Joystick preference?

[Maddmatt 1]

I would not recommend any Logitech joysticks. Recently my old MS FF2s rudder stopped working and I got a Logitech Force 3D Pro. It is terrible. The movement range is incredible small and it feels very twitchy. It doesn't move smoothly, you can feel the gears inside turning as you move it . It doesn't even centre itself properly and trying to centre it without a large deadzone is very difficult, and in ArmA if you are on foot and fire, the force feedback will knock it off centre so when you get in a vehicle you will reverse, then struggle to centre it again. That is the top of the range from Logitech, and they can't even do that properly. You could never rely on this thing in a flight sim, it barely manages in ArmA.

I got my FF2 fixed and the difference is huge. It may have a few less buttons, but that doesn't matter. It is precise, force feedback only activates when you hold it and it centres itself properly. It is good quality and everything works properly. It also has force feedback.

The Sidewinder Force Feedback 2 is no longer made, but you can still get it if you look around. It beats any Logitech piece of crap by far.

I can't speak for the other brands since these are all I have experience with. If you are willing to spend more money, maybe one of those CH, Thrustmaster or Saitech high end ones will be a good buy, but only really worth the money if you play flight sims.

[Mr_Tea 0]

I have an Saitek X52 Flight Control System, it works perfect.

It does not have Force Feedback, but i don`t need that for my Stick.

[rundll.exe 12]

Thx for the (force) feedback

I think Ill have a look at the microsoft products

[daanvs 0]

If you want to go for realism, quality and looks, go for the Thrustmaster Cougar. It's a full metal replica of the F-16 HOTAS. comes with sidestick and throttlestick. Fully customisable configuration. I love it, especially in combination with falcon 4.0 and falcon allied force, but it does perfectly well in ArmA too!

[CharveL 0]

Actually, despite some of the fanboyisms in this thread the best stick out there is still the MSFFB2 but with the caveat that this applies more to real flight sims (i.e. IL2 series) than the fun silliness of flying in ArmA.

Unfortunately, they are becoming more and more rare but you can still find them on ebay.

The CH are nice sticks as well and you can't go wrong with them but without the force feedback (again in flight sims) you are at a slight disadvantage despite what that guys said on page 1 of this thread. The MSFFB2 actually has useful tactile response that is much better than the Logitech toys and helps you to feel the edge of a stall without the visual cues the non-ffb guys need.

The bonus of using a CH stick however is that you can combine your CH throttle and pedals with the stick as one "super-controller" to overcome the lame implementation of one controller BI put into ArmA. I just don't get why they would have hobbled such a great combat simulator by limiting your input choices but maybe they'll fix it down the road.

[frogg 0]

Tsk tsk. Toys.

IL-2 Sturmovik is where I hail from, which is 1946 in it´s current incarnation. When you are serious about flying, you have a modded Thrustmaster Cougar. It´s up to you wether you are an F-16 realisme fan and pick a force mod (FCC or FSSB) or go for a durable precision movement in the form of IJ´s Ü2-NXT.

ehh no offense, but the Cougar still has alot of "gamey" features. Sure, it models itself on a real F-16 stick, but does a real F-16 use a twist rudder? lol

Thrustmaster Cougar is at the expensive end of "Gamer" Joysticks, while CH gear is at the cheap( ! ) end of serious flight sim setups.

Even the basic CH Stick/throttle/pedals will cost quite allot. (you need at least these if you plan to fly seriously)

One you go full CH (not just the stick..lol) you will never go back. Mind you the 3 pieces cost me over $1000au less than 5 years ago. Next thing I plan to add is the MFP

Granted, the cougars are very popular with the Falcon 4 community, as it's modeled on the stick from the plane they all fly =D Some of the mods are very nice too.

Check out CH Products for a pic of the full CH setup.

[JAMF 0]

ehh no offense, but the Cougar still has alot of "gamey" features. Sure, it models itself on a real F-16 stick, but does a real F-16 use a twist rudder? lol

No, and neither does the Cougar!?

Thrustmaster Cougar is at the expensive end of "Gamer" Joysticks, while CH gear is at the cheap( ! ) end of serious flight sim setups.

You can find a Cougar HOTAS for around $200. The CH setup costs about $100 for the pro throttle and about $100 for the fighterstick.

Even the basic CH Stick/throttle/pedals will cost quite allot. (you need at least these if you plan to fly seriously)

One you go full CH (not just the stick..lol) you will never go back. Mind you the 3 pieces cost me over $1000au less than 5 years ago. Next thing I plan to add is the MFP

Granted, the cougars are very popular with the Falcon 4 community, as it's modeled on the stick from the plane they all fly =D Some of the mods are very nice too.

Check out CH Products for a pic of the full CH setup.

The CH pedals I tried, and they were too close together for me. The movement of the stick felt like other sticks (except the Thrustmaster F22/Cougar type), but the springs were too light. I do prefer the metal of the Cougar and with IJ´s mod (The mod wizard of Aus. ), it will last my lifetime and become an heirloom.

[daanvs 0]

yes, you can buy the greatest mods for this piece of hardware, that will make it pressure sensitive, just like the real thing instead of using pots. I don't see any gamey features on the cougar myself. I've been in many F-16 MLU's and sims of the RNLAF and I can tell you, it's an exact replica, especially if you mod it to be pressure sensitive.

