New Joystick for Tycho!
TychoCelchuuu
Anememone Join Date: 2002-03-23 Member: 345Members
Anememone Join Date: 2002-03-23 Member: 345Members
in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription">Hooray Hoorah</div>Some of you might remember DOOManiac's "Win DOOManiac's Crap" contest where he gave away bundles of his old crap for only the price of shipping and your participation in a contest. I won the haiku portion of the contest, the prize for which was a joystick older than Yggradsil and a copy of X-Wing vs TIE Fighter that doesn't work on XP. This was a great time for me because I am a notorious skinflint for whom buying something as essential as a joystick tears at the very fabric of my being. DOOManiac's dinsoaur-thigh-turned-controller served me well up until about a week ago.
During its daily recalibration (it's old and crappy enough that I had to recalibrate the thing every time I used it), I moved the handle to the left and heard a *snap*. This presaged the coming of what I have dubbed "The Loosening," an era during which the joystick is really floppy when you move it left or right. It works fine going up and down, but most flight sims (even the easy ones) require a bit of the turning along with the loops, so this wasn't going to work. Since "The Loosening" is going to last forever because there's no way I can repair a joystick so old that even the Internet refuses to acknowledge that the manufacturer once existed, I unhappily consigned DOOMeh's old joystick to the <b>big wooden chest of old electronics that I forget are broken and spend an hour cleaning until I realize they won't do anything when I plug them in</b> and set about determining what I was going to do.
This was actually pretty bad timing, because in addition to being in the middle of TIE Fighter's campaign, I have also recently installed Freespace 2, which is SO AWESOME IT IS HARD TO DESCRIBE WITH WORDS, plus I'm playing some Battlefield 2 after abandoning it for a while. So a joystick would be nice. As luck would have it, this is the weekend of Black Friday, when unseemely and amazing deals creep from the nether regions of retail (Wal-Mart's crotch or something) into the stratosphere where we are able to access them. I, for one, took advantage of $20 off a $40 joystick at CompUSA. What joystick, you ask? Why, the venerable <u>Logitech Extreme 3D Pro</u> joystick, with 12 buttons, a throttle, an eight way POV hat, and the ability to twist left and right for that extra "my plane is now too confusing to fly" touch. A picture doesn't do it justice because all the ones online are taken at very bad angles, but I've written so much stuff that nobody's going to read I feel I ought to include at least something that you look at:
<img src="http://www.nextway.ch/images/log_extreme3dpro.jpg" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />
A beaut', ain't she? Yeah well long story short I have a new joystick and it makes me happy. I got home from the store 10 minutes ago and mailed the $5 rebate off to Logitech 5 minutes ago, so that gives me about 15 minutes until the buyer's remorse sets in and I cut myself. Until then, I think I'm going to install the drivers.
During its daily recalibration (it's old and crappy enough that I had to recalibrate the thing every time I used it), I moved the handle to the left and heard a *snap*. This presaged the coming of what I have dubbed "The Loosening," an era during which the joystick is really floppy when you move it left or right. It works fine going up and down, but most flight sims (even the easy ones) require a bit of the turning along with the loops, so this wasn't going to work. Since "The Loosening" is going to last forever because there's no way I can repair a joystick so old that even the Internet refuses to acknowledge that the manufacturer once existed, I unhappily consigned DOOMeh's old joystick to the <b>big wooden chest of old electronics that I forget are broken and spend an hour cleaning until I realize they won't do anything when I plug them in</b> and set about determining what I was going to do.
This was actually pretty bad timing, because in addition to being in the middle of TIE Fighter's campaign, I have also recently installed Freespace 2, which is SO AWESOME IT IS HARD TO DESCRIBE WITH WORDS, plus I'm playing some Battlefield 2 after abandoning it for a while. So a joystick would be nice. As luck would have it, this is the weekend of Black Friday, when unseemely and amazing deals creep from the nether regions of retail (Wal-Mart's crotch or something) into the stratosphere where we are able to access them. I, for one, took advantage of $20 off a $40 joystick at CompUSA. What joystick, you ask? Why, the venerable <u>Logitech Extreme 3D Pro</u> joystick, with 12 buttons, a throttle, an eight way POV hat, and the ability to twist left and right for that extra "my plane is now too confusing to fly" touch. A picture doesn't do it justice because all the ones online are taken at very bad angles, but I've written so much stuff that nobody's going to read I feel I ought to include at least something that you look at:
<img src="http://www.nextway.ch/images/log_extreme3dpro.jpg" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />
A beaut', ain't she? Yeah well long story short I have a new joystick and it makes me happy. I got home from the store 10 minutes ago and mailed the $5 rebate off to Logitech 5 minutes ago, so that gives me about 15 minutes until the buyer's remorse sets in and I cut myself. Until then, I think I'm going to install the drivers.
Comments
Been mostly playing Arvoch Confilct with it, and I have no complaints. Can't seem to get it to work on Eternal Silence, but its not the end of the world.
