(Part 2) Top products from r/starcitizen

First, I think ultra-wide setups (whether curved 21:9 or triple-monitor) won't be well-suited to Star Citizen. Unlike a standard First Person Shooter where you're scanning a primarily flat area, space exists all around you.

IMO, the best way to experience SC will be with a VR headset. But, being an MMO, I know that my play sessions might last as long as 12 hours. Given my desire to avoid headset-induced fungal/bacterial infections, I'm going for a great, large, single monitor.

Unfortunately, there isn't a monitor on the market which ticks all the boxes right now. Acer tried a 4K 144hz 32" G-Sync monitor, but the DisplayPort 1.3 they used couldn't carry the necessary bandwidth. Right now I'm using a 27" Dell 1440P 144hz and love it, but wish for a larger screen with similar or smaller pixel size.

According to techbuyersguru.com, monitor manufacturers aren't going to be re-attempting large + awesome again any time soon.

> THE 4K G-SYNC GAMING MONITOR:
>
> Acer Predator XB321HK
>
> We're keeping this monitor here as a placeholder, so readers realize that yes, we know a lot of you are on the lookout for a replacement to this venerable 32" 4K G-Sync monitor, the only one of its kind ever released. The issue with it was that with existing Displayport technology, it was impossible to achieve a refresh rate higher than 60Hz at 4K, and serious gaming rigs are now able to easily surpass that 60 frames per second, even at this extreme resolution. 4K refresh rates of 120Hz and above are coming with the new DisplayPort 1.4 standard, which has recently been adopted.
>
> THE GURU'S TIP:
>
> A new generation of 4K G-Sync monitors that exceed the 60Hz refresh rate will be arriving later this year. To learn more about this exciting new development, see our report on The Future of Display Tech from CES 2017. The only problem: for the foreseeable future, these monitors will be 27", so it's going to be several years before a true replacement for the XB321HK appears!

So, unfortunately, your best bet is probably the Acer Predator X34 for now. It's less "ultra-wide" than a triple-monitor setup, has good pixel size (same as 27" 16:9 1440P), and has an increased refresh rate (100hz). The Z35P could be alright too, if you prefer VA over IPS.

The shitty thing is; because it's ultra-wide, the 34" X34 is the same exact screen height as a 16:9 27" panel. You could get the ASUS ROG Swift 27" 16:9 for $375 less, have the same screen height (same usable screen area wearing in-game helmet), and have a faster refresh rate while drawing fewer pixels, increasing your GPU's FPS output. If you're cool with a TN panel, the $450 Dell S2716DG is hard to beat. You just won't be happy with the color reproduction.

So...just buy your pick of the 27" 1440p G-Sync monitors and be done with it for now. :(

Do your own research on panel types: TN -vs- IPS -vs- VA

It just feels so unnatural and unintuative using the pointing finger. Its also not very comfy in the first place. A pretty poor substitute for wasd vector, or a left hand thumbstick.

If I buy anything I'd love for it to be more dedicated to the task.
Something like this would be perfect, it only it were a big thruster as well ahaha.
http://www.amazon.com/Razer-Nostromo-PC-Gaming-Keypad/dp/B004AM5RB6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1398152211&sr=8-2&keywords=nostromo

The CH is superb with an analog thumbstick in the perfect position, too bad it'll cost an arm and a leg.

The Arduino generic Game Controller provides the following:

X, Y, and Z axis
32 buttons
X, Y, and Z axis rotation
Rudder
Throttle
2 Point of View Hat Switches

So you can actually make your own controller relatively easy, and even have things such as a few Pots for trim adjustment, or simple buttons too.


Instructions on how to program and set up the microcontroller;

http://www.instructables.com/id/Arduino-LeonardoMicro-as-Game-ControllerJoystick/

Soldering tutorials;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5Sb21qbpEQ&list=PLNEAKeawWr2wiTBpoUUXdeRGnpqFUNhwP&index=4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYz5nIHH0iY&list=PLNEAKeawWr2wiTBpoUUXdeRGnpqFUNhwP&index=5



Parts list;

http://www.amazon.com/Arduino-ARD-A000059-Micro/dp/B00AFY2S56

http://www.amazon.com/Joystick-Analog-Stick-Assembly-Replacement/dp/B00170JDZU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450210079&sr=8-1&keywords=psp+joystick

And whatever the heck you build it with. Soldering is easy as pie, and some wire from whatever.

