So, just got a HOTAS and...

[FreeburnSage]

it's bloody hard.

So I've played Elite: Dangerous for about a month or so now on keyboard and mouse, as I have a good amount of experience with it in both casual (Planetside 2, Garry's Mod modifications, etc.) and more simulator-style games (ARMA 2 + ACE). Elite: Dangerous was the game that tipped me over the edge and made me dedicate to buying a HOTAS (Thrustmaster T-Flight HOTAS X, as I heard it's a fantastic entry-level HOTAS). However, I've come to the realization that I suck at it. I've been repeating the tutorials, and am seeing myself progress, but it's kinda frustrating, so I figured I'd come here and ask for tips/advice on small techniques to get better (I already know to practice, practice, practice.).

Any advice for a new HOTAS user?

(BTW, my keybindings are located at: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=16140&highlight=technome , if it helps at all.)

 

[Monk]

Definitely some muscle memory training required. I went from m+k to Xbox controller and improved, but I only spent about 1 hr with m + k...I imagine once I get my first HOTAS I'll need to retrain as well. Keep at it Commander, I hear it is worth it in the long run.

 

[Thrace Fulton]

If you don't like the twitch factor, turn down the pitch/roll sensitivity in the controls menu (IIRC it's possible to do so).

If this is your first experience with a joystick or HOTAS it will take some time to get used to it. So while frustrating, practice is the only prescription.

 

[zhaith]

You pretty much nailed it with the practicing, i've only just been able to start with the combat side of things, not sure if it's the same with the thrustmaster, but i find the X52 very sensitive in ED, far more sensitive than it is in say DCS, i've yet to try adjusting the sensitivity as i'm trying to get used to it, onther than that it's a matter of muscle memory and knowing what position the throttle is in, as well as your button mapping, once you get used to these, then you can focus more on the flying and things should get a lot better, well that what i'm hoping.

Nice work on the layout BTW.

 

[Thrace Fulton]

While I have lots of past experience with joystick sims, I bought a T-Flight HOTAS X along with E: D and had to get back over that learning curve. The thing that made it so much more natural beyond what expertise I can muster is a separate head-look system. I sprung for the EDTracker system that was DIY built by some users on the forum here. Works great, was nice an cheap, and really helps with the dogfighting and overall fluidity of joystick flight for me.

 

[S.H.A.D.O]

I had the same problem! I bought an X-52 and the instant I got it I was truly AWFUL with it, I could barely fly straight and docking lol, docking simply wasn't possible, I blew up a heap of sidewinders, in fact after 2 days I was close to selling it. but I was told to practice practice practice.

So I spent several hours just doing basic maneuvers and flying around and it slowly came to me. also I reconfigured the thruster jets and moved them from the back of the throttle and onto the flightstick which helped me enormously! Now the X-52 is awesome and I would hate to play without it and I dock almost anywhere so fast and so easily and combat.. wow its awesome.

Its hard mate but just put some hard practice in and it'll come to you and you'll love it.

 

[Ortikon]

I bought my X52pro about 7 years ago.
When I first got home I ripped it out of the box, installed drivers and tried playing X3 terran conflict with it.

It was a disaster and I hated it. I felt floppy and out of control, very uncoordinated.
I left it alone for about a year before I got a flight sim and forced myself to get used to it.
I started playing X3 again a few years ago and after learning how I like to configure the stick and developing preferences, it is now an extension of my body. Yes, my X52 has lasted all 7 years and some minor duct tape (after an unfortunate accident that was not my fault involving a drunk somebody crushing it, rendering the pinky button useless) it is still solid overall.

How you control your lateral and horizontal thrust is interesting, I can imagine it being a bit tricky. However when I read other folks X52 preferences I notice a lot of variation of layout.

It certainly takes time to get used to, eventually you will break it in. Or more rather it will break you in and you wont be able to go back to mouse and keyboard.