And like JAMF said, there is no twist rudder on the cougar.

[frogg 0]

Quote[/b] ]No, and neither does the Cougar!?

Fair enough, I admit it has been along time since I used one, and that was a pre-production one sent to us as an importer/distributor. At that time it had twist rudder, and only 50% or so of it was metal. This was probably going back 6-7 years (memory is failing me at this age:(). Glad they scrapped that idea lol. It turned me off so much I went CH.

Quote[/b] ]You can find a Cougar HOTAS for around $200. The CH setup costs about $100 for the pro throttle and about $100 for the fighterstick.

Stick (todays price) is ~$175, throttle ~$175 and pedals ~$175 after conversion. You would be silly trying to fly without all 3 (imo). Cost me 3x that all those years ago

Quote[/b] ]The CH pedals I tried, and they were too close together for me. The movement of the stick felt like other sticks (except the Thrustmaster F22/Cougar type), but the springs were too light. I do prefer the metal of the Cougar and with IJ´s mod (The mod wizard of Aus. ), it will last my lifetime and become an heirloom.

Yea good point. The metal of the cougar and the skill of the people who mod these things are a huge++.

The CH pedals are a tad close for my liking too, but they beat the hell out of any other pedals under $500, and sure as hell beat a keyboard rudder.

BTW, do you play Lomac, IL2 or F4?

IL2 for life here =D

[JAMF 0]

Yep, a prophead here too. When I bought my first ( ) Cougar somewhere in 2003, it was less expensive than the CH setup. WRT pedals, there is a set called SimPeds, which I own a set of. Unfortunately the designer, seller and manufacturer is quite ill, so one can´t expect too much production. I would expect them to be below $500AUS.

[mr.peanut 1]

In ArmA(1.05) the collective(vertical) axis for helicopters was mapped backwards relative to the fixed-wing throttle control. Are we ever going to be able to set controls differently for helicopters and fixed-wings?

[acog99 0]

Yep, a prophead here too.

Quoth the Raven...Point Magnet!

[JAMF 0]

Yep, a prophead here too.

Quoth the Raven...Point Magnet!

Glacier Girl isn't comming to Duxford. I was dying to get close, or even hear her live. I could cry.

[Grodin 0]

why on earth would anyone waste 200 dollars to get "serious" joystick just to play a game thats more arcadey than 15 year old flightsims, oh please. Joysticks price doesnt make you laugh but when you try being serious with anything that flies in arma, you sure cant stop laughing.

That sidewinder is just fine unless you fly something realistic like falcon etc, it has more than enough buttons to map all you need in arma to fly, getting something like X52 or Cougar is way overkill, you couldnt figure out what to map on those 60 remaining slots in your HOTAS joystic

[mr.peanut 1]

Well, for some people, the feel of their controller is very important to being immersed in the game. I am not one of those people(I favour a logitech gamepad). I simply can not understand why BI does not offer more controller settings(sensitivity and deadzone anyone?) controller configs based on vehicle classes.

[Mr_Tea 0]

why on earth would anyone waste 200 dollars to get "serious" joystick just to play a game thats more arcadey than 15 year old flightsims, oh please. Joysticks price doesnt make you laugh but when you try being serious with anything that flies in arma, you sure cant stop laughing.

That sidewinder is just fine unless you fly something realistic like falcon etc, it has more than enough buttons to map all you need in arma to fly, getting something like X52 or Cougar is way overkill, you couldnt figure out what to map on those 60 remaining slots in your HOTAS joystic

I did not bought the X52 for ArmA.

I use it mostly in MSFS9 and X3, where i would be lost without an good controller.

As i own the X52 i use it in ArmA too, but i would not buy an joystick for ArmA alone.

[Tuphmuph 10]

What you need is this:

This is the CH Fighterstick by CH Products. A little pricey at $149.99, big, but has all of the features you need and MORE. The precision on this baby is amazing, and how do I know this? Because I own one. These joysticks never fail. If they do, its more likely a component inside the stick - No worries, CH has the solution. Not only do they make great joysticks that last forever, but they sell replacement parts for cheap so you can easily fix what has gone bad or been broken.

They also have rudder pedals which you don't need, but I would recommend them for any other flight sim and also the immersion factor. I have had this joystick for 4 years now. It has been one of the best investments I've made in PC Gaming. It also comes with X and Y axis trim controls for your more advanced flying.

Games I have played with this stick are:

IL2 Sturmovik

IL2 Forgotten Battles + Expansion

Pacific Fighters

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 - A Century of Flight

Microsoft Flight Simulator X

Operation Flashpoint

Armed Assault

Not only have I been able to play these games with this joystick, but I have been able to play them WELL.

It is understandable that it is a little on the spendy side, but they do offer a Combatstick 568, which has the same performance with fewer buttons for about 40 dollars less.

Hi Just read your bit on The CH Fighterstick .. I have one, also Pedals and a Throttle. But I don't have a clue as to setting them up..I am playing Arma II at the moment and I would love to be able use them in this Any advice would be greatly appreciated.... PLEASE HELP!!

Baby instructions cause am a Newbie. Fanx

Tuph