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Superjoe

[H]ard|Gawd
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Feb 20, 2008
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Thrustmaster T.16000M FCS HOTAS

I recently bought this HOTAS as my overall pick of the market. It was designed in conjunction with Elite: Dangerous, which didn't really sell me on the stick, but did sell me on Elite this weekend while I was looking for something else to test the HOTAS with.

It is a real blast to play the game with it, but I threw on the Rift and had my mind blown. The game itself is not that fun really. It is a very slow grind. However, if you ever dreamed of plugging yourself into the Matrix Of Space Captainship, this is it. Holy shit is it fun to fly around the galaxy. The VR optimizations for the game are extremely well done, and in tandem with the HOTAS, is unbelievably fun to just fly around in.

Not an inexpensive price of entry for the experience, but if you are into VR/sims/space, check this out.
 
Superjoe said:


Thrustmaster T.16000M FCS HOTAS

I recently bought this HOTAS as my overall pick of the market. It was designed in conjunction with Elite: Dangerous, which didn't really sell me on the stick, but did sell me on Elite this weekend while I was looking for something else to test the HOTAS with.

It is a real blast to play the game with it, but I threw on the Rift and had my mind blown. The game itself is not that fun really. It is a very slow grind. However, if you ever dreamed of plugging yourself into the Matrix Of Space Captainship, this is it. Holy shit is it fun to fly around the galaxy. The VR optimizations for the game are extremely well done, and in tandem with the HOTAS, is unbelievably fun to just fly around in.

Not an inexpensive price of entry for the experience, but if you are into VR/sims/space, check this out.
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I would imagine flying a real spacecraft would also be boring as hell 98% of the time and high pucker factor/excitement/ exhilaration the other 2%. So from that standpoint, they really nailed it. :D

Still, totally agree with you, as a sim/experience, it totally rocks. Absolutely the best sim out there as to jumping into the pilot's seat and flying a spacecraft. While it may not check all the boxes yet as to expectations a typical gamer would have when it comes to a complete space combat game, it does a damn fine job of providing a beautifully sim'd VR experience and amazing visuals. It's also being actively developed still, so the deeper game play may be something that evolves over time.
 
I found the tutorials confusing, haven't touched the game since then. I think I got stuck on the combat tutorial and rage quit. But also remember struggling just on the warping one.
 
st4rk said:
I found the tutorials confusing, haven't touched the game since then. I think I got stuck on the combat tutorial and rage quit. But also remember struggling just on the warping one.
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Ya, not a lot of hand holding or spoon feeding in Elite. One typically has to do some research as to supplemental docs/guides as they pretty much just throw you into a fairly complex sim as to controls/options and configuration. One has to invest some time into properly setting things up for your equipment (HOTAS) and then learning/remembering all the interfaces/controls. VoiceAttack and the voice packs also really help. It's definitely not something designed with the casual gamer in mind. If you sink a little bit of time into it though, it's a pretty amazing VR experience as a space sim.
 
st4rk said:
I found the tutorials confusing, haven't touched the game since then. I think I got stuck on the combat tutorial and rage quit. But also remember struggling just on the warping one.
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How long ago was it that you tried the tutorials? If it has been a while it might be worth a revisit. One of the tutorials is for planetary approaches, which is a pretty recent addition, so the tutorials may have been updated since then. I'd be glad to answer any questions.

There are also several healthy Discord groups to discuss with.

I just got VoiceAttack and I'm going to set up the Anubis package for it, can't wait. I have bought so much stuff for this game...
 
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I tried it about a month ago when I first got my Oculus. I was using an Xbox controller. I'm not sure how it would work if I have a VR unit strapped to my head and can't see my keyboard, so I didn't bother setting up my joystick (limited number of buttons for binds).
 
I'm fortunate to have a HOTAS setup for VR sims, but I also have a Logitech G13... it is pretty handy for ED and I've been thinking an Xbox controller and a G13 would be a badass combination for little money. Just a thought.
 
can I play with touch controls?

the only other thing i have is kb/m or DS4/DS3 controllers.
 
DF-1 said:
can I play with touch controls?

the only other thing i have is kb/m or DS4/DS3 controllers.
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Nope. Not designed for Touch. And while you can play via kb/m or even a regular game controller, it isn't ideal... actually it sucks. To be honest, this game basically screams for a good HOTAS setup in order to really enjoy it. (And they aren't that expensive... a good basic HOTAS like the Thrustmaster T-Flight Hotas X starts at just under $50 new, but you can often find a used HOTAS for much less via pawn shops or Craigslist/eBay.)

A deluxe HOTAS setup can run several hundred easily, but I'd really recommend starting out with something entry level first to see if you even like Sim gaming.

No matter what you pick up, it can also be used for other sims/games as well.
 
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I have not used the HCS packs yet, but truly look forward to the William Shatner pack for doing some personal tourism runs with his narrative.

But I would like to point out a really awesome VoiceAttack pack that is free and awesome; Anubis

I use it with my HOTAS. Don't even need it, but it makes it so much more fun!

If anybody is on the fence about VoiceAttack, GET IT. Really cool. Don't believe everyone saying it takes hours to train it. I saw a lot of that. I ran through training one time in a couple minutes and it is largely flawless.
 
Superjoe said:
...William Shatner pack for doing some personal tourism runs with his narrative.
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Tell me more about this! What do you mean tourism runs? If you mean just flying around by yourself w/ no purpose, that's about all I've done with this game because mining, pirating & bounty hunting don't interest me at all. The beginner ship is pretty lame to play explorer mode but I haven't really tried to go that route... I just want to fly around nebula's & soar 1,000 feet above strange planets - like a tourist.
 
Sounds like you need to take the "Road to Riches". A lot of tools on that page but the road to riches gives you a route of high-value discovery targets. I plan on doing it very soon but I'm unlocking engineers right now.

In regards to the personal tourism, the William Shatner voice pack includes "new features, one being a Nebula Tour which is a very exciting journey that you can enjoy with Orion in the game"

If you're a newer player, you can pop onto the Elite subreddit and find interesting places to go. There is a plot going on, if you're not already aware. The game doesn't do a great job of delivering it.
 
If you're an Elite player you might be interested in Star Citizen too.

The game is on sale right now but it ends tonight @ midnight (according to our [H] buddy Xaeos)

He suggested this:
Aurora Discount Starter Anniversary 2017 - $35
Squadron 42 special offer near checkout - $15
Total: $50

As I understand the sales model, I get one ship for the multi-player game @ $35 + 60 months "insurance"
At check out they offered a pre-purchase of their SP game "Squadron 42" for $15

Here's the link & some notes from Xaeos:

https://robertsspaceindustries.com/pledge/Add-Ons/Anniversary-2017-Aurora-Discount-Starter-Package

Please note when you check out when purchasing your first game package you will be given the opportunity to buy Squadron 42 for $15 - Be ssure you do so as there isn't yet a store page for this pledge as an 'add-on"! It will look a little something like this, when youre about to pay - https://imgur.com/a/Fwnhb - so be sure to click on the link and add it to cart! Squadron 42 is a separate though linked single player, Wing Commander cinematic story-based title. It isn't out yet but I think you'll enjoy it when it does arrive, so this will allow you to pick up both Star Citizen and Squadron 42 for $50, plus a lot of in-game bonuses and value!

You can play the Alpha immediately if you like, as well. There are multiple modes available and some of them can be played single player if that is what you wish; just remember it is a "real" Alpha.
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