49 replies to this topic

[TLBFestus]

I'm torn with the advent of this game on the method I will use to operate my Mech.

Mouse and keyboard? Most accurate to be sure, but somehow "lacking"

Joystick? Immersive if you don't mind giving an advantage to the Mouse/keyboard crowd. Even then I'm considering upgrading to a newer stick or HOTAS arrangment.

What about mouse a KEYPAD? I'm considering something along the lines of these;

http://www.amazon.co...=razor+joystick

http://www.amazon.co...=razor+joystick


The thing is, I've never used one. I can see a real benefit to using this setup, having all my keys programmed and at my fingertips (whereas on my keyboard, this old guy gets "lost" on occasion).

Does anyone use these? I know they've been out for sometime but haven't seemed to capture a significant market. Will the game support them or will existing 3rd party software do the job?


Any advice from users would be great!

[Grugore]

I've read reviews on a few gaming pads and they all come up short. I wouldn't bother with them.

[MntRunner]

I've never used a keypad before, but I'm also interested in getting one for MWO. I was also looking at both of these, but I think I've ruled out the Razer. Some of the reviews for it said that it wouldn't allow you to move in diagonals (i.e. pressing w+d at the same time). If it truly has trouble moving in diagonals or allowing me to rotate my mech while moving forward then that could be a real disadvantage in game play.

Grugore, on 16 July 2012 - 12:42 PM, said:

I've read reviews on a few gaming pads and they all come up short. I wouldn't bother with them.

What were the things that made you think they come up short? I've seen some negative comments about some of them, but most have been things that I could live with.

[Grugore]

I've been thinking of getting a Naga Hex gaming mouse.

[Nividium]

I use a nostromo and mamba 2012 and I have to say my performance has increase by a significant amount in reference to atleast WoT and BF3 etc. It takes a bit to get used to the nostromo but it is much more ergonomic and responsive than even my razer blackwidow ultimate.

[Darq]

I have been using a Razor Nostromo and Naga for years. Couldn't play without them any more. Takes a little getting used to, but once you do they are indispensable. I have complete control and access to 30 hot keys without ever lifting my hand from the control. Using the built in mapping / macros makes spamming attacks a lot easier to (You can set the key to repeat while it is held down and specify the delay time if any).

[Strikhedonia]

I have a Nostromo and it sees regular use. I originally picked it up for various MMOs. Over time I've found that my HOTAS does not provide adequate functionality for simulation games. So it rides on my desk next to my throttle and handles ancillary systems. The results have been well worth the time getting the controls set up.

That said, while it's nice it's not really necessary. I could accomplish the same thing with my keyboard if I was willing to use up more real estate on my desktop.

[Kaldor]

Thumbs up for the Razer N52te. Great hardware, decent software.

Do NOT buy the Belkin version. The software for it is horrid. I have the Belkin version and the software is just barely functional even though the hardware is awesome. I get by, but mainly because I dont try and do too much with it other remapping a few keys, etc.

[NWHHarrier]

Kaldor, on 17 July 2012 - 09:15 AM, said:

Thumbs up for the Razer N52te. Great hardware, decent software.

Do NOT buy the Belkin version. The software for it is horrid. I have the Belkin version and the software is just barely functional even though the hardware is awesome. I get by, but mainly because I dont try and do too much with it other remapping a few keys, etc.

A friend gave me the belkin version, the n52te recenty, I've been fiddling with it on mektek's mw4 mercs lately to test the viability; it seems to do ok but I admit I haven't used the software much other than a few keybinds. the biggest advantage seems to be in the ergonomics and layout versus a standard keyboard. does the software make a huge difference in your opinion?

[Mercules]

I use the Nostromo and enjoy it. I don't use the thumbpad for anything other than quick access to various menus in most games but it means I can flick up a fullscreen map/inventory/other screen, glance at it, and drop it back down while still moving around with the keys.

What I might do with it this time is program the thumb-pad to switch the keys around. So I can use the left half of the "keyboard" keys for one thing and set them to the Nostromo keypad, then set the right for all the other keys I need and be able to either drop the mouse, or flick the keypad over to "alternate" key mode and hit the button I need. So running hell bound for cover I can drop the mouse and continue my movement, or tracking someone with the mouse about to fire at them I can drop my standard key set-up on the keypad to an alternate(probably still with WASD going) and hit what I need.

I also use a Naga so I'll have 12+buttons under the thumb of my mouse hand as well. Should leave me able to do things like "Look about the cockpit and fire with my right arm weapon while torso-twisted so I can fire behind me while running away." even easier than I used to in MW3.

[Captain Terrific]

I currently run the Nostromo and Naga Epic for my setup. Originally purchased both for BF3 and MMO gaming. I have learned that I cant live without them in any game. The control options they offer are just to great to go back to a normal keyboard and mouse.

The Nostromo took a little getting used too. About a week for me. It is more comfortable to use than my keyboard and has the benefit of custom macro and button setup.

