12 replies to this topic

[Lightfoot]

Earlier this year a fellow player wrote to ask me how I set up my Thrustmaster T16000-m Joystick with it's TARGET profiler software. They were mostly having problems with the reticle drifting while the torso was in neutral, but were not having much luck with it. So I replied with my settings which are as follows:

First and foremost problem. MWO by default maps the Joystick X axis to 'Torso-Twist', you have to flip this to 'Analog Turn' in MWO's Options/ Controller. This is very important. So when done you will have "Joy 0 Axis X" mapped to Analog Turn and "Joy 0 Rot Z" mapped to Torso Twist. This is the standard setup for a MechWarrior Joystick since MW1 and is most intuitive.

Now you have the mech looking up/down and turning off the stick X and Y, and torso twist rotating with the stick twist. This will solve the reticle drift problem, if not increase the Z axis deadzone a bit.

In Thrustmaster's TARGET Profiler software I set my response curves, zoom, and deadzones like this.

For X and Y they are:

Deadzones

Lower: 15
Center: 0
Upper: 15

Zoom: 0
Curve: 4

(Y axis is Reversed, but you can do this in MWO too)

For Z ROT Axis I have:

Lower: 9
Center: 0
Upper: 9

Zoom: 0
Curve: 5

Also, in MWO's Options/Controller Settings Box I have the X-Axis Sensitivity Slider at 0.4 and Y-Axis Sensitivity at 0.26. Deadzone here is 0.04 and these setting do effect the Joystick X,Y, and Deadzone in-game. So an easy way to fine tune. I also check the box to Invert the Throttle.

One final thing which you should not need to do, and Heck, MWO might not even look at this User.CFG file anymore, but.. in the beginning the only adjustment for a Joystick was this CFG file and I just never pulled it out of the folder since everything was working real well. So here is my User.CFG file:

 
cl_joystick_gain = 3.277
cl_joystick_sensitivity = 4.78
cl_joystick_turn_gain = 0.003
cl_joystick_turn_sensitivity = 17
cl_joystick_throttle_range = 0
cl_joystick_invert_throttle = 0
cl_joystick_invert_pitch = 0
cl_joystick_invert_yaw = 0
cl_joystick_invert_turn = 0
I_joystick_deadzone = 0.01
I_joystick_buffered = 0
cl_joystick_deadzone = 0.01
cl_rudder_deadzone = 0.01
 

Save this as User.cfg and place inside your C:\Program Files (x86)\Piranha Games\MechWarrior Online folder or wherever your MechWarrior Online folder is. However, once they added Analog Turn I think this file might be redundant.

That should get it working for you.

Other thoughts: I had said the Thrustmaster T16000m's (green highlights) return spring was a bit too strong, but the updated T16000m FCS (orange highlights) is pretty much perfect right out of the box.

Edited by Lightfoot, 09 June 2018 - 11:30 PM.

[Lightfoot]

Still doing really well with a joystick. The 16000m is my favorite one still. Still hyper accurate after 2-3 years. Handles the Black Lanner superbly as far as I can tell. Generally a joystick will deliver faster piloting reactions because you have 3 axis's controlled by the stick in one hand and an analog throttle controlled by the other hand.

GL&GH






.

Edited by Lightfoot, 25 February 2018 - 06:53 AM.

[KindredSpirits]

Hey, I gotta ask. How are the deadzones on the T-16000M? I got a Thrustmaster HOTAS X but the deadzone seemed huge.

Trying to find one with little to no deadzone, for (hopefully) around the same price, which the T-16000M is. Google hasn't helped *too* much, but what I could find suggests that there aren't any, but I couldn't find MWO specific answers.

[HARDKOR]

Has this improved? I played right up through the end of the first season and due to being the only one in MS using a stick, right about the beginning of faction play I tried using a trackball instead. I was instantly twice as accurate and put the stick away and have been on throttle and ball since.

Has something changed in the two years I was away or are stick users still lying to themselves about accuracy? (If you are still using the throttle to microadjust your aim, it's not accurate)

[ExoForce]

KindredSpirits, on 25 March 2018 - 06:17 AM, said:

Hey, I gotta ask. How are the deadzones on the T-16000M? I got a Thrustmaster HOTAS X but the deadzone seemed huge.

I use Hotas-X for the ED. Stick itself does not have deadzones , those are driver issue made on purpouse.
Google for S-Curves (and EvilC MWO if You like) and be happy. I use S-curves and can nail fast small ships.

[Alpha Vega]

Has anyone really got the joysticks to work or did I waste my money????

[Kaeb Odellas]

I just got the Thrustmaster T-16000M system and I'm having trouble getting all the buttons bound. Is there a limit on how many buttons MWO recognizes?

[Averen]

I'm quite happy with my T16000m's spring.

