19 replies to this topic

[Tomkin]

Hello all. Does anyone here play using a trackball?
I'm thinking of replacing my mouse with one and would love to hear of people's experiences.

Thank you.

[martian]

I do not think that using a trackball to play MWO would be a good idea.

[Aidan Crenshaw]

I don't think so, either. Usually, you want wide-range motion for twisting, but also finer tracking for aiming. It's been a few decades since I used a trackball for anything, but I think the transition between the two will give you some trouble.

[aardappelianen]

you can do anything ! just practice

[bilagaana]

I used trackballs exclusively for over twenty-five years for all gaming and home/office functions. When I started playing MWO, I could never get satisfactory aiming precision and had to invest in a decent mouse. However. trackballs do work for some people. Different strokes...

[CFC Conky]

@Tomkin,

I've used a trackball for so long that I have trouble making fine movements with a regular mouse.

Just get a good quality trackball. I use a Logitech MX Ergo, and if I suck at MWO (I kinda do ), it's not because of that.

Starwolfe, who regularly streams MWO on Twitch uses an MX Ergo and he's a pretty hot stick.

Good hunting,
CFC Conky

[LordNothing]

trackball has too much inertia, unless its one of those unusable small ones.

my fleeting attempts at a 1st order joystick (most gaming sticks are 2nd order, except ones designed specifically for heli sims and high end wheels for racing sims) have so far proven unsuccessful. though i have demoed a few sensors which can do the job. i got a 14 bit contactless encoder. i figure if i can make it output tick deltas like a mouse does i can make something usable, id just have to center it frequently. the idea is you have enough resolution to be able to map every pixel on your monitor to a specific angle of the stick (and i have a 4k monitor).

been trying to make it work with a military surplus set of joystick gimbals, which frankly are the weak point in the equation. they are old, judging by the giant carbon wound resistors on a board it came with (which i removed for modern electronics) this thing probibly did service in the '60s or '70s. they have a lot of friction i cant get rid of, due to the ball and socket gimbal. id need a lathe to take the slop out of the ball and bushings. attempts to polish same have been less than successful. this would be better, but $$$.

Edited by LordNothing, 15 December 2023 - 01:30 PM.

[CFC Conky]

LordNothing, on 15 December 2023 - 01:27 PM, said:

trackball has too much inertia, unless its one of those unusable small ones.

...

I guess it depends on what you are used to, and muscle memory. I've been using trackballs for 30+ years now and now have trouble using anything else.

Good hunting,
CFC Conky

[confracto]

Starwolfe uses a trackball. you can probably find him on Twitch or his discord and ask him about it there.
https://www.twitch.tv/starwolfe

[LordNothing]

CFC Conky, on 15 December 2023 - 03:07 PM, said:

I guess it depends on what you are used to, and muscle memory. I've been using trackballs for 30+ years now and now have trouble using anything else.

Good hunting,
CFC Conky

muscle memory is huge, thats why i despise microsoft for changing keyboard shortcuts in windows, if i have to learn new ones, i might as well do it in linux.

Edited by LordNothing, 15 December 2023 - 04:50 PM.

[Tomkin]

Thank you all for the replies, really appreciate it.

@CFC Conky,
Have you come across any quality issues with your MX Ergo?

In amazon.com reviews, people frequently complain that the mouse button switches break after about two years. Supposedly this is a general problem with Logitech mice.

CFC Conky, on 15 December 2023 - 09:02 AM, said:

@Tomkin,

I've used a trackball for so long that I have trouble making fine movements with a regular mouse.

Just get a good quality trackball. I use a Logitech MX Ergo, and if I suck at MWO (I kinda do ), it's not because of that.

Starwolfe, who regularly streams MWO on Twitch uses an MX Ergo and he's a pretty hot stick.

Good hunting,
CFC Conky

[kalashnikity]

Back in my day I tried both trackball and joystick for Mechwarrior 2.

Mouse is far superior, for multiple reasons.

[Sug]

I use an M570. The only deficiency I notice is a lack of precision when zoomed in. Reticle tends to jump around and it might take a second or two longer to hit a UAV or something.

Depends on how you play and how good you want to be I guess. A normal mouse is probably better.

[kalashnikity]

Problem with joystick is lack of fine accuracy.

Problem with trackball is ergonomics, track balls tend to use your fingers, not your palm, so how will you shoot?

[CFC Conky]

Tomkin, on 16 December 2023 - 02:48 AM, said:

Thank you all for the replies, really appreciate it.

@CFC Conky,
Have you come across any quality issues with your MX Ergo?

In amazon.com reviews, people frequently complain that the mouse button switches break after about two years. Supposedly this is a general problem with Logitech mice.

The only time I had a problem was when I spilled coffee all over one of them. Otherwise, I find them pretty bullet proof. Just make sure you pop the trackball out from time to time to clean the sensors inside the base and the trackball itself.

Good hunting,
CFC Conky

[Yasuiken]

I have been using a logitech trackball with a SHC-D. Feels pretty smooth to me, but I have been using trackballs since the corded trackman with the red ball was released.

I would say to give them a try since they have advantages over normal mice: They can be set in one place reducing fatigue for some movements, more precision control since you only have to aim with the thumb, can be put on armchairs or narrow tables without affecting use(I sometimes use mine sideways on my bed or with my arms crossed to stretch while still using the mouse), their button placements are rather pleasant.

They have downsides as well: They are a pain to clean, they usually only have 5 buttons (left+right click, pg up+pg down, Middle scroll wheel) which limits your weapon groups to roughly 4, they are sometimes hard to find if they break (more so if you become attached to a specific model), they can cause your hand to fatigue in ways regular mice can't (looking at the birdclaw stance your hand takes when you use one).

Their advantages out-way the downsides, but they are tricky to master.

[Meep Meep]

Trackballs can be more precise than a normal mouse but its all down to the quality of the trackball and if the user is any good at relearning muscle memory. I tried one years back and eh didn't really improve my game over a mouse. I guess its one of those ymmv things.

[kilgor]

I used a thumb based trackball for many years and I play MWO a lot better with it than I do with a mouse. My problem is keeping a mouse steady with firing anything beyond the first 2 buttons. Sure, advanced zoom aiming precision isn't as good with a trackball, but that's only 1 aspect and Advanced Zoom usually sucks so I never use it.

Edited by kilgor, 20 January 2024 - 09:36 AM.

[Heketon]

Twitch streamer Starwolfe (https://www.twitch.tv/starwolfe) uses a trackball and even has a trackball-cam to prove it to naysayers. .

[LordNothing]

those tactile pads on the steam deck are not doing it for me. i use the stick for high rate and the pad for fine adjustments, but having to move back and fourth a lot is kind of ruining my game.