For first-person shooter gaming, the only way to go is a mouse/keyboard configuration.
Basic mice tend to work very well. The First/Pilot Mouse from Logitech that has a ball is a personal favorite, though I am now using an IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0 from Microsoft because I am too lazy to clean ball mice.
Mice that use a ball and rollers for tracking are time-proven, but the basic design is dated. I've been in and out of the optical craze for the past year, sometimes switching back to ball mice, sometimes going back to the future and plugging in an optical mouse. The IntelliMouse (PS/2) was a nice mouse, and I believe at one point in time they released a USB version of the ball mouse. Ball mice require constant cleaning in order to maintain smooth tracking, though, and do wear out relatively quickly considering optical mice last years.
First- and second-generation optical mice are plagued with skipping issues for people who use low sensitivities. The IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0 comes with an optical sensor that refreshes 6000 times per second, four times faster than the original Explorer. This means smoother gameplay with more precision. Though it is still a measely 400 dpi, I prefer it to the Logitech Wheel Mouse Optical Special Edition (with double the sensitivity). Having spent over $500 on mice in the past year (don't ask how or why, please), I have concluded that the ideal mouse configuration for me is the IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0 at a sensitivity of 6.56 with no mouse accelleration in the Finder or Quake. This works for me because it is an ideal mix of speed and precision, allowing me to hit about 80% of my rails and 30-45% of my lightning ammo. Optical mice are not known for their slow-motion accuracy. Thus, it is ideal to have a low sensitivity when you have an optical mouse. There are those who use optical mice in conjunction with high sensitivities, but the nature of the technology really cannot accomodate short movements.
However, some of you might avoid the IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0 if you are left handed or the design is too large for you to effectively control/flick. The design is slightly smaller and trimmer than the old one, though it still retains its right-handed ergonomics. Microsoft's warranty is also exceptionally good. I have not tried dealing with Logitech support, but I know from experience that Microsoft will replace your mouse without even asking the old one in return. They ask you a few simple, unintrusive questions, and then overnight to you your replacement mouse. Really, the only thing about this mouse that I absolutely love is its non-skip sensor. Even if you jerk the mouse extremely fast, the mouse keeps track of your movements.
The Logitech Wheel Mouse Optical Special Edition comes in a cool-looking Cherry Red color. The MouseMan Dual Optical with two optical sensors is precise and balanced, but it is relatively heavy compared to the single-sensor Wheel Mouse. Also, the mouse feet tend to wear out faster than Microsoft feet. They also feel a bit more gritty and rough when compared to Microsoft mice.
Joysticks or gamepads are truly out of the question if you want to have any real control over the game. The keyboard arrows can be used for strafing left and right and moving f\orwards and backwards, allowing much less convoluted movement. I knew someone who used a trackball for Quake. He wasn't exceptionally good, but he could hold his own against his mouse-toting opponents. It is very hard to master the trackball.
What you shouldn't do is buy a Razer Boomslang unless it's for a bargain-basement price. They were ultra-high sensitivity ball mice that were sold for $99, an insane amount of money considering the long learning curve and low quality of the product. I bought two mice. One was broken out of the box, and the other one gave out after a week of play. Since Kärna is bankrupt, I still can't get the promised replacement mice they promised me.
Though the informal gamer overlooks the mouse pad, it is an integral part of your game. Some people use their desk. Some people use nothing. I use a fUnc sUrface 1030, an abstract mouse pad with two adversely different sides and a rubber base. It is very smooth on one side, and the other side is textured for quicker movements. I use the rough side. It comes in a very stylish tin case that you can use for toting the pad to LAN parties, and it comes with a clip that you can use to tame the cord of your mouse (to avoid tangles and snags). Everglide pads are also nice, but they are a little too slick and elevated for my tastes. The 3M PMS (Precision Mousing Surface) works wonders for ball mice if you don't mind a high-friction pad. It inhibits any unintended movement and grips the ball like you have never seen before. Ratpadz are basically a copy off of Everglide, but they deserve mention. Regular cloth mousepads are alright, but if you intend on doing any serious fragging I recommend to you fUnc and Everglide,
www.func.net and
www.everglide.com , respectively. Ratpadz can be found at
www.ratpadz.com . The 3M PMS is the only good pad you can find at stores, and even then, I've only seen Best Buy carry it.
A few commands that might help you in Quake are "/sensitivity x" (default is 5) to adjust your sensitivity, "/cl_mouseaccel x" (default is 0) to adjust the mouse accelleration, and "in_mouse x" (default is 1, but you can switch to -1 to go back to the old, 1.17-like sensitivity).
Quake III, though definitely not the most robust game out of the box, is a very well-designed, well-engineered piece of software that I still consider to be the best game out.
Good luck, and happy fragging!
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