373 replies to this topic

[TheMightySpin]

So I'm trying to get my joystick setup worked out (although until my new rig gets in I can't tell how many of my issues are from my settings or the fact my current computer fails at games) and I seem to have hit a bit of a brick wall. My issue is this, I've always played left handed joystick for movement and torso/turret control, arm lock off, with the mouse controlling the arms for fine aiming in older versions. It now seems arm lock doesn't just release the arms, but continues to move the turret as well and it's driving me nuts! Is there any way to make it so turning off arm lock doesn't effect turret motion when aiming?

Edited by TheMightySpin, 11 December 2016 - 03:19 PM.

[TheMightySpin]

Or perhaps, is there any way to attach the use of the mouse to when arm lock is toggled off? Fooling around I'm getting mixed results from turning joystick sensitivity up and mouse sensitivity down, but there's an occasional conflict of input I would like to avoid. I'll keep screwing around until I figure something out, but any suggestions would help. Thanks.

[mclang]

This setup seems interesting.

How do you manage to both steer the legs and turn torso with the left hand joystick, or do you have pedals?

To your question: Maybe you could use AutoHotkey script to monitor mouse movement and enable/disable arm lock whenever certain limit is exceeded. It may be impossible to do properly tough because torso tries always to follow arms.

[TheMightySpin]

So currently steering is either done with the yaw twist on the joystick or by aligning the legs with the torso, I have both torso-to-leg and leg-to-torso hot-keyed on my hat. Torso control is good old X- and Y-axis. With turning being an absolute, though, I think I might try using my mouse as steering pedals like I had set up on ATF Gold when I didn't have a joystick. I've also got throttle control, which I generally set at 60%, and fine tune my speed on the keyboard when needed. My two biggest limitations to getting this set up, however, is my current computer is junk for gaming (my new rig should be here soon) and my right hand is broken. Cast comes off in a week, but still...

I think I might have found a solution where I drop the mouse sensitivity like its hot and get limited control, but like you said, torso will still be tracking those arms. I miss being able to move my arms without the torso, even if the range of movement wasn't more than maybe 25* on the best of mechs. Made killing things while moving over rough terrain SO much easier. Was also nice for minimizing core exposure when firing on your peripherals.

Edited by TheMightySpin, 12 December 2016 - 09:57 AM.

[ShiftySWP and the Pleated Pants]

TheMightySpin, on 11 December 2016 - 03:18 PM, said:

Is there any way to make it so turning off arm lock doesn't effect turret motion when aiming?

Short answer. No. Torso will always sync to arms to the limit of your mech's specific twist/yaw limits.

FYI... i think you will quickly find that using a joystick/gamepad is not very competitive in MWO and will greatly hinder your performance in all mechs. If you are cool with that, then immersion button on and enjoy!

[TheMightySpin]

So I've heard, but I think I'm getting closer to something that works for me. Not really going to know for sure until my right hand escapes it's prison next week... Until then all I can do is experiment in the Academy where I can't screw anybody over. I've been considering using a mouse emulator, we'll see what happens. My new comp will be arriving tomorrow, that should make a big difference, using a machine that will get FPS rather than FPM... (Viridian Bog makes my current gpu a sad panda)

Edited by TheMightySpin, 12 December 2016 - 12:16 PM.

[LK4D4]

That IS an interesting setup.
For keyboard, and I've played with that the first 2 months of my time, practice with it A LOT. I am used to having XYZ axis and a joystick that has lots of buttons available on the base and stick for easy access. Yet with a mouse and keyboard, that changed everything where I have a majority of my buttons on the keyboard movement, and mouse now provides with more options (Razer Naga).
But yeah, practice lots and figure what makes you a better (or faster) player.

[Ozzy Stormlight]

long time JS user here

I used to play this game with a Logitec 3D pro.. all the controls basicly on 1 stick and base.. worked good for a while, but i wanted my HOTAS from MW4:mercs that used to use exclusively... however my 3D pro broke ( after MANY years of use and repair) so I broke out the old Saitek X45, hoping to find a way to make it work. Through lots of trial and error, I FINALLY found a feasible solution that was both immersive and competitive ... HOTAM ( Hands On Throttle And Mouse)

I use my trottle for for legs and the mouse for aiming/torso . bonus is that i get quite a few of the mandatory controls ( targeting, vision modes, air/arty srtikes, etc.) mapped to the throttle buttons while i keep all the fire and view controls on the mouse.

unfortunately, you will not be able to do anything to keep the torso from following the arms.

One loop hole to this though... if you map the free look button (Lctrl by default) to lets say a toggle on the throttle it is possible to do as you say and fire without moving the torso. Note: you will be limited to the min/max arm angle of the mech. And unless you have it configured as such, will still fire weapons in a group that are not on the arm itself. ... but it works

Edited by Ozzy Stormlight, 13 December 2016 - 06:36 AM.

