Tracking, joysticks, yaw worry and beyond. Advice appreciated.

Vergoth

V
Hello everyone, first things first... I have a confession to make, as of a few weeks ago I had never heard of elite before.

I mentioned an article in my PC gamer magazine regarding elite to my girlfriends dad, I said "they are bringing out a new game called elite". He looked at me funny and said that he played elite when he was a teenager, and that it was about 30 years old.

Since then I've done a lot of research. Scouring these forums and the wiki for any scrap of information I can find, as the prospect of the game looks excellent, a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stale gaming market.

However as per my topic title, it has brought me with some very much first world concerns.

The article regarding elite: dangerous in the pc gamer magazine prompted a joystick roundup mass review which was very helpful in deciding on a potential joystick/throttle combo. The thrustmaster warthog came out on top with the saitek x-55 a close Second. Both expensive pieces of kit (one more than the other) however a game with such promise and pedigree deserves to be played with decent kit. (that and I like having decent gaming kit)

My dilemma comes from the twist yaw control on the x-55, I would be worried about inducing yaw while rolling inadvertently, can anyone who has used this joystick or any other stick with twist yaw tell me if it's easy to get used to?

My second dilemma came from not being able to look around the cockpit at people I was pursuing, should they pull up and turn right, I would have to follow the "contrails" and leave me at a disadvantage or use up valuable real estate on the stick/throttle mapping look buttons. That's when I found free track which I would implore anyone considering buying track ir to take a look at. All the info here:

http://forums.dayzgame.com/index.php?/topic/142001-free-alternative-to-track-ir-a-guide/

Has anyone else used this? And would I only need the basic 1 LED setup as I beleive elite dangerous only supports the basic look left/right/up/down tracking?

Many thanks for taking the time to read, my "short" post has turned rather long, and help appreciated
 

Daxk StarCrasher

Daxk StarCrasher
I have an older X52, well uses and well loved. The twist has problems jumping around. (hardware problem not software) I used the in game dead zone settings to limit the game response to the random inputs the stick was sending. You could use the same thing to increase the amount you have to twist the stick to get a response, if you find you twist the stick too much.

ED supports 6 degrees of motion, plus roll with the TrackIR 5. You would do best to have 3 LEDs, but I haven't looked at the item you are talking about, so I don't know how it would react. Just letting you know how the game is set up.
 
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1500

1500
I have the x52-pro and love it. You get used to the twist and I don't find it a problem.

I am currently using facetracknoir, with a PS3 camera that I purchased for $10 off of ebay, works very well. There is another option

http://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=15316

If you don't mind a little bit of work. You can also make your own "trackIR" using facetrackernoir doing this..

http://www.flightstore.co.uk/flight-simulation-c499/trackir-head-tracking-c516/track-clip-pro-p2504?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=natural-point-track-clip-pro-sm1509&utm_campaign=product+listing+ads#2794

Or building you can build your own clip. with some LED's.
 

Rickenbacker

Rickenbacker
Doesn't the X-55 have the yaw "paddle" on front of the throttle, like my trustly old X-45 did? That worked very well for me when I couldn't be ***** to get out the pedals :).
 

Vergoth

V
Yes it does, is this better than using the twist on the stick? Or would I be better off getting a static stick? (like the warthog, if my bank balance can stomach it)

My only real concern is running out of easy to reach buttons if I have to map yaw as well as strafe, I haven't even thought about strafe! I suppose that is mapped to a d-pad or hat on the throttle?
 

Simon853

S
You could try and find an older X-45 on ebay. That's similar to the X-52 but has a rudder "rocker" on the throttle instead of a twist grip.

Si
 

Vergoth

V
Simon853 said:
You could try and find an older X-45 on ebay. That's similar to the X-52 but has a rudder "rocker" on the throttle instead of a twist grip.

Si
Click to expand...

The new x-55 has this as well and is my number 1 choice for HOTAS style joystick/throttle at the moment. I would have to make sure it's usable in other games to justify the investment.

Am I right in saying that for elite: dangerous the twist stick is substantial enough due to the nerfed yaw movement? But for example, flying a chopper in battlefield would benefit more from the rocker/switch on the throttle to control yaw?
 

beelbeebub

beelbeebub
Sorry to muddy the waters, but have U considered the Thrustmaster TFlight HOTAS?

It's a bunch cheaper (£40 on Amazon)

Because ED allows binding to button combos, I use the twist for yaw (no problems with inadvertent yawning).