You could do a complete "Keyboard" if you will with this single Microcontroller.

Momentary Toggle switches, Regular buttons, 3 axis controls, and like i said, even a set of 3 pots for something like trim adjustment or whatever.

I highly recommend getting a breadboard, which you can simply plug and play everything in to test out your circuit and design, and then getting a perf board of some sort for the final layout.

UPDATED: Apparently there is software out there that completely removes the need for you to know how to code, provided by /u/foofad please see the following post. honestly, this just got even easier.

http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3899105/MMJoy_-_Build_your_own_USB_con

I use two of these mounted to an office chair, fits a CH Pro Fighterstick right hand and a T16000M left hand. You'll need industrial Velcro or some kind of strong adhesive to fasten it tight to the mount. You should be aware that the mount is smaller than how the picture depicts it and the base of the sticks is larger than the mount bracket, but if you put the velcro on correctly it should work fine. Also, the mount adjusts at 3 separate joints so you have some flexibility but it does not extend so you need to be able to attach the mount to right where you want your stick to be. I can send you a picture of my setup later if you want more info, just let me know. Definitely gets the job done though, would recommend on a budget

Edit: Sorry, I actually use this. It's the same brand but this one gives you more adjustability, you may not be able to get the positioning to a comfortable position with only one joint

If you're comfortable with MnK, I'd say stick with it. Currently, aiming with a stick can be tricky without a good controller and a lot of practice. Mouse is much more accessible. I'd try that for a bit and if it feels unfun, look into getting a flight stick.

You may want to find a mouse with a decent number of buttons to take some of the burden off of the keyboard hand. I use a Logitech G700 which for me has a nice number of easily accessible buttons without having too many to differentiate between them in the heat of battle. It also spreads them out between the index and thumb, something you don't see with many mice which tend to leave it at the left button, scroll wheel, and maybe an extra button. It can be wired or wireless, whenever you need. About 60 bucks.

https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-G700s-910-003584-Rechargeable-Gaming/dp/B00BFOEY3Y

You could also try a good throttle to give a little immersion. Just get one with a decent number of buttons as SC has many functions. I can't direct you to a good one here as I don't have a throttle.

Another possibility is a Nostromo style keypad. I've used one for years now back from when Belkin made their first iteration of it. Razer currently has the rights, which is unfortunate, but I am liking my new Orbweaver so far. The palm rest greatly helps with extended gameplay for us old dudes and the Orbweaver has decent adjustability to where it and the thumb assembly sits. Completely programmable for single buttons or macros, I've found them indispensable for long game sessions. Orbweaver is about 130 currently.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013P0HW7K/ref=s9_acsd_hps_bw_c_x_6

There's also a program for tablets and smartphones where you can assign game functions to a UI. I haven't looked into that yet, but it could be a pretty nice little addon if you already have some form of tablet device.

After seeing a couple posts of people's custom button boxes on reddit I knew I had found my next project. I've been doing quite a bit of Arduino and small electronics lately, and this was the perfect fit. So off I went to Amazon, ordered a bunch of stuff I thought might be cool / useful and started piecing things together. Took a few weekends of working on it here and there, the most time consuming part just being tediously soldering and wiring the 38 inputs.

​

Was originally going to set it into some sort of project enclosure, but ended up getting impatient and just mounting it to two pieces of plywood with some feet. It added enough heft to it that I can lift the switch guard and rotate the somewhat stiff selector without issue. Eventually I'll get a better enclosure for it, probably grab one off of Hammond mfg or get someone with a larger 3D printer to make one. The Engine Start and black/red button (that I'm going to use for quantum jump) have leds in them that I don't currently have hooked up to the Arduino, but once we get some sort of API into Star Citizen hopefully I can tie them to engine state and jump spool/ready state.

