Registered: Jun 2002
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I played FreeSpace2 all the way thru with a mouse, because I didn't have a joystick. Then 3 months ago I got my own PC and my own Joystick, a MicroSoft SideWinder Precision Pro 2.

I've been playing with the Precision Pro 2 every time I've played Freespace 2 ever since. I've been patient -- I figure it takes a while for you to get to aim as well and as accurately with a JS, so I should just stick with it..

But dammit, I never seem to get better, not anywhere near the point where I have the same dead-on instantaneous accuracy & quick re-aim fine tuning you get with a mouse... I'll struggle for a whole half an hour to kill three shivan fighters that are dogging me, then I'll switch to mouse and nail them all dead in 15 seconds! (no exaggeration!) The return to mouse at that point is SUCH A RELIEF! But I know it's offensive to purists to play space sims with a mouse -- I like the IDEA of a Joystick too -- I love the idea of turning continuously in a dogfight with my JS, but aiming is another story!

With a Joystick I just cannot keep my nose centered on the badguy. I am always CLOSE to being centered, but tryiing to control that last 10 to 2 degrees of "center aim" is just infuriating as hell! (To me it's kinda like playing darts with a shovel, or drag racing in a fire engine -- I"m always trying to trim my nose back to center.)


I know I've asked this question before, but do you long-term joystick users REALLY get to the place where you can swing your nose around and stop it ON A DIME, where you can nail several different targets in quick succession, without your nose swinging all over like a big heavy sword?

Thanks for any input.


(PS -- FYI I checked my JS calibration -- it's fine. About sensitivity -- I don't want to turn it DOWN, because the whole point of using a stick for me is so I can TURN AROUND quickly, which you can't do with a mouse! The only thing I haven't tried is the "dead zone" settings -- What are they anyway?)

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Registered: Jun 2002
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Posts: 2

I played FreeSpace2 all the way thru with a mouse, because I didn't have a joystick. Then 3 months ago I got my own PC and my own Joystick, a MicroSoft SideWinder Precision Pro 2.

I've been playing with the Precision Pro 2 every time I've played Freespace 2 ever since. I've been patient -- I figure it takes a while for you to get to aim as well and as accurately with a JS, so I should just stick with it..

But dammit, I never seem to get better, not anywhere near the point where I have the same dead-on instantaneous accuracy & quick re-aim fine tuning you get with a mouse... I'll struggle for a whole half an hour to kill three shivan fighters that are dogging me, then I'll switch to mouse and nail them all dead in 15 seconds! (no exaggeration!) The return to mouse at that point is SUCH A RELIEF! But I know it's offensive to purists to play space sims with a mouse -- I like the IDEA of a Joystick too -- I love the idea of turning continuously in a dogfight with my JS, but aiming is another story!

With a Joystick I just cannot keep my nose centered on the badguy. I am always CLOSE to being centered, but tryiing to control that last 10 to 2 degrees of "center aim" is just infuriating as hell! (To me it's kinda like playing darts with a shovel, or drag racing in a fire engine -- I"m always trying to trim my nose back to center.)


I know I've asked this question before, but do you long-term joystick users REALLY get to the place where you can swing your nose around and stop it ON A DIME, where you can nail several different targets in quick succession, without your nose swinging all over like a big heavy sword?

Thanks for any input.


(PS -- FYI I checked my JS calibration -- it's fine. About sensitivity -- I don't want to turn it DOWN, because the whole point of using a stick for me is so I can TURN AROUND quickly, which you can't do with a mouse! The only thing I haven't tried is the "dead zone" settings -- What are they anyway?)

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Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Riverside, CA
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deadzone is like the play between sensativity. a larger amount means it takes more time to correct moves, turns, etc. a smaller amount means sharper movement. -- i think.

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Registered: Jul 2001
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Deadzone is literally the zone on your joystick which is dead. The more of it you have the further you have to push the joystick away from centre before the game registers that you are moving the joystick.

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Registered: May 2002
Location: Nottingham, UK
Posts: 62

I perosnally find it much much easier with a joystick in FS2. I use a Precision Pro 1.

Funnily enough, have you ever played Elite 2? I used a mouse for that and was brilliant at aiming - using a joystick was hell

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Registered: May 2002
Location: Nottingham, UK
Posts: 62

I perosnally find it much much easier with a joystick in FS2. I use a Precision Pro 1.

