Elite: Dangerous

[bertram_tung]

Thanks. I'm leaning toward the Fighterstick HOTAS but the twist thing is the only thing holding me back and might make me opt for the x52. I wonder how effective it would be to assign yaw to the microstick. Decisions, decisions.

I play ED currently with a mouse/keyboard so I know that yaw isn't as important as roll, but it's still important for me to have the extra control available.

 

[Blaine]

Thanks. I'm leaning toward the Fighterstick HOTAS but the twist thing is the only thing holding me back and might make me opt for the x52. I wonder how effective it would be to assign yaw to the microstick. Decisions, decisions.

Unless you have no room under your desk for some reason, are physically impaired, or really just don't want to/can't spend the money, I'd strongly recommend giving pedals a chance. They're not as difficult to use or intimidating as they seem. In fact, you could pop your feet onto them and use the computer for hours without difficulty. I just popped mine out from the back wall and am sitting here with my feet resting on them.

Then the analog stick can be used for fine control of "sliding" up/down/left/right, which is not an option on the x52 (you can get cruder control with the nub, though).

 

[bertram_tung]

Thanks. I'm leaning toward the Fighterstick HOTAS but the twist thing is the only thing holding me back and might make me opt for the x52. I wonder how effective it would be to assign yaw to the microstick. Decisions, decisions.

Unless you have no room under your desk for some reason, are physically impaired, or really just don't want to/can't spend the money, I'd strongly recommend giving pedals a chance. They're not as difficult to use or intimidating as they seem. In fact, you could pop your feet onto them and use the computer for hours without difficulty. I just popped mine out from the back wall and am sitting here with my feet resting on them.

Then the analog stick can be used for fine control of "sliding" up/down/left/right, which is not an option on the x52 (you can get cruder control with the nub, though).

I lost my legs in 'nam. No, actually I just don't want to use pedals. I'm not sure why. I think they are just past the point of the "nerdy sim enthusiast" level that I am willing to go at this juncture. There's just something too man-childish about having the pedals. Stick and throttle alone? Okay. Pedals? That's too far for me.

It's okay though, there's probably some kind of workaround I can figure out for the yaw. I mean, with so many configurable buttons available, there has to be, right?

I'll probably end up getting the CH fighterstick HOTAS now, thanks for your help.

 

[Severian Silk]

On my PS1 gamepad I usually assign pitch and yaw to the D-pad, and roll to the bottom triggers.

 

[Blaine]

On my PS1 gamepad I usually assign pitch and yaw to the D-pad, and roll to the bottom triggers.

Either-or buttons rather than a potentiometric axis? Requesting name change to "Plebeian Silk."

Are you actually playing ED with a controller and rolling with PS1 controller buttons?

 

[bertram_tung]

Ok I ended up ordering the x52 pro from amazon since it was about $50 dollars cheaper than the CH stick+throttle. Sorry Blainer, but thanks for the info anyway.

 

[Severian Silk]

I'm not playing ED at all as of yet.

Also I'm too much of an oldfag. These fancy new analog sticks are too much for me.

 

[Bradylama]

Guess I'll be getting that Pro Throttle then.

 

[tuluse]

On my PS1 gamepad I usually assign pitch and yaw to the D-pad, and roll to the bottom triggers.

Either-or buttons rather than a potentiometric axis? Requesting name change to "Plebeian Silk."

Are you actually playing ED with a controller and rolling with PS1 controller buttons?

I'm pretty sure Silk is trolling with some kind of lame schtick.

 

[Blaine]

schtick.

Spoiler

Is it an analog schtick?

 

[Blaine]

 

[tuluse]

I have some questions. Does Elite have multi-crew ships like Star Citizen? Also, it looks like shields were either working of offline in the video. Do shields have facings or are they just on or off?

 

[Blaine]

I have some questions. Does Elite have multi-crew ships like Star Citizen?

This is planned for the future, but is not in beta and won't be in at release.

Also, it looks like shields were either working of offline in the video. Do shields have facings or are they just on or off?

Shields have no facings; there are localized shield flashes at point of impact for effect. However, power allocation is a factor in shields' strength, recharge cooldown, and recharge rate. There are 6 "pips" of power to divide between Systems [incl. shields], Engines, and Weapons.

 

[Destroid]

Watching that video just makes me want a new homeworld.

 

[Blaine]

Watching that video just makes me want a new homeworld.

http://www.homeworldremastered.com/

Better than nothing, and it's supposedly going to be completely faithful—so it should be amazing, since if nothing else popamole studios are good at hiring modelers and artists.

 

[Destroid]

I'm not much of a graphics whore so I don't much care for HD remakes. Although if the engine and modding support is improved that would be great.

 

[J_C]

bertram_tung Blaine My 2 cents regarding the decision of buying a Saitek x52 vs a Figherstick. It seems to me that Bertram is not a hardcore sim enthusiast, he is just dropping into this world with Elite Dangerous. Maybe after playing a few weeks or months with Elite, he will realise that he isn't interested in it on the long run. Or will realise that a space sim is not complex enough to warrant a full HOTAS control (I personally feel this way, HOTAS is only for jet sims in my case). I would recommend to buy the cheaper Saitek HOTAS for starters, and if you are really getting into it, you can sell the saitek and upgrade a more professional HOTAS setup. But if it turns out that this is not your world, I would feel bad to have a Fighterstick at home, and not using it.

There's just something too man-childish about having the pedals.

Ough, that hurt. :D If you are having a HOTAS you are already a sim nerd. :D Adding a pedal won't make a difference.

