Stick Stocks Sold Out!

"user314" (user314) 08/24/2020 at 12:08 • Filed to: None

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!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! If you’ve been shopping on Amazon or other retailers for a new joystick, you’ve noticed that they’ve been out of stock for a week or so. As it happens, that’s due to the release of MSFS2020, which has apparently led frustrated virtual pilots to replace their seedy ThrustMasters or Saiteks from last decade. EA’s forthcoming Star Wars: Squadrons has also got stick jockey’s palms sweaty, so if you’re looking for a new HOTAS rig, you might want to cast your net a bit wider.

In the meantime, screenshots and gifs from SW: Squadrons.

“Just like Beggar’s Canyon back home. With lasers.”

*warning horn* “Incoming Missile” Love the Ewok bobble-head too.

To quote Ice Man: “I’ve got such a hard-on right now...”

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > user314 08/24/2020 at 12:48

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God I have so many memories of thrashing a poor old Logitech joystick within an inch of it’s life on Tie Fighter and X-wing vs Tie Fighter. Original X-wing wasn’t bad either. Oooooooooo, and Descent: Free space and Freespace 2 were awesome!

...I might have to set up one of my old laptops for space si mming now.

Brickman > user314 08/24/2020 at 12:50

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Hopefully there will be a flood of lightly used joy sticks after the casual flight sim flew over their house and got bored quickly :)

Bandit > user314 08/24/2020 at 13:04

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Meanwhile I ordered one Thrustmaster T160000M flight pack when I caught them in stock and best buy sent me two lol

bob and john > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/24/2020 at 13:06

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Descent 3 was baller. I have to go and reinstall that

user314 > Bandit 08/24/2020 at 13:12

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Per the article, BB is one of the few places that has them in stock, strangely enough. 

jminer > user314 08/24/2020 at 13:25

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I’ve been wrestling with my PC trying to make several different game controllers work with it with little luck.

Trying to avoid buying a joystick until stock calms back down.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > bob and john 08/24/2020 at 13:34

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I got that on GoG forever ago. I should reinstall it too.

facw > user314 08/24/2020 at 13:47

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My copy of TIE Fighter was on CD (collector’s edition CD-ROM), I actually saw it recently when moving, though I also have the S team version, and the updated version that uses the X-wing vs. TIE Fighter engine on CD (I think that’s the same as what’s on Steam)

facw > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/24/2020 at 13:53

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I loved the Freespace series. But Freespace 2 sold fewer than 27,000 copies in the US in its first three months on the market (usually the biggest time for a game), so I can see why we didn’t get a FS3. One of the biggest flops ever despite being well-received by critics, it may have single highhandedly doomed the space-sim industry. We got a few more big budget titles like Independence War 2 and Freelancer, but those had already been in development. Hard to convince publishers to fund a AAA game when even an excellent one could fail that badly.  

HammerheadFistpunch > user314 08/24/2020 at 14:05

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Ti e fighter was CD. I know I bought it brand new

ClassicDatsunDebate > user314 08/24/2020 at 14:42

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It’s funny that my Saitek x52 from 2004 is still arguably top-2 for out of the box HOTAS. Warthog would probably be #1...but both at least 15 years old with little change.

Some of the purpose built controllers are cool, like the CH yoke but I couldn’t see myself flying an F-15 with it.

user314 > HammerheadFistpunch 08/24/2020 at 14:43

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T he initial release and “Defender of the Empire” expansion were on 3.5", the Collector’s Edition came out in ‘95.

In 1995, TIE Fighter also received a Collector’s CD-ROM. The CD-ROM version offered optional enhanced SVGA graphics, increasing the game’s resolution from 320x200 to 640x480. [2] The cinematic cutscenes were also enhanced, and the game received numerous voiceovers. The CD-ROM includes the previously released Defender of the Empire expansion and an additional Enemies of the Empire expansion. This CD-ROM also added support for gameplay under Mac OS 8 and Mac OS 9 .

user314 > ClassicDatsunDebate 08/24/2020 at 14:45

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I mentioned in another MSFS20 post that I’m still rocking an x45 from 2005. 

HammerheadFistpunch > user314 08/24/2020 at 14:52

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Well there you go.  I remember getting the collectors edition then. I think I still have the metalized print

ClassicDatsunDebate > user314 08/24/2020 at 14:53

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They’re great.  I might add a set of pedals but that’s it.

user314 > HammerheadFistpunch 08/24/2020 at 14:58

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I have that version too. Loved flying Missile Boats against Admiral Zaarin’s forces ....

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > user314 08/24/2020 at 15:05

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I spent 3 months waiting on a Thrustmaster wheel so this doesn’t surprise me.

Also, I still have my Microsoft Sidewinder precision pro for who knows how long ago, maybe 98? Idk, it’s gaming port to USB 1.0.

HammerheadFistpunch > user314 08/24/2020 at 15:08

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Man the missile boat where was it was at! Though pretty much any of the rebel forces were great, B wing, A wing, X wing, Y wing, missile boat (holy crap you can name a ship NOT _ wing?). A wing was my jam though because I was a hit and run kinda guy.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > facw 08/24/2020 at 16:21

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The FS franchise was actually a spin-off of the descent franchise which always seemed odd to me.... But I didn’t get FS2 when it first came out. I got FS1, the expansion, and FS2 in a combo pack from target for like 20$ in 2002 or something like that.

Freelancer still holds up, especially with it’s super intuitive mouse controls. I recommend a playthrough of it if you can.  

facw > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/24/2020 at 16:29

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IIRC Interplay just slapped the Descent name on Freespace 1 to give it a little more marketing oomph, even though there was no real connection. Luckily, Descent really didn’t have much story, so there wasn’t much need to worry about contradiction.

Freelancer’s last fight inside the D yson sphere is really a standout in the genre :

And I was amazed that despite mouse controls, and th ir d-person ship views, the combat was immediately recognizable as “Wing Commander”. I had hoped that Star Citizen might bring us that again, but I’m pretty doubtful anything substantial will ever come out of that at this point.  

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > facw 08/24/2020 at 17:27

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Freelancer was my first MMO experience. I had accounts on a few different servers and it was a real revelation for the genre. I’m astounded to this day that we’ve yet to have something in between freelancer’s casualness and obviously first-go-at-it presentation but not to the EVE online levels of monolithic spreadsheet management.

I agree thought, the 20$ preorder I put down for start citizen almost a decade ago seems like it was a slight waste of money and hope.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > user314 08/25/2020 at 09:39

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I’m not sure how to compare would a gtx 960 be adequate for the game?

Also do to the massive size of the game is a ssd helpful? 

user314 > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas 08/25/2020 at 11:12

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I don’t have it myself, so these are MS’ recommendations :

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 System Requirements (Minimum)

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 or AMD FX-8370 or better
RAM: 8 GB
OS: Windows 10 64-bit
VIDEO CARD: Radeon R9 380 or GeForce GTX 960 or better
PIXEL SHADER: 5.1
VERTEX SHADER: 5.1
DEDICATED VIDEO RAM: 2048 MB


Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 Recommended Requirements

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K or AMD Ryzen 7 1700 or better
RAM: 12 GB
OS: Windows 10 64-bit
VIDEO CARD: Radeon RX 470 or GeForce GTX 1070 or better
PIXEL SHADER: 5.1
VERTEX SHADER: 5.1
DEDICATED VIDEO RAM: 4096 MB