22 replies to this topic

[Teflon Don515]

Hi everyone! Had to post this here as I am new and not allowed to post in other forums yet. I have played MW since 2 way back in 96 or 97. I have owned MW2, Mercs, MechCommander, and MW4 and played all of them pretty extensively. I am just now getting back into PC gaming after building a new rig a month ago. Honestly, I didnt even know about MWO until a few weeks ago! It looks awesome to say the least!

Anyway, Im weighing joystick options. I have read all the feedback about how much better a mouse is. Thats fine and I dont doubt it but simply put, Im not using a mouse. I know I probably wont be as good as mouse users but Im sure I will do alright and the biggest thing... have some fun! It also seems to me that joystick support is improving and will continue to get better.

So, I have been reading threads and saw a couple mentions of dual joysticks. I have been considering that option or an x52. I think I would prefer dual joysticks. Seems like that will work much better than the x52. I used an x45 before and it was nice but the throttle was somewhat awkward and not as flexible as another joystick. By my calculations the best bet for dual joysticks is going to be a pair of Thrustmaster 1600s.

So, is anyone running dual joysticks? Any tips for joysticks I might be missing? Any thoughts on dual joysticks vs a joystick and throttle?

Thanks in advance for any help!

[Digital_Angel]

Welcome to the game.

You can use a stick, but honestly the controls in MWO are really designed around mouse and keyboard. MWO has a similar issue to Star Citizen when it come to sticks vs. mouse play. Sticks are great if all your weapons are fixed (torso mounted for MWO), but really doesn't work well with weapons on pivots (arm mounted) that can move somewhat separately from the torso, which with a mouse have a much greater reaction time and range of targeting. Some mechs has all of their hard points in the torso, and a stick would probably work pretty well for those mechs, but not in others.

Edited by LadyDanams, 28 April 2016 - 09:25 PM.

[Koniving]

Teflon Don515, on 28 April 2016 - 05:43 PM, said:

Is anyone running dual joysticks? Any tips for joysticks I might be missing? Any thoughts on dual joysticks vs a joystick and throttle?

Thanks in advance for any help!

PS3 controller a few times.
Joystick for movement works great!

...Joystick for aiming is a bit of a crutch, though. If MWO had a functional Lookspring option, a joystick could work very well in a sort of Goldeneye 007 (N64) sense. But as it is with MWO and not having a lookspring, you can kiss any hope for precision goodbye and bring along SRMs and LBX cannons (shotguns).

Throttlestick works really good too, kind of my preference actually. I use throttlestick and mouse.



This was recorded while using the PS3 controller and as such two joysticks. (There's perhaps one instance where I used the mouse, the precision shot on the Locust).

(The gameplay not the building).

Edited by Koniving, 28 April 2016 - 09:55 PM.

[Teflon Don515]

Cool thanks for the info! I also found that MWO does in fact support multiple controllers so I should be golden. Funny you say that about the AC. Some of my favorite action back in the day was actually CQB and tearing people apart with an AC boat!

I think I will probably make the move and buy a pair of thrustmaster 1600s this weekend unless someone can steer me towards something else...

Also when I say dual joy sticks I am talking about a setup like in the link.

http://mwomercs.com/...000m-joysticks/

Thanks again for the info!

[Teflon Don515]

Call me nuts but I am actually thinking of going with two different joysticks here. Go with a logitrch extreme 3d pro for my right hand and the tm 1600 for my left. Anyone see any possible issues with using two different joysticks?

Also, I am primarily right handed and have always used a right handed joystick. I do some things left handed and some things right so I have pretty good dexterity with both hands which should help with this setup I think.

Edited by Teflon Don515, 29 April 2016 - 07:29 AM.

[Digital_Angel]

Teflon Don515, on 29 April 2016 - 07:22 AM, said:

Call me nuts but I am actually thinking of going with two different joysticks here. Go with a logitrch extreme 3d pro for my right hand and the tm 1600 for my left. Anyone see any possible issues with using two different joysticks?

If you can get your control bindings right so that 1 controls the legs and the other controls the targeting reticle similar to mouse control, then it might work well. Sounds like an exercise in frustration to me from what I've heard from other people trying to get stick setups to shine for MWO before, but that doesn't mean it can't work.

