Oolite Bulletins

OK two factors have came together at once and Im going to be looking out for a new joystick.

Firstly my "trust predator 2500" joystick is failing, the pressure required to move the throttle is becoming inconsistant. Shame really as it really was a great stick for the money

Secondly Im halfway through building a cockpit setup and so I want something to give a "realistic" look... Ideally I want to put together some form of command console and do away with the keyboard. So whatever I get I really want to "integrate" into a unit with all my game controls.

At the moment Ive been playing mainly using roll \ pitch "classic style" as the twist to roll thing I find annoying at best unintentionally rolling as Im using yaw and pitch together etc. Id like something where I can have the roll control seperate from the pitch and yaw, This sort of setup would probably help in other space games I play as well.

Ive seen mentioned elsewhere the Steel Battalion Controller, dont know if anyone has any experience of these converted to the PC and how accurate and useable they are? Im especially concerned about having the joystick "off centre", however the "full console" look is awesome.

The saitek X-52 looks good, but I have no idea on real quality, customiseability (can I put docking computers etc on stick buttons) and suitability for oolite.

Really not sure what else is out there, my cheapy joystick has done me proud for a long time...

Cmdr Wyvern uses and swears by the X-52 and we use them at work, they good quality and very robust - outside of Oolite, buttons are very easy to program so I presume it will be the same for Oolite.

I looked at the Saitek X-52's when I was purchasing mine, and found a few too many folks complaining of quality issues. DH has had differing experience obviously... So, YMMV.

Personally, I went with the CH Products CombatStick 568 and LOVE it. There is no twist-yaw control. Just Pitch and Roll. I'm thinking of breaking down and buying the left-hand throttle assembly, for the HOTAS experience. Maybe the MFP or Pedals one day, but not sure.... CH Products stuff is EXPENSIVE, so be warned. But it is super-sweet too.

Cmd. Cheyd wrote:

I looked at the Saitek X-52's when I was purchasing mine, and found a few too many folks complaining of quality issues. DH has had differing experience obviously... So, YMMV.

Personally, I went with the CH Products CombatStick 568 and LOVE it. There is no twist-yaw control. Just Pitch and Roll. I'm thinking of breaking down and buying the left-hand throttle assembly, for the HOTAS experience. Maybe the MFP or Pedals one day, but not sure.... CH Products stuff is EXPENSIVE, so be warned. But it is super-sweet too.

The MFP looks very cool, put your buttons where ever you want and any image you want for the control panel, definetely an interesting device. The sticks dont "look" anything special in the photos, kind of like quick shot joysticks from the mid 90's, But I would guess their marketing line is substance over "style" I think Id have to see one in the flesh before I was convinced that the quality was there to justify the price. I have an innate distrust of big price tags and marketing claims about invisible benefits. I like to get a "feel" for an item before making my own (probably wrong ) quality judgements.

The saitek looks as if it could be fancy styling but prone to falling apart, again without actually trying one out in the flesh I couldnt know , I have seen people complaining about early failure, but Ive also seen other reports or long term happy users.

Then again I was VERY dubious about the quality of my trust joystick, mainly on the price alone - around £15 but it "felt" good, and it was a spur of the moment purchase as I walked past a shop and had cash with me, but that has been far better than its price tag would suggest.

I will have to see tonight if I can get the pedals from my steering wheel to do throttle only for oolite. I dont know if it is capable of accepting commands from two sources?

If you're anywhere near Tulsa, Oklahoma (USA), I'll let you take a turn at the controls...

Will have to look around and see if I can get my hands on one for a short while.

I have now got oolite talking to my stick and wheel at the same time, now this is "interesting" Ive got the throttle on the pedals pitch and yaw on the stick, and roll on the wheel which is none self centering (power isnt plugged in, still fucntions but no centering), amazing for docking Just dial in the roll to match the station mouth and head on in. Of course its quicker to do it manually using a stick for roll the way I have for 20 years but still its interesting to just dial in the roll and watch the station sit still and the galaxy spin hands free

Im halfway through building a cockpit

Hi David,

Are you putting in other display devices in the cockpit like other screens or maybe LED displays? If so, I could use a few tips.

Thanks,

Randy

Randy wrote:

Im halfway through building a cockpit

Hi David,

Are you putting in other display devices in the cockpit like other screens or maybe LED displays? If so, I could use a few tips.

Thanks,

Randy

Im probably not much help, Im making it up as I go along and my "pit" at the moment is just a frame really, specs are still very much up in the air. Ive only been building it since Friday, and its all built out of "spare" wood that I had laying around...

I have however a somewhat unique accessory in my "pit in progress"...

A back seat driver \ co pilot - the other half



I started building it using an out of homologation bucket seat spare from an old rally car. I got about halfway through the frame and my missus had a sit in it, she decided it was far more comfortable than her leather full back office chair, could she have one as well?

Well I only had the one old spare bucket seat... But my current rally car hasnt turned a wheel in over a year so out I go and rip out the two "current" bucket seats to see which one fit her best. At first I offered to just make a base for it, but it turns out she wants the full cockpit effect as well... So then I ended up using both the newer seats (only seen 3 events) so that they "matched"

Ive got to put down a load more cheque plate yet Ive got enough to do my wifes seat base and her foot rest but Im going to do the full floor in the area as well, at the moment its very much bare bones, But then I only started it Friday.

I might mount a LCD second screen yet as Ive used dual screen layouts a lot for gaming, normally though one is running internet or spread sheets and the main scren running the game, no MFD screens etc. I have a spare samsung LCD like the one my wife uses - but I hate gaming on LCD's. Theres a lot of details still undecided , Even this afternoon I briefly considered scrapping what Ive done so far and making a "moving" cockpit but decided that as I only play space sims and racing games the movement wouldnt really be appropriate

Davidtq wrote:

my current rally car

One of the coolest things every written on this forum...