 

[Hooplah]

I found the X-55 roll, pitch, and yaw dead zones in the in-game profile set to zero. I bump them up a notch otherwise with Flight Assist off the ship will move away from being centered on the line of travel. Just mentioning it in case other HOTAS systems have this issue as well.

 

[Pulse]

practice? it becomes second nature, and much more precise and immersive than k&m after a while, at least for me anyway!

 

[Ortikon]

I had the same problem! I bought an X-52 and the instant I got it I was truly AWFUL with it, I could barely fly straight and docking lol, docking simply wasn't possible, I blew up a heap of sidewinders, in fact after 2 days I was close to selling it. but I was told to practice practice practice.

So I spent several hours just doing basic maneuvers and flying around and it slowly came to me. also I reconfigured the thruster jets and moved them from the back of the throttle and onto the flightstick which helped me enormously! Now the X-52 is awesome and I would hate to play without it and I dock almost anywhere so fast and so easily and combat.. wow its awesome.

Its hard mate but just put some hard practice in and it'll come to you and you'll love it.

Did you move the thruster jets to that D-Pad shaped hat? I find it perfect. It is nice and grippy so in moments of deep concentration it does not slip. Perfect little tool for landing too!

I don't know how I did it, but I ended up with full control of the menus with my pov and thruster hats when head lock is on.
That hat on the front of the throttle is perfect for targeting (left-right= previous-next target / up-down=cycle subsystems)

 

[zhaith]

I found the X-55 roll, pitch, and yaw dead zones in the in-game profile set to zero. I bump them up a notch otherwise with Flight Assist off the ship will not continue in a straight line. Just mentioning it in case other HOTAS systems have this issue as well.

that probably explains why i could control the original game with a keyboard better than i can fly with a hotas and flight assist of, the only thing i excel at with flight assist off is giving my self nausea, way to much spinning!

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the other thing i have noticed is that having the power distribution on the coolie hat on the x52, causes me to reset it to equal power as i tend to hit the down as well as left or right.

 

[King Hrothgar]

For the OP, it's all about practice. It's like driving a car for the first time honestly. You know how it's done but lack the reflexes to do it properly.

As for the X-52, I have the lateral/vertical thrusters double assigned. I have them on the upper left hat on the stick as well as on the two rotories on the throttle. The slider is unassigned as I use that as zoom in all games except this one. Mine was purchased within a year of them first coming out (previous X-45 broke) and has been used regularly since. Still works just fine. Mine does not require duct tape.

 

[Sav112]

Nice to read about the thought on the X52. I’ve begun looking into sticks for Elite D and even Dayz and Arma III Helicopters etc. The X55 has got some poor reviews on quality and size.

I think to appreciate ED I’m needing to push the boat out and get one as its just too good a game not to play right and I feel a stick is the only way.

 

[Granty]

Great post and exactly the info im after. I have ordered a HOTAS Thrustmaster for Christmas for E as still struggling in combat with the keyboard.

Will have to be very patient I think when I get it.

Still loving the Game, still get a buzz launching into Hyperspace, can't wait for the release

 

[Armante]

I had the same problem! I bought an X-52 and the instant I got it I was truly AWFUL with it, I could barely fly straight and docking lol, docking simply wasn't possible, I blew up a heap of sidewinders, in fact after 2 days I was close to selling it. but I was told to practice practice practice.

So I spent several hours just doing basic maneuvers and flying around and it slowly came to me. also I reconfigured the thruster jets and moved them from the back of the throttle and onto the flightstick which helped me enormously! Now the X-52 is awesome and I would hate to play without it and I dock almost anywhere so fast and so easily and combat.. wow its awesome.

Its hard mate but just put some hard practice in and it'll come to you and you'll love it.

