Welcome to the nuth.... errr Aces High Emalo!
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.
As for the "verbals"... yes you need a mic (headset) for that. The cheapest ones you can get at 10-15 EUR, I myself have one for about 30 EUR. The scale is open on the upper end, as usual
. It also depends a little if youre only using it as mic or if you use them for sounds as well - then id look to spend a little more money on the better sound quality.
Most questions regarding the game and setup can be answered here:
http://trainers.hitechcreations.com/ - our Trainer Corps homepage or in the HTC help files. If you have any issues, search this board and ask away.
I hope this helps you a bit,
Schatzi
PS: If youre looking for a fun group of fighter pilots, half Brit half US, check this Squad out:
http://forums.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=164901
