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noob to Elite Dangerous

JSMosby
Explorer
Just bought the game and am waiting for my X56 to arrive next week. Can the game be player with the xbox controller or should I just wait for my hotas to get here before starting out?
11 REPLIES 11

Dangerous2women
Expert Protege

JSMosby said:

Just bought the game and am waiting for my X56 to arrive next week. Can the game be player with the xbox controller or should I just wait for my hotas to get here before starting out?


Of course it can. It's fine that way. when you get your HOTAS you may have to mount it on something for stability.  

Zenbane
MVP
MVP
Using the Game Controller should be quite common; so you should be fine starting that way. I bought the game as well but only 'cause it went on sale. I don't plan to really diving in to it until I order my HOTAS.

Speaking of... any recommendations on a fabulous HOTAS for playing ED with the Rift?

Techy111
MVP
MVP
Troll !!! Lol go find the "best hotas in the rift for elite dangerous for me with loads of buttons and stuff" thread lol
A PC with lots of gadgets inside and a thing to see in 3D that you put on your head.

jademan
Heroic Explorer
Congrats!  You're going to love it... Yes, you can play with a xbox controller, but personally, I would recommend you wait to have the X56 HOTAS setup to really start playing. You may want to try with the controller for just a bit - travel from one station to another, to see the beauty of it in VR and to learn the basics of what controls you will need - landing gear, thrusters, boost, hyperdrive, targeting, etc.  You will soon appreciate having more buttons!

There is no default profile yet for the X56 (it is possible to edit things and import an X55 profile, but I like to create my own anyway.) You will have to (get to!) spend a bit of time once you get your X56 setting up the buttons/switches the way you like them in game, and it will take a bit to get used to them - which is why I'd say wait for that point until you really start playing the game. Knowing which button does what is important of course, and having it make sense to you personally and easy to remember is key.

I would recommend setting up a deadzone in the Saitek software for the throttle (like 100 or so) in the middle to make it easier to come to a full stop for landing etc. That, and possibly a rudder deadzone - some X56's are arriving a little off on that (doesn't return to true center from a left twist) like mine did, but it's easily fixed with deadzone. After that, the rest is setup in game.

After the training missions, I'd recommend you play solo for a bit, just going from station to station, system to system, to get your basic flight and menu controls down, and keep tweaking your settings to the way you like them. Once comfortable, head to a Nav Beacon in any system, target AI ships and scan until you find Wanted targets (that aren't in a wing, to start) and feel free to get your fight on (and waiting until Fed allies are also engaging the target is a wise move at first.)

I'm loving my X56 in E:D.  I bet you will too!  I'd love to hear how it goes for you.

jademan
Heroic Explorer

Zenbane said:

Using the Game Controller should be quite common; so you should be fine starting that way. I bought the game as well but only 'cause it went on sale. I don't plan to really diving in to it until I order my HOTAS.

Speaking of... any recommendations on a fabulous HOTAS for playing ED with the Rift?


On the cheap, Thrustmaster T-Flight X is a really great starter HOTAS for E:D. If you feel like jumping up a tier, X52/X55s are well-reviewed (when working) and the X56 is an improvement upon those. And of course, someone will quickly say that Saiteks break (what doesn't?) and that Warthog is the way to go... But then there have been problems with those too, and you lose twist-rudder - which is a need for me in E:D. If you are an airplane pilot though, or really like rudder pedals, then fine - spend a lot more on Warthog and some pedals. Personally, I'd recommend the former options (X56 mostly) for E:D, et al.  More options are coming soon too though I understand.

Zenbane
MVP
MVP
Great! Thanks for the cut n' dry. Sounds like the X56 is my target, which should get me by plenty until something new hits the market that is a proven "must have."

NamelessPFG
Expert Protege
I'd consider looking into TM's new TWCS throttle that they unveiled last month alongside a slightly redesigned T.16000-M.

That throttle has an analog mini-stick under your index finger for strafing in ED (or slewing your sensors in a realistic jet sim), a rudder rocker that could be remapped to forward/reverse thrust (trust me, a non-centering throttle axis is gonna suck for really dialing in those landings), and complete TARGET integration with other compatible TM controllers. You could even use whatever other stick you like if you don't mind giving up TARGET support to unify your controllers and program them together.

Also, while the T.16000-M only has four of its buttons on the stick itself, the throttle can easily make up for that and then some, especially for a simpler title like Elite Dangerous. (Yes, it's complex enough that a gamepad doesn't quite cut it, but it's very simple to control compared to, say, Falcon BMS or DCS: A-10C.) It also has a twist rudder and has a gimbal that's somehow less prone to stiction than the more expensive Warthog.

shadowrydr
Protege
You may want to give this program a try. It is incredible and has (Via Google) tonnes of profiles that let you speak and the program does the keystrokes. 

https://www.voiceattack.com/purchase.aspx


Win10 64bit Intel 6 Core i7 5930 3.5GZ-Water cooled/GA-X99 UD4-/HX1000W PS/32GB DDR4 2400MHz Nvidia 1080 FE 8GB / 840 GB-SSD-/ 2TB HDD-

Bleppe
Adventurer
Bought voiceattack the other day just for E.D :smile:
Haven't gotten a hotas yet though since just about every model I'd consider is sold out in sweden... And I can't even find anyone who sells the x56...