​

The controls are:

Power on, flight ready, 3 misc buttons, zoom rotary encoder, 3 misc buttons, quantum spool, quantum jump

Hat switch + center for shield distribution and reset, engine, shield, and thruster power switches, power distribution profile selector, misc selector

Flare Fire button, flare select, 7 misc toggle switches, self destruct switch, eject switch.

​

I mapped everything to a button in the Arduino code (no rotary encoder as zoom in this screenshot) so that I can easily bind to functions in Star Citizen. Unfortunately without an API this means the switch positions can get out of sync with the actual ship status easily. If by the time of release / they make an API there still isn't a way to read / set state by API then I'll probably make a new version with only toggle buttons.

​

Code Libraries

PCF8574_library for interfacing with the IO expanders
- https://github.com/xreef/PCF8574_library

ArduinoJoystickLibrary for emulating a joystick on windows
- https://github.com/MHeironimus/ArduinoJoystickLibrary/

​

Useful Instructables

Joystick Library
- https://www.instructables.com/id/Create-a-Joystick-Using-the-Arduino-Joystick-Libra/

PCF8574
- https://www.instructables.com/id/PCF8574-GPIO-Extender-With-Arduino-and-NodeMCU/

​

Parts List

1 Terminal Expansion Board - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PGDWJ2V

3 PCF8574 IO Expansion Board - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B95LMLQ

1 Rotary Encoder - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DM2YMT4

1 4 Position Rotary Selector - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JN2967L

1 Red Ring Momentary Push Button - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017ILTX60

1 Engine Start Momentary Push Button - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MK2394L

5 Heavy Duty Toggle Switch - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078KBC5VH

1 12 Position Rotary Switch - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074WMC9C8

1 5-Channel Rocker - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K5PFPNC

1 Arduino Micro - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AFY2S56

7 Red/Black Momentary Push Buttons - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BD2D96W

2 Red Cover Toggle Switches - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BD2D96W

8 Small Toggle Switches - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013DZB6CO

You might want to try the Lexip Pro 3d while you're at it. Out of production, but it's not overly hard to obtain still.

I'm technically a HOSAS user, but I dabbled a bit with this mouse. My big complaint is that the buttons aren't really in a comfortable place. Other than that, it's a neat product.

Still though, thanks for the great link! I think I'll back this.

I guess to each their own. when I had my n52 It just became apparent to me it was a keyboard numpad with a very poor quality d-pad and a ok mouse wheel in an unfortuantly bad position...

I could get nearly all the functionality by just putting my left hand on the actual numpad and binding it as I would the n52. since you are moving your hand off the WASD area to a grid spaced pad its really close in usage. even more so if you have a nice keyboard wrist rest.

Im sure to the "pro gamers" that doesnt sound similar but I dare them to try it for 5 minutes and see how closely it functions. I guess if you also have some non standard ergo or gamer keyboard you might need to replicate it again with a n52. mode shifting is done in software anyways so no reason that couldn't be done on the numpad too. its a product trying to find a problem, thats why they werent popular back in the day when they came out and why belkin stopped making them and they got picked up as some razor "gaming gear" and re-spun for MMO and MOBA players.

I would gladly change my opinion if say they added some other actual features like analog sticks or pressure sensitive keys etc that would make its existence justified.

I just dont see how they can go from 60 dollars to a mind boggleing 300 dollars. like WHAT? the other sellers have 329... what a great deal.

why wouldnt someone pay a fraction and at least get a logitec G13? its got a screen, stick, more buttons and costs way less.

sure but the warthog is also triple the price of the CH.

$284 just for the warthog joystick

http://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-HOTAS-Warthog-Flight-Stick-PC/dp/B00CBVHJ00/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1397531164&sr=1-1&keywords=warthog+joystick

which is FAR out the reach of even most hardcore gamers.

vs $97 for the fighterstick.

who cares what it looks like. I want quality and performance before aesthetics.

