DescentBB

Just wondering, how many people prefer force feedback to non-force feedback controllers/joysticks?

Can't say I've been impressed by any of the few force feedback controllers I have seen so far.

as much as i dig full immersion, i don't like the idea of feeling it. specially in games that already correct for 'recoil' and the like.

seems more of an interferance to me. and since i have yet to find a force feedback anything that felt even remotely realistic... i say N00t (if that accurately corresponds to my not likely FF, cause that poll is a bit confusing lol)

Have enough problems wrestling w/ the game, don't need to fight the stick as well.

Hehe, well the reason I'm asking this on this poll is because I hated anything FF for a long time myself. Ever since the creation of the rumble pack it seemed like it was just an irritation. However, when I picked up an X-Box controller, I found that it added to the game. It made it more fun and I felt somehow more immersed into the action. I didn't really find it distracting, but it did make it easier for me to tell when I am taking a hit from behind and I can't see the incoming shot. Anyway, I've been thinking on a Saitek Evo, even though there aren't any good flying games out there I might try it out and go back to playin' a little D3 on-line again, or I might use it in UT2004. Anyway, was trying to decide on a FF version or not. Since FF sticks are at least affordable now. I remember when it was like $120 for a FF stick.

I think that it adds greatly to gamepads and wheels. I've never tried a FF joystick, but I can see why it would suck. Joystick aiming usually has to be very precise, which can't happen if you're using FF. On a gamepad, FF doesn't actually effect the resistance on the analog sticks (it just rumbles), and on a wheel, pixel-perfect accuaracy really isn't necessary.

FF = Teh Lame.

Actually, I've found FF capable sticks to not be near as stiff. This means faster response times, but unfortunately it also means less accuracy with weapons like the mass driver.

When my Wingman Strike Force 3D gave up the ghost (failed just like the previous one....plastic clip on the Y axis snapped resulting in zero stiffness for up and own motion. That, and one of the pins on the pot that controlled the twist function finally snapped off. Unfortunately, it snapped RIGHT at the edge so there was no soldering it back. So I just got fed up and plopped down money for a new stick (Logitech Extreme 3D Pro). The extended warranty was only five bucks more, so I said wth. You'd have to be a moron not to jump on that deal. Even if this stick lasts as long as the previous one did (just over three years), its still a good investment.

Anyways, enough rambling from me. You don't have to use the FF capability, but if you set it up right its not all that bad. I never found it distracting at all.

Jeff250 wrote:I think that it adds greatly to gamepads and wheels. I've never tried a FF joystick,

x2

I used a Wingman Force 3D for a few years, and looking back on it, I'm glad I have my Evo now. Half the time, the reaction of Force Feedback in the games that I played it with (D3 and FreeSpace 2) was either too severe, disrupting my control, or so minimal as to not really make that much of an effect. It did help to add to the immersion at times, particularly when your ship rebounded off a wall or was struck by something, but I don't think it was worth it. At least with this model, the centering force was weak to nonexistent with the FF on. Forget about with it off; there was no centering force at all, and the thing had a deadzone you could drive a semi through. Eventually, something must have borked within the stick, because whenever I plug it in now, the FF moves it around uncontrollably, even when the thing's completely calibrated. Good riddance, too; I really didn't like the button placement anyway. At any rate, if you're planning on getting a FF stick for D3, be aware that a bug prevents it from working when running XP. I'd definitely advise trying out a FF stick if at all possible before committing to one; it's a whole world away from a vibrating console controller.

I had a non FF wheel for yrs until I boguht the same model but with FF adn I'll never go back. But having FF on a stick, no thanks.

Topgun wrote: if you're planning on getting a FF stick for D3, be aware that a bug prevents it from working when running XP

IIRC, this can be fixed by running it in Win98 compatibility mode.

IMO the best stick ever made was the Sidewinder Force Feedback 2. Grnated I never had the ff on but it had a return center that you could set how hard it was. That thing was smooth as butter and is on my shelf right now waiting to get used again. I know I was not alone in the use of this stick and the funny thing was that almost everyone had the feedback off and just used it for it's smoothness and centering. So no, I loved the stick itself but never used the feedback.

Doesn't Myzeri like FF sticks?

I'm not a fan of FF just because it gets annyoing. Played MechWarrior at my friend's house and it moved when the mech moved. It was cool for the first 15 minutes but then you have to auto-correct for movement and I can't imagine how bad that'd be in D3 if you had to overcorrect all the time.

Non-FF for me

-=Paperboy=-

What Grendel said.

I can't imagine playing a driving sim without a FF wheel. I can't imagine playing ANY game with a FF stick.

I hope you folks are aware that you can set the strength of the FF both in most modern games, or in the included software.

I own an FF stick, and as I exclusively play shooter games, I have completely turned off FF - because I have found it to be hampering gameplay by its vibrations: Try to aim if the stick is shaking. I even found myself pressing the stick so hard on the table that it couldn't shake any more ... ... at the potential expense of ruining it.

MD-2389 wrote:I hope you folks are aware that you can set the strength of the FF both in most modern games, or in the included software.

I used a FF2 a while for D3 -- w/ the power cable unplugged. Worked very well if you can handle a totally forceless stick (unfortunately the twist on the FF2 is done via a pot that will give out eventually)