Ragtop

Cali put it very well, I'd take that advice. I've got a Warthog on its way so I'll be a Guinea pig for it! I can however tell you about the X-52. It's a great stick for beginners and pro's alike. It's very ergonomic and the adjustable palm rest is incredibly useful if you have small hands like I did when I first got into sims! The only gripes I have about it is that the stick is very loose. For some this is a blessing but I found it didn't give me enough feel. You can however mod it, as I have, by compressing the spring a little (all done without taking it apart atall) which stiffens it up. The only other problem is the slider and rotaries, they have a problem with precision, and the software can't make up its mind as to where they are, so you'll see a lot of jitter with them. Other than those points it's a great stick.

Mushu they are hands down the best screenshots I've seen so far, amazing!

I can see what you meant now, however it doesn't look like anywhere near as bad as what I had in my head when you said it wobbled. It seems as though there is a little lateral movement, but it seems as though it's moving against a spring, perhaps this is a little bit of play in the axis/movement of the lift, required to push the throttles over the idle/AB thresholds.

Exactly what I was thinking, I wondered where people had picked up the idea that the throttles "wobbled when moved", as Leafer stated previously. I don't want to discount this as made up, as it's a very interesting and valid concern, which is why I'd like to read more about it!

Lets not forget that this isn't actually released, we're all drawing our guns quickly here over a prerelease version of T.A.R.G.E.T! They may still add support for third party controller and let's be honest, it's not TM's job to make other companies hardware play inside their software, although it would be a nice thing to add. Really it's down to the sims themselves, DCS and FC2 can support multiple controllers, so just set your USB rudders up in there. I can't speak for the prop sims cause I don't play them, but it's not hard for them to implement. If you use the Cougar port rudders, T.A.R.G.E.T supports the Cougar, so you can use your rudders with that.

Also out of interest, where was it mentioned that the throttle wobbled? I can't seem to find it in the review and would like to know what was said.

If WW2 aircraft is something you intend to use the WH on, and a lack of a rotary is an issue for oyu, then perhaps you should look towards one of the "generic" style controllers (G940, X65F, X52 Pro) and not a "replica" A-10C HOTAS? This is a stick designed for A-10C use specifically, and I'm damn certain you won't hear DCS A-10C pilots complaining, cause thats what the real pilots are using. I'm not saying this as an elitist or a purist, but simply saying that if you want to use it for other sims too, it's going to have problems in those areas, which are an expected downside to the idea of a "replica". You can make a HOTAS which is good for all sims (aforementioned HOTAS), or a HOTAS which is great for one sim. You'll never make a HOTAS which is great for all sims, because each one needs tailored things to suit it.

Amazon UK are actually doing a best price guarantee, the lowest the price drops to before launch is what you'll pay, so get in early! Right now it's £329, so if you order now and it goes up to £380 or something, you'll still pay £329. I need to spec up my machine a bit too, looked at an i7 which means I need a new Mobo, which means I need DDR3 RAM, looking pricey!

Amazon UK seems to have dropped the price by £10, that's a couple of pints! Still seems set for the 29th, fingers staying crossed.

Soooooo... Back to the Warthog! How are you guys going to be setting yours up? On the desk? Building a mini setup for it? Full out simpit? I myself will be making a small wooden setup to run mine on, right now I actually managed to convert an old electric drumkit into my current simpit, check it out!

This was added about a week ago :P

Take break... Break... A-10... Take... A-10... A-10 break tak- *Head explodes, springs and cogs everywhere*

I think all the while we're using flat displays we're never going to achieve the degree of realism you speak of here. Aswell as having this angle of view to immerse us, a large part of the realism factor is feeling that we're a part of the plane we're sat inside. Huge screens/multimonitor setups and TrackIR with 6DOF have done a stellar job of breaking apart the world from the cockpit, but unfortunately we're still not in an age where Average Joe can come home from work, kick off his shoes and believe he's just jumped into a Hog, while he has to use a computer screen to do it. Until we can physically have that separation between the cockpit and the outside world, we're going to be one step behind. The closest we have right now is a real simpit with curved projection screens surrounding us.

Haha! I'm afraid I've already got a friend with his TGP point tracking it :P I couldn't do it to my 52 really, it was my first HOTAS and it's served me incredibly for a few years now, and it continues to do so. I think I'll be using the trim in pain for a while, and waiting patiently for the Saitek Combat rudder pedals to arrive. Hopefully soon or I'll have to get the normal set to tide me over!

I keep putting it out of my mind that I need rudder pedals right now, which is really going to bite me in the ass when it gets here and I've still got my X-twisty2 plugged in on the floor with a pole taped to it! *Laughs, pauses, strokes chin and looks at X-52 with destructive eyes*

For those of us that used Z axis as a sneaky pair of bino's we're having to learn to eagle eye a lot more, serves us right I guess! This is much more realistic though, moving forward in the real thing won't let you look at the nudie mag they're reading in the SAM fire control truck!

I just about managed to find the funds, don't ask me how cause I'm still working on figuring it out, but it's been a boring month that's for sure! If it wasn't for DCS beta I'd have had nothing to do, and would probably have spent my funds! Luckily my next pay is the 26th, so it works out about right. Next months pay goes on upgrading the PC!

My track clip pro broke within 1 hour of use. I'd heard that they were fragile so I made absolutely certain to be careful with it. Picked it up to play, and the part with the LED's in simply fell off. On closer inspection one of the little prongs inside had snapped off. I used the Vector clip and weirdly, I found it infinitely more accurate in tracking. The TCP was *slightly* smoother, however totally negligibly, generally your game will have a lower frame rate than the TIR, so the's your bottleneck. What I found was that when performing more complex movements - like looking round while over the side of the cockpit, sat up to see over the seat back, the TCP would get confused here and spin around, where the Vector clip is perfect. Personally I'm happier using the V clip, no wires, and a lifetime more durable.

Look here for the Maverick, it's worth using the search function to get the best information! I'm not sure about your radio issue, I know it's not been fully implemented in this current beta however so it may not be functional yet. 225 on straight and level sounds about right to me, if you're fully loaded. Check headwinds etc also, but without diving at all 250+ seems ambitious.

Thanks very much for clearing that up Eddie! All makes perfect sense :)

That makes great sense, thanks. I now understand how the fuze selection works ,however, I don't get the way I implement it with knowledge. Do I dictate what the fuze does, or is that preset? If it's preset, how do I know what the effect will be on each weapon? For instance if one is impact detonation and the other is alt det, why would I select both?

My question seemed to go amiss! I'm still after an answer if anyone can help me :smartass:

My TCP broke after about 15 minutes of use, one of the little clips that holds the arm with the lights in snapped off. I'd heard they were no good, so I decided to just leave it in the box and use the Vector Clip. Turns out the VC actually works better IMO. The TCP is SLIGHTLY smoother, although the TIR 5 is so smooth anyway your game framerate will be slower anyway. But, the Vector Clip actuallu worked better when I was moving it more unusual ways (looking behind me while leaning out the side of the cockpit), it got confused far less. Overall though, the TCP breaking is not a big enough problem to upset me with my TIR, it's hands down the best thing I bought since a HOTAS.

I need a bit of help understanding fuzing. What does Nose, Tail and Nose/Tail actually affect? I know that I need Tail for retard bombs, and Nose to drop them slick, but what am I actually affecting, and how would I apply these settings in scenarios? I've searched the manual but all it really seems to show me is that I can select them, but not their effects.

I just bound Shift+F12, works a charm!