What kind of controller use in your games ?!!!

[pccdtk]

I'm just curious .....I use a Saitek X45 and I inteend to cannibalise a little using rudder pot and replicate in a homemade rudderpedals....

[kiwi123]

I use the saitek X-52 and TRackIR4pro. I created rudders myself by wrecking a trustmaster race wheel and a lot of metal and wood. Worked fine, but was a bit bulky. When I moved to Scotland I didn't have any more room in the truck so threw it away. To be honest, I think the rudder toggle on the X45 is horrible, tried it when I could buy one from a friend second hand. It shouldn't be too hard creating your own rudder pedals if you're good with a drill and saw. But don't expect them to work as great as the (expensive) rudders from the shop.

[Skyraider3D]

For many years I used the Sidewinder Force Feedback 2. Then the twisty rudder broke, so I bought the overhyped Saitek X52 joystick as Kiwi was so happy with it. Man, what was I disappointed. It's a real piece of junk! The Throttle is great but the stick... unplayable. After a year of being mostly shot down I got my old Sidewinder out of the closet and opened her up... to my pleasant surprise the only problem was a wire which had come loose. I fixed the wire back in place and now I am flying Sidewinder again! And, I've stopped dying and am well and truly back to my old regime of multi-kills :D
Since I didn't want to discard my X52 completely (it's an expensive piece of rubbish afterall) I am now flying wide the Sidewinder on one side and the X52 throttle on the other. Works great! The sidewinder throttle I now use for prop pitch.

At work I fly with the Sidewinder FFB 1 and also have a great time with it.

For those who want to know why I dislike the X52 so much, please see my review on Amazon (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00030GSJY/202-8245967-1894235?v=glance&n=300703&s=gateway&v=glance).
Most of all it's the inaccurate, spikey input which makes you stall all the time. This can be improved by sticking a pair of tweezers between the spring and the joystick. It's no miracle cure though and I am very happy to have my Sidewinder back :)

Before Kiwi comes back and tells you how great the X52 is... I have seen him spin and stall many times (and curse over TeamSpeak too!) :lol:
Also I am not alone... online I've found many people who were disappointed with the X52 and after a year - like me - still didn't manage to fly at the level they were used to. So in all, for those who were considering getting an X52... IT'S NOT WORTH IT MAN, YOU'RE STILL YOUNG! :D I really did waste a year of fun with that stick, and a lot of money.

[Spinner]

Theres a pile of worn out spiking potted sticks in the corner of my ops area.
Finally got the stick I've always wanted.
Wasnt cheap but a TM Cougar with its pots replaced with Hall sensers (no more spiking, ever) and its gimbals replaced with a set, designed, deverloped and custom machined by a good friend here in Oz.
Can't blame any bad flying on the stick any more, its perfect.
So good in fact, that I did it again to be fair to who ever flies my lan setup with me.
So, two modded cougars with a store of micro switches and pcb's to keep me bullet proof for the rest of my innings. lol They've got their own clause in my will!

[pccdtk]

I use the saitek X-52 and TRackIR4pro. I created rudders myself by wrecking a trustmaster race wheel and a lot of metal and wood. Worked fine, but was a bit bulky. When I moved to Scotland I didn't have any more room in the truck so threw it away. To be honest, I think the rudder toggle on the X45 is horrible, tried it when I could buy one from a friend second hand. It shouldn't be too hard creating your own rudder pedals if you're good with a drill and saw. But don't expect them to work as great as the (expensive) rudders from the shop.

.....Yes , that rudder is very annoying....I have some experience in homemade pedals because some times ago ( when NFS 5 Porche and CFS rules ) I make a pair - and I was very pleased about...Just one disadvantage : because I use gameport I have to calibrate before gaming. :lol: "Fortunatelly":lol: I dont have occasion to try any (expensive) rudders from the shop so I think I will be satisfied......

[pccdtk]

For many years I used the Sidewinder Force Feedback 2. Then the twisty rudder broke, so I bought the overhyped Saitek X52 joystick as Kiwi was so happy with it. Man, what was I disappointed. It's a real piece of junk! The Throttle is great but the stick... unplayable. After a year of being mostly shot down I got my old Sidewinder out of the closet and opened her up... to my pleasant surprise the only problem was a wire which had come loose. I fixed the wire back in place and now I am flying Sidewinder again! And, I've stopped dying and am well and truly back to my old regime of multi-kills :D
Since I didn't want to discard my X52 completely (it's an expensive piece of rubbish afterall) I am now flying wide the Sidewinder on one side and the X52 throttle on the other. Works great! The sidewinder throttle I now use for prop pitch.

At work I fly with the Sidewinder FFB 1 and also have a great time with it.

