| The Perfect HOTAS Eric "Snacko" Marlow |
||||
|
Background In the fall of 1997 Mark Doran wrote an excellent article entitled "Manifesto: The Perfect Fast Jet Combat Sim". Expanding on his work, I'd like to explore a completely related subject, the perfect HOTAS controller setup. The focus of this article is what I will term "Pro Flight" controllers. Pro Flight is a Thrustmaster term that is used to denote their line of advanced programmable controllers. I will modify that description slightly to explain the category of controllers that incorporate realism, durability, and flexibility into their design, but do not necessarily limit themselves to the flight category. Quake, Mechwarrior, and Battlezone are good example of non-flight games that benefit from programmable controllers. The controller manufacturers have traditionally not weighted their product lines heavily toward the feature set of the Pro Flight category. They will tell you that the hard-core sim fans that are associated with Pro Flight are a small part of the overall market. They will say that most gamers are not willing to spend the time, energy, and money for the more realistic and complex set of controllers. Based on the way the manufacturers have segmented the market, I would tend to agree. Controller companies have traditionally set up a wall between the average gamer and the hard core sim fan. Realism, flexibility, and price usually define the boundaries of this wall. The fallacy I believe is their decision regarding the mix of features and functions that define the boundaries between the generic flightsticks and the Pro Flight category, and they way their products are presented to the gaming public. From a manufacturer's standpoint they make money by not only selling product to first-time purchasers, but by selling additional products or "add-ons" that have a higher price-to-cost margin. If there's no incentive for either the average gamer or hard-core flyer to augment or improve their controller setup, then they are not very likely to make additional purchases of product. Where is the upgrade path? Where Can We Go From Here? I believe that manufacturers of Pro Flight controllers should create products that address the concerns of the wider gaming public. This can be done by producing sticks that incorporate the features below while providing a modular design that allows the customer to upgrade their components as their proficiency or bank account grows. By designing in several key features in their Pro Flight lines, the companies should be able to attract a wider audience to their products while reducing their overall design, manufacturing and distribution complexity (thereby reducing their costs). Let's list some of the features of the perfect controller Pro Flight setup:
When I first started to purchase gaming equipment, the first thing I wanted to buy was a simple joystick. I selected the Thrustmaster Mark II FCS. It was a noble stick that incorporated a large sturdy handle with several non-programmable buttons. It served me well enough to play simple flight simulator games as well as first-person shooters. It was simple, inexpensive, and durable. I selected the Mark II FCS based mostly on feel - it felt solid in my hand. Stick movement was controlled by several stiff springs which allowed me to manage my movement without over-controlling the game. I liked the fact that it was based on real aircraft control sticks and that it was made of solid materials. Durability was also a selling point. My current Thrustmaster setup has lasted several years. Although great for me, this means that I have not bought any additional gear to replace my existing setup. Controller manufacturers must walk the line between engineered durability and price, both keeping consumers happy and continuing to sell sticks. |
Power and Ease-of-Use Given today's graphical operating systems, you begin to wonder why setting up the programmable HOTAS system is not a simple GUI drag-and-drop. With all of the buttons, hats, and switches located on the controllers combined with the plethora of games that are available, a powerful and easy-to-use programming utility should be included. After all, the ability to program a controller is what defines the Pro Flight category more than any other feature. Several controller manufactures have tried to address this, most notably SUNCOM. Their F-15 series of sticks does a good job of taking the word "programming" out of controller configuration, allowing programming "on the fly" while in the game. The ability to in-hardware create and save keystrokes is about as easy as it comes. However, SUNCOM's approach to date does limit the limited number of game settings that can be retained. From a hardware standpoint, the perfect Pro Flight setup should allow the user to create, customize, save, and share an infinite number of HOTAS game configuration settings. At any one time, I would like the ability to pull up an older game off of my shelf and not worry about recreating the setup. From a software standpoint, Saitek has done an admirable job in creating an easy to use Windows utility that allows the gamer to easily program their sticks. Given their programming environment, its easy to see how their line of X36 sticks have become a favorite among sim fans. Thrustmaster and CH Products have always had an advantage with the limitless number of configurations that can be set up for their controllers. Having the ability to load any number of games quickly has been a boon for sim fans, but it has come at a price. The complicated DOS nature of the programming has been obscured even further by the very power of their programming language. CS Commander has been a real boon for those of us who appreciate the ability to rapidly configure TM products using the drag-and-drop method. Several other products are available for those who wish the more traditional method of text-based configuration, most notably the recent release of James Hallow's Fox Two. Being a tester for this product, I can safely say that it more than addresses the "power user" in its approach to Thrustmaster setup. The programming utilities for Pro Flight controllers should allow for both new and experienced users. This doesn't necessary mean that the distinction lies along novice and advance flyers. I don't consider myself a novice by any means, but I just prefer the graphical approach. I also think the graphical approach will address the needs of the first time or novice user more effectively. Lastly, the programming utilities for the Pro Flight controller should be included IN THE BOX. I'm glad the shareware community has attempted to address the lack of good programming utilities, but I am still dumbfounded as to why robust utilities were not part of Thrustmaster's and CH's packaging. The customer would benefit by knowing that an easy-to-use yet powerful configuration utility was included as part of the product and that it would be supported and improved over time. The configuration utility should take also advantage of today's technology, and allow for the native running in the most common OS today - Windows 95. If a download utility is needed to move the commands to the controller's hardware, then the download utility should also reside fully in Windows 95. I'd much prefer to leave Thrustmaster's B50Load utility to posterity.
|
|||
|
© 1997 - 2000 COMBATSIM.COM, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Last Updated June 11th, 1998 |
||||
