay?

 

[NeilF]

A sort of side question.

Obviously being able to free look around the cockpit gives a great sense of immersion and also a bit of a combat advantage. Clearly this is best done with a head track or Oculus Rift.

But those sort of units aside, is there a simple way to achieve this with controllers? eg: Use the mouse as per normal for freelook, and the joystick in your left hand to fly? Had anyone experimented?

 

[BlueThunder]

I posted this on the Alpha forum, but thought I'd share here: I've tried a bunch of controllers - X52 pro, Warthog, X55. I currently have the X55, but really dislike the joystick as it makes 'farty' noises and has too much resistance when the plastic rim sticks. My solution -

---------------------------
Try not to fall about laughing when you look at the images!

I posted my feelings on the X55 above. Either I have a dud, or the mechanism is too sticky, offering too much resistance against small, tiny moves. When I apply pressure it can stick a little then jolt in the direction I want to move. Not nice.

Anyway, I got wondering about mods. I decided to try two : One involving no springs, but simply elastic bands, and another which involves using rubber/foam below the spring to allow a bit of give.

I tried the first, and whilst it looks hilarious it feels amazing! There is very little resistence to tiny moves, but the more you move the greater the resistance, which is totally different to the way my X55 feels out of the box. On the plus side, there is zero sticking and movement is smooooooth in all directions.

I literally tied 4 elastic bounds round the hole in the corner, and looped it over the stick. I then added more underneath and over to my taste. I found forward and back were great, but side to side didn't offer enough resistance. Solution? Whack some more bands on from the sides It may have been beginners luck, but the stick auto centres perfectly.

This is obviously a temporary solution, but I think something similar involving some sort of hooks in the holes which are connected to extension springs that connect to the grey part under the stick would work a treat!

Those with X55s and a lot of rubber bands - give it a go, you may like it. Mine is now the smoothest stick I have EVER used!

http://bayimg.com/GaKJMAAff
http://bayimg.com/DAKJKAAFf

 

[trekman]

Been thinking about this a bit and I'll likely try the 360 controller first. If it doesn't feel right though the next option may be a dedicated joystick like this:

http://www.saitek.com/uk/prod/fly5.html

This is apparently a very good controller for the game. It doesn't have as many buttons as the x52 pro but it has enough. I even got one for myself because at just £44 it was considerably cheaper than the more popular x52 pro.

 

[Krollin]

This is apparently a very good controller for the game. It doesn't have as many buttons as the x52 pro but it has enough. I even got one for myself because at just £44 it was considerably cheaper than the more popular x52 pro.

Greetings,

I have one of those in addition to my X52 Pro. Using the Flight5 with VoiceAttack works really well, the throttle control is really good - the only downside is it doesnt have as many buttons as the X52, thus the need to use VoiceAttack.

Kro.

 

[Polared]

@NeilF, just get a joystick that has a Hat switch, sometimes called a POV switch, on the stick. any halfway decent joystick will have one at the top, so you can just use your thumb to control the view.

haven't got a xbox controller myself, but i would imagine you could assign one of the pads (or whatever they're called) to that function, really no need for mouse view.

 

[NeilF]

@NeilF, just get a joystick that has a Hat switch, sometimes called a POV switch, on the stick. any halfway decent joystick will have one at the top, so you can just use your thumb to control the view.

I have that on my cheap'n'cheerful joystick, but surely that can't give the fluid/immediate analog movement to any/all positions a mouse could (or a Oculus Rift or head tracker)?

Ideally surely as you fly around you want to be able to look in any/all directions quickly/smoothly? Hence joystick in left hand and mouse in the right hand for "look" suggestion/question?

 

[Philip Coutts]

A sort of side question.

Obviously being able to free look around the cockpit gives a great sense of immersion and also a bit of a combat advantage. Clearly this is best done with a head track or Oculus Rift.

But those sort of units aside, is there a simple way to achieve this with controllers? eg: Use the mouse as per normal for freelook, and the joystick in your left hand to fly? Had anyone experimented?

I use an xbox 360 controller and headlook is controlled with the right stick. You click down to go into headlook and then click down again to go back to fixed view. The stick then controls your thrusters. Pretty simply and fairly neat way of doing it.

