🚀 go-pugleaf

RetroBBS NetNews Server

Inspired by RockSolid Light RIP Retro Guy

Article View: alt.games.wing-commander
Article #161099

Re: Joysticks for WC

#161099
From: Death
Date: Mon, 02 Aug 2004 21:26
38 lines
2862 bytes
On Mon, 02 Aug 2004 20:19:53 GMT, "CK" <zsimo64@ntlworld.com> wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> Was wondering if anyone can give me some advice for a joystick for WC series
> and for Space sims in general? Are Gamepads any good?

Personally, I would recommend against gamepads as flight control
devices.  To me, the whole d-pad thing is, IMO, a piss-poor substitute
for a stick to actually wrap your hand around.  (Shaddup with the
dirty "hand on stick" comments, folks. :P )

For WC, the older games need analog joysticks (not too easy to find
nowadays), as they don't understand digital input.  This isn't as much
of a problem for much of the WC line, as it can be played in Windows
(either natively or with the help of a 3rd-party program, like MyJEMM
to run Privateer and Armada in a DOS environment from inside Windows),
but if you go into "pure" DOS for a game, it won't be able to see the
digital stick.

(And then there's Privateer 2: The Darkening, which even with the
Win9x version doesn't care too much for digital sticks in general, but
that's another issue entirely.)

For modern space sims, generally speaking, the more buttons you can
get, the better off you are.  Switching hands between joystick and
keyboard is not the best way to improve reaction time.

Which sticks in particular is another matter entirely, and one for
which I'm not informed enough to comment intelligently, having little
need for a "latest and greatest" joystick.

SubCrid Death
-- 
Official Net.Nazi, LOAF's Merry Guild http://www.wcnews.com/loaf/
ICQ UIN 3908950  <http://wwp.mirabilis.com/3908950>
A Meeting of Minds <http://nohbody.com/schtuff/meeting.html> - a
(mostly) cliche-free first contact story (updated periodically)
Technical Details
Message-ID: <lkyPc.3825$df.3358@bignews5.bellsouth.net>
Path: mbox-mo1.pugleaf.net!number1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!internal1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!border2.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!elnk-atl-nf1!newsfeed.earthlink.net!bigfeed2.bellsouth.net!bigfeed.bellsouth.net!bignumber.bellsouth.net!news.bellsouth.net!bignews5.bellsouth.net.POSTED!dd445696!not-for-mail
References: <JlxPc.732$Uk3.158@newsfe6-gui.ntli.net>

Show Full Headers
Complete Article Headers
Path: mbox-mo1.pugleaf.net!number1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!internal1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!border2.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!elnk-atl-nf1!newsfeed.earthlink.net!bigfeed2.bellsouth.net!bigfeed.bellsouth.net!bignumber.bellsouth.net!news.bellsouth.net!bignews5.bellsouth.net.POSTED!dd445696!not-for-mail
From: Death <look@my.reply-to.address>
Newsgroups: alt.games.wing-commander
Approved: By LMG High Command
Subject: Re: Joysticks for WC
Organization: LOAF's Merry Guild
Reply-To: nohbody@mail.com
References: <JlxPc.732$Uk3.158@newsfe6-gui.ntli.net>
X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 2.0/32.652
MIME-Version: 1.0
Lines: 38
Message-ID: <lkyPc.3825$df.3358@bignews5.bellsouth.net>
X-Complaints-To: abuse@bellsouth.net
X-Abuse-Info: Please forward a copy of all headers for proper handling
X-Trace: ldjgbllpbapjglppdbdpiflmbcekedmfhojhikkbagflhcbomkeleokjdejpglpmbgllfahocfgpfenafdiidjdjpljcebidamehlfidopofoejhlpjoejdfodkkeclbblpkpgncgcdkoocnomlgcccebcdfdbbm
NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 02 Aug 2004 17:26:41 EDT
Date: Mon, 02 Aug 2004 17:26:55 -0400
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit