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totalspoon · 16 August 2009, 05:41 PM

I've been an IL2 junkie since it came out (though my new drug of choice is Rise of Flight). I started with nothing, slowly buying bits and pieces until I now have a pretty awesome flight sim set up. Here's my suggestions based on my experiences.

Basic Rig
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There's no point spending buckets of money only to find its not really your cup of tea, so to start with, all I would suggest is a reasonable quality joystick that has a throttle and some sort of rudder control (twist grip or rocker bar). A reasonable priced Logitech or Saitek is a good starting joystick. Then set yourself up a free-track rig (Free-track is a do it yourself cheapo version of Track IR - Welcome to the FreeTrack website). With just these two items, you can do everything. The IL2 squad I fly with has several casual gamers who have nothing but this but still do very well.

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If you find you love flight siming and have some extra money to spend down the track, you may wish to consider…

Track IR5. Free track is ok but it will never match the real thing. It’s very expensive but incredible immersive. Once your used to Track-IR (which can take anywhere from a day to a week), you’ll never be able to go back. Highly Recommended

Rudder Pedals. If your joystick has a rudder function, then getting rudder pedals won’t help your flying one bit. It does however make it much more immersive. I love my CH rudder pedals and wouldn’t fly without them but their definitely not a priority in the list of things to get.

Force Feedback Joystick. A good FF Joystick can be both a blessing and a curse. It’s definitely more immersive and allows you to feel what the aircraft is doing but online against other human beings, the slight shuddering of your stick means you won’t be able to aim as precisely or hold the edge of the turn a accurately as a good pilot without one. For this reason, I use my Microsoft Sidewinder for offline and my X52 for online.

Buttkicker. Buttkicker is a force feedback device that attaches to your seat. You still have perfect control of your joystick while getting the feel of you plane literally through the seat of your pants. The only drawback is its bloody expensive. Highly Recommended for the serious flight simmer

A Throttle Quadrant. Having extra levers for mixture, radiator controls and prop pitch helps engine management and bring you into the game but this is probably the last thing you need to buy.

Head Phones with Mic. If your going to play online, you will need a good set of headphone with a microphone jack so you can speak to your team mates online

Hope this helps

Spoon

16 August 2009, 05:41 PM	#5 (permalink)
totalspoon Two-seater Pilot Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 197	I've been an IL2 junkie since it came out (though my new drug of choice is Rise of Flight). I started with nothing, slowly buying bits and pieces until I now have a pretty awesome flight sim set up. Here's my suggestions based on my experiences. Basic Rig -----------. There's no point spending buckets of money only to find its not really your cup of tea, so to start with, all I would suggest is a reasonable quality joystick that has a throttle and some sort of rudder control (twist grip or rocker bar). A reasonable priced Logitech or Saitek is a good starting joystick. Then set yourself up a free-track rig (Free-track is a do it yourself cheapo version of Track IR - Welcome to the FreeTrack website). With just these two items, you can do everything. The IL2 squad I fly with has several casual gamers who have nothing but this but still do very well. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you find you love flight siming and have some extra money to spend down the track, you may wish to consider… Track IR5. Free track is ok but it will never match the real thing. It’s very expensive but incredible immersive. Once your used to Track-IR (which can take anywhere from a day to a week), you’ll never be able to go back. Highly Recommended Rudder Pedals. If your joystick has a rudder function, then getting rudder pedals won’t help your flying one bit. It does however make it much more immersive. I love my CH rudder pedals and wouldn’t fly without them but their definitely not a priority in the list of things to get. Force Feedback Joystick. A good FF Joystick can be both a blessing and a curse. It’s definitely more immersive and allows you to feel what the aircraft is doing but online against other human beings, the slight shuddering of your stick means you won’t be able to aim as precisely or hold the edge of the turn a accurately as a good pilot without one. For this reason, I use my Microsoft Sidewinder for offline and my X52 for online. Buttkicker. Buttkicker is a force feedback device that attaches to your seat. You still have perfect control of your joystick while getting the feel of you plane literally through the seat of your pants. The only drawback is its bloody expensive. Highly Recommended for the serious flight simmer A Throttle Quadrant. Having extra levers for mixture, radiator controls and prop pitch helps engine management and bring you into the game but this is probably the last thing you need to buy. Head Phones with Mic. If your going to play online, you will need a good set of headphone with a microphone jack so you can speak to your team mates online Hope this helps Spoon