Any use for a joystick?

Unknown-One

Unknown-One

[H]F Junkie
Joined
Mar 5, 2005
Messages
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So, I just got the Saitek X52 for my birthday and the only game I have that takes advantage of the joystick/throttle is MS Flight Simulator 2004. Now, that was the best session of MSFS2004 I have EVER had hands down, but I can’t find anything else to use it with.

I wanted this thing figuring that I could configure the joystick to act sort of like a gun handle in FPS games and use it to control the game …that just doesn’t work :( Is the joystick a dyeing breed, or is there anything else I can do with this other then play MSFS2004?
 
Just about any game where you have to pilot a
Jet
Helicopter
Mech
tank
ect..
You will find that after you set up your controls the way you like and get use to the feel of the stick over keys; it's far nicer than anything else.
 
There's many old flight sims worth buying. :)

[shameless plug]If you're a Star Wars fan, check out the screenshots at the XWAUP and then go pick up a copy of X-Wing: Alliance.[/shameless plug] ;)
 
I know they are older, but I still enjoy playing Mechwarrior with my saitek X45. It's so much better than the keyboard and mouse or a gamepad.
 
Hmm, I use a joystick for almost all games. HL2, Doom, Farcry, Fable, on and on...
 
plywood99 said:
Hmm, I use a joystick for almost all games. HL2, Doom, Farcry, Fable, on and on...
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Are you serious? Isn't it much harder than a normal mouse?
 
Matrox462 said:
Are you serious? Isn't it much harder than a normal mouse?
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I use a trackball in my left hand and the joystick in my right. Joystick for movement, firing jumping and such. Trackball for aiming...
 
plywood99 said:
Hmm, I use a joystick for almost all games. HL2, Doom, Farcry, Fable, on and on...
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I was trying to do that, but I just couldn't figure out a good way to set it up. I've been setting the joystick to look around and fire while I use the keyboards WASD keys to strafe left/right and move forward/backwards. The only problem with that is that most games don’t turn left/right as fast as I would like when using the joystick...Doom 3/Quake 4 being a good example.
 
Joystick is terrible for aiming, I use it for movement based actions. Trackball in my left hand is used for aiming...
 
plywood99 said:
I use a trackball in my left hand and the joystick in my right. Joystick for movement, firing jumping and such. Trackball for aiming...
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That's a cool setup, never seen anyone use something like that before.
 
Sounds like a leftie setup. Pretty creative, and I'd love to see how it works for you
tongue.gif
 
plywood99 said:
Joystick is terrible for aiming, I use it for movement based actions. Trackball in my left hand is used for aiming...
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Sounds like it works great, but I would have to buy another mouse if I wanted to do that. Both my joystick and mouse are right hand only (And I'm STRONGLY right handed) so I was looking for a Joystick/Keyboard soluton >_>
 
ok, I took your advicee and am now useing the mouse to aim/fire (right hand) and joystick to move (Left hand). The joystick has anough buttons to replace the keyboard in most FPS's, so now I've just gotta get used to it.
 
Unknown-One said:
ok, I took your advicee and am now useing the mouse to aim/fire (right hand) and joystick to move (Left hand). The joystick has anough buttons to replace the keyboard in most FPS's, so now I've just gotta get used to it.
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Iv'e been doing it this way for so long, I can no longer use a keyboard for fps and be any good. Remember the old Panther XL joystick? It was a trackball and 17 button joystick combined. Best controller ever. But drivers don't work with newer os such as 2000/xp...
 
Nasty_Savage said:
http://www.tweak3d.net/reviews/madcatz/pantherxl/

Still have one, but I think I need to replace the springs (and find driver updates). This thing was awesome and I loved it for Unreal Tourny (original). I wish Madcatz would continue developing it...but the bailed in favor of consoles :(
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QFT. Man the Panther was awesome. It ruled for UT. Remember that guy named OverToad? He was the #1 UT dude back in the day. He used a Panther.

I begged madcatz to udate drivers for the panther and nothing came of it. Rumor has it, madcatz even had a working usb Pantherxl but they didn't think there was a market for it...
 
Yeah, talk about 'dropping the ball'. Very few doo hickeys get buzz like that. They have mods out there, I may try some (making it a USB, home brew drivers).
 
Nasty_Savage said:
Yeah, talk about 'dropping the ball'. Very few doo hickeys get buzz like that. They have mods out there, I may try some (making it a USB, home brew drivers).
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I tried em all man. Home brew drivers didn't function well. Optical mod for the trackball was very nice though. There is a guy still doing full mods and such for the Pantherxl. I think his name is steveo or something like that.

Here is a link I found on google

http://www.clana3d.org/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=53
 
*sigh* This joystick is going back to the store. Don’t get me wrong this is THE BEST joystick I have ever used, but I just don’t have much of anything to use it with other than FS2004 and X-Wing Alliance. :(
 
Unknown-One said:
*sigh* This joystick is going back to the store. Don’t get me wrong this is THE BEST joystick I have ever used, but I just don’t have much of anything to use it with other than FS2004 and X-Wing Alliance. :(
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Sounds like you just need more flight sims rather than less joysticks.

Seriously, Best Buy has both 'Pacific Fighters' and 'Falcon 4.0: Allied Force'. Give them a try!
 
I agree with the OP there's not many good NEW games coming out for joysticks, I use my X52 with Star Wars Galaxies, and I may try EVE online (I hope it works for it) and Mechwarrior 4. The FPS factory is pumping shit out left and right, there will eventually be a backlash in the gaming industry that will shift focus back I think in a different direction. MMORPG's seem to be gaining some ground, but I don't think it will last as long as the FPS run. As soon as one company pumps out a good joystick game that sells well, more will follow. I have heard of Falcon 4.0 too, and I may buy it myself...what I really want, is for Microsuck to make Mech 5 or sell the damned license to someone who will make it already. :mad:
 
Eve Online is not suited to a joystick in the least, it's point and click.

The best use for a joystick is flight/space sims, Pacific Fighters is a very very cool game, go buy it :)

Dano.
 
Nasty_Savage said:
Thanks for letting me know about EVE...that's rather disappointing :(
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Yeah, I know. It would've been great to have EVE use a Freelancer-style control...except freelancer didn't support joystiqs either. ><
 
hignaki said:
Yeah, I know. It would've been great to have EVE use a Freelancer-style control...except freelancer didn't support joystiqs either. ><
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lol, that sucked too! I never finished that game either..haha!
 
Mechwarrior 4 compalation. Thats one set of great games.....And the X52 would be perfect for it.
 
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