For those who want to know why I dislike the X52 so much, please see my review on Amazon (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00030GSJY/202-8245967-1894235?v=glance&n=300703&s=gateway&v=glance).
Most of all it's the inaccurate, spikey input which makes you stall all the time. This can be improved by sticking a pair of tweezers between the spring and the joystick. It's no miracle cure though and I am very happy to have my Sidewinder back :)

Before Kiwi comes back and tells you how great the X52 is... I have seen him spin and stall many times (and curse over TeamSpeak too!) :lol:
Also I am not alone... online I've found many people who were disappointed with the X52 and after a year - like me - still didn't manage to fly at the level they were used to. So in all, for those who were considering getting an X52... IT'S NOT WORTH IT MAN, YOU'RE STILL YOUNG! :D I really did waste a year of fun with that stick, and a lot of money.

.....so a combination of Sidewinder stick,X45 throttle ( in my case ) and rudder pedals....I have a Sidewinder myself and I like a lot his precision-but I have to renounce because he has no hat ( cheap replica )

[pccdtk]

Theres a pile of worn out spiking potted sticks in the corner of my ops area.
Finally got the stick I've always wanted.
Wasnt cheap but a TM Cougar with its pots replaced with Hall sensers (no more spiking, ever) and its gimbals replaced with a set, designed, deverloped and custom machined by a good friend here in Oz.
Can't blame any bad flying on the stick any more, its perfect.
So good in fact, that I did it again to be fair to who ever flies my lan setup with me.
So, two modded cougars with a store of micro switches and pcb's to keep me bullet proof for the rest of my innings. lol They've got their own clause in my will!

...excuse my ignorance : "pots replaced with Hall sensers" ?!!!

[franken_johan]

Using Thrustmaster WCS MII for 12 years... still no scratch!

[Spinner]

Yeah, hall sensers have no contact points to faul or wear, unlike pots and a finer resolution. The saitek X52 uses them too.
I liked the x45 but it wore out like all the others. Some fast some slow. After I added up all the cheapies I'd bought my ultimate solution made more sense than it appears.

[Skyraider3D]

One of the problems I found with the X52 is that the range of the stick is circular (compared to square on the Sidewinder). This means when using full deflection under 45 degrees, the input given by the joystick is a bit dodgy. It's difficult to achive full-roll combined with full-pitch. On the Sidewinder you can drag it into the corner and thus you have a much bigger, and thus more accurate range. This is vital in air combat and means the difference between outmanouevring your opponent (Sidewinder) and stalling and dying (X52).

[Spinner]

I have a friend who complained about that but If I remember he overcame it somehow. I'll ask.

[kiwi123]

Well, you can bitch all you want about the X52, I still think it is a good stick, IF you use it right. That means setting up the sensitivity sliders in IL2 right. Some say you should set all sliders to 100, that was a bit much for me, which is why I stalled often. I also need to be more subtle with the movements than I used to be with the sidewinder. I tried using the sidewinder with the x52 handle after Ronnies unstoppable whinging about the suckiness of the x52. Well, nice to have forcefeedback again, which stops me from stalling more often, but the inaccuracy drives me nuts.

To each his own I guess.

[Skyraider3D]

Inaccuracy? Don't enable force feedback! Leave it disabled. If you fire otherwise your whole desk will shudder and yes, then you can't aim at all. This is not to blame on the stick, but on 1C's implementation of the force feedback for their game. It's way overdone (although the stall is nice, but you can still ride stalls with force feeback disabled).

I'll challenge you for another one on one battle hereby. You with your X52, me with my Sidewinder. You won't stand a chance! :p

[pccdtk]

Inaccuracy? Don't enable force feedback! Leave it disabled. If you fire otherwise your whole desk will shudder and yes, then you can't aim at all. This is not to blame on the stick, but on 1C's implementation of the force feedback for their game. It's way overdone (although the stall is nice, but you can still ride stalls with force feeback disabled).

I'll challenge you for another one on one battle hereby. You with your X52, me with my Sidewinder. You won't stand a chance! :p


....:lol: :lol: :lol: Pls.record that and share with us !!! Look forward unpaciently for that !!!

[kiwi123]

I might not stand a chance anyway, since you play every day and have done so for many years, whereas I haven't started playing this before last year and haven't played this for quite some time.

So, to cut a long story short, I suck.

[Skyraider3D]

LOL :)
I don't play every day anymore unfortunately. Connection at work is rubbish so I can't play in lunchtime anymore :(

PS. Two tracks here, using my X52 though:
http://skyraider3d.military-meshes.com/tracks/
I'll upload more tracks in the near future :)

[pccdtk]

Thank you Ronnie !!! Pls.upload more ...I'm just a newbie who learn from tracks....

