Aces High Bulletin Board
Help and Support Forums => Help and Training => Topic started by: hank13 on February 17, 2007, 05:53:32 PM
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can u fly without a joystick??
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U can but it isnt easy I flew with a gamepad and it really limits ur ability to fly a plane and do what its capable of.
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Technically you can. The game supports it but don't waste your time. Spend $20 on a cheap joystick with POV hat, you'll like it a lot better.
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Mouse Flying is cool when you get used to it:aok
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Originally posted by RAIDER14
Mouse Flying is cool when you get used to it:aok
Really?:rolleyes:
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I have been flying with a mouse for 2 years and i am pretty good.But you should get a stick, and better buy a decent one.
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Originally posted by duh
I have been flying with a mouse for 2 years and i am pretty good.But you should get a stick, and better buy a decent one.
I know some people fly with a mouse but it would be a heck of a lot harder to get good with one. What game ID do you fly as in the MA ?
Why don't you use a joystick ?
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hank,
like the others said: Mouse is supported, but not really recommended in the long run. While a scant few get really good even with mouse, its not a common occurence - sooner or later youll need to operate views, flap, rudder, throttle and plane all at the same time. Youll simply run out of fingers/hands to hit the keys in time. Also, the rudder control via keyboard is awfully imprecise.
IMHO, theres no harm in trying out the game with mouse if you do not have a stick. Youll be able to take off, land and maybe even the starts of "dogfighting" - even though ill have to tell you that is IS more difficult then it would be with a stick.
But if you plan on staying longer then a few days with this game, i really recommend you get yourself a stick. Doesnt have to be anything very fancy for starters. You can get the Saitek ST290 for as much as 20 USD at Walmart. Heres a post i made in the past (if you do a search for Joystick in this forum, youll find a lot more):
Good stick to buy:
That very much depends on what you can/are willing to spend money wise.
What you definitly NEED is this:
8-way hatswitch
throttle lever
rudder control (twisty or rocker rudder)
as many buttons as you can get.
In the price range to 50 EUR, there are a few good sticks like the Saitek ST290 Pro or Saitek Evo, both being twisty rudder control (ie you need to twist the stick handle for rudder input). I myself used a Speedlink Black Widow (rocker rudder!) for over a year and with much success. Another good one is the Thrustmaster Afterburner II, which has both twisty and rocker rudder option.
If you know youll stick with the game for a while, and can afford it, go for a Saitek X45 (rather stiff springs, rocker rudder) or a Saitek X52 (twisty and pretty loose springs). Those, combined with a set of rudder pedals, are fully HOTAS (ie you do not need to remove your hands from stick while fighting). They will cost you (without peds) about 100-130 EUR.
The top notch best thats out there is CH products. Joystick, throttle and pedals will cost you around 350-400 EUR. Those will last a lifetime though. This is something id only buy if youre sure youre going to be in the flight sim "business" for a while.
I started out with a 10 EUR stick (small throttle, no rudder, 5 buttons) - which was completely useless. Even before my free trial was out, i bought the Speedlink stick.... which was a very good deal for the money and got me a long way. In the long run, i needed more buttons for finer and quicker control in fights (no need to remove hand from stick to drop flaps etc) - im now on a X45 and CH pedals, that one by one will be replaced with CH stuff as they go out.
What you buy is kind of a personal preference. If you can do it, go to a media store and take a few sticks in your hands - see which one fits into your hands well. Youll also need to decide if you like twisty or rocker rudder better. Then google for the sticks and try to find a good deal on the web. Comparing prices can really pay off. Id be vary of used sticks from EBay - even if they are looking good and new on the outside, you cant see inside.... its usually not worth the reduced price. If you get new, youll always have a warranty.
Whatever you buy, stay away from logitech joysticks. They have a pretty low quality at the moment and usually only last a few months.
Here are a few links that should help you get started:
Setting your mouse up as controller:
http://trainers.hitechcreations.com/mouse/mouse.htm
Setting your Joystick up as controller
http://trainers.hitechcreations.com...controllers.htm
A onepage keymap for printing:
http://trainers.hitechcreations.com/quickref/quickref.pdf
How to fly:
http://forums.hitechcreations.com/f...threadid=193009
http://trainers.hitechcreations.com...ghtcontrols.htm
Takeoff and landing:
http://trainers.hitechcreations.com...akeofffield.htm
http://trainers.hitechcreations.com...andingfield.htm
http://trainers.hitechcreations.com...eoffcarrier.htm
http://trainers.hitechcreations.com...dingcarrier.htm
Also a very important thing to do is setting your views! After all you cannot shoot someone you dont see.
http://trainers.hitechcreations.com/views/views.htm
http://trainers.hitechcreations.com...overthenose.htm
Generally, lots of reading, practicing and most importantly HAVING FUN doing it will help you improve fast.
http://www.netaces.org
http://trainers.hitechcreations.com (The official homepage of the Aces High II Trainer Corps - a collection of our help files)
http://forums.hitechcreations.com/forums/index.php (get an account there, very good Help and Training as well as Tech Support section).
