New to X3 - Joystick Help

[Dark Circle Member]

Hi all, so a couple of days ago I finally decided to purchase X3. Ive gone for the Terran Conflict version after doing some research. At the same time i've also ordered one of these joy/flight sticks.


http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/3273867/S ... oduct.html

Anyway I see there is tons of info here about playing the game and stuff, but I havent really seen anything about joystick setup. Now please remember I am a complete noob when it comes to X games and never played any of them. However what I am after now is a bit of help setting up the joystick. As you can see from the link the stick itself has 4 buttons on it, plus another 4 on the base. Then the throttle control has the rudder controls built in.

So first question is has anyone tried this stick with X3 and if so how was it? Or should I invest in a better stick?

Second and more importantly I am looking for advice on what i should be setting these buttons to do. So how do you all have your joysticks set up and what actions do you have configured to a joystick button?

Thanks

[pjknibbs]

Not really a spoiler, is it? Moving to the main forum.

Anyway, I tend to just put stuff I need at the touch of a button on the joystick (like "Target nearest enemy")--you can't possibly fit ALL the controls onto the joystick, so since you need to use the keyboard anyway it doesn't bother me much to have to do that.

[thiosk]

ive not done a good job setting mine up yet. Im a goon and am very rough on my electronics, so i got the most rugged and expensive stick i could find... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6826169102

If you are anything like me you will find yourself using the keyboard, mouse for most tasks, but any and all dogfighting you will reach over and grab the stick. Im still getting all the bugs for combat worked out, but you'll need Boost extension, speed controls, strafing, autopilot, targeting, missile launch, changing missiles, probably comms would be a good button, guns, and seta.... as a bare minimum.

[darijuana]

That Joystick looks nice but I wonder how functional it is. I use PS2 dual analogue controller and use everything, so the main thing is will the stick offer enough movement controls? You want your basic pitch/yaw controls and you'll want to strafe left and right at least (if not up and down as well) and you'll probably want to roll. If it can cover those movements then it should be okay. The buttons are easy enough... you have throttle already (though I use 2 kinds of throttle there's one where you have to hold it down and another where you just press it until it reaches the top and stays there, though the second one seems completely broken half the time).

As for the other buttons on the stick you'll want lasers, missiles and switch missiles and probably SETA. For the other 4 buttons you will probably want Autopilot, property interface, cargo interface and something else... you'll figure it out depending on what you use the most.

[JrK]

Hello forums.

I use a Logitech Attack 3 with only a few functions on it, the rest being on the keyboard. Because of this, I have no practical use for the throttle control on my joystick, preferring to use A and Q as decrease and increase throttle respectively. I use ESDF for strafing instead of WASD since it opens up a lot of buttons to easily reach without taking my hand of the ESDF position. (yeah I took that up from playing a lot of FPS games)

As for my joystick, it only holds the simple stuff: boresight fire, missile fire, track target (select target under boresight), next and previous enemy. I've got Wingman attack/defend and fighter drone attack/defend on the bottom.

[surferx]

I just bought this: CyborgX
The 4 thumb operated buttons clustered at the top are programmed to:
#2- select missle,
and #2hold- launch.
#3- Esc,
#3hold - eject
#4- Target
#4hold-Target nearest enemy.
#5- Next object,
#5hold- prev target.
#'s 6 thru 11 I have not programed yet. Thinking of 6 thru 9 as weapon selection or ship viewpoints, haven't decided. 10 and 11 may be ship's freight/ ship's weapons.
Nice joystick, it is the best I've ever used.

[mrbadger]

I'm of the opinion that the X series does not benefit from the use of joysticks. I used to be a big flight sim fan (back when they were actually interesting that is..), and I've got a pretty good joystick as a result (Sietek Cyborg).

I tried it with X3:R, and found that the flight model in place was ungainly when compared to keyboard control. The Mamba, my favorite X3:R fighter, flew like a cow with a joystick.

In X3:TC my joystick experiment didn't last more than a few minutes, because I had a go with it, then tried the keyboard, then the mouse system for comparison, and found the mouse to be superior. I should add that this surprised me, but my joystick has remained unplugged since, waiting for the arrival of a flight sim to equal F22-ADF.

[Nanook]

I tried it with X3:R, and found that the flight model in place was ungainly when compared to keyboard control. The Mamba, my favorite X3:R fighter, flew like a cow with a joystick.

This is undoubtedly because you failed to set the joystick sensitivity and deadzone in the options menu. In fact, if you set it high enough, you can make an M6 turn like an M5. Of course, M5's would probably be unflyable at that setting, but anyway....

I simply wouldn't play an X game if I couldn't use my joystick.

[MadGizmo]

I use a Saitek X52 (older model), a Belkin Nostromo 52TE and a Logitech G9. I am using the keyboard to enter alphanumeric stuff. Iit's not even in front of me. I grumble when I need to reach for it.

Tried to use the Logitech G13, but the N52TE has a more convenient way to switch between modes (more shift-like, unlike toggle switches on the G13).

Navigating the menus with the joystick is now just as fast as using the mouse. Using the hat switches for that. The X52 is packed with buttons at convenient locations. Really cool device.

[irR4tiOn4L]

I love joysticks. Theres no way a mouse allows the sorts of slip and high deflection angle maneouvres a joystick does. Try doing a barrel roll with a mouse, then a joystick, and youll see.

Right now i use the Cyborg Evo, but i would recommend a better stick like the Saitek X52. The evo is perfectly fine, and very accurate on the X, Y and Throttle Axis, but the rudder axis is giving me grief.

The problem is that the rudder axis uses a potentiometer, and those tend to degrade with use, unlike the optical sensors on the rest of the axis.

What this means for X is that if i set deadzone ingame to 0 (the most responsive and best), the rudder axis causes a constant roll. I cannot set deadzone for the rudder axis individually (which would solve the problem) because X3 does not listen to my Saitek driver that instructs windows to put in a deazone on the rudder.

At the same time, i cannot get X3 to recognise another controller, like my G25 pedals, to act as a rudder.

Thus, i am stuck with either a 5% deadzone overall (still ok, but not nearly as nice as 0) or no rudder. Which sucks, and therefore i recommend you strictly get a controller with NO POTENTIOMETERS. Optical all the way!


EDIT

Problem has been fixed! Turns out its NOT a potentiometer issue, but a poor/stuck calibration that i have fixed with a fantastic program called DXTweak2 ( http://www.wingmanteam.com/latest_software/gadgets.htm ) In fact, im not even sure if that axis uses a potentiometer.

As such, i can heartily recommend the Saitek Cyborg Evo, if you dont want to stretch to the X52. With the rudder working perfectly now, and zero deadzone, the response is fantastic