[Capt.FlushGarden]

I decided to get away from all that mechanical crap (including the stock HOTAS setup) and bought me a pressurised HOTAS cougar mod, it works the same way as a real F16 joystick, and doesnt move at all when you jerk it around, instead it is 100% stiff and 2 discs (about the same size as a CD) feel how much they are flexing and somehow translate that info to an X and Y reciever, it is extremelly fun to use and worth every penny! (the mod costs about 400 dollars) and installing it is easier than getting rid of the stock mechanical parts! of course this is alot of money but if you're super interested in simulation its really a great thing to get!

http://www.johnwallin.net/site/misc/realsimhotas.jpg

[Lucas]

I use Quickshot GenX 700k. Quite nice i must say, especially the large throttle controll. Unfortunately, joysticks' construction makes the HAT a little bit useless - I can't use it with throtlle at the same time, and so it just has keys mapped to it (h,g,[,]).

[Skyraider3D]

Thank you Ronnie !!! Pls.upload more ...I'm just a newbie who learn from tracks....Last night I had a blast and recorded some movies. I've uploaded two for you:

http://skyraider3d.military-meshes.com/tracks/Sky_P-39N_collision_madness.ntrk
This one is rather silly. I was fighting Zeros in a P-39 and every flight ended in a collision. Darn kamikazes. This particular flight I had no fewer than three collisions, surviving the first two and taking two Zeros and a Betty bomber with me to the grave! :lol: My aiming throughout was terrible, so don't 'learn' anything from it, please. Pure comedy value! :D

http://skyraider3d.military-meshes.com/tracks/Sky_Fw190A-8_Spitfire_killing_with_Zorin.ntrk
This one is a lot more serious. Here Zorin and I tackle three Spitfires, using the classic baiting technique. Zorin was the bait and dragged Spitfires nice and low, while I shot them off his tail. We got three Spits in a matter of minutes this way. Unlike popular believe, you can dogfight Spitfires IXs with the Fw 190 A-8. But it's very hard work! You need to keep the speed up while the Spit wastes it all on evasive manouevres. Also hit him fast and hard so he will quickly lose the ability to manouevre, as your Fw 190 will of course bleed off speed too over time.
Great teamwork Zorin! ;)
To stay a little bit on-topic, note how I was having a discussion on joysticks while dogfighting the first Spitfire. He actually crossed my gunsight while I was typing about USB and gameport connectors! :lol:

These missions were flown on UK-Dedicated1 on Hyperlobby. Be sure to turn off the cockit (fourth crosshair setting) to see it the way I saw it when flying. The P-39 track is best watched in slowmotion with an outside camera to better appreciate better all the collisions! :lol:

[MagnumHB]

I'm not sure why you have so many problems with the x52 Skyraider. The only times I stall out is when I do something stupid that has nothing to do with the stick itself. I do have the top level of pitch input knocked down a few points, and that tames even the stall-crazy P-39 in most cases. I find the x52 to be very precise, certainly several orders of magnitude better than my old Logitech.

[Skyraider3D]

Logitechs - especially the old ones - were absolutely insane. You could stall planes flying straight, no joke.
I think the P-39 is anything but stall crazy. It's very agile and loops extremely well. Just don't pull it too quick in a flat turn. Actually, don't ever turn it flat anyway :)

With the Sidewinder I can ride stalls (with FFB off) - with the X52 I can't even predict them. It's that simple :(

I often fly the Fw 190 and with that plane, once somebody faster has latched onto your tail, you have a little problem :) I often manage to out-fly them by flying extremely slow and riding the stall, while rolling left-right. The enemy, frantically trying to stay behind and hit me often stalls and crashes. This works well against most planes (incl. Yaks and La's), except long-wing Spitfires... they magically keep floating :) With the X52, I couldn't use this defensive technique at all as I was already stalling and dying before the enemy would start deploying flaps.

[pccdtk]

Last night I had a blast and recorded some movies. I've uploaded two for you:

http://skyraider3d.military-meshes.com/tracks/Sky_P-39N_collision_madness.ntrk

http://skyraider3d.military-meshes.com/tracks/Sky_Fw190A-8_Spitfire_killing_with_Zorin.ntrk
:

.....Great Ronnie !!! I've got them ....

[Skyraider3D]

Robert, one more! Especially for you I flew a Romanian plane yesterday: the IAR 81 C. I always make jokes of this plane because of its bad flying behaviour at low speed. I call it "the Romanian brick". But it has great firepower and is fun.
This is probably one of my best missions ever. I tried to fly home but every time enemy fighters appeared. Combat lasts for a good 14 minutes and in that time I destroyed:
2x artillery
20x truck
5x enemy fighter (2x LaGG-3, 2x I-16 & Yak)
One of the LaGGs wasn't awarded as a kill, as the guy stalled and crashed while trying to fight me, but even so the score of that mission was a very neat 990 points!!!
:D
Enjoy!
http://skyraider3d.military-meshes.com/tracks/Sky_IAR81C_990point_mission.ntrk


PS. When starting this track, use manual view control, press F1 five times to get the last gunsight view, then switch manual view control off again. This is to fix a weird bug that makes you look at the sky otherwise :)

PPS. With the X52 this would never have been possible! ;)

[Spinner]

Something off with your x52 setup. One of the best online pilots I know uses one. I remember him going through a setup stage initially but once sorted he had the controll he needs, definately.

