7 replies to this topic

[Lightfoot]

MWO now has excellent joystick support that is as good as the joystick you use. However, at first MWO had horrible joystick support with no Analog Turn. I think that many players trying MWO back then with a joystick would have likely just moved on. You can tell players to use a Mouse instead, but many players skilled in Mech piloting with a Joystick would refuse this option. MechWarrior loses a lot of it's immersion value with a Mouse. Some players can accept this, but many will not.


Any players coming back to MWO now are usually told they must use a mouse when they ask about a joystick. Some players say they would refuse to team up with someone using a joystick, refuse to allow them in their unit. So, if your intent is to play MWO with your joystick you might not even try MWO, or give MWO a second try if returning.


But, MWO's joystick support is a valuable asset, now that it works, however how would anyone know about that feature/ability from looking at the Website?

MechWarrior's Sim values are all greatly enhanced by joystick control which is why it is make or break functionality to so many. Myself, I tried Mouse and Speedpad for the first 3 weeks of Closed Beta and was about to go nuts. MWO was so bad for me with a Mouse. Fortunately we got rudimentary joystick functionality and I immediately started to have fun. I was finally piloting a mech in MWO!

So for some, once you learn joystick Mech-piloting you never go mouse. Not ever. Many MechWarrior players feel this way and MWO should be more interested in adding them to the player base. At least expressing that the option is there.

[Peace2U]

I use the joystick on one hand and the multi-function mouse on the other, with the KB in front and feel very immersed in play.
Never tried playing with KB/mouse only, so I cannot comment on it's versatility.
That being said, everyone has their own preferences and play style.
It is sad to hear some people feel so strongly about their play style that they would deny others from joining their group if they used a joystick???
Peace (and Joy) to All

[TheFallOfTheReaper]

Joystick=tater, use a mouse

[Lightfoot]

ShadowHimself, on 24 January 2018 - 12:37 PM, said:

Joystick=tater, use a mouse

I am a few millimeters from Tier 2 with a joystick and I doubt I would be that good with a mouse. So hardly a tater. Best mechs are all direct fire/laser mixes with 4 weapon groups in rapid use. Not a missile user.

[Lightfoot]

I am a sci-fi reader and roleplayer and I like some flight sims. That's what drew me to MechWarrior and also gave me good joystick skills. So when I play games like MWO and Elite Dangerous I naturally use the controller that creates the greatest simulated realism. I am also too clumsy with a mouse anyway. But Mechs torso-twist and yaw, like a plane turns and yaws so joystick is the easiest controller giving you simultaneous control of all 4 movement axis's. If MWO had the joystick control abilities at launch that it does now players would not have been forced into using a mouse and MWO would have attracted more players most likely.

That's why MWO should make sure prospective players know they have the option of mouse+keyboard or joystick for a controller and if you look at MWO's game guide sections joystick is never mentioned. Players would be left to ask on the forums. I have received 3 or 4 letters from new players asking me for joystick set-up instructions, so of course I help them out. So there is a need out there for some guides and stuff related to joysticks.

And by the way, the standard setup for joysticks on a PC MechWarrior game is to have torso-twist on the RZ axis and mech turn on the X axis. Maybe the pods had Twist on the X-axis, but they had rudder pedals. The difference is like night and day so anyone who hasn't should try their joystick with Mech Turn flipped to the X-Axis.

[MitchellAvellar]

Lightfoot, soo agree with your sentiments here and you are exactly right in my case. I was super psyched a few years ago when the open beta came out and did the founders thing and everything, then, game comes out and i find out that you have to edit XML to even get your joystick to work and i was just like, fahgedaboutit. Finally came back a few months ago and realized the joystick code works now and have been in deep trying to catch up and get my skills back.

I will say this though, the joystick code could still use some tweeking...either that or the two sticks i've tried (extreme pro 3d and thrustmaster) are a bit too wiggly and hard to keep on target. Or i just haven't quite figured out the right settings for it yet. It kind of feels a little "imprecise" still sometimes. Any advice there settings-wise? Should i try to make it more sensitive....less? Is there a good high end stick that you like?

[Dealer 6]

I’m a new player and was looking forward to joystick control, but torso control with the mouse does seem more accurate currently. I definitely prefer my games more on the simulation side and think mwo or mw5 could benefit from a more sim like control experience. In real tanks the Gunner controls with a device similar to a joystick, but the tank is automatically leveling the gun as the tank moves. It also does the ballistic calculations.. That would be super beneficial for a sim like experience with joystick control. I also think the mouse control is too accurate in mwo. I would prefer mouse movement away from center to control the rate of torso movement and not the exact location of the movement.

[khanonfodder]

Where in MWO do i find access in the program to make the necessary adjustments to make my joystick and throttle work?