Oolite Bulletins

Hesperus has obviously got another Anaconda full of them! Only 30cr get yours before Christmas.

Killer Instinct wrote:

Only 30cr get yours before Christmas.

Is it that time already? But I’ve got at least two months’ work left on this simulation software I’m working on! Oh, my claws and whiskers!

I use a joystick.
A Top Gun Afterburner II, to be exact.

But I used a stick - an aftermarket Atari stick - to play Elite on a C64 way back in the day.

I can't seem to find joysticks anymore? They're all "game controllers" now.

I'm considering a Belkin N52 game controller, on sale this week. But I'm quite used to the keyboard by now, although I am probably wearing out my direction keys.

Fraoch wrote:

I can't seem to find joysticks anymore? They're all "game controllers" now.

Really? That's a surprise. Last I checked, there was some good sticks to be had.

I believe the Afterburner II is still being made, along with the HOTAS Cougar. Logitech makes a couple of decent sticks. Saitek has the Cyborg, and the X-series sticks. And of course the whole CH Flightstick series is still around.

Maybe you're looking in the wrong places.

I usually buy stuff from NCIX.com - on their entire "game controllers" page consisting of probably ~40 items, there are hardly any joysticks and none I'm interested in:

- a cordless Logitech one (the 2.4 GHz will screw up my wireless network, also, it's expensive and I don't need cordless)

- a $60 Saitek Aviator (too expensive and Saitek doesn't have a good Linux track record if the Ubuntu forums are to judge)

- two Saitek "Flight System" joysticks at $160 and $240 (!) respectively

- a series of "X-Arcade" joysticks at $100 and up

The only one that caught my eye was the Belkin N52 on sale at $35 this week. A direction pad and 16 programmable keys. Linux support appears very good too.

Cmdr Wyvern wrote:

Fraoch wrote:

I can't seem to find joysticks anymore? They're all "game controllers" now.

Really? That's a surprise. Last I checked, there was some good sticks to be had.

<YOUR AD HERE>

Maybe you're looking in the wrong places.

If I'm not mistaken, "game controller" is the modern "politically correct" name for them. You see, the term "joystick" presents itself too easily for lewd punning making it unsuited for children.

Adults have such a dirty mind...

Cmdr. Maegil wrote:

If I'm not mistaken, "game controller" is the modern "politically correct" name for them. You see, the term "joystick" presents itself too easily for lewd punning making it unsuited for children.

Adults have such a dirty mind...

Ah yes!

I was expecting good ol' Atari-like devices - you know, sticks with buttons on them that cost about $15. But there are all these weird franken-keyboards and super-expensive things that look like they came out of the avionics bay of an F-22 (and cost about as much).

Somewhere in my closet I have an old cheapo that uses an archaic connector called a "GAME" port! (Remember those?) I had one of those on my old Socket 7 motherboard...

I'm still trying to decide on the N52. It's regular $50, on sale for $35. Good Linux support:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=87390

Fraoch wrote:

Somewhere in my closet I have an old cheapo that uses an archaic connector called a "GAME" port! (Remember those?) I had one of those on my old Socket 7 motherboard...

You know, you could try to find a USB adaptor for the old cheapo stick. Yup, they're made, fairly inexpensive, and not that hard to find. I found them on the 'net while trying to find a serial printer-to-USB adaptor.

Or alternately, if you're good at tinkering, you could try to rewire it for USB.

With all due respect to Cmdr. Maegil, 'political correctness', bah, humbug! Nobody calls a spade a spade anymore.
When my current stick dies, I'll ask for a 'flight simulator controller' at Fry's to avoid the blank stares, and to insure that I'm shown an actual joystick, or more-or-less resembles one, as opposed to one of those silly plastic boomerangs with buttons on it.
I'm old school, sue me.

Cmdr Wyvern wrote:

Or alternately, if you're good at tinkering, you could try to rewire it for USB.

Doing that would not be a case of 'rewiring'. You would need a couple of analog to digital converters to interface with the old pots, then you'd need a microprocessor to negotiate the USB protocol.

Heh, talking about old school - my 5-month old motherboard has a GAME header on it!

Somewhere around here I have a (really old) game extension bracket - if it's compatible with the header I'm in business - providing I can find both the bracket and the joystick...and providing it's all supported in Ubuntu.

Odo987 wrote:

Doing that would not be a case of 'rewiring'. You would need a couple of analog to digital converters to interface with the old pots, then you'd need a microprocessor to negotiate the USB protocol.

True. There are kits for it, though. The kits usually contains a small preassembled board with the devices on it, a USB cord, and solder points to hook up the pots and button switches. Requires some knowledge on what pot and switch would be soldered to what terminal on the board. It's a bit above my head, otherwise I would convert the old Sidewinder 3D I have laying around.

Fraoch wrote:

Heh, talking about old school - my 5-month old motherboard has a GAME header on it!

Somewhere around here I have a (really old) game extension bracket - if it's compatible with the header I'm in business - providing I can find both the bracket and the joystick...and providing it's all supported in Ubuntu.

Good luck with that.
I had a Soundblaster "live" series card with a game port on it.
I gave it to a friend when I upgraded to an Audigy system, and it works on her PClinuxOS machine, game port and all.

Cmdr Wyvern wrote:

Nobody calls a spade a spade anymore.

Oh, you mean a manually-operated soil displacement utensil.

Captain Hesperus

“Entrenchment tool” being too low-brow these days?

Portable dirt moving device.