[Skyraider3D]

If you could obtain his input settings that'd be most appreciated. Just in case I break my Sidewinder for good! ;)

Here are my settings from the conf.ini file. Courtesey of "Crazy Ivan":

[rts_joystick]
X=0 1 4 9 16 25 36 49 64 81 100 0
Y=0 1 4 9 16 25 36 49 64 81 100 0
Z=0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
RZ=0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0
FF=0
U=0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0
V=0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0
1X=0 39 52 60 66 71 77 82 88 94 100 0
1Y=0 31 44 58 69 76 79 84 91 96 100 0
1RZ=0 35 44 54 60 68 74 85 89 97 100 0
1U=0 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 0
1V=0 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 0
1X1=0 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 0
1Y1=0 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 0
1RX1=0 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 0
1RZ1=0 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 0
1U1=0 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 0
1V1=0 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 0

[kiwi123]

No, it can't be Ronnie's fault, he's the perfect pilot. Must be that godawful X52 that's wrong. :lol:

Stop whining about it already.

[cobra6]

my trusty old Logitech Wingman Pro, but the rubber died and it got uncontrollably =/

Damn shame, dont like force feedback that much

Cobra 6

[pccdtk]

Robert, one more! Especially for you I flew a Romanian plane yesterday: the IAR 81 C. I always make jokes of this plane because of its bad flying behaviour at low speed. I call it "the Romanian brick". But it has great firepower and is fun.
This is probably one of my best missions ever. I tried to fly home but every time enemy fighters appeared. Combat lasts for a good 14 minutes and in that time I destroyed:
2x artillery
20x truck
5x enemy fighter (2x LaGG-3, 2x I-16 & Yak)
One of the LaGGs wasn't awarded as a kill, as the guy stalled and crashed while trying to fight me, but even so the score of that mission was a very neat 990 points!!!
:D
Enjoy!
http://skyraider3d.military-meshes.com/tracks/Sky_IAR81C_990point_mission.ntrk


....thank's Ronnie....."5x enemy fighter (2x LaGG-3, 2x I-16 & Yak)"....you are very good .....I ussually use IAR 80/81 just in Romanian Campaigns ( and mission made by d13-th romanian squadron ).Normally I use Bf 109 E....

[pccdtk]

my trusty old Logitech Wingman Pro, but the rubber died and it got uncontrollably =/

Damn shame, dont like force feedback that much

Cobra 6

.....me neither....I have a Logitech Wingman Pro FF and I'm very disappointed....Initial I like because FF give me a feedback about aircraft stress structure but aiming became very dificult....

[Skyraider3D]

Wiek, that X52 ruined a year of gameplay for me. I will whine about it for a year to come and of all people you are the one who should take it without whining, as it was you who recommded it to me! :lol:

So, to cut a long story short, I suck.Perhaps you're a perfect pilot yourself, if you turn off the FFB on your sidewinder! ;)


Initial I like because FF give me a feedback about aircraft stress structure but aiming became very dificult....That's why I turn FFB off on my Sidewinder.
It still has "force" though, but doesn't shake anymore (which also ruined many a take off).

[Martocticvs]

For games I play that require a controller, I use the MS Sidewinder FF Wheel! But that's because I prefer racing to flying...

[Skyraider3D]

Yesterday I had a game with Zorin and some other folks and towards the end there were just three of us left. I grabbed a Spitfire for a change and had a 2 on 1 battle against Zorin and another German guy flying Fw190/Bf109s.
Even though I never fly Spitfires and was outnumbered I had little problem dealing with them. My ammo ran out rather quick, but not before I got them both and damaged them both (lightly) a second time. I must conclude that the Spitfire is a stupidly overmodelled plane in this game, as in real life the Fw 190 and Bf 109 were a decent match for it. The Mk.IX was little more than a Mk.V on steroids and definitely not the überplane it pretends to be in IL-2.
I hope in future versions the balance will be restored a bit and you can actually have a decent dogfight with these planes.
Here's the download for the track so you can see what I mean:
Sky_2vs1_Spit_is_noob_plane.ntrk (http://skyraider3d.military-meshes.com/tracks/Sky_2vs1_Spit_is_noob_plane.ntrk)