Joystick for BF3?

[makken]

Ok, so I'm sick of getting absolutely destroyed by attack helicopters and jets, and I can't fly worth a damn using keyboard + mouse. Can anyone recommend me a joystick?

Considering picking this one up from fry's this weekend and testing it out. Anyone with experience with this, especially in terms of BF3?

This will primarily be used for BF3; I don't have any other games that utilizes a joystick (although I would love to get some). I guess I could dust off my old Wing Commander and Descent games tho.

 

[styrafoam]

Speaking about everything up to BF2, don't have BF3: I used a similar thrustmaster which worked fine. I'm making a little assumption that BF3 will be similar here. The throttle and rudder were both supported and made flying a jet much more simple. I usually got in a plane and stayed in the air the entire round unless the other team had a good pilot or i got sloppy and flew into some AAA. Helicopters were another story, I couldn't keep up with someone who was good at flying them with a KB/mouse.

 

[DeadFred]

I bought the Extreme 3 you linked to for BF3 right after the game released and I could never get it to work the way I wanted. Once I had it all set up for flying weird things would happen while on foot in the game, like my gun would constantly fire emptying itself or my player would be moving when I didnt want him to. Maybe it was just user error on my part, but I couldnt find a way to seamlessly go from foot to air vehicles without unplugging the joystick. I finally gave up and forced myself to learn to fly with the KB&M.

I have one in like new condition for cheap if you are still interested...

 

[GullyFoyle]

I bought the Extreme 3 you linked to for BF3 right after the game released and I could never get it to work the way I wanted. Once I had it all set up for flying weird things would happen while on foot in the game, like my gun would constantly fire emptying itself or my player would be moving when I didnt want him to. Maybe it was just user error on my part, but I couldnt find a way to seamlessly go from foot to air vehicles without unplugging the joystick. I finally gave up and forced myself to learn to fly with the KB&M.

I have one in like new condition for cheap if you are still interested...

Start by going through the "on foot" controls and highlight any mapped control for the joystick and hold esc down until the mapping is deleted.

Clear all of them, and then then when there no there is nothing mapped to the jopystick, go back to the helicopter and plane controls and just map those with your joystick.

I use the thrustaster too, but honestly, in BF3, the keyboard is more precise. I have a hard time keeping the aiming reticule on target to get lock-on with the joystick...

 

[moonbogg]

OP, I have that joystick you linked to and I bought it just for BF3. It works fantastic. I love it, and that price made me smile because its a hell of a deal. I do have a secret though. I heard good pilots tell me that they either use keyboard and mouse, or an xbox controller for flying. For me personally, I do very well with the joystick. The only time I have trouble is when trying to dogfight one of these jet rats who spend all day in the damn sky. Otherwise I can rape in the jet if i'm not stopped by a dedicated pilot.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

Just so you know all those guys destroying you in the jets are using mouse and keyboard.

I tried using gamepads and joysticks in BF3 but they actually lagged. Nothing was as responsive as the mouse and keyboard were.

My advice to you is to bind pitch up to the spacebar. Then use that to do your major maneuvers and just use the mouse to control roll and fine adjustment for aiming. With spacebar as pitch up you can turn all day and not have to readjust your mouse.

99% of you maneuvers are accomplished by rolling let or right so your wings are perpendicular to the ground and then using pitch up to turn.

 

[imaheadcase]

Yah the m/kb is what is killing you. The trick to it is not putting settings high at all, at least for me. So many people turn them on what they think they should be, but crash and burn when the turn slightly.

 

[makken]

Just so you know all those guys destroying you in the jets are using mouse and keyboard.

I tried using gamepads and joysticks in BF3 but they actually lagged. Nothing was as responsive as the mouse and keyboard were.

My advice to you is to bind pitch up to the spacebar. Then use that to do your major maneuvers and just use the mouse to control roll and fine adjustment for aiming. With spacebar as pitch up you can turn all day and not have to readjust your mouse.

99% of you maneuvers are accomplished by rolling let or right so your wings are perpendicular to the ground and then using pitch up to turn.

That's a good idea with space for pitch up. I do end up using half my desk when I try to pitch up by pulling my mouse back. I currently have it set up as W/S as throttle up/down, A/D as roll, mouse Y as pitch and mouse X as yaw. I do OK with that setup; not great.

Its the helicopters I can't get right. Same setup. Back in bad company 2, I was able to do decent flying them. I could hover with my gun trained on target, maneuver around tight buildings, and perform strafing runs on tanks. There's something off about them in BF3; Ill try to do the same strafing run and I end up upside down on the ground With my gunner going "wow can you believe this noob?"

 

[DeadFred]

Start by going through the "on foot" controls and highlight any mapped control for the joystick and hold esc down until the mapping is deleted.

Clear all of them, and then then when there no there is nothing mapped to the jopystick, go back to the helicopter and plane controls and just map those with your joystick.

I use the thrustaster too, but honestly, in BF3, the keyboard is more precise. I have a hard time keeping the aiming reticule on target to get lock-on with the joystick...

Im pretty sure I did all that after watching some youtube tutorials, but still had issues. Probably just user error, but doesnt matter now that Im used to the KB&M.