Serious question. Are some people just incapable of flying with a mouse?

[Madrax573]

I've been trying for weeks now. I just can't do it. If I try flying with mouse, no matter the setup, I just end up going spinning in circles.

For those of you demi-gods who can fly with a mouse, would you say there's a certain mindset needed?

This isn't me being salty. I've got the X52 out and I'm happily flying like someone who earned his license again. Moved on, all good, such is life. Just means I'm going to have to deal with a very messy desk... XD

I'm just thinking, are some people simply not able to fly well using a mouse? In the same way that some people just can't drive a car fast and clean around a track IRL? (I also can't do that)

I've pretty much forced myself to get used to it as I travel a lot for work and a HOTAS isn't a good travelling companion. But we have a couple in my group that went back to using a controller after trying out KB+M so you are not alone.
It's a very personal choice about what control method you use

 

[CMDR Beltane]

Flying with KB+M since day one. Takes a bit of time to get used to but works for me like a charm. Only thing i mostly stay away from is FAOFF flying. I can do a few helpfull maneurvers with it, but thats all not combat related.

 

[Deleted member 110222]

Uni, just to double check... you have tried using Relative x-axis haven’t you?

Yes.

I can still not control the ship though. RIP

It's alright, madness has passed. Big yellow Post-It on the wall to remind Mr FPS fan that our (read: my) brain cannot pilot a ship with a mouse.

I blame the APs. They destroy a lot of brain function. It's why I can't drive IRL.

 

[Deleted member 115407]

Yes.

I can still not control the ship though. RIP

It's alright, madness has passed. Big yellow Post-It on the wall to remind Mr FPS fan that our (read: my) brain cannot pilot a ship with a mouse.

I blame the APs. They destroy a lot of brain function. It's why I can't drive IRL.

Check your mouse dpi. Could be too high and causing you to go out of control.

 

[Burke]

What function does the mouse perform in flying a kb+m setup? Im using s/x Lctrl/Lalt for pitch roll and the arrow keys for up/down/left/right. I got fire buttons on A, D and Rctrl and numpad 0. Boost is on w and toggle FA on Q.

Sounds odd right? Surprising level of control, fire buttons are doubled up cause certain manuvers cause knotted fingers but if you are a mouse/kb player give it a try. You sactrifice a rudder like this for reasons but its not a big deal if you can roll. Lay your hand on the pitch/roll side, see how you can have a finger on every key and its kinda a nice shape for the hand? Little finger and thumb on the roll keys. Space accelerate and enter to set 0

Mouse has never bee suitable for flight controls imo

Edit: decelerate on Rshift

 

[Daynen]

Heh. Shoulda seen my first time beating Dark Souls with KBM. Buddies didn't even realize I didn't have a controller. I could practically see their amazement over voice chat when I told them.

 

[Deleted member 110222]

Check your mouse dpi. Could be too high and causing you to go out of control.

I moved it way down.

It's just my brain. Even now I'm trying to fathom how one uses a mouse in combat, and whilst I acknowledge the accuracy of a mouse sensor...

My brain is just a clouded mess.

Believe me, part of me is royally peeved by this, and that's the part of me that decided to give it a go.

Look I'm gonna' be straight. IRL if two people talk to me simultaneously, 9/10 times I will be unable to utter a simple word. I am not exaggerating here.

What I'm trying to say is that if you ask me to read two things at once, I literally can't do it. I think that's why I've never been able to do FA-off. Because the multiple variables that must be read, quite simply overload my brain.

I still haven't been able to talk to my doctor but this only started when I had to start taking APs. Before that I was a very different lad. I was quick to think and hard to outsmart. This prescription has destroyed my brain.

But I'll stop there. I'm discussing that matter in detail on a specialist board elsewhere, to see what my next move should be.

Why am I telling you this? Simple. My cognitive function seems to have been greatly diminished as a result of these meds', and I mean everywhere in life.

I think it's good I made this topic. It's helped me see some of the genuine problems I face.

 

[Morbad]

I'm not very good in ED with a KBM setup, but the mouse isn't the issue, the loss of all the other analog axes I've grown accustomed to over the last 4.5 years is.

I can fly fine if I fly with my mouse, throttle, and pedals, but I don't have any where near enough buttons on my mouse, and still prefer the feel of a stick, even if I lose some small degree of fine aim accuracy.

 

[OHMSS]

I've been trying for weeks now. I just can't do it. If I try flying with mouse, no matter the setup, I just end up going spinning in circles.

For those of you demi-gods who can fly with a mouse, would you say there's a certain mindset needed?

This isn't me being salty. I've got the X52 out and I'm happily flying like someone who earned his license again. Moved on, all good, such is life. Just means I'm going to have to deal with a very messy desk... XD

I'm just thinking, are some people simply not able to fly well using a mouse? In the same way that some people just can't drive a car fast and clean around a track IRL? (I also can't do that)

I can't fly with a mouse. I don't see many jet fighters with a mouse as the primary control mechanism. Could I drive my car with a mouse? Literally mayhem as I drove out of my street and straight into my neighbours hallway!

X52 followed by an X55 over here in my neck of the woods. I am incapable of many things at my age, including flying with a mouse.

 

[Strangepork]

I've been trying for weeks now. I just can't do it. If I try flying with mouse, no matter the setup, I just end up going spinning in circles.

