38 replies to this topic

[Timuroslav]

Joysticks do have the advantage that you can flip your throttle at certain degrees and have 10+ buttons in easy access of your left hand. Slowing down and even minimizing hand cramps in your aiming mouse hand. I would use joystick-throttle for your general movement because it gives nice medians of mech turning than. Keyboard HARD LEFT HARD RIGHT. HARD LEFT. As for Aiming. I feel like current technology trend has Mice on the higher end right now. Until Joysticks become more popular.

It's kind of the conundrum of "when does a company invest in joysticks? When people start buying them."

Joy stick move left right and Free Look for the hat. as well as firing groups. Right arm for Torso and Arm Aiming. With a Jumpjet button on the mouse.

It also helps immersion a lot and makes the game more fun.
Using the keyboard to play intense games, really sucks the fun out of it.

Edited by Timuroslav, 09 April 2015 - 08:57 AM.

[Sir Wolfenx]

Well actually. From a game design point of view, every PC can be counted on for a mouse and keyboard, so that is the standard layout. But unlike the consoles (WII, XBOX, PS4), a joystick is not a standard piece of equipment. So it is harder to develop for so many layouts. Despite plug in play, there are so many variations it is hard to develop for a "standardized" joystick.

However there is a possible money opportunity. What if PGI partnered with a jostick manufacturer to make an "Official" MWO joystick. People have spent alot of money to play mech games before.... there are other ways to make money besides a freemium finance model.

[Loc Nar]

Here's my summary of why (regular) joysticks are less than stellar for positioning (aiming). Controls Demystified(?). Most people are right that a joy is a bad idea in a shooter, but not many know quite why...

Also, many have used joys of all types, and it matters not (even the mighty Warthog is a paperweight here...) so long as it's made for velocity/acceleration control like a normal joystick. That said, there *are joysticks that are made juuuust for positioning, and those work quite well. The bad news is that you have to build your own gimbal, and then use absolute mouse emulation because native absolute inputs are beyond broken and this is a necessary ingredient for 'aiming'.

[-Wulf-]

Marack Drock, on 09 April 2015 - 07:47 PM, said:

Hey question all. Any ever try to use one of their old Joysticks on this game yet? I am thinking of for fun trying it out with my Microsoft Precision Pro Joystick that came out with MW3 Demos. Any thoughts?

I did try using my old MW4 Saitek 290 pro. It works however it simply dont have it. On MW4 it was the goto stick of the pro's. In MWO it just cant track as fast or as smooth as the new gaming mice. I tried every way to make it viable but it just cant do it. Controlls are clunks and heavy, you cant roll damage as efficiently as with a mouse. It was a fun test and brought alot of MW4 nostalgia but just no longer viable.

[Gremlich Johns]

Petard, on 08 April 2015 - 06:15 AM, said:

Gaming mouse, forget joysticks for MWO, unless you use it just for movement, and use mouse for aim and torso.

Good Hunting

I beg to differ, I have very respectable results with a joystick.

It's all about what you're used to.

[allmhuran]

I play DCS, so I have a simpit with saitek pedals and a TM warthog HOTAS.

Plus sides:
+ I don't have to touch the keyboard in MWO, ever (unless chatting). Many of the controls map very nicely.
+ Turning with the pedals is "natural" for me as a flight sim player but I imagine would be difficult to pick up.

But...
- Aiming with a joystick is much harder, and after observing a few people in the same mech, it seems your torso might move slower (could be to do with skills/quirks/whatever but it seemed like an extremely big difference
- You can't change the sensitivity curve. This is the big one. Yeah you can change sensitivity and deadzone, but you can't tweak the sensitivity curve itself. This might be why torso twisting feels slow... I want a flat curve near the centre that steepens sharply towards the end, but I have no idea if that's what I have.

Edited by allmhuran, 22 April 2015 - 07:03 PM.

[lucree]

im thinking of a build where i put throttle and leg turn on a joystick tophat and torso aim with the joystick or vice versa while at the same time i arm aim with a mouse is this possible within the game controls and what do you guys think about that?
i would live some feedback before i commit to going out and getting a joystick this weekend

[Alreech]

lucree, on 15 September 2015 - 05:08 PM, said:

im thinking of a build where i put throttle and leg turn on a joystick tophat and torso aim with the joystick or vice versa while at the same time i arm aim with a mouse.
Is this possible within the game controls and what do you guys think about that?
i would live some feedback before i commit to going out and getting a joystick this weekend

Yes, it is possible to move & turn the mech with a joystick while aiming the weapons with a mouse.
And IMHO it works better than mouse & keyboard because you can use the joysticks analog input for moving & turning the mech, and you have a lot of buttons for weapon groups, heat & night vision, shut down ect...

If you buy a joystick, take one that is usable in both hands.
Thrustmaster T 16 000 M is at the moment the best offer for that kind of joysticks.
Logitech Attack 3 or Saitek ST 290 or Avi8tor are also an option if you don't get the T 16 000.

