Joystick for 'Between Heaven and Hell'

sixman · 20 July 2009, 06:55 AM

I am looking for a joystick recommendation to use with Over Flanders Filed - Between Heaven and Hell. Any recommendations appreciated.

Me-109 Jagdflieger · 20 July 2009, 08:38 AM

I had a Saitek Cyborg Graphite for over three years before it died the other week, by far the best joystick i have ever used, Now im torn between trying to find another or picking up one of the Saitek Aviator Joysticks,

Cyborg,
Amazon.com: Saitek Cyborg Graphite Joystick USB: Electronics

Aviator
Amazon.com: Saitek Aviator Dual Throttle Joystick ( PS33 ): Electronics

Jonathan

Sagittarius · 20 July 2009, 11:11 AM

Saitek is indeed a good choice for a flightstick but I would recommend one with force feedback (I don't know which models they're currently offering). It gives you much more... well feedback when it comes to flying close to a stall. I won't miss that!
However I don't know for sure weather force feedback is supported by Heaven & Hell or not...

A problem i discovered using joysticks is that the rudder is often controlled by turning on the stick. Sounds like a good sollution and it works fine at the start. But its quite stressful for your wrist.
Additionally It's often not as resistant as it could be - at least at my Saitek Cyborg 3D. So rudder pedals may be a proper sollution...

Bleddyn · 20 July 2009, 11:22 AM

Thrustmaster T16000M.

I just bought one to replace my Saitek AV8R-02. I had used the AV8R, EVO, X45 and X52 from Saitek at one time or another so I think I have a good idea of how they all feel.

The thing that makes the Thrustmaster superior is Hall Effect magnetic sensors. All Saitek and Logitec sticks (as of right now) have 1000 x 1000 dot resolution. The T16000 has 16000 x 16000. That equals 256 million dots vs 1 million, or 256 times more accurate stick response.

In ROF I went from having my tracers jump around, and occasionally through the target, to being able to decide if I want to kill the pilot, the engine.. take off a wing... all almost at will. The difference was amazing.

The best part, it is a $50 stick!

You WILL want a separate throttle if possible. The one on the base is awful and I don't use it. The stick itself is very heavily constructed and feels good in the hand, the weight also keeps it from sliding on the desktop.

Anyways, there is my 2¢ worth. But I strongly recommend this stick, as far as I know it is the only consumer-ready Hall Effect stick on the market.

Amazon.com: Thrustmaster T-16000M 16K X 16K Stick Resolution PC Flight Stick: Electronics

Sagittarius · 20 July 2009, 11:44 AM

@Bleddyn: Sounds interesting!

Bleddyn · 20 July 2009, 11:57 AM

LOL, it's actually so darn good I didn't want to post! It is like my little cheat when I play with friends hehe.

In the end though the need to tell like-minded people about a new toy overcame me.. I tried telling my wife but she really didn't seem to care

JFM · 20 July 2009, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bleddyn

You WILL want a separate throttle if possible. The one on the base is awful and I don't use it.

Hi, Bleddyn,

Please expand upon this a bit.

Sagittarius · 20 July 2009, 12:33 PM

I told my girlfriend today that I will put a ventilator beside my monitor for the authentic feeling! At least she can still laugh about it^^

Bleddyn · 20 July 2009, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JFM

Hi, Bleddyn,

Please expand upon this a bit.

Well if you look at the Amazon link I posted, it has a picture of the stick. The throttle is just a little "thumb" slider at the base of the stick. (looks like a little silver square in the photo). The range of motion on it is quite short as well. I myself prefer to have a throttle lever, though I suppose some people don't mind a little one like that.

It seems more and more people these days are getting a HOTAS setup of some kind, so if you already have a throttle this will fit right in nicely. If you are already used to using a slider on the Joystick base, then it will probably not be an issue for you.

I was just trying to draw attention to the fact that the throttle is the one weak point of this stick.

stevedrew · 20 July 2009, 09:50 PM

Sixman,

I use a Siatek x-52 flight control system. I also have the Saitek Pro Flight Rudder pedals.

I recommend you get a Force Feed Joystick (yes, OFF does support FF). This is a great way to feel if your aircraft is about to stall, but may put your shooting off a bit as the joystick shudders when you fire (I haven't tried it yet, but that's what a FF joystick will do). Preferably one with a seperate throttle, as good throttle control is vital with the Flight Models of these fragile underpowered craft.

I would also recommend rudder pedals, as these give you a better, more intuitive feel for rudder operation that a twisty stick. Twisty sticks tend to stress your wrists when you twist the stick and turn and climb simultaneously in an effort to stay on your opponent's tail (or to shake him off yours). But twisty stick will suffice FOR NOW.

I recommend you spend the money that you might have saved for your rudder pedals on the most vital piece of equipment for a flight simmer (especially in combat). An absolute MUST for combat is TrackIR5. An infra-red head tracking device that uses a monitor-mounted camera to monitor your head position and relays it to the flight sim. (Type TrackIR into Youtube and be amazed at some demonstrations and you'll be hooked).

With the reflector device mounted either on your headphones or a baseball style cap, it senses you have turned your head (for instance) 5 degrees to the left and displays on the monitor your left wing. It is adjustable and you'll find it is instinctive and perfect for combat. You can easily look anywhere, left wing, right wing, check your six, all by moving your head just a few degrees, while still being able to view your monitor. You can look out over the side of your cockpit and look down (great for bombing missions).

So they become your priorities...
1. Force Feed joystick (with twisty rudder function)
2. TrackIR version 5.
3. Rudder pedals.