The good thing is that if you decide to go to full HOTAS, you have a throttle already, so you can just find a stick to buy standalone, and then you have it.

Additionally, there's also interesting options like this mouse that've come to my attention, too. I'm half tempted to try one out, but at the same time, I'm extremely happy with my current mouse, so I doubt I will.

I'd imagine something like this would work pretty good for translation as well since it has four directions.

In the States you can get it on Amazon here or here. I'm not sure what's available in Europe, but maybe Amazon will ship to you.

Edit: They're physical copies, sure, but it's better (for CR, who deserves his cut) than torrenting.

You're switching between the keyboard and HOTAS for flight vs FPS stuff? Yeah, I haven't figured that one out yet either. I feel like having a keypad thingy in between my sticks would be ideal. I'd then have a straight line of peripherals: Left stick, keypad, right stick, mouse.

You could also use these or similar mounts, attach them to your seat and tilt them upwards. like this you get a nicely placed surface for your sticks (sts).

Kind of like this setup.

They are AMAZING. They adjust in every direction I need them to and have allowed me to perfectly align my monitors. They have also just dropped in price by three dollars. I have zero complaints about them. You will notice that there are two openings in the plate just behind the two arms that connect to it. I used the upper hole to bolt the reinforcement plate to the stock VESA mount on the left and right monitors as these mounts are a little too short to use both bolt holes on the arms. The top arm bolt was then attached to the reinforcement plate. You will also have to remove the plastic cap at the end of the upper arm as it will not fit with this bolt in place. I just added a new picture to the album so you can see what I am talking about.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003O1UYHG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I was considering mapping the pedals to roll/speed brake/boost but I'll try a lot of different mapping configurations. If there is an FPS lean, those are going on the pedals with sprint/crouch. Strafe is going on the 4-way HAT near my index finger.

I was also looking at the ROCCAT Tyon mouse because it has a lot of interesting buttons.

I know my setup would break the immersion to a lot of people but I want access to all the important stuff without taking my hands off the controls.

"Imagine a space flight sim where you can control your craft with perfect analog precision..." That RAT's strafing axis is nice, but, I don't think I will go for it because the one I'm using right now has enough to strafe in any direction. The mouse that I linked to has 4 axis on it and it actually works real well, plus, it's out now.

To expand to a particular recommendation, I have the Asus VS229H-P (actually 3) and they ahve been very good to me for the price, though I think I paid $120 each on sale. It also comes in a slightly larger 23" version, VS239H-P.

I have a cdrom buried somewhere in a box of old software, but other than eBay or similar I don't know how to obtain it currently.

Amazon has it for an okay price.

http://www.amazon.com/Freelancer-PC/dp/B000085AHJ#

I would say so, but again I would say that stick + mouse or stick + programmable gamepad would be a better choice. At the end of the day, a throttle typically just doesn't have much variety of inputs. It has always struck me as a waste of a hand when I have used them in the past.

What you may not have noticed is that the mouse itself actually rolls and pitches on its own axis in addition to the mini thumb stick. Very cool, imo. Would probably take some getting used to but I would argue that's true of any control device type you haven't used yet. I think it has a lot of potential. See the Amazon page for images.

Edit: Found a video demo.

He's written a book about it. And I'm fairly certain he advised them on 100% of everything that had to do anything with science.

Probably this, Oculus, a mouse, and a joystick.

Still being Sold on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Freelancer-PC/dp/B000085AHJ

warthog is occasionally sold for $299 on amazon/newegg/etc in the thruster combo pack. you can get the stick alone for $250 any time not on sale, which also occasionally sells for like $200 on its own.

