Well, I don't know how many people use one for the control of the air vehicles but, wow! What a difference.
I've had a MS sidewinder pro FF since way back (Got it not long after they came out) and it was sat in the corner gathering dust. I think the last game I re-played with it was freespace 2 (oh, such a classic) and I wanted to see how BF2 handled joystick control.
Simply, BF2 is a completely new game now. After some initial config problems with the setup on the helicopter which resulted in right == left :P (When you bind an axis it fills out both fields, so make sure that when you choose left you move the stick left!) Once I got into the game I've found the helicopters a little easier to fly, though they wern't really a problem due to the control method being suited to a mouse as well as a joystick. Though the throttle is much better meaning you can hover much easier.
The real difference are the jets. They are a joy to fly! Once I got used to having such control I just spend most of one map flying around barrel rolling and pulling off the occasional stall turn :P great fun. Again, having the throttle makes life so much easier, just don't let your airspeed drop too much or you sink like a stone :P
Anyway, I had great fun last night, and if you are seriously into playing BF2 then a joysick for control of the air vehicles is a must. It really does make it a whole new game.
bugger
I had just convinced myself that the mouse was going to be fine and you go and make me think about buying a joystick again. :huh:
I'm slightly different in that after much faffing with both a stick and the mouse/keyboard, I've settled on the mouse for the helis and the stick for the jets.
For me the mouse makes it much easier to make the fine adjustments necessary for heli flight. Maybe the sensitivity of my joystick is too low (Logitech Extreme 3D), but I found it far too easy to over-correct with it when trying to fine tune a hover. Also, the analogue throttle control got to be a pain, as zero throttle is set at mid-deflection. With the mouse/keyboard - zero throttle for hovering can be achieved by simply letting go of the accelerate (or W) key. Whereas with the stick you have to find the midpoint on the throttle slider. Too much and you go back up, too little and you start descending too quickly.
I totally agree with using a stick for planes though. Couldn't fly 'em any other way. ;)
yeah, that's what I feel with the heli too, however, with a bit of tweaking I've got it down now, and the throttle isn't too bad to get that static hover. Pretty much instinctive even after a few minutes play.
QuoteOriginally posted by Gandalf-LordOfJelly@Jul 7 2005, 09:55 AM
yeah, that's what I feel with the heli too, however, with a bit of tweaking I've got it down now, and the throttle isn't too bad to get that static hover. Pretty much instinctive even after a few minutes play.
[post=87875]Quoted post[/post]
when you say a static hover...
If I fly slowly I can more or less get a hover going, but if I want to aim downwards I just end up flying forwards, which typically gives me 1 or 2 seconds to fire before I have to pull up again, correct my flight path and turn round to try again. Yet when choppers are hovering about shooting at me it always feels as if they aren't having this problem... am I missing the magic remain-hovering-but-tilt-the-gun-downwards button? :ph34r:
that's probably the gunner doing his job :P TBH, I'm still perfecting the art of heli flying, will do some more single player at some point to experiment.
It's the jets I love :D
QuoteOriginally posted by suicidal_monkey@Jul 7 2005, 09:59 AM
when you say a static hover...
If I fly slowly I can more or less get a hover going, but if I want to aim downwards I just end up flying forwards, which typically gives me 1 or 2 seconds to fire before I have to pull up again, correct my flight path and turn round to try again. Yet when choppers are hovering about shooting at me it always feels as if they aren't having this problem... am I missing the magic remain-hovering-but-tilt-the-gun-downwards button? :ph34r:
[post=87876]Quoted post[/post]
Unfortunately it doesn't exist. With the limited ordnance available to the pilot, you've only really got a couple of seconds to line up a shot, fire off a few rockets, then try and counteract the momentum you've just given to the heli before lining up another shot. It's much easier when you have a gunner on board, as you just have to keep the nose pointed in the general direction of the target while he peppers it, and fire your own rockets when you think your sights are lined up.
On a slightly different topic. One thing that irks me about riding shotgun in attack helis is the number of pilots who want to both fly and take out targets themselves, when they have a gunner on board. If a pilot is constantly trying to line up the nose of the copter to squeeze off rockets, it makes it very difficult for the gunner to do his job effectively, and near impossible to use the helis most devastating weapon - the TV guided missiles.
