From willday@rom.oit.gatech.edu Thu Jul 27 10:55:59 EDT 1995
Article: 106955 of comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action
Path: gt-news!not-for-mail
From: willday@rom.oit.gatech.edu (Will Day)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action
Subject: Re: Mechwarrior II: Joystick calibration...
Date: 27 Jul 1995 10:55:52 -0400
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology, OIT Tech Support
Lines: 48
Message-ID: <3v89do$cv3@rom.oit.gatech.edu>
References: <Pine.OSF.3.91.950725144025.18381A-100000@unicorn.it.wsu.edu> <3v3svj$6cs@uwm.edu> <3v46gp$a0g@stratus.skypoint.net> <3v737f$4dl@nnrp2.primenet.com>
Reply-To: willday@rom.oit.gatech.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: rom.oit.gatech.edu
Status: RO

A short time ago, at a computer terminal far, far, away, Tim Morten  wrote:
><I'm a bit taken aback by the response to one of the posts 
>saying something about needing a dedicated game/joystick card.>
>
>MechWarrior 2 uses the joystick in a unique way.  Rather than 
>just reading 'left' or 'right' from the joystick and adding up 
>values, MW2 turns your torso to the exact coordinates the 
>joystick transmits (much like using a mouse).

Ah, yes this is what I've been calling "auto centering".  Is there, by
_any_ chance, a way to turn this centering off?  So that, it does read
the left/right and add the values.

>This technique allows for more precise aiming, and lets you 
>hold your joystick in position to stay aimed.

See, I read it differently. :)  To me, this technique requires more
difficult aiming, because it forces me to hold my joystick in position
to stay aimed.

I especially tend to have a problem on slopes.  I can't easily hold 
the stick extremely forward or extremely pulled back trying to aim
while at the same time move right and left to keep on track.

This may be a personal preference kind of thing, but I feel like the
auto-centering is a somewhat more arcadish approach to the torso control,
and that having the floating cursor is more precise.  I feel very 
constrained having my torso seemingly being "sucked" back to the center 
all the time. :)

I'm very used to the floating cursor from EarthSiege and the VWE 
centers, and I think others would appreciate the choice also.  Could this 
be provided in the patch/add-on disk?  Please?  Pretty-please? :)

>Thanks, and I hope you have an opportunity to give it a try on 
>your system.
>Tim.

If I haven't said so, thanks to you Tim, and the other coders, for all
your hard work on the game.  I'm a very happy Btecher right now.

______________________________________________________________________________
Will Day       <PGP mail preferred>      OIT, Georgia Tech, Atlanta 30332-0715
willday@rom.oit.gatech.edu               http://rom.oit.gatech.edu/~willday/
     =-> Opinions expressed are mine alone and do not reflect OIT policy <-=
Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary 
Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.
    Benjamin Franklin, Pennsylvania Assembly, Nov. 11, 1755


