Do any games use joysticks anymore?

blatantninja

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On the front page, there was a photo of Freelancer in the picture watch section and it got me thinking. I think the last game that I used a joystick for was Privateer 2 (or maybe Rogue Squadron, don't remember which one came last).

I guess flight simulators might still but Star Lancer and Free Lancer both used a mouse IIRC as does Eve Online. The mouse thing turned this off for me. Just doesn't seem normal to be using a mouse to fly something.

Are there any good games, particularly space sims, that still use joysticks?
 
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Well, X3: Reunion and it's precedessors are space sims that you can 'fly' with joysticks. There is a sequel for X3 in the works. Also, there is a newer game, SpaceForce - Rogue Universe, which supports joysticks, but I've just played the demo and didn't like it as much as the X series.

Also, you can play many rallye and racing games that have support for a steering wheel controller with a joystick as well. I never got that much into racing games, but I'd guess that after some practice the 'touch' would be better than with just the keyboard.

I use my joystick with Falcon 4.0 - Allied Force fighter sim as well.
 
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No there isnt - atleast much. I suggest trying som of the older ones if you havent played them. Many of the new games are cheap&trashy (Spacefarce) and thers not much of them.

You could buy the xwing/tiefighter etc remake collection. They have som upgraded graphics and the games are just as good as ever. Also wing commander 1-5 is pretty good too - just remember to pick the enhanced remakes of 1-3 (only available in wc kilrathi saga collection) plus the community made graphics mods etc from here http://www.wcnews.com/ .

Other than that yes there are others just need to get to home to check my shelf. X series is okay for tradesim but othervice it sucks for story and missions.

Ah yes the freespace 1 & 2 series. You should definetly play it with the new community provided total conversions from original source code (FS2 sc was released for public) that are free. Its one of the best joystick space sim out there now. Just check 'freespace open' on google.

If you want a really good joystick sim try "Archimedean Dynasty". Its a mixed open/mission based sim where you have make money, upgrade your vehicle and enjoy a good story and combat. "Independence war 2" is also another good oldie -privateer style a bit space sim.

If you want to use joystick in sims you could also try ww2ol which has liek 100 vehicles that you can move with joystick. It also has a free trial going on now.

Falcon 4.0 allied force is the best modern flight sim imho. It doesnt come with printed manuals though so you might want to pick up the original version that has the huge printed books and other materials.

And dont forget the mechwarriors. The last three released on PC are still been sold as a classics edition (mech 4 mercenaries -privateer style one perhaps best) but they are high quality releases by microsoft and the graphics still look great imho. They are usable with joystick allthough you can use mouse too.
 
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Thanks for the suggestions. I played almost all the star wars games back in the day and was a hard core WC fan. Didn't know about the upgraded graphics, but I did see a fan remake of the original Privateer I might check out.
 
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X-Wing Alliance is probably the last game I used a joystick for. There is an Elite remake called Oolite I haven't checked it out to see if it supports joysticks though. Elite 4 maybe if they don't make it an MMO and it'll be years before if/when it comes out.
 
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I haven't played it yet, but look out for Yager, if it is published in your country.

Edit: Wasn't there a flight sim by LucasArts not too long ago ?
 
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I haven't played it yet, but look out for Yager, if it is published in your country.

Edit: Wasn't there a flight sim by LucasArts not too long ago ?

Nope. The last "flight sims" they made were cheap star warsy arcade stuff made for consoles. But then they quit making them too.

However they do still sell the remakes of xwind/tie and xwing alliance and they even support them so people can play them on modern computers.
 
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You mean Star Wars Starfighter ? I had actually some fun with it.
That one too. They made quite a many arcade games at one time. Som might not be totally bad but nothing was even close to the xwing series. I bought only one - rogue squadron.

They made a swotl sequel in 2003? Didnt know that. However after playing ww2ol for seven years Ive totally lost my interest to ww2 flight sims.

Matrix games re-released a strategic flight sim just month or so ago:

BATTLE OF BRITAIN II - WINGS OF VICTORY

* A dynamic and authentic re-creation of the full Battle of Britain campaign at the strategic and tactical levels
* Participate in epic battles with hundreds of aircraft in the sky at once
* Features a realistic radar and spotting system
* Damage to each enemy airfield is tracked and impairs the ability to launch aircraft
* Realistic bomb blasts based on military test data, including fireball size and duration, shockwaves, and dirt blasts
* Both historical and dynamic weather conditions are tracked throughout the campaign
* AI-pilots fly within the limits of the same performance and flight characteristics the player flies with, for precise, historically accurate air combat
* Historical command and control on the ground and in the air immerses you in the campaign
* Choose your fight - as the Air Commander or as a Pilot
http://www.matrixgames.com/games/game.asp?gid=353
Instead of static missions it has a dynamic campaign where you can control the entire airforce yourself (either brits or germans in bob) and fly too. The strategic campaign is interesting but I cant stand the sight of yet more of 109s, 110s, heinkels or stukas.
 