 

[Crayfish]

When I hear reports of players struggling using a mouse to control their ship in Elite: Dangerous I get quite worried. I can't imagine why a space craft wouldn't be perfectly controllable with a mouse and keyboard. In Arma3 I can be effective with every form of transport from walking to flying a jet fighter just using a mouse and keyboard.

My fear is that E: D is being play tested almost exclusively using XBox controllers and joysticks. The shots we've seen of FD staff playing the game all show them using either a joystick or a gamepad. The backers who could afford to pay £200 for alpha access are the kind of people who are happy to invest in a controller just to play this game.

Within the coming months the game will be released to the wider PC gaming population. I wonder if Frontier Developments have any statistics on what proportion of those players own a gamepad or joystick that works with their PC? Do they expect them all to purchase such a controller just to play E: D?

 

[Mike Evans]

When I hear reports of players struggling using a mouse to control their ship in Elite: Dangerous I get quite worried. I can't imagine why a space craft wouldn't be perfectly controllable with a mouse and keyboard. In Arma3 I can be effective with every form of transport from walking to flying a jet fighter just using a mouse and keyboard.

My fear is that E: D is being play tested almost exclusively using XBox controllers and joysticks. The shots we've seen of FD staff playing the game all show them using either a joystick or a gamepad. The backers who could afford to pay £200 for alpha access are the kind of people who are happy to invest in a controller just to play this game.

Within the coming months the game will be released to the wider PC gaming population. I wonder if Frontier Developments have any statistics on what proportion of those players own a gamepad or joystick that works with their PC? Do they expect them all to purchase such a controller just to play E: D?

I think the issue is that the flight model doesn't move as quickly (or quickly enough) as someone can move a mouse which is pretty much the normal way of doing things in space games. The slowness in motion (not response) is a flight model factor that just so happens to not feel bad when using a stick or game pad compared to a mouse where people are used to things moving as fast as or as close as makes no difference to their ability to move the mouse.

 

[Caribou]

I think the issue is that the flight model doesn't move as quickly (or quickly enough) as someone can move a mouse which is pretty much the normal way of doing things in space games. The slowness in motion (not response) is a flight model factor that just so happens to not feel bad when using a stick or game pad compared to a mouse where people are used to things moving as fast as or as close as makes no difference to their ability to move the mouse.

I gave up using a mouse and keyboard as I found it too hard to use (Others are fine with it in alpha forums I should say). I then used (Acceptibly) a controller for a while and finally upgraded to a joystick which is by far the easiest and best way to play the game so far.

It is a far more intuitive controller for this game as it stands because you can yaw/pitch/roll simultaneously whilst using lateral thrusts as well (On the JS I have anyway) - But I am running out of buttons and the mappings/setup is quite complex currently.

I would have stuck to mouse/kb but it just didn't feel right as it stands...

 

[Crayfish]

I think the issue is that the flight model doesn't move as quickly (or quickly enough) as someone can move a mouse which is pretty much the normal way of doing things in space games. The slowness in motion (not response) is a flight model factor that just so happens to not feel bad when using a stick or game pad compared to a mouse where people are used to things moving as fast as or as close as makes no difference to their ability to move the mouse.

That makes sense and it does sound like something that is just a matter of getting used to.

I am reminded of the Facebook/Android anecdote however. The Facebook app for Android was terrible for years because none of the staff of Facebook used Android phones. Unfortunately a majority of users in the real world were using Android and were being let down by the experience of the mobile Facebook app. It was only when Mark Zuckerberg forced his staff to use Android that the app got fixed.

Hope you see where I'm going with that. Don't be blinded to what is going to happen in the real world because your own use case is different.

 

[Polared]

i did say "halfway decent" not "cheap'n'cheerful" : )

seriously though, the better the joystick the better the functionality will be, but anything above 30 quid should have a decent hat switch.

i just can't imagine you having a great time trying to play using the joystick to fly and mouse to change the POV, i know my coordination skills certainly wouldn't be up to it!

 

[robo]

When I hear reports of players struggling using a mouse to control their ship in Elite: Dangerous I get quite worried. I can't imagine why a space craft wouldn't be perfectly controllable with a mouse and keyboard. In Arma3 I can be effective with every form of transport from walking to flying a jet fighter just using a mouse and keyboard.

