The Perfect HOTAS Eric "Snacko" Marlow
	Setup and Connectivity At issue with many newer flight sim fans is the complexity of controller connection and setup. I've seen countless posts on the internet newsgroups regarding the difficulty of setting up a HOTAS controller system. I myself have had to go back to the configuration card several times to make sure I've plugged the right connector into the right slot. I've resorted to taping ID tags on each of the input/output connectors so in the even that my system is taken apart I can rapidly reassemble the connections. Universal Serial Bus is an attempt to do away with the limited capabilities of serial ports and bring a plug-and-play environment to peripheral connectivity and configuration. Yet the slow-to-catch-on USB has not made a big splash in the controller market, a market that is ripe with anticipation and need for such devices. Most new PCs have incorporated USB into their design and Windows 95 has an update in its operating system to support USB connectivity. I for one have an older 200Mhz Pentium MMX that I purchased in May of 1997 and it has two USB connectors. Controller manufactures may not at this time feel it is profitable to offer USB-only devices - a good assumption Christmas 1997, but not a good one for Christmas 1998. For the time being, gameport based controllers are the definite majority, but the majority will lose steam over time. I would seriously consider upgrading my HOTAS setup if USB were offered in the Pro Flight category. I could do away with my ID tags that are taped to my controller cables forever! I believe the USB sticks in the Pro Flight category will not only sell well to the hard-core category, but to newer gamers too - the ones who just purchased their systems and want to connect a joystick without hassle. Force Feedback Force Feedback is a relatively new innovation that allows for the transmission of game actions to the stick itself. Now its just not a matter of sending commands from the controller to the game, but the game sending commands to the controller! I had the opportunity recently to demo the Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback Pro. I was amazed at the increased enjoyment level of providing the additional simulation experience to the sense of touch. Force Feedback, though available for a while now, has not caught on as rapidly as the designers would have hoped. One reason is the lack of Pro Flight force feedback products. CH offers an F-16 stick called the Force FX which has received good reviews, but is hindered by its lack of programmability. TM and SUNCOM users are not willing to give up the realistic feel and programmable nature of their flight sticks. I for one would love the opportunity to get my hands around an FLCS/TQS setup with Force Feedback as an option. Given the extra expense of the Force Feedback mechanism, offering Force Feedback-only controllers probably wouldn't be a good idea, but offering it as an option or upgrade would. There shouldn't be any reason why the controllers manufacturers can't come up with an ingenious way to design the controller as to allow a Force Feedback upgrade to be inserted into the base of the controller. That way, the manufacturers could produce a modular product with potential for expansion. Realism and Variety The venerable Thrustmaster F-16 FLCS and the subsequent F-22 have set the standard for realism by giving the flyer a realistic stick that was based on the actual F-16 control stick. All the buttons, switches, and paddles were in the right place. The sticks are beefy and have a solid feel. Who could want anything more, right? Well for starters, how about additional sticks based on more that just the F-16? SUNCOM has an F-15 stick and throttle. In fact, the control stick is very close to the real F/A-18 control stick (McDonnell Douglas' influence no doubt), but the throttle is unique enough to possibly warrant an additional controller. How about a true F-22A HOTAS setup or sticks based on the AH-64 Apache? Click to continue . . .		Although some may consider it an expensive option, I would enjoy the sims more knowing that I had the actual sticks at my disposal. And who knows, maybe there are people out there that would prefer and F-22A or F/A-18 stick and throttle HOTAS combination as their only controller set. Price Price is always an issue. Controller manufacturers have already found the price point of Pro Flight joysticks and it is probably in the $100+ range for a single joystick. Casual games probably aren't willing to spend that much, so the stripped-down modular joystick would have be in a range less than that - probably $50-$70. That investment would buy the causal gamer a solid, robust joystick that is built to last and feels good in the hand. Beyond that, it would only include the basic HOTAS buttons with no programmable features. Yes, that might be a little more than some gamers are willing to spend and a bit less than the controller manufacturers would like to charge to recoup their product costs. The price point is somewhere in between the extremes. The mind set of the controllers manufactures should be toward add-on potential for realism minded gamers while providing solid controllers to those who may never wish to upgrade. Software for HOTAS programming could be a separate purchase, but included in the "advanced" bundle for the hard-core gamer. Separate software would have to be flexible and robust enough to warrant a separate purchase, addressing the points made earlier by allowing the casual gamer easy while giving the advanced user a powerful command set. Throttle and rudders could be sold separately or as a bundle as could be the Force Feedback option. Thrustmaster recently began packaging its mid-line product line, the Thrustmaster Flight System, in such a way. Saitek also offer a stick-and-throttle bundle, with SUNCOM soon to follow. Rebates and trade-in policies for current customers has always been a good marketing tool. Customer loyalty is established and marketing is provided a tool for research and analysis. Summary Conclusion In an effort to provide the gaming public with more options, I have attempted to present ways of designing, packaging and pricing Pro Flight controllers. Incorporating some of these design principles will hopefully provide the customer will a more flexible and expandable set of controller options while establishing a growth revenue stream for the controller manufacturers. We can do this by the following: - Design and build baseline joysticks, throttles, and rudder that are durable, comfortable, and are easy to connect. - Design sticks that are modular and can accommodate growth of features and functions as the customer desires them, or as they become available. - Offer robust programming options for the technically inclined while delivering simple GUI programmability for those not so initiated. At the start, programming software could be offered in the box or as a separate add-on. - Offer additional military flight control sticks that mirror the HOTAS functionality of today's popular flight simulators: F-16, F-15, F/A-18, F-22, and AH-64. - Provide bundles, rebates, and trade-ins that give the customer purchase options while at the same time fostering customer loyalty.
© 1997 - 2000 COMBATSIM.COM, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Last Updated June 11th, 1998