Just the sticks:

https://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-HOTAS-Warthog-Flight-Stick/dp/B00CBVHJ00/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1472944778&sr=8-3&keywords=warthog

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA91J43S0697&cm_re=warthog-_-1CV-002B-00G72-_-Product

This one is really good, but I'm not sure whether it's in Canada or not...
http://www.amazon.de/K%C3%B6nig-Defender-Cobra-Joystick-schwarz/dp/B00IJ72TMI

You should try this one: http://www.amazon.com/SWIFT-PG279Q-Screen-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B017EVR2VM

Here it is

www.amazon.com/dp/B00PZDB2HM/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_Nu31BbHHJTM6R

Here is the mobile version of your link

Here is the mobile version of your link

Actually, it's a 3GB. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00IZXOW80

Here is the desktop version of your link

Do you think for example this joystick:

https://www.amazon.com/Defender-Joystick-Cobra-Sensor-Buttons/dp/B00IJ72TMI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1494260467&sr=8-1&keywords=cobra+m5

use for gimbal gun(s)?

This is the one I bought. Essentially one of the cheapest ones I could find that had a flat mounting plate: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003O1UYHG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

One of the Bibles of PBR was first published in 2004, i have a copy of it here at home. It's available on Amazon

I think i saw the first discussions on the NVIDIA Developer site around 2000. Long before use in games and adaption into shaders it was widely used in traditional non realtime render software.

> For us in EU, the stick alone is on sale: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thrustmaster-Hotas-Warthog-Flight-Stick/dp/B00CCYYC5Q/ref=sr_1_11?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1416497649&sr=1-11&keywords=flightstick
> It's been on sale for a while, but maybe you haven't seen it.

from /u/PaDDzR

For us in EU, the stick alone is on sale: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thrustmaster-Hotas-Warthog-Flight-Stick/dp/B00CCYYC5Q/ref=sr_1_11?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1416497649&sr=1-11&keywords=flightstick


It's been on sale for a while, but maybe you haven't seen it.

Resolution, whatever this screen is i guess? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008DWITHI/?tag=pcpapi-20

I'm still new to this whole computer thing, this one im building will be my first "real" computer

Edit I do have an AMD 7770 sitting around somewhere that i bought for a friends computer i was borrowing for a short while, but I'm not sure thatd even run the hanger on low let alone anything like AC

http://smile.amazon.com/Stinky-Gaming-Footboard-Foot-Controller/dp/B00EOPT5ZS


I use that, not sure if its what you're looking for. I use it in landscape orientation and have it for roll left/right, strafe forward/back (strafe up/down left/right are on throttle thumbstick).

Its supposed to be usable with one foot, in portrait orientation, and you're supposed to be able to rest full weight of your foot directly on the center and just rock it. One of these day's I'll try it this way, but for now I just use it as low profile pedals.

False. Wormholes are NOT in anyway related to black holes. They don't have their own gravity or destroy matter, light can freely pass in or around them and there's no "event horizon" of which you cannot escape from. I suggest you read The Science of Interstellar

Use a gamepad with the legacy profile. Right stick will do suuuuuper smooth pans. As always though, refer to our Director Mode expert /u/mr-hasgaha.

Do note that the gamepad legacy profile from CIG has needed some love for a LONG time, so it's got several missing commands and overlapping ones now, and you'll need to tweak it to actually be able to fly/play with it. That said, it's stupid easy to hop into 3PV and pan the camera around.

Sadly, zooming in and out is still gimped by having to hold the STUPID F4 KEY (WTF CIG?) though you can get a simple USB foot pedal and bind it to hold F4 when pressed down. (or use any other device/button to emulate F4).

(Also CIG apparently hates us calling it "Director Mode" though I personally love calling it that even more because of the fact)

The device you want should do exactly that. I've seen some even cheaper ones on amazon that at one point I've considered getting for my left foot, but I have so many inputs now, screw it, no need.

mixed reviews but for 14 bucks who can really complain:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CK1BKZQ/ref=sxr_pa_click_within_right_electronics_sr_pg1_4?psc=1

as for the after market cable to get pedals to work with PC without the steering wheel attached:
http://leobodnar.com/products/DFPG25conn/

The cable ships from the UK took a week or so to get here if I recall correctly.

Found some pedals on ebay here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Logitech-g27-g29-Racing-Pedals-Pedal-Set-/182041831549?hash=item2a6289e87d:g:udsAAOSwWTRW12J4

at 50 bucks these are a steal!