Terrible controls for joystick lovers

[damccull]

This game's mouse-driven control is terrible for the 3d space environment in the game. The concept worked phenomenally well in Microsoft's Freelancer, but in SWTOR, it is slow to respond, the reticle seems to jump, and the mouse doesn't respond easily.

 

It's far too easy to lose your mouse cursor outside the range of the central display wheel, and turning back the other direction becomes confusing once you have moved outside the ring. Too often I find myself turning left, then STILL turning left when I tried to turn right just because my cursor was sitting outside the ring, on the left side of my scrren.

 

It's too hard for new players to grasp the game, and even become decent at flying. I am killed before I can ever do damage to other players in nearly every match, nearly every spawn.

 

As a gamer trained on joysticks for combat flight sim, and a pilot in real life, this is unacceptable. I expect the game to react one way, but it fails to do so. Instead, it seems to completely ignore some inputs I give it (see above about mouse outside the ring), and when it does respond, it's slow.

 

I've been a fan (and subscriber), since beta, and I was honestly very sad to see the sub-par replacement to Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed. That game had it right. It was a joystick driven combat flight sim with full, instantaneous response to the controls. I realize Galactic Starfighters is new, and you're trying to reach the entire audience of the game, but the current controls are unwieldy and difficult to use.

 

Frankly, I'm surprised ANYONE can fly these ships effectively in combat. This is going to drive new and inexperienced players away from this new feature as it gets older, leaving it a player base of only a comparative few elite pilots slugging it out.

 

Come on, SWTOR team, find some way to fly these spacecraft that doesn't suck for pilots.

[Devlonir]

Two Tips:

 

Tip 1: Do'nt bring your mouse so far outside the circle. Just to the edge is enough to the maximum speed turn. You don't push your joystick further than it goes either, do you?

 

Tip 2: If you do bring your mouse too far out of it, there is actually a clear visual indicator where your mouse is / how far outside the circle it is. The yellow line makes it very clear how far you need to move to get back into shooting / moving area.

 

It really is all about practice and finding the right visual cues. And of course that takes some time getting used to, especially when you are used to joystick control.

But just because you need longer to get used to it, doesn't make the controls bad or not precise. A lot of pilots have adapted already and are doing very well in controlling their ship.

[Coug]

Not that my opinion matters much but I refuse to partake in what EA considers space combat until actual joystick support is incorporated. Jump to Light Speed was the last enjoyable space combat game for me and I had so many hopes for this addition into SWtoR. I don't buy into the "keeping a level playing field" by only offering mouse controls. I have 1 good hand so how does making me use a keyboard and mouse (even if I wanted to play a flying game with a mouse) keep it a level playing field?

[Itkovian]

The simple fact is the current design will put joystick users at a disadvantage, as the game is balanced with the players using the mouse cursor for precision aiming, a precision which cannot be equaled with a joystick.

 

MWO has the same issue, and those who insist on using joysticks are indeed at a severe disadvantage.

 

That's not to say that joystick support couldn't be added, but it will likely not be as effective as most people hope, unless some significant redesign occurs (which is unlikely in the short term).

[Slivovidze]

It's far too easy to lose your mouse cursor outside the range of the central display wheel, and turning back the other direction becomes confusing once you have moved outside the ring. Too often I find myself turning left, then STILL turning left when I tried to turn right just because my cursor was sitting outside the ring, on the left side of my scrren.

 

This is the only statement I agree with. The dual pointer is a bit unfortunate.

 

But, with practice, you can get used to that. I did, same as many others.

 

Truth is, you will have a hard time being a beginner now, unless you are a natural. Only subs are allowed in currently, and most of these play from the release, or even beta. That makes a very limited playerbase, 90% of which already have experiences and know their stuff, not to mention ship upgrades.

 

Once prefs gain their access, the field will get more equal. There will be thousands of beginners with the same problems, so you will not get killed that much.

 

Lastly, I will once again say my joystick statement: In GSf, we don't control the ship, we control the aiming recticule. That can be done way more precisely and faster with mouse than with joystick. If they ever introduce joystick support, players using joystick will be at a big disadvantage unless they also do a big gameplay change and fix the aiming recticule in the middle of screen, making us control the ship itself. I don't see that happening, as there are some mechanics (laser tracking accuracy loss comes to my mind) bound to the independent aiming recticule.

[Itkovian]

That said, there are some improvements to the control scheme that would help, the first and most important would be preventing the mouse cursor from moving beyond the point of maximum turning speed.

[Eldrenath]

Lastly, I will once again say my joystick statement: In GSf, we don't control the ship, we control the aiming recticule. That can be done way more precisely and faster with mouse than with joystick. If they ever introduce joystick support, players using joystick will be at a big disadvantage unless they also do a big gameplay change and fix the aiming recticule in the middle of screen, making us control the ship itself. I don't see that happening, as there are some mechanics (laser tracking accuracy loss comes to my mind) bound to the independent aiming recticule.

Very good points above. I see a lot of folks complaining that this isn't a flight sim--and they're right. This isn't a flight sim, if this were a true "realistic" sim type game it would create the same problem a lot of people wouldn't enjoy it. This is an arcade style PvP shoot 'em up and isn't really a "sim" at all.

 

I don't mind not using a joystick, but then again I haven't played a game with a joystick in in many, many years. And the way this game is designed, a joystick would I think actually put you at a disadvantage--described very nicely in the quote above.

 

One thing that can help is a gaming mouse. I use a Razer Naga MMO gaming mouse. I have all of my controls mapped to keys on my mouse, so with my mouse thumb I can do weapon/shield/engine power conversions and use my active skills. This makes a BIG difference in the controls, and I have a much easier time now.

[NalRethak]

The simple fact is the current design will put joystick users at a disadvantage, as the game is balanced with the players using the mouse cursor for precision aiming, a precision which cannot be equaled with a joystick.

 

MWO has the same issue, and those who insist on using joysticks are indeed at a severe disadvantage.

 

That's not to say that joystick support couldn't be added, but it will likely not be as effective as most people hope, unless some significant redesign occurs (which is unlikely in the short term).

 

Well Precision doesn't really matters as it's built-in stuff, and evade in a component of your fighter.

So much for bringing your own piloting skill and outfly your opponent. Right now, the only way to outfly someone s by using burst speed to get outta range.

 

And since most people use to sharp turns then stop engine, Space combat doesn't really look like space combat.

[Itkovian]

Well Precision doesn't really matters as it's built-in stuff, and evade in a component of your fighter.

So much for bringing your own piloting skill and outfly your opponent. Right now, the only way to outfly someone s by using burst speed to get outta range.

 

And since most people use to sharp turns then stop engine, Space combat doesn't really look like space combat.

 

Hum, that is entirely untrue. You MUST aim your cursor onto your target (specifically the lead indicator) before the calculation for accuracy and evasion even occurs. Therefore precision targeting is still required by the player, and is a vital skill to achieving any kind of success.

 

As for the feeling of Space Combat, I certainly don't have a problem there. I find it fast and furious, and have an absolute blast flying. Only a few people actually "stop engine", as per you wild exaggeration, and it certainly is a pleasure to blast those misguided individual out of space.

[Kissell]

The simple fact is the current design will put joystick users at a disadvantage, as the game is balanced with the players using the mouse cursor for precision aiming, a precision which cannot be equaled with a joystick.

 

MWO has the same issue, and those who insist on using joysticks are indeed at a severe disadvantage.

 

lol -

 

1 - Jets don't have kb & mouse control

2 - no one has ever tried to use a joystick to play the mmo part of the game

Edited December 30, 2013 by Kissell