9 replies to this topic

[Andreas Stefanus]

Hi everyone,
Long time Battletech and Mechwarrior player. I got a question for everyone and Is there any recommendation for a joystick to play on MWO!

[BlackBeltJones]

I love my CH Fighterstick.

[Socket7]

I would recommend using a keyboard and mouse, not a joystick for MWO.

Seriously. MWO really isn't setup for joysticks. They aren't even directly supported, you have to hack a config file (not that it's difficult to do, it's quite easy and there are guides here on how to do it.)

There are other threads that explain in detail all the problems with joysticks, but mostly it has to do with both fine and gross aiming control. Fine control is slow with a joystick, and this is a game that requires fast twitch skills to aim. Gross motor control involves throwing the stick to it's extremes to make the torso move as fast as possible.

Save the joysticks for flight sims.

[ODonovan]

The best combo I've been able to come up with is a joystick to drive with (right handed), and a trackball to aim with (left handed). Why use a mouse and have to move your entire arm to aim when you can use a trackball and only have to move one finger? Since the trackball is so much different than using a mouse, it takes very little time to get used to it. If you have a different joystick which can be easily used left-handed, I suppose you could even swap hands. Go with whatever works best for you.



The joystick I use is a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro, simpply because it's comfortable, has LOTS of buttons, and is extremely well laid out. It has four top buttons and a hat, a thumb button, and a trigger as well as six more buttons on the base. The trackball has ten buttons and a scroll wheel. If you have all these buttons, you don't even need a keyboard.



YMMV...

-Irish

Edited by ODonovan, 06 January 2013 - 12:38 AM.

[Hammerhai]

Come on over to the dark side. WE GOT joystick shaped cookies.
Sadly, MWO is better with a throttle, pedals and mouse setup. A die hard, however, wants his joystick no matter what. If so, welcome to the crowd. In general a HOTAS setup is VERY expensive to get, and the way to go.
I run the Warthog and like it, ran the G 940 and hated it to bits. However I could only afford the Warthog because I have been single all my life....
If you want to just get pedals and throttle then CH products is the way to go.

All is not lost to a JS user, however. I read of at least one guy saying he is regularly in the top 3 - but guys like that are rare. You compensate by picking your shot and using the terrain as best you can. Develop good Situational Awareness and that will help a lot, no matter what you use.

[shotokan5]

I have a Thrustmaster flight Hotas X everything works. Its not expensive and you get joystick and separate throttle. l last longer than any stick on the market. Also, can crack nuts with it.

[Buckminster]

I use an old Sidewinder 2, but that's more a matter of it being the joystick I happened to have.

Joystick support is a little wonky - some things (like turning) aren't really optimized to joystick use. But I've found that I can still be very effective - for me it was a matter of weapon choice. Lasers aren't as good for me, because the coarse aiming of the joystick makes keeping your sights on target a little harder. Ballistics and missiles (and PPCs, which act like ballistics) do very well for me, it's all a matter of knowing how to lead and when to take the shot.

[Eddie Smurphy]

Got an x52 pro myself, Happy with it so far. Unfortunatily need more games to use it with. As a side hijack anyone reccomend any good games for it other then general flight sims?

Really want to play mechwarrior online more, but the movement being digital keeps me turned off at the moment. For this game I want to be in the mech, as much immersion as possible. something I don't get with mouse and keyboard which is my normal preffered device for movement in games.

In my opinion this should be higher on the list as Joystick support isn't a huge timesink for developers. And it definatily pulls over the hardcore sim players as well as old school mechwarrior gamers.

Anyway this went waaaay off-topic.

TL:DR thrustmaster HOTA setup's are good, as are the SAITEK ones. Game doesn't really support them jet.

Cheers,

Fingon

[Gremlich Johns]

I use the Logitech Extreme 3D Pro coupled with a Nostromo n52. I have no issues with the configuration. The only time I use a KB and mouse setup is on MW:LL when I use battlearmors.

[Hammerhai]

I could recommend Free Allegiance and OOlite, Fingonar. OOlite = Object oriented Elite. Dunno if that falls under general flight sims for you, they are both space flight sims. If you have not heard of Orbitersim, also a nice one. (Realistic space flight and not easy). Some guys I know do very well using a Joystick in racing games, of all things, but that is a bit outlandish for me

Edited by Hammerhai, 14 January 2013 - 07:03 AM.