HOTAS in a subsim

[GoldenRivet]

Originally Posted by Donkey-Shot

"Kaleun, please what are your orders?" Kaleun: "hang on, hang-on! I'm typing them in as we speak. Now where's the damm keycard?!"

For Starters... you dont type in your orders. It is generally as easy as clicking a single icon or pressing a single key.

With HOTAS you are little more than a helmsman steering the boat.

Originally Posted by Donkey-Shot

A HOTAS, keyboard, mouse and what have you are just means of controlling the game (yes, however realistic, it's still a game). To me HOTAS is a very convenient means of controlling just about any game: because of the huge progammabilty of these things. I actualy have a profile for SH3 for my X52 Pro.

You are entitled to that opinion... but be aware that probably 98% of Subsim players out there favor the chain of command system involved in giving orders, and seeing them carried out... for the vast majority it is not about driving the boat.

Originally Posted by Donkey-Shot

How's this for realism, on my x52 pro I have six toggle switches wich you can toggle up/down. I use one for the attack scope, one for the OBS. Push the switch up, the scope goes and vica versa.

Just as simple... ant takes less desk space to press the default Pageup page down or the insert and delete keys. what it boils down to is whether or not the player wants the tactile sensation of pressing a switch or a button.

Originally Posted by Donkey-Shot

Besides that, what realy got me to thinking this might be a good idea is that there's a bunch of HOTAS sets comming out with dual throttles. Wich you can use for dual telegraphs. How many post are there on this site, saying how great it would be to have individual control over the engines? I haven't counted them, but willing to bet there's more than one.

there are hundreds of such posts... however - because many subsim enthusiasts and franchise fans are hardcore realism types or historical accuracy types they favor the idea if "giving an order" instead of running back to the engine room to personally take control of the engine throttle levers located on the after part of the diesels.

Originally Posted by Donkey-Shot

All the dev's gotta do is make SH5 recognize axis. you the player got to do the programming on the HOTAS of your choice, if you choose to use it in the first place.

i dont think thats too much to ask... however i think it would turn out to be a feature that something like less than 1% of all players would ever use.

Originally Posted by Donkey-Shot

Track IR makes even more sense to me. Imagine looking around in the control room, leaning over the read gauges.

we agree for the most part on TrackIR - i have used it extensively in flight sims... but i must be honest... i viewed it as more or a novelty than a requirment for serious play... the trackIR system is within arms reach if i wish to use it, but after the first month of owning it... it was just not that fun any more. Would be interesting in a subsim i think. however, since SHV is geared toward the first person shooter type of player movements, i think more PC Gamers would be within their element to use the mouse to look around.

Originally Posted by Donkey-Shot

not being able to see any use for a HOTAS (or other controller devices) and/or Track IR, seems to me a lack of imagination. And aren't good subcommanders, or any leaders for that matter, supposed to be able to think creativly and (way) out of the box?

a bold statement... i see your point, but i wouldnt have said those words specifically... I think it is important to understand that every Kaleun has a unique approach to the way he likes to manage his boat and crew and tactical situation. "to each his own." are the words you need to try to live by here at subsim.com - if a keyboard and mouse works perfectly fine for 90% of the users here... and it is an arrangment that they are used to - it would be tactically, militarily, and personally foolish to change the arrangement to something unfamiliar to virtually the entire fan base.

If Ubisoft Devs wish to Include HOTAS, or TrackIR... thats great.

but knowing that many of the fans of the series are comfortable with the keyboard and mouse setup i think it would be a little used feature.