Seriously though, having a pedal is great, but if you are only planning to use it on Elite or other space sims, i think they are not essential at all. For a jet sim, where you have to align the plane precisely for landing, or prevent a stall, a pedal is very handy. But i can't think of anything for a space sim, where a pedal would help a lot.

All in all, if you have money to spend, go for a pedal, otherwise postpone the purchose of one.

 

[bertram_tung]

I've been waiting for a new elite style game for god knows how long, the last decent one I played was independence war 2 which I probably logged real-time months of my life playing. I'm definitely not just "dropping into this world with elite dangerous", not sure why you would assume that. Freelancer was okay, but all you needed was a mouse and keyboard. There's just been hardly anything worth playing in the genre for the last decade+. No reason for me to consider a good joystick until now. I'm just talking about space sims of course, not flight sims in general. I've been playing flight/space sims since the days of Red Baron over the imagionation network by sierra on-line. Back then I actually did have a joystick but they were just simple toys back then.


I have been eagerly waiting for star citizen for the last two years and backed it, but lately I have been seeing a lot more that I like from Elite Dangerous and have recently started paying closer attention to it... and while Star citizen seems to control fine with a mouse, I think the general consensus is Elite is much more fun with a joystick. Since I already dropped 150 on the damn premium beta, I might as well spend another hundred bucks on a stick.

Only thing holding me back from playing the more complex flight sims of the last decade or so was not having the proper equipment, and I've got a little more disposable cash now. I've never been into hardcore "real life" flight simulators, more into fun combat/trading space sims. But I would definitely be willing to give something more complex a shot if I finally have a decent HOTAS. I'm interested in trying out the arma games now, and I'll probably re install independence war 2 to try it again the way it was meant to be played. Shit, if I can get my new toy to work with some old games like Tie Fighter or the wing commander series (which I have the original disks for still) that would be gravy.

 

[J_C]

Sorry, I just assumed that you are a newcomer because you guys talked a lot about why a HOTAS setup is any good. If you will play a LOT with these space sims, don't hold yourself back and buy a HOTAS.

I just talked from my personal experience that IMO space sims are not that complex regarding the controls to warrant an expensive HOTAS setup. Of course if I had a lot of money, I would by the most expensive one, with pedals and all, but if I had to consider price, I would bye a Saitek X52, without pedals. Just because space sims are not that demanding in terms of controls as a flight sim. Hell, I still play every spacesim with my simple joystick, a Logitech Cyborg EVO, and it is enough to comfortably control the game.
Again, this is my preference, others might say that a good HOTAS is important for spacesims.

 

[bertram_tung]

Elite seems complex enough to warrant a hotas IMO. Tons of subsystems to turn off and on to run cold/silent, power distribution to different systems, thruster control in every direction, pitch/roll emphasized over pitch/yaw, the ability to prioritize mounted weapons into different groups that you would need to quickly change to in combat, flight assist on/off for newtonian maneuevers (seems difficult to perform complex newtonian maneuvers properly with keyboard). The extent to which you can have fine control over your ship seems more complex than any space sim I've played in a while. Most importantly it seems like elite dangerous is the first space sim in a long time where you actually feel in control of a space ship, so the fun factor of a hotas would be increased as well IMO. I'm looking foward to punching the throttle forward to go into hyperspace han solo style. Maybe I don't need a throttle but I think ease of changing speed and the the added buttons at my fingertips for things like lateral/vertical thrusters and various other functions will help.

I feel like people using a stick will have an advantage over people using mouse/keyboard. Where as it seems the opposite may be true in star citizen.

 

[mikaelis]

I'm not much of a graphics whore so I don't much care for HD remakes. Although if the engine and modding support is improved that would be great.

As far as I remember, a number of guys from the former Homeworld team were trying to make a multiplayer RTS on the deserted planet with Homeworld "feeling". Later, Gearbox bought Homeworld franchise from THQ (I think) and announced HD remakes for H1 and H2. And didn't they also take the guys from the former team and decided to make a fully-fledged Homeworld sequel? (with single player plot etc.)?

 

[J_C]

Elite seems complex enough to warrant a hotas IMO. Tons of subsystems to turn off and on to run cold/silent, power distribution to different systems, thruster control in every direction, pitch/roll emphasized over pitch/yaw, the ability to prioritize mounted weapons into different groups that you would need to quickly change to in combat, flight assist on/off for newtonian maneuevers (seems difficult to perform complex newtonian maneuvers properly with keyboard). The extent to which you can have fine control over your ship seems more complex than any space sim I've played in a while. Most importantly it seems like elite dangerous is the first space sim in a long time where you actually feel in control of a space ship, so the fun factor of a hotas would be increased as well IMO. I'm looking foward to punching the throttle forward to go into hyperspace han solo style. Maybe I don't need a throttle but I think ease of changing speed and the the added buttons at my fingertips for things like lateral/vertical thrusters and various other functions will help.

I feel like people using a stick will have an advantage over people using mouse/keyboard. Where as it seems the opposite may be true in star citizen.

A stick is >>>>>than mouse/keyboard, that is not even a question. I'm just not completely sure that a HOTAS adds that much to this game, apart from the comfort of use of course.

 

[Azazel]

I must eat my words. I held off, firm in my belief that Braben was riding on his own coattails and could not pull this off. Possibly the game was just going to be an X:R style bait and switch.

Holy shit, they actually pulled it off, the game actually exists and isn't complete shit.

 

[bertram_tung]

http://www.gamespot.com/videos/e3-2014-elite-dangerous-developer-demo/2300-6419611/

This e3 video is awesome and it shows a sneak peak at the next beta update.

 

[potatojohn]

Joysticks are totally inappropriate for space sims.