Title says it all. Never played X-Wing or TIE Fighter, and I don't have a joystick. Is a mouse/keyboard or 360 controller good enough?

That said, what kinds of joystick would you recommend to a casual noobie?

Definitely NOT a standard mouse but I'm going to try Logitech's trackball mouse.

Keyboard is a MUST.


A 360 controller? Not enough buttons to pilot a 'TIE Fighter'.

I bought Tie Fighter with the intent of using my 360 controller, but it just doesn't cut it. The thumb stick isn't precise enough and the deadzone is literally fatal. I spent $35 at Best Buy on the Logitech 3D Extreme, and it's been worth it. Absolutely worth it.

O.K. ...

I'll take a look at the Logitech 3D extreme joystick.

Thanks for the recommendation!

:)

How's the Thrustmaster USB Joystick (2960623)?

I'm really not in it for the quality (TIE Fighter and X-Wing are probably the only flight sim games I'll be playing on PC)

here's my take on the situation. the DOS version of the game is almost 20 years old. it was made for systems that used ADB-type accessories/joysticks/flightsticks.
Yes, there have been a few workarounds with HID support, emulating the mouse. There was no true USB support for the DOS versions of Tie Fighter or X-Wing. There still isn't. The good thing about the 1998 versions of the games, being the Windows versions, is that it does have USB support.
Yes, I have the same issue in X Wing as I do in Tie Fighter, just not as much.
For me, in order to go back to the cooler looking (IMO; not graphically, just the ambience) DOS versions, they would need to have USB support built in, and not emulated mouse support, because that doesn't really do anything, except perhaps create more problems. Until it gets patched, I'm sticking with the newer version...just wish I had options to use the newer/older sounds (iMuse vs. orchestrated) and newer/older graphics.
What we got on GOG, I think was something that many have been waiting for, but Disney Interactive/LucasArts was holding on to, but didn't want to let go, until now. So I am very glad we got what we did.
Did anyone else look through the files for XWing and Tie Fighter and see the option to install XvT: Flight School?

The 360 controller actually works really well for the CD version. DOS it's fucking unplayable (which is weird cuz I use it just fine for Wing Commander) but oh well. You can rebind a lot of keys to certain buttons on the controller, but you're still gonna have to be pecking at the keyboard occasionally for certain situations to hit commands you didnt map. It works well for me, but that's only cuz I don't have a good joystick, which I'd definitely use as a primary if I had one =P

What I recommend is to map lasers/shield management on the D-PAD of a controller or POV Hat of a joystik.
Here is what I use:
- Left -> adjust lasers recharge rate
- Right -> adjust shields recharge rate
- Up -> Transfer energy from lasers to shields
- Down -> Transfer energy from shields to laser

Since you still need the keyboard more or less, I tend to map keys from the right side of the keyboard on the controller/joystick. Of course, if you are left handed you should try the opposite. Thus, I also map:
- Match Target Speed
- Full Throttle

Afterwards, is personal preference, but I go for the keys that I often use:
- Target Nearest Enemy Craft
- Target Newest Ship (useful for those bonus objectives that usually requires inspecting/disabling ships in the middle of the mission)

L.E: I also mentioned in another post, but for the DOS version you should adjust the mouse sensitivity to a very high value in the DosBox conf. It will make the game very playable and, in the Collector's version, I preferred this method over the Joystick. Mouse precision cannot be surpassed. Try clearing a mine field with a joystick and have another go with the mouse

The 360 controller is passable if that's all you have, but if you're serious about kicking Rebel ass, get a decent $30 stick. It'll be worth it.

This is some good advice and definitely what I'm going for. I feel the Xbox One controller is just fine in general unless you need really fast precision (getting a missile lock on an A-wing is almost impossible, joystick would definitely help there), but it's quite hard to jump from gamepad to keyboard, especially when you need to handle your energy (which is all the time).

Energy management on the D-pad and shield adjustment on another button would probably be enough for me, at least for a start. Switching weapon mode etc can be done on the keyboard just fine while flying.