[SCHLIMMER BESTIMMER XXX]

set your mouse sensitivity in options to 0.2
Helps ALOT with aiming.
Everything above this is unplayable for me.

[Luscious Dan]

I was using a Cyborg RAT7 until the right click started to go nuts on me. It happens with mice sometimes when the spring dies to reset the switch apparently.

I replaced it with a Razer Naga Hex that was on sale. It has 6 thumb buttons and a sensitivity up/down near the mousewheel. It has been working out for me, and I like the software better than the RAT software.

The thumb buttons are set up in a hex shape as below:

   2
1	3
4	6
   5

I have thumb buttons 1 and 2 set to weapon groups 3 and 4 (don't worry, it's not confusing since you NEVER look at your mouse when you're using it).

Thumb button 3 is zoom in, thumb button 6 is zoom out.

Buttons 4 and 5 currently are for toggling night vision and thermal, but I rarely use them. Been considering swapping them for something else but I haven't had anything else that I really want to be on there.

Oh, and clicking down on the mouse wheel is for advanced zoom, which I only really use on 1-2 sniper mechs. Mousewheel itself is for throttle, up or down 10% per click of the wheel. 1-2-3-4 on my keyboard are also presets for throttle values (30%, 50%, 70% and 100%). Tilde (~) inverts the throttle for quick reversing.

Edited by Luscious Dan, 17 September 2015 - 10:22 AM.

[Wreyth]

ok despite everyone's opinion you can successfully use a joystick for aiming in mwo with the better sticks and tracking now available, and no i don't mean the absolute config or emulation. i personally use 2 t.16000m sticks while playing MWO. 1 on left for movement secondary weapons and misc stuff and 1 on the right for aiming after playing with allot of settings and increasing the sensitivity of my y axis over my x axis..... like anything it takes practice and with enough practice you can still play competitively in mwo.... i do still have my mouse in between the 2 sticks for those random moments when i do need super precise aiming (long distance sniping due to zoom mode falls short with joystick sensitivity) but for the most part i have gotten good with dual joysticks still pulling an average of 600-1000+ dmg in quick play matches..... IT JUST TAKES PATIENCE AND PRACTICE!!!!!!...... but it can still be viable in competitive play. now if i was to be playing in a tournament where i need every single edge i can get i would still use a stick in my left hand for movement throttle/legs and a mouse in my right just to get every last bit of edge I can. which i know that statement someone is going to run with and blow out of proportion. but the main topic being yes joystick aiming is viable and usable with practice and dual sticks is very viable and usable with practice. it all depends on if your playing to have fun and enjoy the game or if your so hellbent that only a mouse will satisfy you because you want quick and easy win without practice.

Edited by Wreyth, 30 December 2015 - 04:22 AM.

[Black Tiger]

clanboy, on 08 April 2015 - 07:22 AM, said:

Corsair M65 Mouse for targeting and weapons, 3D Pro joystick for movment, JJ and other things,
This is a great way to play so worth saving up for.

How does that stick feel in your left hand? Does the bump on the left side of the stick feel funny?

[Bill Lumbar]

I have that flight stick, and I modded it by taking it apart, cutting the shaft and making it like throttle stick. I use a Perixx MX2000II gaming mouse and wouldn't touch a keyboard to play this game other then typing. I have modded other flight sticks like this...but I tend to always use the Logitech 3d pro. It just works...

Edited by Bill Lumbar, 20 January 2016 - 06:08 PM.

[mclang]

I also use setup with joystick (warthog) and mouse (g502).

Otherwise things are working quite smoothly but it is annoying that I have to push joystick forward to keep throttle up. Does anybody know how to fix this so that pushing forward/backward increases/decreases throttle and keeps the set throttle level when I center the joystick?

I may have asked this before but couldn't find the answer anymore... It has been a long pause.

[Tarl Cabot]

Throttle Decay checked or unchecked? Not sure how that one behaves with a stick.

[dewme5]

I'm using the Warthog HOTAS throttle for all keyboard mapping, analog throttle, analog turning, and mouse for aiming.

[mclang]

Tarl Cabot, on 22 January 2016 - 06:16 AM, said:

Throttle Decay checked or unchecked? Not sure how that one behaves with a stick.

Throttle Decay is unchecked. If I increase throttle with 'w', it stays up without pressing untill I lower it using 'x' or 's'.

[Mystere]

dewme5, on 23 January 2016 - 09:08 AM, said:

I'm using the Warthog HOTAS throttle for all keyboard mapping, analog throttle, analog turning, and mouse for aiming.

Hmm. Which part of the Warthog throttle are you using for analog turning, the teeny mouse, left half of throttle, or something else?

Having said that, I really miss the rotary switch of the HOTAS Cougar. I used that for torso twisting on the older MW games.

Edited by Mystere, 26 January 2016 - 02:09 PM.