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Here's a mouse+keyboard control scheme I came up with that makes it easy to transition to Descent from standard FPS's.
I've been playing with this config for a while and I have to say this game has been a pleasure to play. :)
W = Accelerate
S = Reverse
A = Slide Left
D = Slide Right
Q = Bank Left
E = Bank Right
Shift = Slide Down
Space = Slide Up
Enable mouse by going to Options --> Controls.
If you don't like playing with inverted airplane controls you can un-invert by going to Options --> Controls --> Customize Above (make sure you have 'Mouse' selected).
I'll have to try that. What I've usually been doing is about the same as yours except I use the arrow keys to look instead of the mouse. It actually works pretty well.
I'm still struggling to find a perfect control scheme for Descent. But the one you posted is pretty damn close, it's almost exactly what I've been using for years now.
i use a very similar setup for my controls.
but what really bugs me, is the "sensitivity" of the mouse. it's very hard to turn your ship 180° even with the slider maxed out. especially when surrounded by enemy ships since it takes too much time to turn.
EDIT: just found the value for the mouse sensitivity in the dosboxDescent.conf file =)
Post edited October 05, 2009 by ThermioN
I could never use this, I want the 4 controls on the keyboard "diamond" to all control sliding... you can do the ol' x/y axis strafing that way.
Of course maybe that's just muscle memory and stuff.
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ThermioN: i use a very similar setup for my controls.
but what really bugs me, is the "sensitivity" of the mouse. it's very hard to turn your ship 180° even with the slider maxed out. especially when surrounded by enemy ships since it takes too much time to turn.
EDIT: just found the value for the mouse sensitivity in the dosboxDescent.conf file =)

You can also speed-turn by sliding one direction and turning the other... e.g. slide left while turning right. This works better with a joystick of course, but still gives you more control no matter what.
i use a similar setup to that, works well, don't believe the joystick hype xD
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BoxOfSnoo: You can also speed-turn by sliding one direction and turning the other... e.g. slide left while turning right. This works better with a joystick of course, but still gives you more control no matter what.

thanks for the advise. maybe i'll try this today, although i favor the classic WASD + mouse setup.
I like the joystick. I used to use the Logitech WingMan attack but I don't have a port for it anymore. Does anyone have a suggestion for a good joystick. Thanks....
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kolor_krazee: I like the joystick. I used to use the Logitech WingMan attack but I don't have a port for it anymore. Does anyone have a suggestion for a good joystick. Thanks....

Why not grab a cheapie SoundBlaster AWE32 or Live! off of eBay? Those have the joystick port.
Failing that, I currently play with either a Playstation controller adaptor (Smart Joy Plus) or a SpaceOrb 360. I can't really recommend the SpaceOrb unless you're interested in 1) hunting down obscure hardware on auction sites, 2) attempting to install incredibly outdated hardware on systems that no longer have much compatibility for it, and 3) learning a completely new method of controls.
The PS1 controller, however, is pretty easy to pick up, though figuring out how you're going to map all the buttons is a challenge. (Hint: Learn to use Joy2Mouse, and you'll never have problems with unmappable buttons ever again.) I typically wind up using the dual sticks to move, and use the shoulder buttons to fire and use thrust/reverse, and it does alright.
Just tried the control setup and its kind of weird for me. The gaming reflexes of a decade or more playing first person shooters are in a battle against what can only be described as the muscle memory from all the time I used to play Descent, i.e., I instinctively press A to accelerate, and I slide left.
My control scheme is similar. Using the mouse:
ESDF for slide right/left and forward/backward.
WR for banking.
AQ for sliding down/up.
This leaves the thumb free so you can map anything you need to the space/alt/x/c/v keys.
However, no matter what, the most important point is: can you slide in every combination of 3 axes comfortably?
I don't think this has been discussed, but if you're going to play multiplayer any time soon, you NEED to master "trichording," the art of moving along 3 axes simultaneously (ie, forward, left, up). Doing so allows you to move at a speed a factor of 1.7 greater than simply moving in one direction. If you have D1 or a port (DXX-Rebirth or D2X-XL) that can watch demos, check out everything here for a visual demonstration of what I'm talking about.
Anyway, find the demos/levels here: http://whoopass.warpcore.org/descent/chordingdemos.html
At the very least watch Deimos' crazy "3xsistr1" demo.
Check out Darktalyn's article on config here for further discussion:
http://www.planetdescent.com/site/articles/darktalyn/9-12-00-darktalyn-config.asp
Happy Descenting!
Try the newer Logitech Extreme joysticks with twists and a hat. Use the HAT for sliding (left-right, up-down) and the twist to bank (roll left and right)
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ThermioN: i use a very similar setup for my controls.
but what really bugs me, is the "sensitivity" of the mouse. it's very hard to turn your ship 180� even with the slider maxed out. especially when surrounded by enemy ships since it takes too much time to turn.
EDIT: just found the value for the mouse sensitivity in the dosboxDescent.conf file =)

I have been searching for a post discussing how to change the mouse sensitivity in dosbox. can you tell me exactly how to do that? I dont even know where that file is and when i search it nothing comes up. thanks
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klabel01: I have been searching for a post discussing how to change the mouse sensitivity in dosbox. can you tell me exactly how to do that? I dont even know where that file is and when i search it nothing comes up. thanks

I haven't installed the game yet but the file should be in the game directory. C:\Program Files\Gog.com\[game name] with a name like dosbox_Descent_setup.conf. Right click the file, click Open With and select Notepad. The setting you are looking for is Sensitivity. It will be near the top of the file in a group of setting like this:
fullscreen=true
fulldouble=false
fullresolution=original
windowresolution=original
output=Direct3D
autolock=true
sensitivity=100 *******
waitonerror=true
priority=higher,normal
mapperfile=mapper.txt
usescancodes=true
The Sensitivity can be from 1 to 1000 with the default at 100, raise or lower the value to adjust. Can't be adjusted with the game running.
For a complete description of the setting look here. The file is usually located as described but I find GOG's in my game install directory.
Edit: The file is usually named dosbox.conf but I believe GOG renames the file for every game by inserting the game name.
Post edited March 10, 2010 by Stuff
Well, I just used a joystick... It's getting pretty old, though. Some old Logitech wingman from like 2001.
When I play on my laptop I usually use
W, S - forward, reverse
A, D - slide left/right
Q,E - bank left/right
Y, H - slide up/down
I,K,J,L - pitch up/down/left/right