Ok, which controller/joystick did you made good experience with, bought recently?

And yes, i know there is a joysticks thread already but look at the date of the posts, some of the products are not even available anymore...

I too am looking for recommendations for joysticks for the mac + VO.

A couple of cheap logitechs should work well. I use an Attack 3 and an Extreme 3D pro. Both are pretty cheap.

Saitek's sticks work well too. The ST290 and Cyborg Evo especially. No software needed to use everything they have (same with the Logitechs). They're also fully ambidextrous.

More advanced setups are possible with the right software. The Mac actually has an advantage in this regard (in my experience) thanks to software like Gamepad Companion or ControllerMate, especially the latter. Once you get past the learning curve of the software, you can do some very detailed programming of control schemes, even as far as changing the control setup on the fly. I've used it to make a 3dConnexion controller work in VO, as well as have full use of a Saitek X52 kit with all of the mode switches etc (which ends up being far more available functions than you could ever use).

alright it got myself a Logitech Force 3d pro (for the variant without force feedback got horrible user ratings -> just broke, seperated the stick from the foot) even VO does not support the force feedback effect, you want to have the energysupply plugged because it recenters the stick or gives you a feeling of how strong you move the stick in a direction.

you will have to adjust some settings in vo, like rolling and stuff. it is not set by default also map some of the buttons...
my setup:
coolie hat: strafing
twist: rolling
stick: turning (up left right down)
primary fire: group 1
secondary fire: the silver button left of the top
left of coolie top: turbo
left of coolie bottom: brake
right of coolie top: target nearest enemy
left of coolie bottom: target next enemy
in the foot of the stick i mapped stuff like: activate, navigation sector and mission window, change view, target thing in front.

and the throttle i mapped to accelerate...

now after playing with the mouse from the begining it is really totally diffrent and even the easiest hive collectors managed to kill me first :(

the steering is excellent. sensitive, much too sensitive than you might think, which you really need to get used to first (i suggest you trash some busses the first few hours).

the main problem actually causes the throttle.
mapping it to throttle, it does nothing. mapping it to accelerate it accelerates and deccelerates constantly at the giving setting.
so you hardly ever stand still because it is very tricky to find that setting where it does not accelerate or deccelerate.

so you hardly ever use the physikcsmode as before where you could give full thrust into one direction stop thrusting turn round and fire at your enemy while still your ship moves in the direction set. with the joystick and this setting you always accel at the given rate so you turn around and so accel in the new direction.

wonder if anyone knows a trick how to make the throttle acting like, full thrust forward to no thrust at all (forward), so for backward thrust i could still use the keyboard...

Now you should go buy a second joystick for the other hand :D.

Shaded: Read my post here. It explains much about calibrating and setting up joystick axes, including the throttle.

i read it and it is a good post explaining alot but same conclusion on the throttle topic ^^

actually i mapped it to throttle so when flying with the other mode (i hardly use) it acts as throttle... the other time (most of the time) it does nothing and i mapped two other keys on forward and reverse thrust... i really wonder what is so difficullt to map throttle forward to it even in physics mode?

It's because Flight Assist mode changes how your ship works. With Flight Assist on, you are using a throttle just like an airplane would have. The position of your throttle determines your (forward) speed. With Flight Assist off, you no longer control your speed directly, you control your acceleration in that direction. You can set up a command that will toggle the throttle mode when you toggle flight assist, but it can still be a bit confusing.

Shaded: good experiences recommendation:

I dug out my old Cyborg 3D Gold (Saitek) (USB) which was gathering dust with my PC. I use it with my MacBook Pro (intel) (OSX 10.4.10).

It works well, I would recommend it. It took some getting used to controlling 5 1/2 degrees of freedom. (was a Keyb + mouse rookie). The one thing I don't use, is the throttle slider. I'm only using 1 hand on the joystick, anyway. I use FA and Physics mode both, a lot.
There is 1 issue with it *

Joystick: better dodging, harder to aim.

IMHO the Logitech should be every bit as good.

I use a Logitech mouse, they are really excellent.

regards,
-- Foo Fighter

* PS.
The MacBook Pro can put my joystick or my USB port to sleep / powerdown. Not when I leave VO running for an hour, but say if I was on desktop doing productivity or surfing or whatever or just went away for a booty call for an hour, then the USB joystick is hibernating. Then when you launch V.O. you are *stuffed*. You have to close V.O. and pull the USB plug, and reinter the plug, etc. I dunno if this is a bug with the OSX 10.4.10 or the Cyborg or the V.O. or what.

BTW I don't use any drivers or controllers like Gamepad companion or Controller Mate.

look physicsmode throttle = only in the facing direction but just at the throttles quantity according to the setting of the throttle controler...

i really don't see any diffrence in that. if i pull it back my ship still will hover in the direction it last had if i turn it still will if i then give the throttle a 50% well my ship will first break and then accelerate the other direction but instead of just 0=nothing and 1=full thrust the throttle could make it like 30% facingdirectionthrust plx ...
why should that be so difficult to implement.
if you want, then just set any throttle value > 50% = 1 = full thrust any throttle value < 50% = 0 = no thrust.
it still would give the throttle more sense than it actually has using physics mode we could free the thrust key for something else ...

I recently bought and tested a number of modern Saitek Sticks and controllers. You can read about my results here:

http://www.vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/5/17934#224536

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
KD

I see what he's trying to say.. in phsyics mode, the "throttle" would control the rate of forward acceleration. pull it all the way back, you have zero acceleration, and yet, you should still be moving in whatever direction you were facing..

However, this is not exactly ideal, as in VO, the forward thrust should -actually- be considered a strafe, unless you are boosting, as -that- is when you are actually using your main engines, instead of just manuevering thrusters, strafing around.

Now.. if and when boosting is changed so that you can choose a lower rate of acceleration (and therefore consume less energy), perhaps then the throttle control -might- become useful.

Remember, most joysticks are designed for atmospheric-flight sims.. not space sims. Throttles are basically useless in space, Wing Commander and it's ilk aside.

You want a certain speed forward? Accelerate until you reach it, then stop accelerating, in essence cut your engines off.

I use ST290 pro and a mouse. With the awesome binding abilities of the config file, you still use keyboard/mouse control setting in VO but you bind whatever controls you want to the joystick. I specifically bound strafes to the main axis (forward/backwards, left/right), twist to roll, two buttons for vertical strafes, the rest for boost, brakes, targeting. I have to also cheer for saitek as they are the only ambidextrous joysticks I know, useful if you use your left hand for it, with right hand on the mouse.