Whether flying with a fighter stick or a mouse, the primary function of either is to move input game information along the x axis (roll/ailerons) and y axis (pitch/elevators). Simple as that. However, each way to fly is a little bit different. For example, set up your mouse for these two axises mentioned and sit on the runway with the engine off. Take a look at your control surfaces (ailerons/elevators) as you move the mouse. You can see how hard it is to move one without moving the other. Especially, if you have to do it quickly. This maybe why a mouse seems smoother to some people, myself included, because more control surfaces means more stability to the flight path of the plane. But, I imagine it also means more resistance, which means a slower, and maybe sometimes a less responsive plane. Which may or may not be a good thing depending on the circumstances. In a contrary way, a fighter stick allows the pilot to use his control surfaces in a very specific way, be they independent or in conjunction with each other.
I have about six months on a mouse and about six months on a fighter stick. Other than being able to map functions to the hats on a fighter stick, all in all, the difference between the two is a drop in the bucket considering all the things I had to learn as a newbie.
On a side note, you mouse haters!,
this struggle HighTech puts newbies threw by not having the game ready, set, go, can't be a good thing for business. We see it all the time on these forums. For instance: I myself, found this game in April of last year using Google because I was board and looking for something fun to do. The game was set up to be able to fly with a mouse as default back then. I was just about to delete the download thinking, "oh no", what is this crap I put on my HD,
then, by magic I am flying in 5 minutes. I was totally thrilled. It's because the mouse was already mapped out for me that I am playing this game today a year later. I did decide to buy a full Ch set up as my life revolves in all ways around this blasted game now.