[TheMightySpin]

Right now I'm rocking a FLY 5, which kinda does deserve every bad thing said about it, but between the button layout, 8-way hat and scroll wheel I have every movement command, all my weapons groups, NV/TV, Arty and air strikes all within reach of my thumb and fore finger. With the right stick and the proper coding you could almost get away playing one handed. It's a shame this game caters so forcefully to the mousers out there when there are so many potential advantages to joystick use. Oh well, lowest common denominator and such, I'll make it work.

[Lightfoot]

For you I would just ignore that the torso moves with the arms, just think of it as some extra range of movement for the arms because that's all that is happening mostly.

I use a Thrustmaster t16000m, which is very nice, for all mech movement and firing in my right hand and a Logitech G13 speedpad for all the subsystems. The T16000m works same as the more expensive HOTAS version, having the stick position tracked by a magnetic sensor grid so it's very accurate. It is also ambidextrous, there's a switch on the bottom.

I would ignore the "Must Be Mouse" crowd and do what you like best. Mouse has drawbacks too and definitely not how a mech is piloted so you lose the Mech-Sim effect that you get with a joystick.

[TheMightySpin]

Thanks, I had been eye-balling the T16000m and may still get one later, but I went with the FLY 5 after I found one on sale for $20 after dropping $2k on my new computer I'm acquainting myself with as we speak (It's very first power up out of the box). I will say that, despite some obvious issues with the base, it's layout is fantastic and I really can access every function needed to play with one hand (not play well, mind you). If I could transfer the top half of a FLY 5 onto a Thustmaster HOTAS base it would be heaven. Until then I'll keep practicing and find my sweet spot.

Ozzy Stormlight, on 13 December 2016 - 06:35 AM, said:

One loop hole to this though... if you map the free look button (Lctrl by default) to lets say a toggle on the throttle it is possible to do as you say and fire without moving the torso. Note: you will be limited to the min/max arm angle of the mech. And unless you have it configured as such, will still fire weapons in a group that are not on the arm itself. ... but it works

This sounds almost exactly like what I've been trying to do, and the limitations wouldn't be any different. The nice thing about the set up, when configured right, was in being able to have more control when shooting a moving target while moving yourself. Even though the range of movement is small, being able to aim that little bit without your whole screen moving is essentially providing a stable firing position while still maintaining your mobility. With the addition of 1v1 in this last patch it would be a huge game changer if this could be figured out.

Edited by TheMightySpin, 13 December 2016 - 03:23 PM.

[Strattus]

Duke916, on 25 February 2016 - 08:11 PM, said:

Slion,
Thank you for posting the Vjoy and stick curves sites. I've been playing MWO in DIFFICULT (HOTAS/rudder pedals) mode for 2 years just grinning and bearing the fact I would never be as precise as the mousers. I just cannot bear the idea of playing this game with a mouse and keyboard (doesn't the virtual pilot in the start up sequence move his throttle and joystick???). It just seems to run against Battletech lore and any controllers we have in current real world weapons systems.

With the influx of Steam players and their obvious knack for using mouse and keyboard (and therefore PGI's reticence to change to a 1st order controller game), I'm finally ready to try the emulation programs. Thought I'd start with Vjoy.

Those of you using Vjoy, have you found Vjoy curves which work better in brawling verses sniping? What are your favorites? Do you switch between them in CW matches?

You, Sir, are a boss! Tier 1 and using Hotas and pedals.... I might just try to switch back. I've been trying on and off over the last few years to play with the joystick, but may try a few things in this topic to help. Also, lot's of good conversation for reviews of flight stick setups, so thank you to all of you who have contributed!!!

[TheMightySpin]

Well, I got my new rig and I've got to say there is no proper analogy for the difference it's made in my playing. I'm still stuck only being able to use my left hand for anything (right hand is broken, cast comes off next week) and I'm topping 200 damage a game with a lefty stick, up by about 10x from the old cow I had running before. Once I get my full faculties back, y'all doomed.

I also agree that there is something inherently wrong in playing this game with mouse/keyboard. If I recall correctly most of the original PC series was meant to be played with a joystick. Hell, I KNOW that keyboard and mouse players were shunned worse in MW2 than Joystick users here (I had tried playing with K/M after my joystick broke, game was near impossible and everyone hated me). Fact is there's a lot more flexibility in the control style now than there was 10 years ago, even if it's balanced in the wrong way.

Edited by TheMightySpin, 15 December 2016 - 04:45 PM.

[Coalfire]

Hi there, looks like I found the right place, but trying to read through 18 pages of posts is a killer.

I have been trying to configure my old logitech extreme 3D pro to use in this game. This old fart hasn't kept up on the tech, is having a hard time setting up and configuring it. Man how things have changed since the 70's and 80's when I use to design, build and program my own systems, mind is not as sharp as it use to be. I use to love the old battletech computer games and they all worked with a joystick.

Anyways, I need some help configuring my joystick, I have been picking away at it, one command/axis at a time in the academy. Managed to get the mech to move with the joystick, get the center legs/torso to work with button 3 and 4 on the stick. Yah, I no this might not seem like much, but to an old school guy like me it's a lot, lol.

Altough I like what I see in this game and really want to play (may never make leader board), the keyboard mouse combo or two handed play will not work for me (limited functionality left arm/hand). I have some ideas, like using my hat for targeting and a few others. The fact of the mater is, I just want to be able to play even though I may not be the best lance mate.