[B L O O D W I T C H]

Whatever works for you, i know ppl who use trackball rather then a mouse and they do well.

I'm also waiting for the guy with his 6 point something kill/death ratio to show up. You know, that guy who's playing onehanded with a ps2 controller.

Teflon Don515, on 28 April 2016 - 05:43 PM, said:

So, is anyone running dual joysticks? Any tips for joysticks I might be missing? Any thoughts on dual joysticks vs a joystick and throttle?

Thanks in advance for any help!

I played with a hotas + foot pedals for a while. Was pretty fun. I used the throttle for forward/backward and the peddles for left and right.

Edited by LOADED, 29 April 2016 - 07:47 AM.

[Teflon Don515]

Yeah thats what I gather but I just cant get myself to want to play with a mouse. Feels so wrong for mw. Lol! Im old school enough that I will fight the frustration and make myself decent. Upon further review the thrustmasters are definitely the way to go for both because of the more precise axis sensors which should do a better job for aiming.

[Digital_Angel]

LOADED, on 29 April 2016 - 07:42 AM, said:

Whatever works for you, i know ppl who use trackball rather then a mouse and they do well.

*raises hand* been a dedicated trackball user for over 2 decades, tires out my arm MUCH less than a mouse both for work all day and for gaming, although I prefer the ball on the index and middle finger instead of thumb so my thumb doesn't start cramping after several hours of gaming.

Don't even ask what I paid for a replacement and spares after my 20 year old MS Trackball Explorer got broken on me (broken not worn out, arghh still mad at myself for that one!!) several months ago. Even Ebay used and not refurbished, the things go for $100-250 on a regular basis; professionally refurbished with upgraded bearings and such or the rare new in box ask $400-600 on some sites on a regular basis.

[Napoleon_Blownapart]

t16000m with track ball and tflight hotasx throttle


and you can hit stuff

[Teflon Don515]

Gorantir, on 29 April 2016 - 08:09 AM, said:

t16000m with track ball and tflight hotasx throttle


and you can hit stuff

Wait, you got a HOTAS setup and you also use a mouse!? You got three hands or something!? Lmao! I kid I kid!

Anyway, after watching a bunch of videos and remembering how much I love mechwarrior I pulled the trigger and ordered a pair of 1600s. Ill be playing by next week. Ill report back with how it pans out! See you all out there!

[jss78]

There's a small but existing minority who play with joysticks (I'm not one of them). The word is that it works best on fast 'mechs which turn and rotate a lot, and pack short-range weapons like SRM's. Conversely the word is that joysticks are really bad for precise and quick aiming of long-range weapons. But none of that matters as long as you're having fun and don't aim for comp-level play. Besides some people can just make things work for them: there's a guy on the forums who reported getting >1 K/D ratio using a ThinkPad trackpoint.

Sometime in the future I want to try MWO with dual joysticks and Oculus Rift. I cannot imagine how good the immersion must be.

But most important of all, welcome MechWarrior and happy hunting!

[Digital_Angel]

This thread has actually gotten me thinking. I have a dual stick and rudder petal setup from Steel Battalion on Xbox. They make adapters to connect that to a traditional USB port (all it is is USB with a different shape connector anyway. I wonder if i could get that to work well for MWO.

Might be fun, the adapters aren't expensive anyway, so not much risked in it other than a couple really bad matches if it doesn't work well.

[Teflon Don515]

jss78, on 03 May 2016 - 10:30 AM, said:

There's a small but existing minority who play with joysticks (I'm not one of them). The word is that it works best on fast 'mechs which turn and rotate a lot, and pack short-range weapons like SRM's. Conversely the word is that joysticks are really bad for precise and quick aiming of long-range weapons. But none of that matters as long as you're having fun and don't aim for comp-level play. Besides some people can just make things work for them: there's a guy on the forums who reported getting >1 K/D ratio using a ThinkPad trackpoint.

Sometime in the future I want to try MWO with dual joysticks and Oculus Rift. I cannot imagine how good the immersion must be.

But most important of all, welcome MechWarrior and happy hunting!