DaddyHoggy wrote:

Davidtq wrote:

my current rally car

One of the coolest things every written on this forum...

I can significantly decrease the cool factor by pointing out that its a Skoda Worse than that its a "showroom" spec skoda, meaning the rallying upgrades are suspension and safety mainly, the engine is virtually as it left the factory

Its also because of star wars and elite that I got into rallying... The way I figured it there were two ways to try to aproximate the feeling of flying a space ship, either join the airforce or become a rally driver. Military discipline wouldnt have suited me...

I'm married with 4 kids, I dont get to compete much anymore, I dont miss the maintenance and repairs though, too poor to pay anyone else to fix it so if I bent it I had to mend it...

Rallying is also a real anorak hobby on the sly, one of the greatest PR jobs of all time is that rallying is perceived as cool and exciting, when in truth its a geeks hobby. Rally drivers will spend hours discussing diff ratios, gear ratios, suspension set ups etc etc. . The local motor club also run scalextric's nights and "tabletop" rallys - where the "rally" is purely theoretical, you're given a set of route instructions and have to plot the "optimal route" You never even drive a car...

davidtq wrote:

I can significantly decrease the cool factor by pointing out that its a Skoda Worse than that its a "showroom" spec skoda, meaning the rallying upgrades are suspension and safety mainly, the engine is virtually as it left the factory

No, at all uncool, one of my students bought an Ex-Rally Team Skoda Diesel Fabia through his sister who works in PR for the Skoda Rally Team. It is one of the scariest cars I've ever been in! The torque on it is just unbelievable - it just goes and goes and goes - and it's a Diesel!

I've only got 2 kids, but it put an end to my days of running an old S13 Nissan 200SX...

DaddyHoggy wrote:

davidtq wrote:

I can significantly decrease the cool factor by pointing out that its a Skoda Worse than that its a "showroom" spec skoda, meaning the rallying upgrades are suspension and safety mainly, the engine is virtually as it left the factory

No, at all uncool, one of my students bought an Ex-Rally Team Skoda Diesel Fabia through his sister who works in PR for the Skoda Rally Team. It is one of the scariest cars I've ever been in! The torque on it is just unbelievable - it just goes and goes and goes - and it's a Diesel!

I've only got 2 kids, but it put an end to my days of running an old S13 Nissan 200SX...

That must have cost a pretty penny. "Ex-works" stuff costs an arm and a leg, normally worth it Ive got a few "ex-works" bits myself, magnesium wheels a steering rack and a few other bits and pieces. Amazing how much work goes into a "proper" car... Ive known people who spend so much on an engine that they get it shipped direct from the builders on a helicopter so they can install it in time for an event Mind you many of the privateer front runners will have a helicopter following them along the route as well these days... However I was pretty close to the bottom of the budget league table .

As scary as the kit itself might be the drivers are what make the biggest difference. Ive seen a member of service crew for a big team turn up for a small local event with a full on WRC only to come in at the back of the field having been out-driven by seasoned drivers in 1300's

I spent some time in a car with Pentti Arikalla ( a leading driver back in the 70's / 80's) a long time ago, That guy can seriously bend the laws of physics. Ive personally been in the car when he managed at 80mph to turn a car 180 degrees without slowing down appreciably to do 80mph in the opposite direction in a lane which didnt seem wide enough to fit a car in sideways - no room for two cars abreast. He could at will pick the car up and slingshot it around one wheel so as to not lose speed throughout the manouvre. We were swapping seats a lot, gave me a whole new level of respect for the guys at the top of the game.

Did I mention how much rally drivers could talk....

Anyway quick update on the "cockpit" with tonights efforts (in between failing to install "dirt" and "worldracing 2" repeatedly... My Mrs will kill me if she sees it, its not exactly a flattering picture but she was in it at the time Ive put in a foot rest the cheque plate on the seat base for my wide and given the roof and front of her section a first coat of paint, and quick recoat in other areas.

The first ever Oolite sighting of a RL(tm) "better half"

I used to share an office with a guy who used to race a class N (that's normal road cars right?) Pug 205 GTi in the RAC rally back in the early 1990s - all the lads from the local Pug garage were his support team - they used to empty the garage of spares and he bought what he broke at trade price at the end of the rally and they got their names on the car and that of the garage - best position I think he managed was 86th (overall - all classes).

Cmd. Cheyd wrote:

I looked at the Saitek X-52's when I was purchasing mine, and found a few too many folks complaining of quality issues. DH has had differing experience obviously... So, YMMV.

The X52 is a little power hungry, and can be a bit unstable if the computer's USB port doesn't supply enough current. A cheap powered USB hub takes care of that.

As for the twist axis, I never liked the twist on other joysticks that had that feature, as it was too easy to twist when trying not to. That's not a problem with the X52. The spring tension on it's twist axis is strong enough that there's practically no way to accidentally twist it: You gotta put a bit of muscle behind the twist action.

It comes with a set of strong suction cups, and screw holes in the bases for getting a good solid mounting solution.

You want buttons? The X52 has buttons out the wazoo. Three hat switches, three two-way toggles, two triggers, one of which is two-stage, nine pushbuttons, and a mode switch. All programmable.

And best of all, no center drift.

BTW Cheyd, if you get the other units that make up a Flightstick HOTAS, be aware that CH units don't play well with USB hubs at all. Best hope you have enough USB ports in your gaming rig.

Thanks for the heads up, Wyvern. I should, and if not, I don't mind springing for an extra card. I have the slots.