So if anyone can help it would be greatly appreciated, thank you in advance.

[Coalfire]

OK, now I am really confused. I haven't been to the academy, nor adjusted my joystick setting but when I went to the academy all my settings changed. My torso turns when I use the twist feature of my stick (a good thing), my mech turns, and moves forward/backwards with the x-y axis (good), yet my throttle lever only works in reverse and is backwards.

I don't know whats happened, can anyone direct me to where my MWO configs are so I can take a peek?

PS: I am using logitech extreme 3D pro. Since I started working on this my old,old school knowledge is starting to return. Seems like a lot of the same formats (similar) to dos,pascal, fortran and basic are used.

Edited by Coalfire, 12 January 2017 - 12:51 PM.

[Chound]

shotokan5, on 25 November 2012 - 06:34 PM, said:

The people who ask for our money should be solving these problems. 1 the game engine was never made for a joystick. 2 its on low priority no matter what they say. For you to be having to program your own joystick. Is like buying a new car and having you put the electrical system in. _____ to that. I love this game a lot and its getting better. I wish someone would give a darn about are unimportant problems . Someone gave me an answer because I said I had all the bindings working except one. The forward and back pitch on the joystick was backwards . should we be trying to fix their screw-ups when they have 5 and probably because of us 6 mil and we do the work for them. I have installed business systems since 1979 and do you think I would expect the company to do my work? This is BS. Im retired now but trust me their would never an WA engine purchased unless they did the work before purchase. Even some TECHS say that personally. O my answer to my question to the tech was the same old crap look here and look their. Non of it had anything to do with my question their binding of forward or backward movement of the stick. Ill probably will end up having to get my 8th X52 . But to pay money and do their work wake up guys that's ____ ____, Stop programing and start why you are paying for a game that will not help you and give you the old company line. I even get better service from Sony. The world has gone insane in my old age. Shotokan5.. They are however doing a great job in many other areas. Things we only wished for less than 10 years ago are here now. Thanks for that.

how can I unbind then rebind my keyboard. I would like to reset some of the keys to a more natural feel for me. and maybe move some mouse functions to the keyboard.

[TheMightySpin]

Coalfire, on 12 January 2017 - 12:49 PM, said:

OK, now I am really confused. I haven't been to the academy, nor adjusted my joystick setting but when I went to the academy all my settings changed. My torso turns when I use the twist feature of my stick (a good thing), my mech turns, and moves forward/backwards with the x-y axis (good), yet my throttle lever only works in reverse and is backwards.

I don't know whats happened, can anyone direct me to where my MWO configs are so I can take a peek?

PS: I am using logitech extreme 3D pro. Since I started working on this my old,old school knowledge is starting to return. Seems like a lot of the same formats (similar) to dos,pascal, fortran and basic are used.

When I got my joystick set up the same thing happened. PGI has implemented preset JS controls at some point. Most of the early post on this page for having to program your JS manually are obsolete. Part of this is because, although most of the current players are probably more familiar with Keyboard & Mouse game play, the real core of the Mech' Vets played the original games which were designed for JS use more than K&M. After many years of disgruntled comments they finally gave in somewhat and did more to integrate JS viability and improve Plug & Play. Try adjusting the throttle in game, which may help, or rebinding it entirely (sometimes it just needs to be reset).

I play with a left handed JS and Mouse. All my major functions are at my fingertips, JS has all my weapons groups, target lock, center legs, NV/HV, zoom, consumables and turning while my mouse covers throttle and aiming to take advatage of the fact this game is still 0-order controls. I'm in your same boat Coalfire, I haven't done any serious computer work since DOS was a thing... I miss DOS...

Chound, Just double click on the keybindings in the setting section. After that you can rebind any and all of the keys however you want, but be sure to double check that everything works how you want it afterwords. I once forgot to rebind my throttle...

Edited by TheMightySpin, 16 January 2017 - 09:32 AM.

[mclang]

Has anybody tried the new Thrustmaster TWCS Throttle?

I'm currently using throttle from Thrustmaster Hotas-X because it has rudder level in the front for turning, but it is annoying to have the joystick on the table when I don't need it and the button layout doesn't fit well on my fingers.

Most important question thus beining, whether the paddle of TWCS Throttle work for turning as well as Hotas-X rocker level?

[DRlFTER]

Just throwing it out there, I use a saitek Cyborg v1 flightstick in my left and mouse in my right. It works beautifully, and gives me a great advantage in 1 vs 1 cause I can control my turn precisely at any radius I choose. Between the joystick buttons and my mmo mouse, I only touch the keyboard for chat. Highly recommend it.

[mclang]

I used to play with left hand joystick also.

Problem for me was that when the battle heated up, pressing forward or pulling backward more often than not accidentally also turned my mech, which made me even more lousy at aiming and made me get stuck on corners and the like. So I bought Thrustmaster Hotas-X flightstick and throttle combo, which I can recommend.

But as it is always with these things - maybe the new toy would be better