Posted May 04, 2020
I used to be in a school aviation club and we ran a flight sim I ca't recall the name of(there were buttons for landing gear, and windshield wipers etc, there were competitions and field trips. I remember for the sim we ran we used a yoke, and pedals. To be clear, these weren't driving pedals, they didn't rotate on a hinge, you slid one forward, and the other would mechanically slide backward. Galaga is one of my favorite games, and I like my vintage sticks for a lot of games, joy ticks like the Gravis Blackhawk Digital, Gravis Xterminator Dual control, and a Microsoft sidewinder of some verity, although I do have some newer joysticks that can twist, which I find super annoying in games that don't use it like Road Rash. I have read people swear by the interact Mako gamepad and the Microsoft Sidewinder Dual Strike, and the Gameport version of the Gravis Xterminator Gamepad, for flight sims like X-wing.
I was interested in possibly getting a modern joystick and trying a modern flight sim, but it seems all of them are modeled after a A-10, and all I find is "best HOTAS by year" type discussions and lists as though they either wear out in a year or become incompatible with each new fight sim version. I looked up what HOTAS actually means and apparently it is an acronym that just means buttons on the joystick, which sounds like every decent joystick ever made with any thought about ergonomics. I have also seen some newer joy sticks with a throttle joystick with it's own buttons on handle, and that seemed rather rare with older controllers, though the PlayStation 1 had something like that. I would think that means flight sims have gotten a little more advanced since then.
So why do all newer joysticks seem to be A10 warthog inspired with those buttons all on one side, seemingly far less ergonomic than my Gravis sticks? Why do review sites and threads treat them like $100 joysticks are disposable after a year? I have seen some throttle sticks that seem to have separate cords from the joystick, are any available separately to use with a more ergonomic joystick as the ones I have? Are there good options for a yoke and paddle type controller How has the flight simulator scene changed since say, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000? I think that was the last one I owned. If I wanted to consider trying a modern flight sim, what might be a good option for a non combat sim, and maybe a combat sim? Budget less than $100 for any single component, not afraid of ebay searching. I'm having trouble finding general info on the modern state of flight sims and their input capabilities with the seemingly thousands of "top ten best hotas 2018" and "what is the best hotas for X" pages. I still don't understand why hotas, or why all the new joysticks look less ergonomic than joysticks from the 90's which cut impact time down by placing the buttons where your fingers naturally rest.
It would seem weird to play a flight sim where you're flying a C-141 Starlifter with a A-10 joystick.
I was interested in possibly getting a modern joystick and trying a modern flight sim, but it seems all of them are modeled after a A-10, and all I find is "best HOTAS by year" type discussions and lists as though they either wear out in a year or become incompatible with each new fight sim version. I looked up what HOTAS actually means and apparently it is an acronym that just means buttons on the joystick, which sounds like every decent joystick ever made with any thought about ergonomics. I have also seen some newer joy sticks with a throttle joystick with it's own buttons on handle, and that seemed rather rare with older controllers, though the PlayStation 1 had something like that. I would think that means flight sims have gotten a little more advanced since then.
So why do all newer joysticks seem to be A10 warthog inspired with those buttons all on one side, seemingly far less ergonomic than my Gravis sticks? Why do review sites and threads treat them like $100 joysticks are disposable after a year? I have seen some throttle sticks that seem to have separate cords from the joystick, are any available separately to use with a more ergonomic joystick as the ones I have? Are there good options for a yoke and paddle type controller How has the flight simulator scene changed since say, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000? I think that was the last one I owned. If I wanted to consider trying a modern flight sim, what might be a good option for a non combat sim, and maybe a combat sim? Budget less than $100 for any single component, not afraid of ebay searching. I'm having trouble finding general info on the modern state of flight sims and their input capabilities with the seemingly thousands of "top ten best hotas 2018" and "what is the best hotas for X" pages. I still don't understand why hotas, or why all the new joysticks look less ergonomic than joysticks from the 90's which cut impact time down by placing the buttons where your fingers naturally rest.
It would seem weird to play a flight sim where you're flying a C-141 Starlifter with a A-10 joystick.