man this game is hard with out VA

[Frank]

Voice Attack is useful even if you aren't yelling at it. I'll bet anything that the thing you're missing most is the ease of shuffling your pips around. I found I was yelling the same sequence of words during fighting and so I've set up a single button to cycle though a series of pip patterns. The Voice Attack macros are great.

Also I find it easier to remember a word than a button. I've no idea what button operates my cargo scoop or heatsink.

 

[Kingston@#]

Voice Attack is useful even if you aren't yelling at it. I'll bet anything that the thing you're missing most is the ease of shuffling your pips around. I found I was yelling the same sequence of words during fighting and so I've set up a single button to cycle though a series of pip patterns. The Voice Attack macros are great.

Also I find it easier to remember a word than a button. I've no idea what button operates my cargo scoop or heatsink.

I miss yelling at VA does that count
only person in my house I can get away shouting at.

 

[CMDR Ellegon]

i dont understand why people use voice commands in this game. it's easy enough as it is to fly with mouse.

i don't even understand why people buy HOTAS or joysticks and for it either.

If you have not used a HOTAS to play, explaining the difference compared to mouse control would be like trying to explain colours to the blind.

 

[MottiKhan]

If you have not used a HOTAS to play, explaining the difference compared to mouse control would be like trying to explain colours to the blind.

+1. A HOTAS adds immersion and fun to the game. It makes you feel like you're in a spaceship in SPAAAAAACE! KB/M just doesn't give that feeling.

And blue smells like a cold pedagogue mowing his thesis.

 

[IndigoWyrd]

HOTAS+ player, no VA.
I don't like talking to my computer, it feels strange.

 

[IndigoWyrd]

If you have not used a HOTAS to play, explaining the difference compared to mouse control would be like trying to explain colours to the blind.

Red is Hot
Blue is Cool
Green is Warm.

It's not THAT hard to explain color to the blind. Frequencies work well too..
Reds are deep tones, blues are high-pitch tones.

Granted, it's not the same as actually seeing them, but with a little effort....

 

[Judz]

Better Option: Start going to classical concerts instead of heavy metal.

Which means exactly what?

 

[Deleted member 110222]

Whilst I fly with an X52, that's merely my "active" controls. Thrust, pitch, roll, weapons fire, etc.

I actually prefer using my lovely Razer Ornata Chroma that sits in between the HOTAS modules for all other commands.

 

[Xious]

Never used VA but no problems here...

 

[Frank]

I miss yelling at VA does that count
only person in my house I can get away shouting at.

The more you yell at it, the more it sulks and does nothing.

 

[StonedThoughts]

I had a lot off fun customising and playing around wiht my VA (ASTRA, even got "Amy" to add custom response) but usualy just use it while doin some exploration... you know its lonly out there ^^
(things like auto jump-honk-sysmap, or next system on route are quite handy though)

 

[Karlos Ploryman]

Have you played the game with a HOTAS for several hours? It becomes intuitive very fast and as the game shows a CMDR using HOTAS controls it helps give a sense or immersion. If a M+K really were such great means of control then we'd of already seen cars, planes, bikes and ships all start to use them... Not sure I'd want to fly in a plane being flown with just M+K.

I did once write to Top Gear and ask them to do a test of a normal car with normal controls v cars with a HOTAS, Gamepad and M+K... Then Clarkson punched a producer...

Hi,

I bought a HOTAS (thrustmaster X) and took a break from playing Elite... I came back after about 5 months and I set up most of the controls I usually need...

Man I was unable to get used to HOTAS After some time I went back to Keyboard + joystick combo and I "rock" again...

I will probably continue using K+J until I buy VR capable rig and Oculus...

Karlos

 

[DragonIV]

I bought VA months ago and I still can't figure out how to set it up to work with ED. I don't think I could play well without a joystick, allways was a controller/joystick person, fail so bad when it comes to just KB and Mouse.

Spend a tiny bit more and get an HCS voicepack--they come with extensive scripting in VA that you really don't have to tweak (but you can if you want to). Other voice packs out there may also have that--I'm just not as familiar with 'em.

 

[Dibiase]

I bought VA months ago and I still can't figure out how to set it up to work with ED. I don't think I could play well without a joystick, allways was a controller/joystick person, fail so bad when it comes to just KB and Mouse.

I just bought a voice pack from HCS. It basically has everything already setup for Elite along with professionally recorded voice responses. I think it really adds a lot to the game.

 

[Kneejo]

playing a game is not being a pilot either.

For the love of god...there is no right way to play this game. This includes control set up. HOTAS isn't piloting either, because its a game. KB+M isn't any less valid than HOTAS. For some players, it might be preferred, or simply the only option. I don't want to/can't spend a couple hundred dollars just for a HOTAS that would be used for one game only. Not a worthwhile investment.

owners of a Hotas usually have multiple simulators they like to play. and also, just because you don't want to get one, doesn't mean that it should be the same as mouse and keyboard, because it's not.

 

[jasonbarron]

One of the aspects of ED that I find the most interesting is how many different ways of controlling it there are. I started out using an Xbox 360 controller, moved to an x52 Pro Hotas, then a t16000m FCS, then ended up with a Razer Orbweaver gamepad & mouse. That last combo is where I'm at now. So many beautifully nuanced ways of controlling one's ship that it boggles the mind, really.

 

[space voyager]

I already bought a voice pack, can't wait to try it out! I hope children won't render VA inoperative.

 

[b101uk]

I have VA, I have had it for years, but only use it for a couple of things in ED, managing the power distributer and switching to the next pre-set navigation point, which is a grand total of 7 things.

my setup is HOMAS (Hands On Mouse And Stick), VA as per just the above and a keyboard secondary actions.

the mouse is for looking around and is on the left, the LMB1 and RMB2 are throttle up/down covering forwards and reverse, the MMW scrolls back and forth through all targets, and the MB4 (thumb button) dose context sensitive FSD, the MMB toggles through hostile targets, and MB5 (thumb) is my universal push to talk for MP gaming in all games and 3rd party apps like discord or TS.

my joystick is a 17 year old MS FFB2, the 3 axis (pitch, roll and yaw) do as you would expect, on the stick part the POV-hat is left/right/up/down thrust, buttons 1 (trigger) and 2 are the fire groups, button 3 locks the target in the centre of my view wherever I am looking with the mouse, button 4 is boost, on the base there are 4 buttons (5, 6, 7 & 8), button 5 is to toggle the hard-points, and 6 toggles the landing gear, buttons 7 and 8 are not mapped, there is also a throttle axis, which is bound to the throttle (forwards only), but it is seldom used.

with the above I can fly, look around and select targets by a number of methods, while changing the throttle settings, change the power distributer setting (VA) and engage/disengage the FSD while just keeping one hand on the mouse and the other on the stick, which may seam like a poor-mans HOTAS, but the ability to look around with a mouse far exceeds the ability to do the same with a HOTAS regardless of the type of hat-switch on it, or that of Track IR (and I have Track IR to know that).