I think any joystick/throttle setup will be improvement over keyboard/mouse, not just X52. Even cheap 50 bgp stuff will do.
Now that player-pvp is a thing, how do the control methods stack up?
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I think any joystick/throttle setup will be improvement over keyboard/mouse, not just X52. Even cheap 50 bgp stuff will do.
I started with mouse and keyboard, but quickly realized that it wasn't going to work very well. So I dug out my old 360 control pad which is much better. Its taken me a few hours to get used to it but I'm improving rapidly now. The current AI bots are no longer challenging unless in groups larger than two or three, and player kills aren't nearly the struggle they were with mouse / keyboard. The dual analogue sticks are especially useful.
I haven't tried a joystick setup yet, but I'm tempted by a HOTAS setup for better throttle control and the extra buttons. As the game stands right now though, I can't really see any advantage between control pad or joystick for accuracy. Maybe one is better than the other, but combat right now seems to be about who targets who 1st. Once you've got someone behind you its pretty much impossible to shake them off. The interface makes it pretty easy to anticipate enemy movements, so as long as you're on top of your throttle control, power distribution, and no one else interferes, once you have someone in your sights you tend to get the kill regardless of what they do. This needs a little work imo, but the devs are aware of it already and have some ideas on how to improve things.
What I am considering is a TrackIR kit. Situational awareness is really important, especially if you're dogfighting at close range and your enemy pulls a tight evasive turn. It really helps to be able to quickly check where they are by looking around inside the cockpit. It is possible to do with the 360 pad, but its tricky. So I can see the TrackIR being really useful for this.
I haven't tried a joystick setup yet, but I'm tempted by a HOTAS setup for better throttle control and the extra buttons. As the game stands right now though, I can't really see any advantage between control pad or joystick for accuracy. Maybe one is better than the other, but combat right now seems to be about who targets who 1st. Once you've got someone behind you its pretty much impossible to shake them off. The interface makes it pretty easy to anticipate enemy movements, so as long as you're on top of your throttle control, power distribution, and no one else interferes, once you have someone in your sights you tend to get the kill regardless of what they do. This needs a little work imo, but the devs are aware of it already and have some ideas on how to improve things.
What I am considering is a TrackIR kit. Situational awareness is really important, especially if you're dogfighting at close range and your enemy pulls a tight evasive turn. It really helps to be able to quickly check where they are by looking around inside the cockpit. It is possible to do with the 360 pad, but its tricky. So I can see the TrackIR being really useful for this.
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No, mouse control is just not that effective, as it wasn't in FFE or FE2. It works quite well when fighting AI.
I'm playing with just a keyboard, no mouse, I hope more people will at least try this option.
I refer you to my earlier post. Go for at least a xbox controller if not some sort of joystick. If you stick with a keyboard and mouse you will be at a disadvantage in combat. Unless of course you become a multitasking god.
http://forums.frontier.co.uk/showpost.php?p=273943&postcount=19
Well, we do know that lateral turn rate is severely reduced - that might count as compromise against the typical mouse-control?
Does anyone have any idea what control system CMDR mevans uses?
Mouse was the absolute best controller in FE2 / FE.
I think he uses an Xbox controller.
Did anybody try the alpha with some alternative input devices like Razer Hydra or the 3dconnect SpaceNavigator 3D mouse?
By reading this thread confirms what I thought. I can not spend too much money because I already spent for the game, and the update of my computer. I still have to buy a graphics card of high level. I will buy an XBox 360 controller and I will use this controller for flight and the combat. At the same time I will use the keyboard and mouse for the rest of the game. I think it is a good compromise