The Naga Epic is hit and miss for some. They may not be able to comfortably hit all 12 side buttons. For me, I can hit 1-9 easily. The last 3 I need to adjust how my hand sits. Normally those 3 buttons are not mapped, or are mapped to less used skills/systems. For MWO I use them for night vision and thermal vision. I may map those to the Nostromo wheel at a later time. Still going to play with my config pre release.

I would recommend the Nostromo to anyone that would like more comfort and more control. As I said, they take a little getting used too, but are worth it in the end.

I also would recommend the Naga Epic, but the price is steep. So you need to weigh the price into your decision. Mostly comes down to the buttons. Do you need all 12? Some may not, but they also may not realize all that they could use them for. Gamers usually have 1 extra button on their mouse. For some games thats more than enough. In MWO, I can fire each weapon group individually, alpha strike, manual shutdown, night vision + thermal vision. All with the Naga Epic and still have 2 buttons left over.

Go to you local computer hardware dealer and see if they have some of the keypads on display. See how your hand fits them. Look at the price and decide if its something you can use.

[Kaldor]

NWHHarrier, on 17 July 2012 - 09:32 AM, said:

A friend gave me the belkin version, the n52te recenty, I've been fiddling with it on mektek's mw4 mercs lately to test the viability; it seems to do ok but I admit I haven't used the software much other than a few keybinds. the biggest advantage seems to be in the ergonomics and layout versus a standard keyboard. does the software make a huge difference in your opinion?

If all your doing is remapping keys to it the software is fine. However, the Belkin version does have a known bug. Basically makes you turn right from time to time. Kind of annoying and as far as I know, no solution for it. The real issue comes with macro'ing with the Belkin version. They just dont work right all the time. If you need to write any macros, by the Razer version.

[brento73]

I have a Logitech G13 pad, and a G700 mouse. I like them both, although figuring out how to map some games to the G13 has been a mini-game all it's own. I'm looking forward to tweaking my mapping for MWO, and hope I can get some good use out of the little joystick on it.

[Vichus]

The joystick on the G13 is a full analog stick. The thumb controls on the nostromo is an 8 way rocker. I've used both extensively and prefer the G13 by a wide margin. I can't function without it!

[NWHHarrier]

Kaldor, on 17 July 2012 - 10:03 AM, said:

If all your doing is remapping keys to it the software is fine. However, the Belkin version does have a known bug. Basically makes you turn right from time to time. Kind of annoying and as far as I know, no solution for it. The real issue comes with macro'ing with the Belkin version. They just dont work right all the time. If you need to write any macros, by the Razer version.

I see, thanks!

[gh0st]

I've owned the original N52 (the Nostromo - pre Razer), the Saitek Game Commander Pro (terrible name) and now have a Logitech G13.

The N52 has a d-pad, whereas the saitek and g13 have what is basically a mini-joystick. Depending on what you want to use it for, that is the key difference I think. (Proportional control over digital).

I used to use it for Warcraft and did all the movement with the stick, thereby allowing me to move and press any of the other keys at the same time (something which is impossible with WASD type controls). If you aren't planning on using the thumb-stick or macros there is basically no point to these devices.

As an aside, the G13 has a snazzy LCD, I have mine displaying Cpu / Gpu temps, fraps framerates etc. I would love to have some MWO info on there, lots of other big games provide G13 / G15 support of some kind.

<edit> and Vichus beat me to it! What he said </edit>

Edited by gh0st, 17 July 2012 - 12:51 PM.

[brento73]

Yeah, I've been playing The Secret World and some of the Guild Wars 2 beta events using the G13 stick for movement, freeing me up to hit other keys.

[MntRunner]

Sounds like you guys really like the Nostromo, I think I'll take a second look at it. Did you guys have any issues like I mentioned above where moving diagonal didn't always work (i.e. pressing w+a). Also has anyone used the Logitech G13, and what do you think of it compared to the Nostromo.

Edit: Never mind about the comparison. I need to refresh my browser before posting after leaving the computer for a while.

Edited by MntRunner, 17 July 2012 - 03:34 PM.

[Gremlich Johns]

with my Logitech pro JS, I use the Nostoromo n52 with the d-pad set to be my throttle (full-half-stop-reverse) in MW:LL and when I played MW4.

[Nuclear Xmas]

Nividium, on 16 July 2012 - 12:56 PM, said:

I use a nostromo and mamba 2012 and I have to say my performance has increase by a significant amount in reference to atleast WoT and BF3 etc. It takes a bit to get used to the nostromo but it is much more ergonomic and responsive than even my razer blackwidow ultimate.

The Mamba is probably one of the most negatively reviewed mice I've ever seen. It's seems nearly 80% of everyone who gets one has disconnecting issues and hardware failures within a few months. Not only that but the 5 hour battery life should be a major turn to anyone who doesn't want their wireless mouse connected by a wire 60% of the time.

While browsing mice the Mamba caught my interest but even the appeal of the design couldn't make up for it's lack of sustainability.