Hope this helps you.
Schatzi
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Originally posted by Blagard
I know some people fly with a mouse but it would be a heck of a lot harder to get good with one. What game ID do you fly as in the MA ?
Why don't you use a joystick ?
I fly with a mouse. I had to learn because I play on my laptop when I am at work. Can't very well bring a joystick into work no can I?
well ever since, I converted my home setup to work with my mouse as well and I swear by it.
It takes getting used to, but it is so smooth.
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Originally posted by Orwell
I fly with a mouse. I converted my home setup to work with my mouse as well and I swear by it.
:rofl :rofl
I can picture the swearing now. *&^^&%)@#)&(* shot down again.:furious :furious
:lol :rofl :aok
Get a stick, dont kid yourself
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Originally posted by 4deck
:rofl :rofl
I can picture the swearing now. *&^^&%)@#)&(* shot down again.:furious :furious
:lol :rofl :aok
Get a stick, dont kid yourself
heh, by you guys, yes for sure, but it is only a matter of skill. Contol-wise, I think I have more control with my mouse, as every stick I try to use feels sloppy when trying to line up shots.
If I was equal to you in pilot skill (by this i mean knowledge of angles and geometry of dogfights) , and we were flying the same A/C, I think I'd beat you because my contols are more precise.
However, like I said, your knowledge of fight geometry is superior and thus, no real comparison can be made I guess.
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Originally posted by hank13
can u fly without a joystick??
I can't but I've heard that some people can ;)
in all seriousness read Schatzi's post.. that's all you need to know :D
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Orwell,
I can understand that you have more "skill" flying with mouse, simply because it is what youre used to. I have been using a Joystick from the vrey beginning, but i did unplug it for a while to get familiar with mouse flying (to be better able to help people using mouse). And while I got proficient in mouse flight, in FIGHTING I always ran into the same issues.
You need SA (Situational Awareness) and for that you need to look around with the numpad. In a close dogfight, youll also need to operate the flaps (at the same time as the views!!). Now to keep my nose up that half second more i need to apply rudder right.... then at the latest i run out of hands to operate the keys. Never mind the fact that rudder on the keyboard is *more* then inaccurate.
Im not saying getting a "top pilot" with mouse isnt possible. There are a very few exceptions that I can name. But seing them fly always makes me shudder to think what theyd be able to do with a full CH HOTAS setup.....
Yes, skill can make up for the lack of fine (and coordinated multiple) control when playing... but its taking the steep and rocky path when a highway is available. Even a cheap stick with a 8-way hatswitch, a throttle lever and a rudder control (twisty usually) will make a world of difference to your "fighting abilities".
It has actually less to do with "knowledge of angles and geometry of dogfights" and more with "having control over the plane in the fight". Whenever I loose rudder, im RTB as fast as I can... it "hurts" my abilities more then loosing an aileron or maybe even an elevator. Theres a point in "dogfight skills" where rudder and flap control get essential... and thats the point where mouse flying looses.
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Orwell is correct, however, in that a mouse offers superior fine-tune control than any gaming joystick on the market. A mouse is about as precise as a real airplane's controls, in regards to fine movements.
However, Schatzi's also completely right. I don't recommend mouse no matter how precise it is for the fine movements, you lose out with a mouse in everything but that.
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Yeah, Yeah, Yeah,.....
....but a joystick on the desk at work is kinda hard to explain. Mouse sorta fits in.
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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!, :mad: 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, :lol 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. :D
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Z axis. YAW dood. Rudder, is now in all my acm, and being able to snap shot someone with the flick of a wrist is sometimes life and death.
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Trust me...i learned to fly on a laptop and the mouse option wouldnt work. I had to fly with rudder and elevator only with the keyboard.:( I couldnt land, or dogfight. Bombing and PT's were my only friends. ;)
But as soon as i bought a joystick, it made the game a lot funner and more exciting.
Trust me a joystick is the way to go!!!
Flameboy
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One day I'm getting me one of this "joysticks" you people are talking:D