Hey guys, been interested in Independence War for years and I'm exciting to see it at a discount for sale on GOG.

I don't have a flight stick though - how enjoyable is the game with a mouse and keyboard (or xinput) setup? I've played through every Wing Commander game with a mouse and keyboard and still enjoyed them a lot.

I can't imagine trying IWar and IWar 2 without a stick, but it can probably be done if you're crazy enough. :)

Is there some reason you can't get a stick? I think you'd enjoy IWar a lot more if you had one.

There's no reason I can't get one, I just don't have one.

Any recommendations?

If you ask 100 people you'll get 100 different answers. That's because there are many different models out there, but most people only use one or two. It depends a lot on how much you're willing to spend. If you want to, you can drop hundreds on a full flight set-up with rudder pedals and separate stick and throttle controls. IWar would be pretty fun with something like that.

If you want to spend $20 you can get something that works okay too, like a Saitek Aviator. They're not great, but your investment is small so if you decide you want something better in the future it's not such a big deal.

I'll tell you what I use: a Thrustmaster T.16000M. It's got nice optical sensors for the motion of the stick so it doesn't lose calibration or get odd twitches like many of the others in its price range, which is quite reasonable ($50 unless things have changed for some reason). The quality of control is the most important thing for me, because I fly a lot of IL-2 Sturmovik (a great flight sim if you're interested - and available on GOG, too), and that requires some precision.

Some people don't like the ergonomics of it, because it's specifically designed to be ambidextrous with only slight modification. If you're a lefty it's a good choice. It also gives off a bright green glow which annoys some folks. I cut a ring of cloth from an old sock and put it over the base of the stick like a skirt. It shields the glow and keeps dust out to boot.

That Thrustmaster model gets recommended all the time. Must be decent if so many people seem to like it.

I've also been considering the CH Products Combatstick or Fighterstick.

Comparing them specs-wise, I like that the Thrusty has a twist-handle control for the rudder - which I used the crap out of in this game - as well as a throttle control. The CH units only have a throttle. I note those two features in particular because I used the daylights out of them with my old Logitech stick. Some folks can't stand the twist-handle rudder, though.

I've never really understood the complaining about the twist-rudder. I mean, it's not as good as rudder pedals, obviously, but aside from that it works just fine, especially if the stick is of generally high quality. Quite a few sticks use twist-for-rudder.

I should mention the throttle control on the T.16000 is not great. It's the silver thumb slide on the base, and it works adequately, but it's not the best by a long shot. I'm used to it and it doesn't bother me, but some folks don't like it.

These games really need that joystick. It has to have the buttons and such that it needs (they are listed). Pick one that suits your hand and taste!!!

Thanks for the suggestions, guys.

I should also note I do most of my PC gaming on my Windows 10 machine - are the plug and play drivers for the sticks you guys have recommended up to par? I know some of them are older devices.

I can't really answer that because I'm still using Windows 7. The T.16000m is compliant with the generic joystick driver that came with W7, so I plugged it in and started playing, and I've never messed with it beyond that, except to configure the buttons for different sims.

As to whether or not there's any specific issue with W10...I couldn't say. I haven't heard of anything, but I wouldn't have heard anything even if there were such a problem.

Both games can be played without a joystick, but in my opinion it's not much fun.

The best device for me is a SideWinder Force Feedback Pro.

Why?

1. It works out of the box in EoC.
2. It uses light sensors inside - they don't wear out and have high precision.
3. The big beefy motor lets you feel every hit.
4. It's extremely cheap on Ebay, I got mine for 15 bucks.

Only caveat: You need a real gameport for it. With USB adapters it either doesn't work or the force effects don't.
Gameports only work on Windows XP.

Another solution is ordering one of those so you can still use it on 7/8/10:
http://www.iowajohnsons.com/FFBVert/FFBVert.html

This is for the best out-of-the-box experience, in my humble opinion.
But if you look at our controller section on i-war2.com you might find other joysticks that work, too:
http://www.i-war2.com/downloads/category/29-controller-profiles

You can even use an Xbox360 gamepad, but I don't know... for me, it just lacks the precision.

Nice to hear it has xinput support, even if it's not an ideal solution.
Thanks.

No matter what you decide on, this is the most important factor, IMO. It's a big improvement in precision and durability over mechanical/wired sticks.

Every stick I ever had before my T.16000 would eventually develop an annoying twitch. Some of them started with one.

It's pretty aggravating to be trying to line up a target, or to land, or to just fly straight, and have the whole ship or plane constantly flick off course.

Hi schmatzler, you seem to know a lot about FF joysticks. I've got Logitech Wingan Force and I've got question about it: Is there any way to turn off joystick jitter when the cockpit view is on and you go faster than 750kps (Iwar2 EOC)?

It drives me mad and it only works when cockpit view is on, not on any other!

How about unplugging the powercord.

It will disable the joystick. I'm fine with the FF and the joystick, only the jitter effect WHEN you reach 750kps or above and the cocpit is on, annoys me..