Is it just me.......or is mouse + keyboard better?

lettuceman44 · Post by **lettuceman44** » Sun, 3. Jan 10, 06:41

Hey guys. I've been playing with a joystick for a while, but I recently had to switch to a mouse and keyboard.

Now, is it just me, or does a mouse and keyboard work better? Menus are far easier to navigate, and the mouse seems to offer precision that the joystick cannot offer(at least in this game).

However, when I first started playing, I was under the impression that the joystick would just totally blow the mouse away.

Does anyone else agree? Thoughts or experiences?

I think I might stick with mouse from now on.

festa_freak · Post by **festa_freak** » Sun, 3. Jan 10, 07:09

My joystick was all dirty and dusty and just needed a good cleaning but I was procrastinating. I used the mouse to do some basic flying and a combat mission. It works, but it just doesn't feel right. I guess for my slower ships (M6 and M7) it works, but for the fast little fighters it just doesn't cut it for me.

I have all the things I need in combat on my joystick, but when out of combat I use my mouse and arrow keys to get around the menus.. mostly the keyboard though.

This game is quite mouse + keyboard friendly though and if I were to play on my laptop where I can't bring a joystick, I could defintley do it.

ajsarge · Post by **ajsarge** » Sun, 3. Jan 10, 07:14

You can call me old-fasioned (from the X2 days), but once you get your Fight Command Software MK2 (or is it 1 now? which ever one gives you auto-aim) there's nothing better or more precise than the joystick.

Goodfeller · Post by **Goodfeller** » Sun, 3. Jan 10, 08:37

Definitely mouse and keyboard. The only joystick I'd ever used gave me RSI.

kurush · Post by **kurush** » Sun, 3. Jan 10, 09:25

I only use joystick to assign some keypress macros to its buttons. Mouse+keyboard or just keyboard for bigger ships is definitely better for me.

Sp@c3Ch!mp · Post by **Sp@c3Ch!mp** » Sun, 3. Jan 10, 11:10

I'm sticking with the joystick for flying and shooting.
Although mouse and keyboard are used by me for certain in menu things and trading, docking, auto pillock, etc

Choublanc · Post by **Choublanc** » Sun, 3. Jan 10, 12:24

Keyboard 99% of the time. Mouse only to select some targets.
Never tried a joystick.

JoeVN09 · Post by **JoeVN09** » Sun, 3. Jan 10, 12:35

Joystick was essential in X2, mostly because mouse control was so damned awful, but something wonderful must have happened in the development phase of Reunion because once that game came along, mouse control was fluid, precise and natural and I'd only been playing the game a minute or so before I permanently cast the joystick aside. I would say keyboard/mouse is perfect for fighters and still good for heavier ships, but even then the arrow keys do just fine.

So yeah, mouser.

slick_rick70uk · Post by **slick_rick70uk** » Sun, 3. Jan 10, 13:43

I've been playing since the Xbtf days and always used a joystick. Due to money shortages I have not gotten around to buying a joystick to play TC with. But I am finding the mouse + keyboard pretty good. But I will wait till I tried it with a joystick before I decide if one is better than the other for this version of the game.

Fendalis · Post by **Fendalis** » Sun, 3. Jan 10, 14:13

I was joystick all the way for a long time, then I moved and never plugged in the joystick (there's no room on this new desk) so I'm dealing with the mouse. Against M5s flying an M5 it was brutally tough, but with bigger ships I'm liking the mouse/keyboard more.

Still undecided though.

Zaitsev · Post by **Zaitsev** » Sun, 3. Jan 10, 15:08

For me it depends on what kind of ship I'm flying.

Anything up to M7 = joystick + keyboard/mouse for navigating menus

TLs, M1, M2 or something similarly sluggish = keyboard 'n' mouse works fine.

Shadow-Thief · Post by **Shadow-Thief** » Sun, 3. Jan 10, 16:11

I love the setup, it is so close to Freelancer

the only thing about the mouse is sometimes I end up killing myself cause I will comm the ship I'm attacking or do something that causes me to lose my concentration while dodging deadly blaster fire

Antarus · Post by **Antarus** » Sun, 3. Jan 10, 17:56

I always play all games with mouse and keyboard. Maybe I'm just used to it to try joysticks, but I've never seen a joystick that has nearly enough buttons for everything I need...

Derkylos · Post by **Derkylos** » Sun, 3. Jan 10, 20:17

I use mouse&keyboard, mainly because 1) there is not much room on my desk, and 2) my joystick has this annoying habit of "wobbling", even when left alone, which would mess up SETA or autopillock (even more than it already is...).

However, I often wonder if a joystick would make it easier to fly the larger ships, where you need constant input over an extended period to turn through a large radius...but then I just can't be bothered to plug in and calibrate the thing...

lettuceman44 · Post by **lettuceman44** » Mon, 4. Jan 10, 02:11

It looks like mouse and keyboard is more popular.
What a surprise!

travisdh1 · Post by **travisdh1** » Mon, 4. Jan 10, 17:03

Joystick all the way...... of course I have a Saitek X45 which makes life a *little* unfair for those poor npcs trying to hit a strafing, rolling, speed differing target while I kill them, kill them all!

One of these days I'll finish assigning commands to all the different buttons/hat switches on the thing (not that anyone's interested but I've currently got strafing assigned to the 2nd hat on the joystick, boost extension on the "pinky" switch and "broadcast to all ships in sector attack my target" to #8. now all I need to figure out is what I want to assign to the throttle switches/hats.)

kgkosio · Post by **kgkosio** » Mon, 4. Jan 10, 19:18

A good joystick and throttle combination is the way to go, if you have the money and the desk space (8 in. by 8 in. box on each side of the keyboard).

I purchased a desk with a 40 in. keyboard tray, enough for all 4 controllers at once.

I am still working at programming macros for some of the essential commands that do not have short cut keys ( boarding, missile barrage and ship claiming) which is why the keyboard and mouse remain on the desk.

Suggestion for joystick users, leave the mouse pointer over the new message icon, left click to open the message, up and down arrows to make your choice and enter to accept the choice. I actually use a trackball so the mouse pointer does not move when I make contact with it.

Lancefighter · Post by **Lancefighter** » Mon, 4. Jan 10, 19:24

I have a joystick... but I havent gotten around to bringing it off to college yet. Not quite ready to make that step

Instead, I stick with my mouse/keyboard combo. Works well enough (read:my mouse has almost as many buttons as my joystick), so I dont really complain

LordForrester · Post by **LordForrester** » Mon, 4. Jan 10, 20:03

joystick for me. It is just more fun IMO and feels more natural.

Gazz · Post by **Gazz** » Mon, 4. Jan 10, 20:24

I tried a Saitek X36 (+ throttle) but never liked it.

Back in the 80s/90s when there were real flight sims I would use nothing but a joystick but it doesn't "work" for me in X3.
The X3 fighters are so insanely sensitive that fine control is impossible. The joystick implementation doesn't help, either. It's a linear translation of the axis.

egosoft.com

egosoft.com

Is it just me.......or is mouse + keyboard better?

Mouse or Joystick?

Is it just me.......or is mouse + keyboard better?