What flight stick?

[nasomi]

I can't fly/manuever to save my life, but I realize I'm trying to do it with a keyboard and mouse. I'd like to get a flight stick, but I'm kind of ***-y and dont' want to spend a lot of money. I'm sure everyone has a flightstick they say is the best, so instead of asking just for models, what sort of features does one require? How many buttons? I don't need feedback or rumble but I'm sure they are nice if not two expensive.

Flying takes two hands I'm assuming, one for throttle and one for control, right? When flying with my mouse I tried rolling tot he left then moving the mouse down to pull up on the nose, however that didn't work at all. Instead I had to move the mouse to the left, making leaning while turning effectively useless.

[lolroflroflcake]

I actually exclusively use mouse and keyboard and feel I do exceptionally well, but each to their own.

[maradine]

The stick I've been recommending to people who want to give it a shot is the Logitech Extreme 3D Pro, which clocks in at a modest $30, new. It has a twist grip for simulating a rudder pedal setup, bringing the number of analog axes to 4 - more than enough to deal with PS2.

Until throttle mapping is implemented, you'll be using key control for speed input. You can do this by keeping your left hand over WASD, or mapping throttle controls into the button cluster on the base. Be prepared to download Logitech's stick profiler, which will be necessary to compensate for the fact that PS2's joystick sensitivity control is currently broken.

There isn't really anything going on in PS2's model that requires a more complicated setup. I have the stick half of a TM HOTAS as my primary and yaw, throttle, and vertical thrusters on a G13 pad/stick for convenience, but I already had both, and wouldn't purchase either just for this application.

Now, you wanna talk DCS, that's another thread.

[nasomi]

Thanks for the input. I think i just need to sit back for an afternoon and practice. I was playing iwth mouse sensativity and it got a little better but not quite easy still. I can fly, but I can't do anything combat related, nor can I escape the impending doom of a half dozen missile locks. I want to be able to maneuver properly, the planes are pretty agile, I just haven't figured out how to utilize it yet.

[knorssman]

i have been using a xbox controller so far and it seems to work with flying fairly well, i can take off and land easy, even avoid death a few times, i even killed something once lol

[RSphil]

i have a X52 but last time i tried joystick integration still needed work as you roll without doing anything and cant stop it. im hoping they have fixed this as high G maneuvers with a mouse is impossible to keep up.

will give it a try this week before launch to see if anything has been done. i hope so as i love flying.

[maradine]

They fixed it. It's straight linear and the sensitivity is broken, though, so you'll have to shape the input curve yourself if you find it over-responsive.

[GrmlZ]

I think the joystick support in PS 2 works very well now.
Its really fun flying the ESF with em. Got a few examples of how i do with it in the video thread.
http://www.planetside-universe.com/showthread.php?t=50163

I use a Logitech extrem 3d pro, nice joystick for about 50 bucks.
There are cheaper ones, but they often have no twist handel (at least not a proper one).
And the twist handel is very importend and well supported in ps2, meaning that yaw is an axis instead of an "on off" switch when you use it.
With it you actually have an advantage in yaw control over mouse/keyboard players.
The X52 is a great joystick ,but in my opinion overkill if you only use it for PS2 or action oriented games like it. If you plan to look into sims too though it can only be recommended.

[GrmlZ]

Mouse & keyboard beats joystick in this game
No it does not.

[Fafnir]

Mouse & keyboard beats joystick in this game.

No it does not.

It's a matter of preference. I was doing fine in beta with mouse and keyboard, but I'm considering switching to stick once it has proper support.

[GrmlZ]

Fine, then it doesn't.

Not like I care whether you get raped or not.
Ok,i normaly dont do this, but after such a comment i cant help myself. ;)
http://i.imgur.com/uju4A.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/fz8Hz.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/HDeOF.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ucePs.jpg

As for a reason why mouse keyboard is not better than joystick, well two things come to my mind.
First thing, since i just saw it perfectly explained in maradines sig i will steal it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=m_p5glPANSU

Second thing, with mouse keyboard you can only be precise on two out of 3 axis,being roll and pitch. You are limited on the yaw axis couse A,D buttons are no axis.