Really wanted to shell out on <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826102507" target="_blank">this</a>, but that would be really feeding an addiction.
Other than that it works pretty good. I use it to play YSFlight, since I'm too poor/cheap to buy a better flight sim. I think I liked my old joystick better though. Sure, the throttle would move on its own and it only had 4 buttons, but the stick was smooth as silk. I landed a B-52 on a carrier with it.
CONSUME!
COOOONNNNNNSSSSSUUUUUUUMMMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
--Scythe--
Good read, maybe this thread should be consigned to the Fan Fic forum?!
Aaah, <i>Freespace 2</i>, I remember I played the demo of that once and wet my pants. Then I forgot all about it because it was too expensive at the time and now you've just reminded me about it so I'm gonna have to buy it. I suppose that makes up for the fact you never spend any money yourself, you get your kicks from impoverishing others while you stockpile your loot like some sort of sick Mario. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
[Edit]
OMG. I'm getting visions of the perfect way to end a New Year's houseparty. Wait until all the guests are comatosed and round up all the survivors for X-Wing vs. TIE-fighter LAN!!! Tycho you monster, VATT HAFF JOO DUNN???!
[...]
[...]I moved the handle to the left and heard a *snap*. This presaged the coming of what I have dubbed "The Loosening," an era during which the joystick is really floppy when you move it left or right. It works fine going up and down, but most flight sims (even the easy ones) require a bit of the turning along with the loops, so this wasn't going to work. Since "The Loosening" is going to last forever because there's no way I can repair a joystick so old that even the Internet refuses to acknowledge that the manufacturer once existed[...]
This was actually pretty bad timing, because in addition to being in the middle of TIE Fighter's campaign, I have also recently installed Freespace 2, which is SO AWESOME IT IS HARD TO DESCRIBE WITH WORDS, plus I'm playing some Battlefield 2 after abandoning it for a while. So a joystick would be nice. [...]
[...]
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Agreed, both TIE Fighter and Descent Freespace 2 are awesome. If you own a joystick, you owe it to yourself to try them both, especially D:FS2 because it's so much easier to get running on Windows XP.
Glad to see a fellow fan of these games happy with a new joystick. [edit]And Crispy, take plenty of pictures of such a LANparty, I can already tell it'd be awesome. Good hunting to you both <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />
I currently own a Microsoft Sidewinder Precision Pro I've had since the days of Windows 98. I've been disappointed with a used 1st-generation MS Force Feedback Pro I just bought: its support in Windows XP is even worse than I'd imagined, it's looser than my Precision Pro, and the auto-centering by powered forces seemes "delayed" compared to the predictable, consistent centering of the Precision Pro's springs.
I'm considering replacing this MS Precision Pro. I know if I bought a new joystick it'd be for Freespace 2, the TIE Fighter series, and the Battlefield series. I'm trying to decide between a HOTAS system and a Force Feedback system; I haven't found anything with both. If my budget is $99 and I want something that'll last as long as my MS Precision Pro has, what should I look at?
...
what games do you guys play with joysticks? I can hardly think of any where one would make my life easier. would probably be better than a mouse in battlefield 2 when flying jets, but I don't really play bf2 anymore anyway... and battlefield 2142's aircraft are all more like helicopters so a mouse is just fine if not better for flying them.
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X-Wing, TIE Fighter, X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter, X-Wing Alliance, Freespace, Freespace 2, Battlefield 2 helicopters, Starshatter, Babylon 5: I've Found Her, Crimson Skies, IL-2 Sturmovik, etc.
Forgotten Hope!
Just try flying the slower planes with a mouse or arrow keys <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />
- B-17
- Swordfish
- Lancaster
- Wellington
- Piper L4 "Grasshopper"
- Douglas
- Junkers Ju 52
- Flettner 282 (chopper)
A buddy of mine made a nice Airwolf intro spoof with the Flettner, ingame it's not that powerfull btw <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
<a href="http://files.filefront.com/FILE_VOTE/;4504955;1;/fileinfo.html" target="_blank">Luftwulf</a>
Anyway with the death of the "gameport" I had to upgrade ages ago as well to a newer joystick. I still have a MS forcefeedback pro 2 (no support anymore, but it's still a kicka$$ stick)
I have that same joystick sitting unused next to me computer. Contrary to what the internet told me, flying a helicopter in BF:2 with a joystick isn't much easier then using the keyboard. So $100 mil in crashed apaches later it sits unused next to me computer.
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Try Freespace! It's toooons of fuuuuun!
Mine force feedback too
Sorry didnt read all of thread..
I always wanted to buy a joystick cos they look so cool, but I can't think of any good games that would use one. Bf2142 for example, I'd bet it's tonnes easier to play with a mouse. And Freespace, I'd have to be switching between mouse and stick all the time <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" />
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I don't see why you'd ever switch to a mouse in Frespace. The Joystick does everything you need.