2 sticks vs Stick and throttle?

[Gunner GzR]

Hi all Was wondering about the 2 stick system vs traditional stick and throttle set up. I have virpil stick and throttle set up but see a lot of people using 2 sticks. How dose that work and is it any better than traditional set up?

[Scowl At The Moon]

Personal preference, with the twin sticks you'd *usually* have one stick do thrusters and one stick do rotations.

[ждун]

yea dual sticks is nice for best accuracy with thrusters, but the problem is, how to control throttle at same time then? I wished I had a third arm.

[Scowl At The Moon]

Originally posted by ждун:

yea dual sticks is nice for best accuracy with thrusters, but the problem is, how to control throttle at same time then? I wished I had a third arm.

Fly fa off then you won't need to XD

[BloodravenD]

Dual sticks(HOSAS) work better in space sims, as you have more degrees of movement compared to a flight sim, so you can be more precise in your flying than if you had just a HOTAS. If the stick is from a quality brand, you can typically tweak it to disable an axis, so it handles just like a throttle, if that is something you prefer.

[funkynutz]

Originally posted by ждун:

yea dual sticks is nice for best accuracy with thrusters, but the problem is, how to control throttle at same time then? I wished I had a third arm.

Multiple options...

Twist axis on the thrusters stick (if you're a weirdo like me, using the Y axis for vertical thrusters - I'd guess most people would have these the other way around so the Y axis works as the throttle instead?). This is using the thruster throttle settle setting, not the flight throttle (only works in normal space).

Throttle slider on base of stick (this is what I use for flight throttle/super cruise where thruster control is useless).

Pedals for flight throttle control (I use them for incremental changes of 25% in the ship rather than as a proper axis). Right pedal goes faster, left goes slower).

And that's just me...

You could also set increase/decrease flight throttle to a HAT or buttons on the stick... Or you know, learn to drift...

[Un1k0rn]

Originally posted by Scowl At The Moon:

Originally posted by ждун:

yea dual sticks is nice for best accuracy with thrusters, but the problem is, how to control throttle at same time then? I wished I had a third arm.

Fly fa off then you won't need to XD

Well played.

[Weaver]

We're comparing a screwdriver to a hammer and asking which is superior. The answer is, for nails, the hammer, and for screws, the screwdriver.

I find HOTAS better for non-combat flight, while HOSAS will excel in FA Off and strafing-heavy maneuvers like VTOL descents. Like many things, it's situational, and you should use the right tool for the job.

I use HOTAS currently and have no issue with the gameplay in any mode, but I'd like to try HOSAS for dogfighting and surface missions; especially dual horizontals.

[Alrik]

A stick left gives you 3 analog axis for thrusters:
left -right
up - dow
forward - back
You can use 2 buttons to increase - decrease speed as throttle.
The way speed works in Elite Dangerous is more like a cruise control: player sets the limit, speed doesn't change instant.

Most throttles have an digital 4 way hat or even an analog mini stick:
left - righ, up - down on that / mini stick
forward - back on 2 buttons
speed on the throttle axis.

So it's all about the question: do i realy need 3 analog axis, or am i happy with digital input for the thrusters.

[Scowl At The Moon]

Originally posted by Alrik:

A stick left gives you 3 analog axis for thrusters:
left -right
up - dow
forward - back
You can use 2 buttons to increase - decrease speed as throttle.
The way speed works in Elite Dangerous is more like a cruise control: player sets the limit, speed doesn't change instant.

Most throttles have an digital 4 way hat or even an analog mini stick:
left - righ, up - down on that / mini stick
forward - back on 2 buttons
speed on the throttle axis.

So it's all about the question: do i realy need 3 analog axis, or am i happy with digital input for the thrusters.

One way to use it is to have the left stick "mirror " the right stick ie you have forward / backward for thust up/down so when you pull both sticks back you tighten an upward turn or when you pull back on right stick and push left stick forward you widen the turn or strafe. Normally twist axis on left stick is forward / backward thrusters. You can set them up as digital inputs or you could set up reverse log curve response so they are very sharp and quick response but still analog that would give you best of both worlds. Of course with so many options you can set up however you want.

[funkynutz]

Huh... And I thought I was weird for doing it like that...

[ProudTiger]

You need 8 sticks for all the buttons needed for this game.
Buy a Hotas and a HUGE button Box.

[Alrik]

Originally posted by ProudTiger:

You need 8 sticks for all the buttons needed for this game.
Buy a Hotas and a HUGE button Box.

A lot of ship functions can be triggered by the ship ui.
Stuff like landing gear, cargo scoop, headlights, ect.

Generally you only need to put the time critical stuff on the HOTAS (like leave supercruise, drop heatsink, release chaff), anything that isn't time critcal don't need to be there.

[Alrik]

Originally posted by Scowl At The Moon:

One way to use it is to have the left stick "mirror " the right stick ie you have forward / backward for thust up/down so when you pull both sticks back you tighten an upward turn or when you pull back on right stick and push left stick forward you widen the turn or strafe. Normally twist axis on left stick is forward / backward thrusters. You can set them up as digital inputs or you could set up reverse log curve response so they are very sharp and quick response but still analog that would give you best of both worlds. Of course with so many options you can set up however you want.

Thats the most logical setup for two stick.
Rotations on the right stick:
Yaw/Pitch/Roll

Shifts on the left stick:
Vertical thrusters, lateral thrusters, forward/backward thrusters.
IMHO a throttle isn't realy needed because Elite Dangerous already uses a kind of cruise controll.
And setting the desired speed up/down can be done with 2 buttons.

[funkynutz]

Originally posted by ProudTiger:

You need 8 sticks for all the buttons needed for this game.
Buy a Hotas and a HUGE button Box.

Depends on the sticks...

In my right hand I've got 5 axes and 27 buttons plus I can switch the thumbstick axes to an 8 way HAT by clicking the stick for half a second (I use it for crew orders). In my left I've got 3 axes, and 21 buttons. Plus modifiers/combos, and that's all without taking my hands off the sticks (not even counting any of the controls on the bases... with my pedals as well, that's another 5 axes and 14 buttons).