IMHO a good attack heli pilot should be taking it reasonably slow and steady, trying to manoeuver his gunner in to a good position to use the TV missiles against armour, and the cannon against soft targets and AA emplacements. You should only be jinking about and swooping like a madman if coming under direct fire, or in one of those fun heli-heli dogfights. Having the pilot and gunner in the same squad makes it much easier for the gunner to tell the pilot which way to move the nose when he's looking through his TV screen.
Mmmmm, must go and pull that forcefeedback Sidewinder out of the cupboard when I get home.............
TL.
I'm sticked up for the planes, and yep, what a difference, the throttle is the main thing.
One thing I did find is when you have the alternative for the chopper set as your stick, when you jump in it throttles up/down depending on where you left it. bvious really, but it annoyed me so I've deleted the secondary configs for buttons.
Once you're up in the planes I've been half throttling then using the after burner if I need more speed, and again, yes, slow and steady in the chopper, but how good does it feel when you pull pu, turn hard and drop like a rock, to then swoop low across the ground through some tight gaps and back into control....Love it.
hmmm, now I'm almost convinced not to buy the game.
How many controls are needed?
Mouse, Keyb, JoysticK, VR Helmet?
QuoteOriginally posted by Thulsa Doom@Jul 7 2005, 03:21 PM
hmmm, now I'm almost convinced not to buy the game.
How many controls are needed?
Mouse, Keyb, JoysticK, VR Helmet?
[post=87896]Quoted post[/post]
I play pretty much only with mouse and keyboard. Only time I get annoyed is when flying the planes, because tou do a loop you have to be continuously pulling the mouse down and when you run out of space suddenly you find yourself flying into the ground etc... :whistle:
I found that I can't use the mouse at all when attempting to fly, I ended up using just the keyboard - left hand on normal wasd & right on the arrow keys. I'm slowly getting used to the choppers, but 1 thing I do like is being a gunner - so if any theres any Blue Thunder wannabees out there who need a gunner, I'm your man :)
I tried my SideWinder 2 last night but couldn't get it configured properly.. It kept turning on it's side all by itself.
Can one of you smart chaps using a SW post up a screen shot of your Helo and Plane configs?
TIA
NF
QuoteOriginally posted by RizZy@Jul 7 2005, 03:58 PM
I found that I can't use the mouse at all when attempting to fly, I ended up using just the keyboard - left hand on normal wasd & right on the arrow keys. I'm slowly getting used to the choppers, but 1 thing I do like is being a gunner - so if any theres any Blue Thunder wannabees out there who need a gunner, I'm your man :)
[post=87899]Quoted post[/post]
:withstupid:
I use the mouse for the chopper and have the right mouse button for the 'throttle up', left mouse to fire.
Allows me to hover and drink at the same time! :D
Saitek ST90 joystick with digital throttle for the plane, still playing with the pitch and yaw sensitivity.
QuoteOriginally posted by Liberator@Jul 8 2005, 07:55 PM
I use the mouse for the chopper and have the right mouse button for the 'throttle up', left mouse to fire.
Allows me to hover and drink at the same time! :D
Saitek ST90 joystick with digital throttle for the plane, still playing with the pitch and yaw sensitivity.
[post=88028]Quoted post[/post]
Can you bind the mousewheel to throttle in the chopper? At the moment my keyboard gives me an all or nothing option.
QuoteOriginally posted by Benny@Jul 11 2005, 08:27 AM
Can you bind the mousewheel to throttle in the chopper? At the moment my keyboard gives me an all or nothing option.
[post=88194]Quoted post[/post]
You could bind the right button to "Bring more beer" :D
Me whips out me joy stick
EDIT: :o mines to old school to plug in. :( ! twas top of the range in 97!
I tried my old joystick, a gravis eliminator precision pro, and it's far too smart for its own good, I was crap at flying, so just sticking with the keyboard at present,. Maybe I need more sensitivity, and a bigger deadspot. Hmmm....