I use the hat stick for the thrusters

When I hold down a button on the throttle, it switches the hat to look around.

The same button switches the other thumb buttons on the throttle to deploy retract cargo scoop, lights, landing gear etc.

The yaw paddle is used to switch to the UI panels left and right

Basically, there's pretty much nothing I can't do from the buttons (might change when ship to ship comma starts).

The only thing I wish for is an analogue hat stick. A few extra buttons wouldn't hurt but for £40 you can't go wrong!
 

Vergoth

V
beelbeebub said:
Sorry to muddy the waters, but have U considered the Thrustmaster TFlight HOTAS?

It's a bunch cheaper (£40 on Amazon)
Click to expand...

Is that the thrustmaster t.flight HOTAS x? If so then yes that was in the roundup review as well. They rated it very highly and basically said if you can't afford a warthog or x-55 then it's the best budget option.

I did consider it, but I prefer what I'm seeing from the x-55 with the exception of the "toggle" switches. Apparently they don't toggle, they are actually flick switches and revert to the middle position once pressed.

The pc gamer reported some grinding with the t.flight, have you experienced this?

PC gamer scores if anyone is interested:

Thrustmaster warthog, £280, 95%
Saitek x-55 rhino, £170, 90%
Thrustmaster t.flight HOTAS x, £40, 85%
 
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beelbeebub

beelbeebub
Apologies for the late reply.

RE: grinding on the TFlight

A little creaking that appeared, then went away.

Nothing nasty feeling, just the sort of creaking you get when you lean or squeeze some thing plastic a bit too hard. it happened when my seating position was such that I was putting a lot of down pressure on the stick (a lot, I was practically leaning on it). It's stiopped since I adopted a more relaxed position.

The TFlight feels like it's made of plastic, but only in the sense that it is made of plastic. It doesn't feel cheap, undoubtedly it's not as well made as a £100+ stick, but it's serviceable, and has a good set of buttons.
 

VR jefranklin18

VR jefranklin18
Agree on the T-Flight. Definitely the best budget HOTAS setup.

If you have an Android phone or tablet, I would also recommend the Roccat Powergrid. This allows custom keypad layouts to be created and mapped to various functions. I having it running on my Galaxy tab with a systems tab and an engines tab downloaded from the Roccat site. Eventually, I will get round to creating my own.
 

Don_Von_Hulio

Don_Von_Hulio
I have the X55 and the twist is stout enough that i personally dont have any issues with it. You can also adjust deadzones ingame if there is a tiny bit of play..... and i use the Blue Spring lol
 

Out2lunch

Out2lunch
As for looking around the cockpit, I picked up a EDTracker at Lavecon and its fantastic, you literally stick it on your headphones plug it into a usb slot on your pc and it just works.

Move your head and see all you need, next best thing to TrackIR/Occulus Rift and at a quarter of the price.

Also +1 for the Roccat Touch Grid for Pads/Phones, its great.

I got an x52pro from Ebay and I prefer it to the x55, dont get me wrong the x55 is epic too...
 
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ZZleeZZ

Z
Another x52 pro user here, also EDTracker (best £25 I think I have ever spent).

x52 pro is excellent, also owned the Tflight Hotas x and that was suprisingly good considering the price. I also had concerns about getting used to yaw using a twist rudder but the controls are done so well in ED that it just feels totally natural to me.

For headtracking I would look no further than the EDTracker, I know that TrackIR is very highly regarded (but pricey) and that FaceTrackNoIR is free and simple (uses a fair chunk of your processor power) but EDTracker just works and works really well. It also works with people that wear glasses (FaceTrackNoIR struggles here).

http://edtracker.org.uk/
 

Obsidian Ant

Obsidian Ant
I've had the X55 just over a week now and I haven't had a problem with the Yaw / Rudder on twist. Works very well, and others have said Elite allows you to configure the deadzone on all axis anyway.

The twist rudder is also fine so far on DCS World - I've flown in the SU-25T and use rudder without problem. I haven't tried it in a helicopter yet - but I don't see why there should be any issues there either. :)
 

Togg

Togg
WARNING THE FOLLOWING IS A OPINION HELD BY THE POSTER AND NOT REALLY FACTS!!!!!

if you don't have a CH HOTAS + Pedals +TiR5/Oculus Rift then your just playing with toys. man up and get the right tools for the job

After that make sure you pick up Voice Attack to round out you new awesome and professional gear.
 
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