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I liked Rogue Squadron, but it was far too short. I borrowed it from a friend to check it out, but I finished it in something like 2 days.
 
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I last used a joystick when I was playing with IL-2 Shturmovik. I used to be a big-time flight-sim fan; even wrote the semi-official FAQ and tutorial for one, but haven't been doing that in years.
 
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Personally, I didn't like Rogue Squadron too much. Okay, it was fun, but SW Starfighter had much more "style" in it, imho.

In my opinion, SW Starfighter was fit much, much better into the SW universe than that ...
 
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I played Star Lancer with a joystick and I have to admit that I thought that FreeLancer was the first Digital Anvil game to use mouse control ... but perhaps StarLancer was just the last to use joysticks.

I bought SpaceForce: Rogue Universe in an attempt to capture the feeling from the good old days of Wing Commander, X-Wing/Tie-Fighter, Tachyon: The Fringe, Independece War2, ect, etc. Hower, even though it does support a joystick, it is only a very basic X and Y axis support so my Saitek Cyborg joystic with throttle, 12 buttons, a 8 directional hat and a Z axis was more or less useless, so I shelved that one pretty quick and chalked it up as failed purchase.

Dark Star One did support the use of a joystick but like FreeLancer it really felt like the game was designed for a mouse. Even the X games are supposedly just as easily played with a mouse as with a joystick. It really is a shame. I fondly remember the intense dog fights in the Star Wars games where you could easily spent 15-20 minutes trying to get a lock or a clear shot on one of those infernal Tie Advanced.:whew:

Ahh, those were the days ... (The Watch is missing a grumpy old geezer smiley or at least just a plain old geezer ;))
 
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Ahh, those were the days ... (The Watch is missing a grumpy old geezer smiley or at least just a plain old geezer ;))

Im currently replaying through the entire xwing series. Campaign 2. Last I played was like 15 years ago? But now Im really ripping through those ties like they dont exist even. I have a much better stick though - microsoft force feedback 2 (ok ms stopped making that years ago but its the best). Som of the missions are still hard though. You have to pay attension.

When I last played decade ago I used a gravis stick and it was nowhere near as good. The gravis actually met a short end in a NHL97 session - it broke in half. My current MS FF2 has lasted like 5 years. No wonder microsoft stopped making joysticks. They made them so good that they didnt brake - people stopped buying.

Personally, I didn't like Rogue Squadron too much. Okay, it was fun, but SW Starfighter had much more "style" in it, imho.

I dont expect anything from rogue sq. Its just a game I got cheap from a guy who sold wing commander kilrathi saga to me. Kilrathi saga is a limited release enhanced edition of wing commander 1-3. It was never released as a cheap edition or in a collection. The price in ebay is up to 200$:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Wing-Commander-...ryZ11988QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I got it for 15 euros. The seller didnt know what he was selling. :) Even mobygames mentions this collection:
Only 20,000 units of The Kilrathi Saga were produced, and since the original games have been completely remastered to run under Windows 95 with better music, they are very highly sought after. It is not uncommon to see a copy fetch $120 or more on ebay!

Addition to Trixter's trivia dated 2000-03-20:

By now, the game won't sell under $300 - this game's an invest for the future for sure.
http://www.mobygames.com/game/wing-commander-the-kilrathi-saga

Yeah thats us - space sim fans fighting for scarps of old glory.
 
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Also wing commander 1-5 is pretty good too - just remember to pick the enhanced remakes of 1-3 (only available in wc kilrathi saga collection) plus the community made graphics mods etc from here http://www.wcnews.com/ .

I looked on that site and didn't see any graphics mods. Any idea what section they are in?
 
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I looked on that site and didn't see any graphics mods. Any idea what section they are in?

Here:
http://www.wcnews.com/files.shtml

Most of the mods are for the latest game - WC5 . Atleast WC5 also has high resolution versions of the ingame movies.

Btw if youre interested the site also has link to a wing commander animated series - it features the same people as in the wc cutscene animations. Som fifteen episodes or so have been made.
 
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Thanks. Looks like I just didn't go all the way down the screen.
 
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When we played Star Wars Galaxies, the space was actually playable with a joystick. I do not recommend paying for that game though.
 
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ace online ? joystick?

Hello everyone,

i hope this post isnt a dead post?

but i just downloaded Aceonline and havent even done the tuutorial. let me know if i can use a JOYstick on it? and save me a wasted afternoon?lol

another game i have is anarchy online - can u fly on that one?

im downloading X3 write now.? one more quick question about these spacegames are they all massively with people or not?

i cant get into those 32 people rooms, because im an us citiizen, living in caribbean - and they dont have DSL - the best they have is 250mb modem. i keep getting kicked out of all those rooms, for high ping.
im still play aces high 2 and i never get kick out for having high pings.

anyway let me know, i really apprecitate it,

firestick
 
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