After my lost joystick broke, I had to use my old Saitek Cyborg Rumble; you will never see a more ******** spring system. Basically made it useless...

Also props to TM for making a respectable mid range josytick that isn't a giant FU to everyone left handed.

Kaeb Odellas, on 15 May 2018 - 10:48 AM, said:

I just got the Thrustmaster T-16000M system and I'm having trouble getting all the buttons bound. Is there a limit on how many buttons MWO recognizes?

If you got problems with the keys, just use joy to key and bind buttons to the respective keyboard buttons. Has the benefit that those configs don't get lost.

https://joytokey.net/en/

Edited by Averen, 21 May 2018 - 05:31 AM.

[Kaeb Odellas]

Averen, on 21 May 2018 - 05:28 AM, said:

I'm quite happy with my T16000m's spring.

After my lost joystick broke, I had to use my old Saitek Cyborg Rumble; you will never see a more ******** spring system. Basically made it useless...

Also props to TM for making a respectable mid range josytick that isn't a giant FU to everyone left handed.



If you got problems with the keys, just use joy to key and bind buttons to the respective keyboard buttons. Has the benefit that those configs don't get lost.

https://joytokey.net/en/

I ended up just assigning my keybinds to the throttle buttons using the TARGET software. Works just fine.

[Lightfoot]

KindredSpirits, on 25 March 2018 - 06:17 AM, said:

Hey, I gotta ask. How are the deadzones on the T-16000M? I got a Thrustmaster HOTAS X but the deadzone seemed huge.

Trying to find one with little to no deadzone, for (hopefully) around the same price, which the T-16000M is. Google hasn't helped *too* much, but what I could find suggests that there aren't any, but I couldn't find MWO specific answers.

The Deadzones on the Thrustmaster T-16000m are completely configurable through it's TARGET profiling software. Also in MWO's Controller Tab. So are the response curves.

To set-up my buttons I assigned Key Presses through TARGET profiler. You are given a variety of types of presses. Hold is what you normally want, but there is also Press and Release.

I recently had to get a new Thrustmaster T-16000m FCS (the orange highlight one), and was pleasantly surprised to find the tension on the return spring is now just about perfect right out of the box. I don't think I have ever had a more accurate joystick.

[Lightfoot]

Mad Dog 60, on 02 May 2018 - 01:15 PM, said:

Has anyone really got the joysticks to work or did I waste my money????

I started with a Logitech Force Pro which I already had. I made it work pretty well, but the quality of the joystick will have a great affect on the level of control. The T-16000m tracks the stick's location over a magnetic grid so very smooth responses,very accurate.

I made Tier 2, all with a joystick and gameplay is easy to master. I never could get the mouse to work for me. Too confusing after so many years of meching with a joystick.

[Alreech]

Lightfoot, on 25 February 2018 - 06:52 AM, said:

Generally a joystick will deliver faster piloting reactions because you have 3 axis's controlled by the stick in one hand and an analog throttle controlled by the other hand.

That's great for a flight simulator, and not very helpfull in a shooter...

To move the target crosshairs you just need 2 axis, and a mouse is for that purpose perfect because you don't have to apply force just to hold it in a certain position.
Most gaming mice also allow to reduce DPI for Sniping and have a load of buttons for stuff like arm lock and center legs.

But a Joystick is IMHO still a good input device for MWO.
It's much better than WASD + Space to control your speed and turning.

I use a Saitek Cyborg in the left Hand for:
Stick forward/back: Analog Throttle forward/back
Stick left/right: Analog Turning
Trigger: Jump Jets
Coolie Hat: Battlegrid, Scoreboard, Night- & Heatvision
Buttons 2 & 3: Coms, Target Overlay
Buttons 4, 5 & 6: Weapongroups 3, 4 & 5
Pinky Button: VOIP

For aiming I use a Saitek RAT MMO7.
Left Button: Weapon Group 1 (mostly my left side Weapons)
Right Button: Weapon Group 2 (mostly my right side Weapons)
Middle Button: Targetting
Middle Wheel: Zoom
Thump Button 1: Consumable 1
Thump Button 2: Consumable 2
Thump Button 3: Arm Lock
Thump Button 4: Override Shutdown
Thump Button 5: Power Off
Coolie Hat: Center Legs, Center Torso

Edited by Alreech, 31 July 2018 - 08:13 AM.

[Lightfoot]

@ Alreech

Yes, that is an alternate style of joystick use that works very well. I know some pilots who used the joystick in this way in MechWarrior 4. I prefer to have primary movement and aiming in one hand. For me my shots are more consistently accurate that way, especially when moving and shooting. So I rarely ever touch my mouse while in combat and I get it all done. Lock all targets, cycle AMS, ECM, etc.

Just like the pilot avatar when it starts up your mech.