My fear is that E: D is being play tested almost exclusively using XBox controllers and joysticks. The shots we've seen of FD staff playing the game all show them using either a joystick or a gamepad. The backers who could afford to pay £200 for alpha access are the kind of people who are happy to invest in a controller just to play this game.

Within the coming months the game will be released to the wider PC gaming population. I wonder if Frontier Developments have any statistics on what proportion of those players own a gamepad or joystick that works with their PC? Do they expect them all to purchase such a controller just to play E: D?

If you can afford a rig to run this game, then surely you can afford £20 minimum for a joypad, £30/40 minimum for a joystick. Personally I think this game’s optimum controller is a joystick, as with the plethora of flight sims that’s out there (as already mentioned). I played Freelancer (mouse only) & even though I hated the lack of a joystick option, I completed it. Previously I’ve always used joysticks, Starlancer, X-Wing, Tie Fighter & yes, the Elite’s of the 90’s + 80’s.

I have the alpha, never used the mouse, tried a joypad, but couldn’t get with thumb joystick control, I’m a leftie so I’ve picked up a Thrustmaster T16000M joystick for £40. But as for mouse control, I wouldn’t worry, I heard people with the alpha, who haven’t used a joystick for years, so they are not used to one, yet the mouse is working a treat for them.

 

[noodle]

If you can afford a rig to run this game, then surely you can afford £20 minimum for a joypad, £30/40 minimum for a joystick.

How does that follow? This game will run on some relatively cheap rigs, and people's circumstances/priorities change. Some people might not be too happy at effectively having to double their spend on the game because they need a controller to play it with.

Having said that, I think it's a non-issue really. It's a fairly niche game and people will mostly either get used to playing it with a mouse, or invest in a stick.

 

[X2Eliah]

I think the issue is that the flight model doesn't move as quickly (or quickly enough) as someone can move a mouse which is pretty much the normal way of doing things in space games. The slowness in motion (not response) is a flight model factor that just so happens to not feel bad when using a stick or game pad compared to a mouse where people are used to things moving as fast as or as close as makes no difference to their ability to move the mouse.

Partly, yes.
But also the issue is that with the mouse, you are showing a complex *vector* in which a ship should move, and not a straight direction where it should end up. Usually, in most mouse games it feels that you point somewhere, and the thing turns exactly there, but in Elite (at least in the usual mousecontrol method), one axis shows direction up/down, but the other axis shows rotation. That sort of messes with what people might be used to... Also, I found that (for me) the biggest issue was the yaw-into-roll behaviour. I mean, it's needed, otherwise flying is nearly impossible - we need both yaw and roll, after all. But I'd like to have a better sense of when a yaw via mouse is just a yaw, and when it will go into a roll - that would also let me be more precise and *know* how my ship will react. Is there something like a distance-from-centre / offset value at which the yaw goes into roll? Or is it something cumulative? I can't "feel it out" - either the trigger for it happening is time-based or something, or it is too small/twitchy for me to spot the distance...

You are right though, usually the speed at which you move the mouse directly maps to the speed of turning, whereas here.. not at all.


One note about joysticks and affordability - price is one factor, habit/convenience is another. A joystick is a surprisingly large and unweildy thing to have on a small and/or cluttered desk. And, if the desk is somewhat high, then joystick turns out to be very uncomfortable (as your hand is not at the bottom of the joystick, but rater close to the top - much higher than when holding a mouse on the same place on desk). And, there's people who have decade(s) of muscle memory from using mouses in games. A joystick might feel completely off and wrong for them.
Oh, also, I *might* end up switching back to a mouse, maybe. I find that, while joystick is better for controlling the ship, a mouse is better for hitting enemies with fixed/nongimbal weapons; it's much easier to do the micro-yaw/pitches to keep the lead straight on point.

I thought about using Joystick in left hand & mouse on right; the resulting problem then is a severe lack of buttons...

 

[noodle]

One note about joysticks and affordability - price is one factor, habit/convenience is another. A joystick is a surprisingly large and unweildy thing to have on a small and/or cluttered desk.

A very fair point. I have a big, expensive desk, and I was facing the prospect of using the HOTAS on the keyboard tray - which I wasn't keen on, because of the amount of abuse the keyboard tray would have ended up taking. As it turned out, I managed to find a small foldable table that slides neatly under the tray which I can use. But I guess that for the less dedicated, this is where gamepads come in?