Agreed! My main thing is having fun but I dont want to be terrible either. I have been practicing for the past two days. I think I can do pretty well with this actually. I am able to get through two rounds on the gauntlet training. I can hit tight and distant targets on the run and using torso twist. My left stick turns and runs the throttle and my right does pitch and torso twist. With more practice I think I can really do some damage with this. Im certainly not the guy that takes the easy or most common method on things. Lol!

I want an immersive experience. I tried the mouse with a left joystick and it was so much easier but not immersive. I dont think if I was piloting a mech in the year 3025 I would be using a mouse. Lol! Im posting from my phone and dont see a way to share pictures but I am actually using my home theater room for my PC. It has a 1080p 110" dlp projector screen. Its pretty immersive. Lol! I havent tried any of the vr stuff yet but I can imagine how crazy that would be! Turning your head to look to the side and what not would be unreal!! Is anyone doing that yet with MWO?

LadyDanams, on 03 May 2016 - 10:36 AM, said:

This thread has actually gotten me thinking. I have a dual stick and rudder petal setup from Steel Battalion on Xbox. They make adapters to connect that to a traditional USB port (all it is is USB with a different shape connector anyway. I wonder if i could get that to work well for MWO.

Might be fun, the adapters aren't expensive anyway, so not much risked in it other than a couple really bad matches if it doesn't work well.

That would be a sweet setup. I think the rudder petals would be great for torso twist. The biggest question would be drivers for your pc to recognize it after you got the adapter.

[GTV Zeratul]

@LadyDanams, If it's from the 360, probably not. PC USB hardware doesn't work on the 360, the other way around is dificult at best. The 360 uses it's own USB comunication protocol.
If it's from the XboxOne you stand a better chance, from the original Xbox I wouldn't know, I never owned one.

To all, is there a HOTAS out there that has the analog slider on the throtle like my T-Flight X but has atleast 4 more buttons on the throttle?

[Digital_Angel]

Original XBox, which was literally designed as a PC running DirectX as a gaming interface, was actually how it got its name. It's controllers were just a USB 1.1 plus. of course 360 and XB1 are just USB 2 and USB3 connectors too.

I actually had a much easier time finding adapters that said they would connect the 360 controllers to PC than for the original Xbox. I found adapters to go both ways, hooking Xbox controllers in a PC for either original or 360 or PC USB devices into the Xbox for original. The 360 adapters seem to usually change at the snap off in the cable (which many original Xbox controllers, including my setup have as well), while half the adapters for the original do that and half actually convert USB A/B connections to the oval-ish Xbox connector.

The adapters are only $5-10 each so very little risk, especially if I get the ones available from Walmart or Newegg that have a return policy on them if they don't work out. Found a few forum thread on Xbox sites saying that plenty of people have had it work with the normal Xbox controller, so the only real question is if the Steel battalion controller is acting as an Xbox controller with controls remapped or a separate device in how Windows picks it up.

Actually found a couple threads on the forums here dedicated to this setup already/ Some said they got theirs to work with MWO in Win7, so sounds like I have a new project.
http://mwomercs.com/...ion-controller/
http://mwomercs.com/...s/page__st__180

For those not familiar with the controller setup this is what it looks like, and all of those buttons are functional, not decorative.

Edited by LadyDanams, 06 May 2016 - 07:23 AM.

[Teflon Don515]

Oh my! That is wicked! Lol

[Digital_Angel]

Teflon Don515, on 06 May 2016 - 07:28 AM, said:

Oh my! That is wicked! Lol

Yep, and as soon as I finish building the built in desk in my gaming room, I will have the room to permanently set it up, both for the Xbox and for the PC if I can get it to work, which is a lot more promising after finding other threads where some people got it to work.

[Teflon Don515]

So is being able to get through two rounds on the gauntlet pretty decent after about 3 to 4 total hours of playing?

[Digital_Angel]

Teflon Don515, on 06 May 2016 - 07:41 AM, said:

So is being able to get through two rounds on the gauntlet pretty decent after about 3 to 4 total hours of playing?

Not bad. The biggest thing to look at on things like that are, can you consistently improve from where you were, not having to meet X bar to consider yourself good or bad. In games like this, no matter how good or bad you are there is always some other player out there better or worse. Just work in making yourself better and having fun while you do it.