For those of you demi-gods who can fly with a mouse, would you say there's a certain mindset needed?

This isn't me being salty. I've got the X52 out and I'm happily flying like someone who earned his license again. Moved on, all good, such is life. Just means I'm going to have to deal with a very messy desk... XD

I'm just thinking, are some people simply not able to fly well using a mouse? In the same way that some people just can't drive a car fast and clean around a track IRL? (I also can't do that)

Is FA off?

 

[Mrjupp]

I fly keyboard only and when using the SRV I use a mouse for the turret.

 

[Unhappyhour]

One thing I haven't yet seen mentioned is dead zone. If you're having trouble spinning you can stop it when you return mouse to your dead zone. Try it out.

 

[Burke]

I fly keyboard only and when using the SRV I use a mouse for the turret.

yeah me too Exact same controls for SRV thrusters on the arrows.

 

[Vandaahl]

I've been flying around with a mouse for 4 1/2 years now. I'm not using relative mouse, so I need to move back to a certain point in order to stop yaw/pitch. It felt to me very natural from the start, like a virtual joystick.

 

[Infinity Eagle]

I use one of these for the right hand

and one of these for left

 

[Burke]

Honestly im too cheap for one of them. Not nvidias biggest fan tbh. I got a £20 MS keyboard Tab and window key on the left side have been levered out helps the fingers find the right place and tab is still usable. Its helpful

 

[shadowhand]

I play all my games on PC, and for typical 3d shooter style games like Destiny 2, DOOM, etc. I prefer mouse and keyboard.

Anything with a vehicle in it though I typically prefer to drive or fly with a controller *. I've been using the Xbox One Elite controller for Elite Dangerous for the past few years - with the longest thumb sticks - it just feels better than trying to fly with mouse + keyboard.

I did play Frontier and Frontier: First Encounters with the mouse though, but that was years ago, and I didn't really have a good joystick or controller at the time.

*) Or joystick. I'm good with either. Weirdly, I hate controlling games like Forza Horizon 3/4 with a wheel, the controller or a joystick just feels better to me.

 

[Frank]

You don't even need a mouse. I've been playing Elite with just a keyboard for over two years now. Once you practice enough that you can use the num pad keys for pitch/roll accurately the keyboard can replace a joystick rather well. I started out with a joystick and eventually got a HOTAS but then had several months without my usual home setup and had to play entirely with a keyboard. I decided I would take the time to go to SagA as I figured I wouldn't need precise maneuvering like I would in combat and could manage well enough with the num pad. What I found out was that after the thousand or so jumps it took to reach SagA I got good enough from fuel scooping maneuvering that I could use the keyboard nearly as well as a joystick for most maneuvers. In fact, in some cases it can actually be an improvement over a joystick. The main reason for this is that you get almost instantaneous full deflection of the controls pressing a single key which can be faster than using a joystick. This can be helpful for evasive maneuvering and even occasionally with interdictions if you're flying ship with a good yaw rate. In most cases however the tradeoff between more precise joystick control vs. more rapid full deflection control input via. the keyboard still usually favors a joystick for evading an interdiction. The other benefit is that it's also easier to combine more complex combinations of control input for 6DOF maneuvering using the WASD and num keys than you can achieve with a HOTAS setup using joystick twist and throttle controls for yaw and lateral movement. I can actually combine simultaneous roll/pitch/yaw/lateral maneuvering with upwards or downwards thrust with the keyboard which isn't readily achievable with even a good HOTAS setup unless you devote several additional buttons to maneuvering controls.

The main limitations with the keyboard-only approach is that it is still more difficult for using fixed weapons although this was not much of an issue for most of my ships as I use gimballed weapons the vast majority of the time (although I have recently been using a Guardian plasma charger with my Krait fairly well with the keyboard only). The other issue, particularly relevant with laptops, is that unless you have n-key rollover you can sometimes find yourself "locked out" of important maneuvering buttons if you press too many keys at the same time. Many gaming keyboards and even gaming laptops don't have true n-key rollover which can be rather annoying if you're flying entirely with the keyboard. Still, the ability to play the game from a laptop without other controllers available is generally worth the trade-offs if you travel frequently or don't always have access to a full desktop setup.

That is just... stunning.

Even when I played the original Elite on my ZX Spectrum I had a Kempston Joystick to fly my spaceship.

 

[Burke]

That is just... stunning.

Even when I played the original Elite on my ZX Spectrum I had a Kempston Joystick to fly my spaceship.

Spectrum wasnt the original, BBC was and BBC games always assumed you didnt have a joystick. It was an "educational machine"

 

[Slange Lands]

I'm not very good in ED with a KBM setup, but the mouse isn't the issue, the loss of all the other analog axes I've grown accustomed to over the last 4.5 years is.

I can fly fine if I fly with my mouse, throttle, and pedals, but I don't have any where near enough buttons on my mouse, and still prefer the feel of a stick, even if I lose some small degree of fine aim accuracy.

Commander Morbad, although you probably know about it already, there is the (at least )12 button Razer Naga mouse. The twelve buttons on the side do take some getting used to as they are quite small.

I am thinking that an interesting set-up would be a throttle and mouse. A throttle for the analog aspect and a mouse for aim.