Joystick or joykill?

[SERVtheBEEMER]

does anyone use a joystick when flying in game?

 

does it help? is it easier? can you recommend a good joystick?

 

is there anything I should be looking out for when buying one?

 

cheers for the help ;D

[razgriz33]

I use a cocktail of the following:

 

Joystick

Throttle

Rudder pedals

Track IR

 

I've built that up over some years and i can say that it really does make a difference to your performance but also your gaming experience.

Grab a cheap one to start out with to see if you like it. one that twists so you can use rudder/tail rotor.

 

wouldn't go all out on an expensive setup straight away though.

[Hoax]

TrackIR is the most important thing you can get, a joystick and other things are really personal preference.

 

There are awesome pilots who use don't use a joystick (Dyslexci, for example, swears by mouse, keyboard and pedals).

 

I personally prefer using a joystick, mine is a CH Products Flightstick Pro, very unflashy and looks basic but has by far the best movement I've ever felt on a joystick.  Plus its built like a tank.

 

If you want to buy something to help with flying, I would strongly recommend picking up a TrackIR.  You can get a $20 discount over at the shack tactical website.

[David]

If your thinking just for A3, don't bother, you don't need anything other than a keyboard. If you play other things then it's probably a good idea.

[Jester]

If your thinking just for A3, don't bother, you don't need anything other than a keyboard. If you play other things then it's probably a good idea.

I beg to differ. I cannot fly at all with just keyboard/mouse. I hook up my XBox controller and its game on. (well, sorta game on until raz or hoax or one of the other topguns start flying )

[fergie]

Might as well get a joystick, I've never not owned a Joystick whilst I've been using PCs for gaming!

 

It'll definitely make flying in ArmA 3 more fun, and it will also give you the opportunity to try some games you may not have played before, Rise of Flight or the newer War Thunder are both F2P games that are improved with a joystick.

 

You'd probably be looking at about £30 to get hold of a decent low end stick with a slider throttle. I bought a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro for £35 over 5 years ago and it's still going strong!

 

Alternatively you could get a wired xbox controller which will work with any Windows 7 or 8 PC as a plug and play device and will improve the way you experience flight and driving on your PC, they usually cost about £20.

 

P.S As to what to look for when buying one, I tend to browse amazon, play, ebuyer etc and build a list with three columns:

1. Products below price point: these are products that look too good to be true, we're looking for exceptional value for money in these. 
2. Products at price point: these are the products that best fit your budget and your tastes.
3. Products that exceed price point: these are products that cost more than you were intending to pay but could afford.

After I have a list I look for written reviews and youtube reviews for all the products I'm really interested in, as well as searching for complaints about breakages or people troubleshooting hardware/software failures. Then it's simply a case of weighing up the pros and cons of all the best choices and making an informed decision. 

 

More specifically with joysticks however, I would watch out for complaints/ criticism relating to loss of calibration, big dead zones and buttons breaking/ losing functionality.

[David]

Might as well get a joystick, I've never not owned a Joystick whilst I've been using PCs for gaming!

 

It'll definitely make flying in ArmA 3 more fun, and it will also give you the opportunity to try some games you may not have played before, Rise of Flight or the newer War Thunder are both F2P games that are improved with a joystick.

 

You'd probably be looking at about £30 to get hold of a decent low end stick with a slider throttle. I bought a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro for £35 over 5 years ago and it's still going strong!

 

Alternatively you could get a wired xbox controller which will work with any Windows 7 or 8 PC as a plug and play device and will improve the way you experience flight and driving on your PC, they usually cost about £20.

 

P.S As to what to look for when buying one, I tend to browse amazon, play, ebuyer etc and build a list with three columns:

1. Products below price point: these are products that look too good to be true, we're looking for exceptional value for money in these. 
2. Products at price point: these are the products that best fit your budget and your tastes.
3. Products that exceed price point: these are products that cost more than you were intending to pay but could afford.

After I have a list I look for written reviews and youtube reviews for all the products I'm really interested in, as well as searching for complaints about breakages or people troubleshooting hardware/software failures. Then it's simply a case of weighing up the pros and cons of all the best choices and making an informed decision. 

 

More specifically with joysticks however, I would watch out for complaints/ criticism relating to loss of calibration, big dead zones and buttons breaking/ losing functionality.

 

Could also try the raz method of sorting from price high to low and then pick the top one regardless.   

[Ninjaneer]

I have a Saitek x52 and I love it, I can still fly better with my kb/mouse, but I'm also still getting use to the x52.  I'm patiently waiting to find a good deal on some flight pedals on Craigslist.  

 

Like razgriz33 said, start basic, get use to your new flight stick, then expand.  If you start out with a HOTAS style flight system w/ rudder pedals and a Track IR your going to be lost.  

 

I'd also recommend a Logitech or Xbox USB controller as a good alternative.

[David]

I have a Saitek x52 and I love it, I can still fly better with my kb/mouse, but I'm also still getting use to the x52.  I'm patiently waiting to find a good deal on some flight pedals on Craigslist.  

 

Like razgriz33 said, start basic, get use to your new flight stick, then expand.  If you start out with a HOTAS style flight system w/ rudder pedals and a Track IR your going to be lost.  

 

I'd also recommend a Logitech or Xbox USB controller as a good alternative.

 

I have some Saitek pedals, can't adjust the tension though. It's yours for £20 + P&P

[Ninjaneer]

I have some Saitek pedals, can't adjust the tension though. It's yours for £20 + P&P

 

I appreciate the offer, but I live in Murica!, and the shipping alone would be a bit more than I am willing to spend atm.  Besides, I have my heart set on the Combat Rudder Pedals,  thanks though.

[Cain]

I can definitely see how TrackIR would be useful with jets, and flying first person in general, but I don't think I'd get it if i'm mainly flying helis.

 

HOWEVER. I really want a joystick for a better feel and control of the aircraft, instead of constantly tapping one of the WASD keys to correct my heading or angle. Probably will pick up a logitech one for christmas.

[StoneCold313]

I can definitely see how TrackIR would be useful with jets, and flying first person in general, but I don't think I'd get it if i'm mainly flying helis.

 

HOWEVER. I really want a joystick for a better feel and control of the aircraft, instead of constantly tapping one of the WASD keys to correct my heading or angle. Probably will pick up a logitech one for christmas.

 

I have TrackIR and it works awesome when it comes to flying helo's. Well especially if you use keyboard and mouse(can't look around and fine tune the helo with mouse at the same time).

 

As for constantly tapping one of the WASD keys. I hardly ever use/tap them. Just when i need to do long turns(bank the helo and press and hold S for example). So it works pretty close to joystick.

 

But if you do ever plan to play "actual" helo/jet sims, then joystick is really a must(IMO).

 

I got TrackIR for general flying, sims and arma. But it works good when playing as inf too.

 

Anyways, enough with the writing, but as a last note, if you do want to try out how TrackIR works with helo's, try FaceTrackNOIR. Only requires a webcam and a face to track, and it's free.

[kamaradski]

I tried using a joystick while playing 

: didn't like it at all... So haven't had one since.

 

 

 

No matter how good the joystick, Yorp and Garg would still get me

[technerd89]