Mouse controls uplayable.

[MARPATdroid]

So I feel the first thing that needs to be said in response to this is:

BETA
This is not a finished product

With that being said, KBM takes a lot f patience and getting used to, but once you get the hang of it after an hour or two it is a completely viable control scheme. I must have blown up a dozen times in the 2nd and 3rd SP missions before I figured it all out.

I did end up finding a HOTAS used on craigslist cheapish (x52 Pro) and it definitely helped with the immersion and eased the controls a bit but there was still a learning curve with the stick and throttle. In the end what it comes down to is the game is not an arcade style shooter like x-wing alliance, but more along the lines of a simulator.

With SC and this ED this is everything I've been waiting for in gaming is coming alive. I've sunk many hours into both of the games' betas and have loved every minute of them both. ED is way more polished in a beta form than some fully released games. It has it's quirks but hold tight, and let a few revisions come out and I'm sure you'll get the hang of it.

Cheers

 

[Cosmos]

Well kudos and respect to all you mouse jugglers out there for learning how to make it work for you. Personally, I find the mouse controls unusable.

Here's the thing: this is a joystick game. Really. You pilot spaceships. There isn't even an autopilot. You fly, supercruise, hyperspace and dock all by the seat of your pants. You've been waiting for this game for years? So you know what its about right? Its about PILOTING spaceships! And what do PILOTS use to do all their PILOTING with? (Hint: its not a mouse)

Anybody who is even remotely serious about this game needs to get a joystick. End of. A gamepad, which incorporates a joystick (often two), would be a bare minimum. Ideally, you need a hotas setup, which starting at around 40 quid isn't bad at all really. Not for someone who's been waiting for this game for a couple of decades and is therefore in early middle age, with a bit of spare disposable income.

I use a ps3/pc compatible controller which cost £7 and it works great for me.

 

[deMangler]

I have tested thoroughly many controllers in E:⁠D.
As expected a lot depends on the quality of the controller itself. I have not found a joystick I am happy with - never been fond of joysticks anyway.
The XBox 360 controller, which apparently is a favourite of the devs is actually my least favourite in E:⁠D, although I like it in other games. I use the kontrolFreek extensions with it which make it a great controller but it just doesn't have the precision or the amount of buttons needed for E:⁠D.
This leaves KB/Mouse. My personal choice so far.
I use a logitech gaming keyboard but I guess any good keyboard would do. I also use one of these mice.

http://www.logitech.com/en-gb/product/wireless-trackball-m570

I find normal desk mice very uncomfortable for gaming and since I first tried the wired version of of the trackball mouse I have never tried a normal mouse again for anything, unless I don't have a choice.
Anyway, I guess the thing is to try various controllers and find what works.
I was tempted to try one of these:
http://www.3dconnexion.co.uk/products/spacemousepro.html
But I just cannot justify the cost. If anyone else has tried one in E:⁠D I would like to know how it performs.

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

You also waited 10 years and then only played with mouse and keyboard for a few minutes?

Elite is not an instant gratification game (although I knew what to expect and was instantly gratified upon playing). It has always been about the challenge and developing some real skill. That ultimately makes it one of the most rewarding and fun game series that I have ever played.

A few posts up there is great advice about setting up yu mouse config and learning to practice, some tutorial videos and links to other threads. If you care about improving yourself and skills then do the homework and the practise. Like anything worth doing you need to put some time into it to get good at it - hold on in there and good luck.

There's old adage about creatures living under the bridge and how we shall not feed them

 

[Wrongway]

I have tested thoroughly many controllers in E:⁠D.
As expected a lot depends on the quality of the controller itself. I have not found a joystick I am happy with - never been fond of joysticks anyway.
The XBox 360 controller, which apparently is a favourite of the devs is actually my least favourite in E:⁠D, although I like it in other games. I use the kontrolFreek extensions with it which make it a great controller but it just doesn't have the precision or the amount of buttons needed for E:⁠D.
This leaves KB/Mouse. My personal choice so far.
I use a logitech gaming keyboard but I guess any good keyboard would do. I also use one of these mice.

http://www.logitech.com/en-gb/product/wireless-trackball-m570

I find normal desk mice very uncomfortable for gaming and since I first tried the wired version of of the trackball mouse I have never tried a normal mouse again for anything, unless I don't have a choice.
Anyway, I guess the thing is to try various controllers and find what works.
I was tempted to try one of these:
http://www.3dconnexion.co.uk/products/spacemousepro.html
But I just cannot justify the cost. If anyone else has tried one in E:⁠D I would like to know how it performs.

I would be interested myself how the Spacemouse would perform purely from a curiosity point of view. I can say though that the quality of their products is amazing and of a professional standard. I have this http://www.3dconnexion.co.uk/products/spacenavigator.html which is used for 3D CAD and another game which benefits by that sort of control at times. Alas, I am a joystick man. I have a PPL and have flown quite a few aircraft. Never piloted one with anything like a mouse and keyboard yet

 

[Gwydion]

Well kudos and respect to all you mouse jugglers out there for learning how to make it work for you. Personally, I find the mouse controls unusable.

Here's the thing: this is a joystick game. Really. You pilot spaceships. There isn't even an autopilot. You fly, supercruise, hyperspace and dock all by the seat of your pants. You've been waiting for this game for years? So you know what its about right? Its about PILOTING spaceships! And what do PILOTS use to do all their PILOTING with? (Hint: its not a mouse)

Anybody who is even remotely serious about this game needs to get a joystick. End of. A gamepad, which incorporates a joystick (often two), would be a bare minimum. Ideally, you need a hotas setup, which starting at around 40 quid isn't bad at all really. Not for someone who's been waiting for this game for a couple of decades and is therefore in early middle age, with a bit of spare disposable income.

I'm sorry but NO. People can, and do, play very well with mouse/KB. The fact that you don't like it is essentially irrelevant to the larger argument.

Oh and I'm speaking as a HOTAS user

 

[CaptainKremmen]

Please be patient with the new people who are coming in for standard beta.


Some people will be coming here after being stressed from a hard day.

Some will have watched a long "downloading" bar creep across their launcher at 0.02 MB/s (the speed mine downloads at).

Some will be giving it their first go at 3am, and when their ship doesn't yet zoom about like the best YT Elite videos, the'll be confused and defensive, wondering if it's them, the game, their PC, etc.


Let's be extra accommodating over the coming weeks and months! We have a lot of wings to pin on newbies, so they can join us for a pint at the bar on Freeport!

 

[[VR] Mad Mike]

I'm sorry but NO. People can, and do, play very well with mouse/KB. The fact that you don't like it is essentially irrelevant to the larger argument.

Oh and I'm speaking as a HOTAS user

That is fair enough, but he has a point.... imo a stick SHOULD be the optimal solution for controlling the ship as that is the one which is closest to "reality".

Now dont get me wrong I am all for improving the KB/M controls as much as it is possible, so long as NO artificial aids are introduced to allow the computer to do half the work for you (I know that is not what you are asking for btw but some do!).

What we dont want is for the controls to be nerfed so much in the interests of "improving" KB/M that it becomes like warthunder or Star Citizen AC.

In warthunder arcade I feel I have to use blooming KB/M controls (along with 3rd person) just to hold parity with everyone, even though I have a flight stick.

 

[Tinman]

Please be patient with the new people who are coming in for standard beta.


Some people will be coming here after being stressed from a hard day.

Some will have watched a long "downloading" bar creep across their launcher at 0.02 MB/s (the speed mine downloads at).

Some will be giving it their first go at 3am, and when their ship doesn't yet zoom about like the best YT Elite videos, the'll be confused and defensive, wondering if it's them, the game, their PC, etc.


Let's be extra accommodating over the coming weeks and months! We have a lot of wings to pin on newbies, so they can join us for a pint at the bar on Freeport!