Funnily enough, have you ever played Elite 2? I used a mouse for that and was brilliant at aiming - using a joystick was hell

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Registered: Jul 2000
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Precision 2 also has some software where you can tweak the sensitivity of the joystick. Try tweaking that and playing with the settings a bit.

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Precision 2 also has some software where you can tweak the sensitivity of the joystick. Try tweaking that and playing with the settings a bit.

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Registered: Apr 2002
Location: Scotland
Posts: 23

quote:

---

Originally posted by Weyoun TDB
I perosnally find it much much easier with a joystick in FS2. I use a Precision Pro 1.

Funnily enough, have you ever played Elite 2? I used a mouse for that and was brilliant at aiming - using a joystick was hell

---

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Registered: Apr 2002
Location: Scotland
Posts: 23

quote:

---

Originally posted by Weyoun TDB
I perosnally find it much much easier with a joystick in FS2. I use a Precision Pro 1.

Funnily enough, have you ever played Elite 2? I used a mouse for that and was brilliant at aiming - using a joystick was hell

---

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Registered: Apr 2002
Location: France
Posts: 110

I tried with a joystick, but it was really difficult. I'm a hardcore mouse user, but I prefer joystick in simulations. In FS, however, I cannot stand it.

In a dogfight, I use the numpad to help the mouse moves.

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Registered: Apr 2002
Location: France
Posts: 110

I tried with a joystick, but it was really difficult. I'm a hardcore mouse user, but I prefer joystick in simulations. In FS, however, I cannot stand it.

In a dogfight, I use the numpad to help the mouse moves.

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Registered: Apr 2002
Location: Scotland
Posts: 23

I tried a mouse and i hated it. Its useless for dogfighting, you cant turn fast enough.
Ive never had much trouble aiming with my joystick, ive got a MS Sidewinder Force Feed, and i find its quite smooth, i can shoot down torpedoes with maxims from a long way away.

I do prefer the mouse for games like Quake III. Its so much easier to aim, though unlike most, i just use the mouse for accurate aim and the keyboard for turning, where as a lot of people use the mouse to turn and the keyboard to strafe, but i never get that, cant turn fast enough.

pete

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Registered: Apr 2002
Location: Scotland
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I tried a mouse and i hated it. Its useless for dogfighting, you cant turn fast enough.
Ive never had much trouble aiming with my joystick, ive got a MS Sidewinder Force Feed, and i find its quite smooth, i can shoot down torpedoes with maxims from a long way away.

I do prefer the mouse for games like Quake III. Its so much easier to aim, though unlike most, i just use the mouse for accurate aim and the keyboard for turning, where as a lot of people use the mouse to turn and the keyboard to strafe, but i never get that, cant turn fast enough.

pete

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Registered: Aug 2000
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Here's the trick about joysticks. If you get a really good one, you can jack the deadzone down to "super-small" which will let you make small motions for precise aim control.

I had this down to a science in X-wing vs TIE Fighter: I was repeatedly tagging fighters at maximum laser range because I could line up on them and shoot accurately. In FS2 it's the same - I never have problems hitting nor manuevering.

*shrug*

<-- playing space-sim games with joysticks since 1990.
Earlier if you count Atari 2600

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Registered: Aug 2000
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Here's the trick about joysticks. If you get a really good one, you can jack the deadzone down to "super-small" which will let you make small motions for precise aim control.

I had this down to a science in X-wing vs TIE Fighter: I was repeatedly tagging fighters at maximum laser range because I could line up on them and shoot accurately. In FS2 it's the same - I never have problems hitting nor manuevering.

*shrug*

<-- playing space-sim games with joysticks since 1990.
Earlier if you count Atari 2600

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quote:

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[chant] Key-board, Key-board, Key-board [/chant]

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quote:

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[chant] Key-board, Key-board, Key-board [/chant]

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'The past tempts us, the present confuses us, and the future frightens us ...and our lives slip away, moment by moment, lost in that vast, terrible in-between.' - Emperor Turhan

'Whether or not what you do has the effect you want, it will have three at least you never expected, and one of those usually unpleasant.' - Law of Unintended Consequences

Why not visit the [url=http://www.sectorgame.com/timeofchange/]Time of Change[/url] website?

Or perhaps my own website - [url=http://www.geocities.com/ackleyfarran/]Telencephalon[/url]

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