Freelancer- No joystick support.

Well, for me, personally, the problem with P2's controls was the lack of mouse support. I would have been a lot more positively set towards that game if only I could have played with a mouse...
 
Yes, we all know about your obsession with mouse control. :)

Really, are you and I the only ones who don't play WC using a joystick?
 
Hey, it's not really an obsession - it's just so much easier :). Keyboard controls in WC have a long history of sucking, and I never really got used to a joystick (didn't even have one, until three years ago, and even that one I don't have with me in Oz), which was really only useful for X-Wing.

But yeah, we're probably the only ones ;).
 
Well, WC1 and 2 had that annoying one-key-at-a-time limitation. Priv... Priv was pretty good, but on my slow 486, I had to use the mouse, because of the way Priv compensated for slower gameplay. WC3 and onwards was an improvement, but by then I was too set in my ways.
 
Privateer 2 is an annoying game because it has no keyboard controls... it forced me to adopt the joystisk, and since then I've bought me a programmable stick w/ rudder and throttle and a MS Strategy Commander to play with... This endless obsession with technology just because the damn game wouldn't drive via keyboard. Sucky indeed.

And the worst thing? My new joystick DOESN'T WORK in DOS... So WC3 and P2 are just forgotten, as the calibration screen just shows a cursor all over the place without me even touching the stick... Dilemmas. hmph.
 
Get on ebay, find a MS SideWinder 3d Pro. It sports both digital and analog modes. It *will* work in DOS mode. I have one on my WC game machine, and it works every single one of the games just fine, be it in DOS mode or Win mode.

RFB
 
I currently own a SAITEK Cyborg 3D, a great leftie-stick with both analog and digital modes, but for some reason recently the analog mode broke... It's shaky even in WIndows, but my big problem is I'm a leftie, I guess I'll have to look for a design which suits me... THanks, RFB, I'll look for the 3Dpro and see what it looks like...
 
If your current stick has a switch somewhere to switch between modes, or between types of j-stick it will emulate, it may be the switch contacts have become dirty, causing intermittent operation, which will affect both analog and digital modes. Might check the switch! :)

RFB
 
Well I HAVE owned it for over three years and never once cleaned it... so yeah... might be that! I'll try it and see what happens...
 
Also while your in it, take a magnafying glass and look very carefully at the printed circuit board traces, see if any have small cracks in them, or bad solder connections, which back in 92, the EPA forced manufacturers to reduce the lead content in the solder used to make the connections. The solder will become brittle after a couple of years. Hope you find its trouble and it all works out! :)

RFB
 
Well, Im a degreed electronics/electrical engineer! :) Done tons of work related to electronics for over 25 years. I mentioned the printed circuit board because my j-stick developed some bad solder connections, which gave very poor performance, jerky control, some of the buttons would be extremely intermittent etc. Plus, if you use the stick enough, it gets its "battle scars" inside! In one game, I moved the stick so hard to avoid a SAM missile in Longbow Gold, I broke the stick! Had to replace the part that broke, and the board developed those cracks in the foil patterns on the printed circuit board! Just some usefull tips troubleshooting the stick you have now, might save you from having to buy a new one! Good luck!! :)

RFB
 
Originally posted by Quarto
Well, WC1 and 2 had that annoying one-key-at-a-time limitation.
Maybe for you it did. :) No, really, I'll admit there's a problem for WC1, but I can't recall any problem with the keyboard for WC2. Maybe I've just got used to it.

Originally posted by Quarto
Priv... Priv was pretty good, but on my slow 486, I had to use the mouse, because of the way Priv compensated for slower gameplay.
Eh? I played Priv fine on the keyboard (check the Tarsus ;)), and that was on a 386. I guess the problem was the jerky movement.
 
Originally posted by Wedge009
Eh? I played Priv fine on the keyboard (check the Tarsus), and that was on a 386. I guess the problem was the jerky movement.
Well, I distinctly remember having trouble hitting the enemy with anything other than fire-and-forget weapons :).
 
I've used a standard Gravis joystick since 1996. It worked so well I've never seen a reason to change. Despite the fact that is has only two buttons and the **** thing keeps *****...er, sorry. That joystick is prolly the reason I'm here today (it came ith WC2 :D)
 
Originally posted by Quarto

Well, I distinctly remember having trouble hitting the enemy with anything other than fire-and-forget weapons :).

Technically speaking, just about every weapon in WC is fire-and-forget. :)

Best, Raptor
 
RF... Wow. Broke the stick?!

My Mom did that once on my old C64 playing some kind of game where a monster was tyring to eat her (my Mom is a bigger game fan than I will EVER be)... I broke the trigger on my Saitek Cyborg (which by the way in its unbroken state is the most satisfying trigger known to man) firing off an AIM-54 with great satisfaction...

I HAVE an old stick, that came with WC2, some grey thing with blue buttons, I checked it out yesterday but it too refuses to work in DOS mode... although it is fine in Windows... I am starting to suspect maybe my Gameport or something won't initiate in DOS?
 
Originally posted by gryphon
I HAVE an old stick, that came with WC2, some grey thing with blue buttons, I checked it out yesterday but it too refuses to work in DOS mode... although it is fine in Windows... I am starting to suspect maybe my Gameport or something won't initiate in DOS?

Sounds like it. Or it needs some specific driver for DOS mode since it works ok in Win.

RFB
 
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