Yes, that is a very good idea (at all times) and we could do that...OR we could call everyone who "complains" about the game "Star Citizen trolls"...that's a lot quicker!

 

[page3]

Some will have watched a long "downloading" bar creep across their launcher at 0.02 MB/s (the speed mine downloads at).

Some of us first had to install windows and something called directx too!

 

[Sams]

Some of us first had to install windows and something called directx too!

LOL I had two days of pain and misery trying to get the windows install to recognise I did indeed have a mouse and keyboard connected so I could install windows.

It sounds like you've been boot-camping too?

 

[Uridium]

For someone who has apparently been waiting for this for 10 years, with 'this' being a space flight simulator... to flat out state that they will not be buying a joystick is beyond me.

I got a Thrustmaster (T Flight Hotas X - i think) for something like £40.

I tip my hat to those of you who are happily piloting by keyboard, I don't know how you do it, never really tried.... but if you ask me, you are loosing out on some of the immersion by not having a joystick in your hand.

I hope the OP isnt simply trolling and takes the very good advice given in this thread.

Fly Safe Commanders!

 

[lysan]

What I figured out just this evening - you need really good mouse. No, big gaming mouse won't do. Low res old mouse won't either. It easily could be some casual median size 800-1000 dps res mouse.

Also you need good typing skills.

My MS is a crappy $3 mouse! and I play ED like a champ! I really don't get it if there are people out there having problems with the MS? And NO we do NOT want WarThunder MS/KB game play, for the sake of GOD, country and cold beer!

 

[baskila]

Bit miffed - waited over a decade for this, I paid the better part of 100 quid, download the game today and the mouse controls are basically unplayable.

It seems like no matter what settings I pick, I am either moving (yaw) incredibly incredibly slowly, or its so super-sensitive & skippy and jumpy that I cant get the reticle on target because it is all over the place even if I move the mouse the tiniest amount.

I have tried flight assist on vs off (I was unable to tell the difference), and I have tried flying in the blue zone but the yaw is still incredibly slow. I am not going to buy a joystick or a controller either. I have fiddled around with the (multiple) sensitivity and deadzone sliders about 200 times but its not really working in any combination.

Unplayable.

Anyone know who I can contact about getting a refund?

Funny. Guess I must be some kind of genius to successfully fly around with mouse and keyboard combo.
To make things even funnier I have T.Flight Hotas X that just sits there gathering dust because I find m+k combo better.

 

[fireFly1000]

Funny. Guess I must be some kind of genius to successfully fly around with mouse and keyboard combo.
To make things even funnier I have T.Flight Hotas X that just sits there gathering dust because I find m+k combo better.

Same here. High five.
But his kind of reaction probably comes from being so accustomed to 'normal' follow the mouse cursor type interaction that anything else is very hard to assimilate at first.
Strange beast this human mind. Quite lazy if you don't put some pressure on it.

 

[Lindonius]

Funny. Guess I must be some kind of genius to successfully fly around with mouse and keyboard combo.
To make things even funnier I have T.Flight Hotas X that just sits there gathering dust because I find m+k combo better.

Shhhh. It is better. Don't let the joystick jocks know.

 

[page3]

LOL I had two days of pain and misery trying to get the windows install to recognise I did indeed have a mouse and keyboard connected so I could install windows.

It sounds like you've been boot-camping too?

Yep. There are no lengths I will not go to in order to play Elite Dangerous

 

[Lindonius]

Funny. Guess I must be some kind of genius to successfully fly around with mouse and keyboard combo.
To make things even funnier I have T.Flight Hotas X that just sits there gathering dust because I find m+k combo better.

Shhhh. It is better. Don't let the joystick jocks know.

 

[huwthomas]

Shhhh. It is better. Don't let the joystick jocks know.

Shhhh. It is better. Don't let the joystick jocks know.

So secret, you said it twice

 

[fireFly1000]

So secret, you said it twice

He was standing in a very large cavernous room when he said that.