This thread is for arguing for/against using a mouse instead of a joystick, during alpha/beta/gamma testing of Elite Dangerous.
I created this thread because I got fed-up of threads discussing how to improve mouse control being taken off-topic by 'joystick trolls' telling me to buy a damn joystick already. This thread is for you guys, as well as anyone else who wishes to tell me how wrong I am!
Beware: If you tell me to use a joystick, I will consider you to have failed unless you can successfully argue against at least one of these points:
1. The purpose of (alpha/beta/gamma) testing is to find & solve problems with the game before it is released publically. If there are problems with mouse control, which might be solvable, then as testers we have a duty to help Frontier try to fix them. And that means actually using mouse control, rather than just giving-up. (Of course some people need to test joystick too, but seeing as about 82% of alpha+premium-beta users already use a joystick, that isn't a problem we need to worry about.)
2. If mouse control is too hard for people to get used to, such that it is necessary to buy a £100 to £150 joystick, then Frontier have a big sales problem on their hands, because the effective cost of Elite Dangerous jumps from £30 to around £150 (£130-£180). A five times increase in cost either means very few sales (and thus maybe no Planetary Landings & other good stuff), or it means pretending it doesn't need a joystick (resulting in a lot of disgruntled customers, leading to bad user reviews, and perhaps reduced sales anyway). So even if you love joystick, it is in your interest that mouse control is usable.
3. Mouse control does not need to be as good as joystick, as long as mouse control isn't too much worse, particularly against AI opponents. Some PC gamers have always gotten a multiplayer advantage by buying better kit (big screen, fast graphics card & processor, mechanical keyboard with macros, head tracking using TrackIR, fast internet connection, etc), so spending big money on a joystick is also perfectly fine. The key point is that mouse control shouldn't be too hard to pick-up, and it should be "good enough" to be able to win against computer-controlled opponents.
4. Joysticks aren't the only alternative to mice! There are also thumb trackballs (where the thumb is used to move a ball), such as the Logitech M570. I have been using these for years, and find them superior to mice for both gaming & everyday use. I would argue they solve the mouse's main weakness (running out of space on the mouse pad), while still being able to use controls designed for mice. They work great with flight-sim-like games, and I suspect they are roughly as good as joysticks. Someone even claims they are better than joysticks for playing Elite Dangerous!
5. All previous space games I've played have been fine with a mouse, so why should Elite Dangerous suddenly require a joystick to be playable? It being "multiplayer" or "realistic" are not good reasons, because the Infinity Combat Prototype was a multiplayer space game with Newtonian physics (you don't get more realistic than that!), and mouse control worked great there.
UPDATE: To clarify, I now find mouse control OK after much fiddling with settings & practising, but the fact that less than 10% of testers use a mouse indicates it is too difficult for most people. (And anecdotally quite a few people have posted how they gave-up with the mouse, bought a joystick & suddenly found it much more playable.) I don't think it is the mouse per-se that is the problem, but rather the settings & presets currently available.
UPDATE: People have pointed me to cheaper joysticks. Those are not the joysticks that usually get recommended on these forums, but if they work well & don't break then that is great. That reduces (but doesn't get rid of) my price argument.
I created this thread because I got fed-up of threads discussing how to improve mouse control being taken off-topic by 'joystick trolls' telling me to buy a damn joystick already. This thread is for you guys, as well as anyone else who wishes to tell me how wrong I am!
Beware: If you tell me to use a joystick, I will consider you to have failed unless you can successfully argue against at least one of these points:
1. The purpose of (alpha/beta/gamma) testing is to find & solve problems with the game before it is released publically. If there are problems with mouse control, which might be solvable, then as testers we have a duty to help Frontier try to fix them. And that means actually using mouse control, rather than just giving-up. (Of course some people need to test joystick too, but seeing as about 82% of alpha+premium-beta users already use a joystick, that isn't a problem we need to worry about.)
2. If mouse control is too hard for people to get used to, such that it is necessary to buy a £100 to £150 joystick, then Frontier have a big sales problem on their hands, because the effective cost of Elite Dangerous jumps from £30 to around £150 (£130-£180). A five times increase in cost either means very few sales (and thus maybe no Planetary Landings & other good stuff), or it means pretending it doesn't need a joystick (resulting in a lot of disgruntled customers, leading to bad user reviews, and perhaps reduced sales anyway). So even if you love joystick, it is in your interest that mouse control is usable.
3. Mouse control does not need to be as good as joystick, as long as mouse control isn't too much worse, particularly against AI opponents. Some PC gamers have always gotten a multiplayer advantage by buying better kit (big screen, fast graphics card & processor, mechanical keyboard with macros, head tracking using TrackIR, fast internet connection, etc), so spending big money on a joystick is also perfectly fine. The key point is that mouse control shouldn't be too hard to pick-up, and it should be "good enough" to be able to win against computer-controlled opponents.
4. Joysticks aren't the only alternative to mice! There are also thumb trackballs (where the thumb is used to move a ball), such as the Logitech M570. I have been using these for years, and find them superior to mice for both gaming & everyday use. I would argue they solve the mouse's main weakness (running out of space on the mouse pad), while still being able to use controls designed for mice. They work great with flight-sim-like games, and I suspect they are roughly as good as joysticks. Someone even claims they are better than joysticks for playing Elite Dangerous!
5. All previous space games I've played have been fine with a mouse, so why should Elite Dangerous suddenly require a joystick to be playable? It being "multiplayer" or "realistic" are not good reasons, because the Infinity Combat Prototype was a multiplayer space game with Newtonian physics (you don't get more realistic than that!), and mouse control worked great there.
UPDATE: To clarify, I now find mouse control OK after much fiddling with settings & practising, but the fact that less than 10% of testers use a mouse indicates it is too difficult for most people. (And anecdotally quite a few people have posted how they gave-up with the mouse, bought a joystick & suddenly found it much more playable.) I don't think it is the mouse per-se that is the problem, but rather the settings & presets currently available.
UPDATE: People have pointed me to cheaper joysticks. Those are not the joysticks that usually get recommended on these forums, but if they work well & don't break then that is great. That reduces (but doesn't get rid of) my price argument.
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