Alright, I admit it: I'm not a hardcore flight simmer, and I prefer Secret Weapons of Luftwaffe than IL-2 Sturmovik (especially since SWOTL has "decide-your-own-target" strategic elements).

However, I recently become interested in World War 2 flight sims again, but I have to admit I've never been good at WWII sims. In fact, I always suck on anything with propeller.

Is that because I'm using joystick? Do you think yoke is better than stick for WWII flight sims? And what yoke would you suggest for a WWII beginner like me?

Thanks,

It seems many WWII fighters use stick anyway, then I don't know why I rarely feel comfortable using stick for WWII flight sims (except when the flight model is "arcadish" like that of Chuck Yeager's Air Combat, for instance). For example, when playing IL-2, I always have the tendency to treat my plane like a jetfighter, resulting in a stall.

I wonder if yoke is better.

SWOTL was great (cut my teeth on that sim).

Some people use aircraft specific replica sticks, cast from blueprints with custom bottoms - but it is expensive and a lot of trouble to set up. I don't think it adds much.

You might consider trying a force-feedback stick. These will vibrate just before you enter a high-speed stall (useful on modern sims). TrackIR (or Freetrack) is also very nice to have.

My advice: A basic principle with modern sims is to be grateful if you shoot down one airplane and manage to survive the fight. Sometimes you can do much better, but most Aces got only one kill in most engagements and most pilots got far few kills per contact with the enemy. Never fly towards anything which is shooting at you (fighter, gunner or anti-aircraft) and learn a couple of aircraft reasonably well.

I don't think an 'off the shelf' yoke is a good input device in a WWII sim. I would not be sure I would have the right amount of "back-stick", I think. In a prop sim... in a turn fight you are in lag pursuit until the time comes to pull lead, so you're not pulling 100% back. A stick gives you positional feedback from the angle your hand is in and IMHO a yoke would be more vague.

Now, a yoke like a P-38, mounted to a column, that should give you some hand-angle feedback.

In IL-2 you have to try and avoid the extremes of the full back and too much aileron.

First thing first, thanks for the replies, folks.



Precisely. I always have the tendency to go to extremes. Such thing is generally okay in jet sims, but it seems WWII sims belong in different ballpark (unless we count things like Chuck Yeager's Air Combat).

First I thought a yoke could help me cure my habit, but apparently it's not the case.



I see, thanks. It seems yoke is only good for cases when you're not supposed to maneuver wildly, like in bombers or a Cessna.



Thanks, it seems force-feedback stick is the answer.

Anyway, what force-feedback stick would you suggest? And what is the best throttle to accompany it? Logitech Flight System G940 is currently outside my budget. Saitek Cyborg 3D Force, on the other hand, seems to be nice, but can it be paired with a separate throttle device? Like, say, a Saitek X-52 throttle?



You're right. Gone are the days when we could make outrageous kill score like that in MicroProse F-15 Strike Eagle II.



Ah, those days....

I love both Their Finest Hour and Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe. The flight model is as realistic as Harry Potter, but what makes them great games is the strategic campaign. You decide your own target, and your performance in those "self-assigned" missions affect the entire war.

Anyway, Battlehawks 1942 is a fun action game, but it lacks such strategic campaign...

I use a 'Speedlink Black Widow': it has a seperate joystick and throttle control, with the rudder controls on the top of the throttle. It also has force-feedback. I got it for about €35.

More accurately, it's vibration-feedback.

Update: I just got a used Thrustmaster Top Gun Afterburner Force Feedback from ebay, but I think I got some problem....