Question: Advantages of Joystick over Mouse/Trackpad?

[rodsantos]

To you joystick users:

Are there any advantages of a joystick over a mouse or a trackpad? Because I'm perfectly okay with my trackpad, but what are the advantages of a joystick?

[Gunny]

A joystick[In my case a flight yoke.]just adds a bit more tactile realism to the fantasy.Its just a matter of preference and comfort.We tend to get good with the controls we use.Most of my real world flight experience was with a yoke so that is what I am comfortable with.I also use rudder pedals and throttle quadrants but none of it actually feels like the real thing.Much to stiff and notchy unless you want to pay the big bucks and I do not

[Neocon]

I use a keyboard for most flying, but I sometimes use a PS3 controller, especially for fighter planes.

We tend to get good with the controls we use.

That's why I still mostly use my keyboard. I almost bought a joystick several times, but finally decided the keyboard is good enough for my purposes. It was only when I got into air races that I started using my PS3 controller.

[Swift]

to be brutally honest.....a throttle


sorry mousepad, that's one thing you will always lack

[waspe414]

A great deal more precision, no struggling to nail the center, much faster and more precise throttle control, endless buttons (if you have something stupid like the X55 like I do).

I can't stand a trackpad, it's awkward, has terrible response time, difficult to move to extremes and back. For civil, it works, but anything else it just sucks. I was pretty good with the mouse before I got a stick. The mouse will do you, and with a bit of tweaking to the keyboard controls you can get pretty efficient in combat. I'm without my HOTAS right now, and the biggest thing I miss is spring centering, actually. It also feels a whole lot nicer than a mouse.

[Turbofan]

The advantages of a joystick are pretty much what has been pointed out - easier to accurately center back on the pitch and bank angle. And I'm sure more controls are conveniently placed at your fingertips. I'm sure it's great for combat/aerobatic purposes.

I've been using a keyboard and mouse all along (since I started playing YSFS back in '01 ). But then again, all I fly is civilian (people around here know when I fly a fighter 'cause I don't fly 'em like they're meant to be flown and it's a once-in-a-blue-moon event - but that's another story altogether and we won't go there right now). The mouse works great, just have a 5% dead zone on the ailerons and you're good to go. Spoilers/airbrakes set to full up/down on the left mouse button, reverse thrust set to the right mouse button. Mouse wheel for zooming in/out by default. Awesome pawsome. But this is a "to each his own" kind of deal so whatever floats your boat (or flies your plane).

I used my laptop's trackpad once. Never attempted that tomfoolery again.

[Flake]

Keyboard arrow keys: No fine control of flight surfaces - hard to fly and not crash and burn as a fireball.

Trackpad: very limited control of flight surfaces - hard to take-off and land, or perform any beyond basic maneuver

Mouse: Good control of all flight surfaces - requires lots of desk space though and a keen muscle memory. Hard to control precise and quick maneuvers - eg: aileron rolls in fighter jets or 8 point rolls.

Joystick: Best control of all flight surfaces - each axis tends to have a larger range of precision than is necessary for YSF. Easy to perform advanced maneuvers.

===

In short, "paddock bashing" in a stock f-15 could be done via basic inputs, but advanced formation/Air-Air combat/instrument flying would ask for more advanced controls.

It's a cost vs benefit thing. As a casual player of flight sims, etc, do you really need to buy a Hotas Warthog? The answer is no. As a formation flight perfectionist? The answer is probably still no (But why not, right?)

[Dragon_Mech]

i use a keyboard and a wireless optical mouse for all of my flying. on my keyboard, i try to keep all of my "most used" keys(5% and 2.5% throttle,flaps,spoiler,rockets,cannon etc..) close together so i don't have to hunt for them. and i have the dead zones on the mouse set to 2% and the sensitivity set to .75 for combat flight. i have the left mouse button set to "Fire selected weapon". the middle button is my spoiler and the right buttion selects my next weapon. the mouse wheel works as my rudder. i have gotten rather good with this setup, but i would love to try a joystick/throttle setup someday. especially for flying helos.

[Turbofan]

requires lots of desk space though...

For civi flying, mouse movements cover very little area. I rarely move the mouse more than an inch in either direction.

[Barr]

requires lots of desk space though...

For civi flying, mouse movements cover very little area. I rarely move the mouse more than an inch in either direction.

Lol yea same here. Mouse movements in YS are sensitive. And at the most ill need 3-5in of worth of overall movement. Flying fighters with the mouse are a pain becuase like as everyone has pounted out getting back dead on center is difficult.

I personally like the mouse and keyboard setup though if i could ever get 2 mouses working that would be awesome!

[Bombcat]

As a long time joystick user, I largely agree with what folks have been saying so far. Joysticks are great if you want to invest a little in your experience, or would like to try other flight games. Keyboard and mouse will give you everything you need and most of what you want for a very reasonable price - I'd recommend buying a mouse to enhance a laptop setup at the very least.

On the advantages of a joystick - the most useful features tend to be a hat switch for looking around, some sort of sliding or rotating throttle, and a twist rudder. It can be challenging to perform those three tasks simultaneously with a keyboard and mouse set up, and a fairly affordable stick, such as the Logitech Attack 3D pro, provides all three. I've tried both playstation and xbox controllers with YS, and the feature I generally find most off-putting is the lack of a throttle control that stays where you put it.

If you've got the money to spare, a cheap joystick can definitely enhance your experience and won't cost as much as a new Xbox 360 controller.

[decaff_42]

Just to add to Bombcat's comments, you can do what I did and ask for a lower-cost joystick for birthday/holiday.