New to Gamepads: BF2 Recommendations

N

NumbLock

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 31, 2005
Messages
508
I am a master of helo flying with a mouse and keyboard. I can fly at max speed down a winding tree-lined road with precision, and land on a precice spot very well. Someone eventually shoots me down and I respawn at the original point, only to find out someone else has taken the helo. What do I do? Jump in the jet. Fly across the map and jump out. Anything more is definate death by various means, half of which involve crashing into something that is not flying.

Ok, confession time. I have never used a gamepad. Ok, if you count the original Nintendo, but since then, nothing.

I think my conditions dictate a game pad.

Educate me. I know they have analog thumb thingies, but are they good? Do these analog things work in BF2? Well or am I stuck with the digital buttons up-down-left-right things?

Can you get the same precision that you could get with joysticks?

I used to have a huge thrustmaster feedback something or other, and I have lots of experience with flight sims and consider myself a pretty good pilot (I was an actual student pilot years ago). However, I just don't have the space and I want something that I can lay on the desk or floor in a hurry. Plus, I SUCK flying a jet with the keyboard and mouse.

Oh, and nothing with any more friggin power supplies. I had to invent new devices to make room for all the power supplies of all the gadgets, boxes, etc. around my computer.

Simple USB, done.

I am also considering going and buying the cheapest, smallest joystick that I can find that feels good. With my experience, can I transition to gamepad or am I stick with a joystick?

Advice?
 
I got a cheap gamepad and had no luck with the airplanes. I seriously think a joystick is a better choice from them from my brief checking around forums. The gamepad can work for jets, but I just don't think it's optimal.
 
i got pissed one day when my sidewinder broke....axis never stayed centered always veered to the right...this was bf'42 days

decided to try my hand at the keyboard...i suck terribly...but i kept up with mouse/keyboard flying...till i just coudlnt handle flying like that

quick trip to best buy, got a logitech extreme 3d pro. and i love it. flying has never been easier. in bf'42, desert combat, and now im BF2 i seriously rock flying. well ok im not that great, but i can maneuver easier...

i do have a gamepad, some logitech one...but i cant fly worth a shit with it, i like the joystick better, plus, how many apache/cobra pilots fly with a gamepad, i think its all done with a joystick of sorts....

and dont bother with the saitek x-45, i picked it up thinking wow this will really help out, and it was so big clumsy and took up so much space, plus tryint to map controls was beyond difficult, so i sold that thing quickly....not too fond of saitek after that. but its mostly my fault for picking out the wrong gear and not wanting to learn to use it.

logitech extreme 3d pro, simple use, plug in, load game, config controls...kill nazis or iraqis and so forth.
 
Joysticks are good for flight simulators, but this is arcade-style flight. You need to use the maximum pitch/yaw/rudder/throttle for the most part and it's alot more irritating to jerk the stick this way and that, than doing the same using thumbsticks. It's a much smaller and tighter motion.

There's more precision in joysticks than thumbsticks especially when controlling throttle, but for a game like BF2, it really isn't noticable. Again, it's arcade-style, so you'll be going from full speed to no speed most of the time rather than trying to match speeds.

I tried both my joystick and my gamepad with BF2. Got much better results with the gamepad in both the jets and the helicopters.
 
Another vote for Logitech Extreme 3D Pro. Works great for me. Too bad there's no single player maps to practice w/ the jets. Lucky me, I'm a good jet pilot. I still suck nuts on the choppers, though. Oh well, practice makes perfect.
 
Yeah, mouse/keyboard > any gamepad in BF2. If you must be a flying ace, then you need a joystick...however, I haven't felt the need to hook my Sidewinder Force Feedback 2 up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top