[iSilver]

Seeing as how my favourite games are the Carmageddon series, other driving games and Quake/ UT type, what do you experienced gamers feel would be best option to use when playing those games - a joystick, game pad or stick with the keyboard? Which is the better products in the brands you recommend?

[This message has been edited by iSilver (edited 03-05-2001).]

[quitbanningme68]

For driving, I like the iShock, its extremely well built, it works with everything, and its exactly like a playstation controller, only a little fatter. For UT and Q3, use a mouse and keyboard or you're screwed.

- Ca$h

[Stogieman]

I agree with Ca$h...for UT stick with a 2 button mouse and keyboard. But for game console emulation (NES, SNES, PSX) the iShock absolutely rocks! It's great game pad.

[jzaw]

yeah for ut a "ballless" optical mouse like my 5 button M$ intellimouse scroller mouse is fab (change weapon , crouch , jump and taunt etcjust from the mouse allone!) nothing else will do defo not joystick or gamepad!!!

flight sims well d'oh id have to say joystick .......lmao.....

but the psx style games that do well with the gamepad i have a Thrustmaster Firestorm Dual Power pad
looks very similar to that standar psx pad but has an extra set of paddle buttons that fall under your ring fingers .... its usb , dualshock and analog too ...... ROX!!!

but with all these things make sure you have the latest GameSprockets ..... and if they dont work with your chosen mouse/joystic/gampad /gamecombo .....then make sure you invest in USB Overdrive this works great for the M$ mouse dont even bother loading the buggy clashy M$ mouse drivers (grrrr i learned the hard way)

happy gaming

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[austeros]

hey ca$h, how did you confg the ishock for carmageddon 2?

when i try to do it in the ingame menu, the controler always has bad control... can you give me any tips?

oh, and iSilver i personally use an ishock and intellimouse explorer for ut, i found it was easier for me to move with the controler, then the little half keyboard.

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-rok

Hi iSilver:

I used an iShock as my primary game controller for more than a year, and people are right to give it very high marks. It's durable-as-hell, and it feels great. It's a really high-quality piece of gear.

However, I haven't touched my iShock since I started using my Thrustmaster Firestorm Dual-Analog pad. Control with the Firestorm is more precise, I find, than the with iShock. What's more, the Firestorm costs the same as the iShock.

I use an optical, three-button Microsoft mouse for my first-person kill-fest games. I also use it for Nascar. I use the Firestorm for things like Tomb Raider, where acrobatics are a big factor in the game, and on-the fly weapons changing isn't so important.

Hope this helps.

Tristan

[quitbanningme68]

Use the iShock setter-upper program that comes with it.

- Ca$h

Hi Ca$h --

If you're referring to the iShock Manager, I tried it, and, unfortunately, found it a little buggy. Even if the iShock Manager worked properly for me, however, the iShock still wouldn't be able to outperform my Thrustmaster Firestorm (though I can't speak for other gamers, of course).

I can actually do aerial combat with my Firestorm, the analog sticks are so stable, which is great, since I don't like standalone joysticks. And the Firestorm performs equally well with games that don't involve flight simulation. Amazing.

I don't know why it is that Thrustmaster can produce such a nice, yet inexpensive, gamepad, and yet produce other gaming devices that I wouldn't use even if Thrustmaster paid me to use them. Very weird.

Anyway--cheers.

Tristan

[austeros]

i think ca$h was talking to me tristan.

thanks ca$h, i will give it another shot sometime =)

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-rok

Hi austeros and Ca$h--

Sorry about that.

Tristan

[jzaw]

yeah tristan isnt the thrustmaster pad great

is yours the one with the 6 (i repeat 6) shoulder buttons not just the 4 that are standard on most pads?

oh and btw iSilver the thrustmaster is the only one that ive ever been able to config for all my games
mostly on the others the direction hat or the analog would be recognised

cheers

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[Stogieman]

Are you Thrustmaster users using USB Overdrive? This CNet article says the FireStorm is not compatible with the Mac.
http://www.gamecenter.com/Hardware/Controllers/Thmfs/

It looks like a cool controller, like the 6 shoulder buttons. But why are there no labels on the buttons?

Hi Stogieman--

Concerning Mac-compatibility -- it could be that C/Net is referring specifically to the force-feedback feature. The Firestorm pad I have doesn't have the force-feedback motors and is fully Gamesprockets-compatible.

I haven't tried the pad with USBOverdrive, however.

As for the lack of labels--I really don't know why there aren't any. But I don't miss them.

And to answer jzaw's question--my pad does indeed have six shoulder buttons. That's one of the reasons that my iShock currently resides in my gadget drawer.

Cheers.

Tristan

[jzaw]

hey stogieman

acutally its the Mac OS that currently doesnt support the feedback feature

my pad has the shock motors in it but obviously doesnt feed back .... apparantly pcs do (i think?)

well i think that the pad works with the most recent sprockets cos its defo recognised correctely when you go to customise button assignments in say PodRacer etc

but for games that dont use sprocket its also recognised by usb overdrive

as far as ive found all the buttons and the directional hat and the analog sticks have been recognised by ALL my games including VGS psx emu UT PodRacer Oni etc etc....and belive me ive tried plenty of pads and none of them worked faultlessly as this one

i especially like the silky rubbery feel to .... oooohh ! so sexy

h�h�

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Hi jzaw--

If it's any consolation, I've heard that Apple is working to add force-feedback capability to the Mac OS. So the shock motors in your gamepad probably won't go to waste.

Tristan

[jzaw]

tristan

im looking forward to the good vibrations



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LOL

Apple has already put in support for force feedback into InputSprockets. What they didn't do is create a standard API on the Mac to use it, so MacAlly went ahead and did that and will release it with their iShock II. Unfortunately, I don't see the API becoming widely supported in games until every peripheral manufacturer has access to a standard force feedback API (such as MacAlly selling their API to Apple and letting them give it out to peripheral manufacturers). I figure MacAlly is hoping instead that their product becomes dominant in the market and developers won't be able to refuse supporting the API due to its popularity.

Hmmm...this isn't the most encouraging news in the world. If Apple's stock were based entirely on the Mac's force-feedback capability, I think I'd wait a while before buying shares. *chuckle*