Ever Trash a Joystick?

[Halo]

Received my Saitek Cyborg Evo joystick direct from Saitek, $30 including shipping.  Been flying with it a couple days.  Nice stick.  

Took me awhile to program all the buttons from scratch, but the customization is worth it.  

So ... fabulous ... to again have aircraft do exactly what I want without a load of doofus from a joystick.

[Skuzzy]

Murder?  Childish? Huh?  When our beloved pets are near the end of thier days, we do the humane thing, no matter how difficult, and allow them to move on sans pain.

My very first joystick was a MS Sidewinder.  The stick was nothing fancy, but some pets are not fancy at all and you still grow to love em.

We had many fine times together.  But then I started noticing things.  Skips in the rhythm, stalls in the reaction.  I knew it was getting old.  Time was running out for my friend.  Why is it they never last as long as we do?

One day, in the middle of a fight, the unbelievable happened.  It did not return to center.  It did not move at all.  Locked in a death grip it just sat there.  I could see it was time.  And I was so close to that kill.

I did the only humane thing I could.  I picked it up off the table and slammed it into the sheetrock of a wall in my home office and walked away.

A few days passed.  My Wife asks when I was going to fix the wall.  She never gives me much trouble about things of this nature.  So, out of respect for my departed buddy.  I spent a few hours in the garage.

My Wife was sitting in the living room, hearing me with a hammer in the home office, got worried.  She walks in, and I look at her and report, "There, fixed."

I had made a wood frame and put it up on the wall around my departed buddy.

[Nilsen]

lol Skuzzy

My MS Sidewinder is still working perfectly.

I have found them impossible to destroy. Ive had several of them so i should know.

[Urchin]

Originally posted by Halo
I don't fly that often anymore, but when I do, I expect my joystick to be a reliable link to Aces High.  If there is one thing that cannot be tolerated, it is betrayal by that vital transmitter of piloting intentions.  

Having used several joysticks over the years, I've always preferred the least complicated but reasonably capable twisty, the most recent since January 2004 being a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro.  

Its ergonomics were the most comfortable ever.  Felt just right.  But there was one teeny problem ... it rarely finished a session without incessant tweaking.  From the beginning its rudder was the weakest feature ... never wanting to give full range on the right rudder.  In spite of frequent checking and fine tuning in Windows and Aces High control settings, the stick often did not do what was expected of it.

Finally the sensitivity and general control ranges remained elusive  ...  no matter how often and how carefully they were adjusted, controls froze at crucial points with the inevitable pranging in and easy scores for unwitting opponents who just happened to be flying in the general area.

Ultimately I pondered the full qualifications of the joystick, reviewed its history of deception and unreliability, and judged it unfit for further human consumption.  With dignity and maturity, I carefully unplugged the miscreant, calmly placed it on the floor, and stomped it into oblivion.

Who, me, childish?  Mayhap.  But wow, did that feel good!  Finally I felt at one with the joystick, even if it was through my foot.  

For years other wiser Aces Highers have maligned such joysticks and for years I had naively defended them, probably because I haven't been flying enough to fully realize their insidious character defects.

In their defense, computer game controllers possibly have more user generated stress than any other mechanical devices known to humans.  It's amazing any equipment can take the torque and pressure generated by sweaty hands in mortal cyber combat.  

Many joysticks of whatever brands have short lives, and many models come and go.  The truly userproof joystick may not have been invented yet.  

Just for grins I tried flying with a mouse and keyboard like the old days of Air Warrior -- how did we ever do that?

Now, after again reviewing Aces High pilot recommendations, I have a Saitek Evo coming next week.  I am optimistic.  

Admit it -- have you ever disposed of a joystick with terminal force?  In  reading joystick reviews, it was interesting to see in subtle terms how many times even reviewers have done that.  What is more frustrating than a control that isn't controllable?  

Disclaimer: My experience may or may not reflect your experience with this product, and no warranty or condemnation explicitly or implicitly may predict or reflect any experience you may have with it.  This is just one  experience history shared in hope of enhancing the general welfare of Aces High participants.

I broke several in my playing days.  I'd get pissed after I died a few times.

[BTW]

When I evacuated for hurricane Katrina, one of my biggest worries was protecting my dog. Places don't allow dogs inside and I wasn't going to leave him outside to die of heat exhaustion. I had many of arguments with restaurant , store, and bank managers.  During all this I formulated a plan. My dog looks to me for everything. I am his protection. I could NEVER leave him waiting if I wasn't returning. I made up my mind, if for some reason in the chaos if I had to leave him *I* would put him down. Just thinking about it brought me to tears, but there is no way I'd have him waiting for me if I wasn't returning.

Thank God that didn't happen and he is pestering me as I write this.


Ehem - sorry for all that.  The idea of putting down pets is still raw with me.

[Halo]

BTW, glad your dog is still with you, but this thread is about putting down joysticks, not animals.