Interesting. I bought the Saitek x52 Pro HOTAS before I even got Elite : Dangerous, so never even tried m+k. I found the stick and throttle came to me very naturally, and with continued playing it's become second nature. Then again, I played many flight sims and space games over the last 30+ years, so that's probably why

 

[Clenfus]

My advice is to change your controls until you have assigned all the most vital functions (for you) to comfortable buttons on the HOTAS.
During the first few days you'll notice you don't use certain buttons or that some important command is not easy to reach, so you've got to change it until it's just right.

Also remember that you can use a button as a "shift" button to allow more commands with the same number of buttons.

 

[Darkfyre99]

it's bloody hard.

So I've played Elite: Dangerous for about a month or so now on keyboard and mouse, as I have a good amount of experience with it in both casual (Planetside 2, Garry's Mod modifications, etc.) and more simulator-style games (ARMA 2 + ACE). Elite: Dangerous was the game that tipped me over the edge and made me dedicate to buying a HOTAS (Thrustmaster T-Flight HOTAS X, as I heard it's a fantastic entry-level HOTAS). However, I've come to the realization that I suck at it. I've been repeating the tutorials, and am seeing myself progress, but it's kinda frustrating, so I figured I'd come here and ask for tips/advice on small techniques to get better (I already know to practice, practice, practice.).

Any advice for a new HOTAS user?

(BTW, my keybindings are located at: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=16140&highlight=technome , if it helps at all.)

Practice, practice, practice.

Seriously, though, you need to build your muscle memory to be good with any input device, be it mouse and keyboard, gamepad, or HOTAS. IMO, the most important thing about setting up a HOTAS is to make sure it makes sense to you. I've played quite a few games with my CH HOTAS, and several of the hats on my throttle and fighterstick have similar functions on them. Others are game specific. For example, the side index trigger on the Fighterstick is always "select target under crosshair," while the left thumb hat has always included next and previous target selection.

One thing I usually do after setting up my HOTAS visualize what I'm going to do in certain situations when I'm away from my hardware. I'm sure I've gotten a few odd looks from my coworkers when I'm on break when I sit reading in the breakroom, and my right hand twitches like crazy as I visualize doing things like selecting subsystems while rolling right and pulling up, or my left hand spasms as I try to figure out how I want the comm hat to work.

 

[MikeB]

Same issue for me. I'd always played space sims with a keyboard and mouse, ones that didn't nerf yaw too, so when I started playing Elite Dangerous with the roll axis emphasised I really, really struggled. Anyway, eventually I got used to that and ordered an X55. For the first week-or-so, I was far worse with my new high-end gaming toy than I was with my mouse, but eventually I got used to that to and really wouldn't go back to a mouse for ED. Then, I bought yaw pedals, and again struggled with them for about a week too, but again, got used to them too and wouldn't go back to using the twist function again. Moral of the story? Give it time...

 

[Darkfyre99]

My advice is to change your controls until you have assigned all the most vital functions (for you) to comfortable buttons on the HOTAS.
During the first few days you'll notice you don't use certain buttons or that some important command is not easy to reach, so you've got to change it until it's just right.

Also remember that you can use a button as a "shift" button to allow more commands with the same number of buttons.

^^ This.

There is one hat on my Fighterstick which has one position that is very easy to use, while the other three are downright awkward. Which is why I use it as a "miscellaneous combat function" hat. In Elite: Dangerous the easy position I use for supercruise (and in Premium Beta, its shifted position was hyperjump) because it is a commonly used button. The other three hats control Silent Running, chaff, and heat sink launcher... all three functions are very hard to hit accidentially, but still accessible. For added peace of mind, Silent Running requires me to hold my "shift" button as well.

My HOTAS also makes use of a "control" button as well. Nearly all my hats have both regular and shifted functions, while my "targeting" hat uses "control up" as "select highest threat."

 

[Sav112]

Then, I bought yaw pedals, and again struggled with them for about a week too, but again, got used to them too and wouldn't go back to using the twist function again.

Yaw pedals You’ve taken that too far. Nah that does sound a great set up to get used to.