With a proper stick you get precision on all 3 axis.

[ChipMHazard]

I would love to switch over to stick and keyboard as soon as I'm sure it's properly supported. I still baffles me that they haven't fixed the sensitivity.

[GrmlZ]

Hm, i had no problem with the sensitivity, i played arround with the sensitivity slider in the options menu till i found the setting i liked most,same way i do with the mouse, and that was it.

[Citizen H]

I've been flying in arcade shooters for a while. From the 109s in Battlefield 1942 right to the jets and choppers in BF3, from Crimson Skies to World of Warplanes. I'm by no means an ace (I managed to hold #4 ranking spot globally for BF2142 gunships the first couple months for what it's worth) but I offer this advice:

I've always used a joytick. Until Planetside 2.

I was struggling to be an effective pilot in PS2, until I ditched the stick and went mouse and keyboard and then my score went way up. I found that the way PS2 interacted with the stick (Logitech Extreme 3d), right up to the last patch on Friday, didn't feel right. It lacked the fine accuracy in small movements for aiming and was also sluggish for grand maneuvers, regardless of the settings in game or in the joystick software.

I went mouse and keyboard and went from struggling to keep a Lightning tank driving down the road in my sights to lobbing rockets through the small opening at the top of the vehicle bay doors at Amp Stations for massive kills.

PS2 just seems better optimized for KB/M flying, at least currently.

[Fafnir]

Hm, i had no problem with the sensitivity, i played arround with the sensitivity slider in the options menu till i found the setting i liked most,same way i do with the mouse, and that was it.

The problem with joystick was that there was no analog axis control (from 0% to 100%), but digital (0% or 100%). When I turned my stick, it didn't matter how much did I turn it - my aircraft always rolled at 100% rate. Did they fix that already?

[GrmlZ]

I never had this problem, i guarantee you i would have noticed that, since it is exactly what i just criticised on the keyboard yaw control.

I have full analog axis control since i joined the beta in september with my logitech stick as well as a cheap cyborg V1 i used before i got the logitech.

This is the oldest reaver vid i got, a few days after esamir release. Over one month ago.
I was not very good back than but i think you can tell that the axis are analog.
Planetside 2 - Esamir CAS - YouTube

[ChipMHazard]

The problem with joystick was that there was no analog axis control (from 0% to 100%), but digital (0% or 100%). When I turned my stick, it didn't matter how much did I turn it - my aircraft always rolled at 100% rate. Did they fix that already?

I had the same problem. Made it nigh impossible to control.
I guess I'll try it out again at release.

[Beerbeer]

Delete: Sorry wrong thread...

[GrmlZ]

You killed 70 people in the beta of a game that is known to attract the biggest downies in the FPS genre? Nobody cares.
Nobody? Not just a little bit? :(

Oh come on,admit it, under that hard shell that you show the world you do care! :love:

[ChipMHazard]

You killed 70 people in the beta of a game that is known to attract the biggest downies in the FPS genre? Nobody cares.

At least he was the one who did the raping... So to speak.

[Bartowski]

Ok,i normaly dont do this, but after such a comment i cant help myself. ;)
http://i.imgur.com/uju4A.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/fz8Hz.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/HDeOF.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ucePs.jpg

As for a reason why mouse keyboard is not better than joystick, well two things come to my mind.
First thing, since i just saw it perfectly explained in maradines sig i will steal it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=m_p5glPANSU

Second thing, with mouse keyboard you can only be precise on two out of 3 axis,being roll and pitch. You are limited on the yaw axis couse A,D buttons are no axis.

With a proper stick you get precision on all 3 axis.

that's pretty impressive, how long were your sessions for those stats?

[GrmlZ]

About 2 hours i guess? Dont really now, rearming, repairing and that does slow you down.
Other than that, ESF where pretty OP multirole aircraft and people where complaining about them for good reason,so getting those stats is not that hard.
I am sure there are better pilots than me that got far over 100 to 0 stats.

I have some recording from that last screens session btw, if your interested.
Its the second vid in my video thread.
http://www.planetside-universe.com/showthread.php?t=50163