Joysticks and Gamepads

Sony PS3 Game Controller

Belkin's Nostromo Speedpad

Thrustmaster TFlight Hotas 4: Throttle & joystick detachable-ish

VKB Gunfighter Mk.III joystick

Virpil Mongoost Throttle: metal

The Options

There are a wide variety of options for enhancing your game with mechanical aids.

• a game controller! Look at this discussion.

• a speedpad. Discussion here.

• a joystick. Ideally one compatible with your computer!

• a joystick & throttle set (HOTAS: Hands-On Throttle And Stick).

• or two joysticks (HOSAS: Hands-On Stick And Stick).

• any of these can also be combined with pedals.

Different things work for different people. Some people swear by the keyboard. Other people swear at the keyboard!

HOTAS & HOSAS are also superb for the immersion factor.

There is a fair amount of discussion about all of this on the bulletin board. Just search it! But beware: the names of some of the gadgets have changed since the posts were written.

Don't forget that there are three quite separate considerations.

• Which gadgets actually work with both your computer and Oolite?
• Which gadgets actually improve your combat/docking capabilities?
• Which gadgets improve your immersion - actually enhancing your sense that you really are sitting at the astrogation panel in your cobra!

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Compatibility

Windows

Pretty much everything seems to work with Windows (depending on the version which you have of it!).

AppleMac

The AppleMac is more of a nightmare. The simpler joysticks and the various CH offerings are fully compatible (although the CH programming software is not). For example, with the simpler Thrustmaster combined HOTAS models (TFlight 1/3/4/X) one will find that the yaw controls and the throttle do not function with the AppleMac.

• DH Leong wrote a harness for the Thrustmaster Warthog back in 2014. He implied it did not work too well - and it may not work at all on the newer AppleMacs.

Linux

See Linux Joysticks and Gamepads

• There are several reports of issues using PS3 Controllers with Ubuntu.
  
  

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Setting up/configuring a joystick/controller

Joystick configuration page

The joystick/controller configuration pages are accessed

• once you have loaded the game and then chosen game options (above manage expansion packs).
• while you are docked: press F2 and then choose game options.
• while in flight: Pause (with p), press F2 and then choose game options.

With Oolite v.1.90 you can assign the following 30-odd settings to your joystick/throttle/pedals combination (the jargon on the pages can be a bit confusing) in addition to editing your axis profiles:

• Roll / Pitch / Yaw (3 axes)
• Increase/decrease Thrust
• Fire primary weapon (laser!)
• Fire secondary weapon (missiles & bombs!)
• Arm/Disarm/target incoming missiles/cycle own missiles
• Toggle weapons on/off
• Prime equipment / activate equipment / set equipment mode / activate 1st & 2nd fast equipment
• ECM
• Toggle ID
• Select previous or next target
• Fuel Injection / Torus(hyper)drive / Witchspace drive (titles here confusing!)
• Precision flying toggle
• Take snapshot
• Escape pod
• Scanner zoom/unzoom
• Jettison cargo
• View forwards/sideways/backwards
• Docking: request docking clearance / waltzing docking computer / comatose docking computer
• Next compass target

For advice on setting up your joystick for maximum effect, see Dizzy's guide to Setting up Joystick Axis Profiles

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Joystick Sensitivity Indicator

Joystick Sensitivity Indicator (between scanner & roll/pitch sensors)

This is the little green dot in the circle between the red scanner and the green roll & pitch indicators.

• If there is no joystick/controller connected, then it will not show up.

• If your joystick is in precision mode this is green.

• If your joystick is not in precision mode it is gray.

The setting for which button controls precision mode will be found in the joystick/controller configuration page (see above).

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Other Possibilities

• You might find it helpful to reconfigure your keyboard.
  • Keyboard Cobra OXP retunes the navigation keys to be more precise helping accuracy with your laser.
  • TSOJ suggests rebinding the navigation keys in a more easy-to-use manner
• Use your mouse! Shift-M (for roll on x-axis) & Shift-Control-M (for yaw on x-axis) toggle flight control for your mouse in full-screen playing mode.
• Buttonboxes