Nah, my PC is fine. i7-13th gen, 4080, etc., since it's essentially my working tool. I need a more or less good PC. I mean, sticks, throttles, pedals, head tracking, keypads... All that. Currently, I don't even have enough space to accommodate such a setup. So, maybe later, with more free time and more space for stuff. I'm inhumanly busy on my job...s anyway.

I have invested into the right gear to play it at high settings in VR, they also optimized it, now one can play it with multi-threading support, it helps.

Have a look.

Lol, sometimes I think of playing learning trying out subjecting myself to countless layers of suffering and agony in DCS too, but the amount of additional tech needed to play comfortably is a bit too much. :p

It looks like it is more and more difficult to find quality equipment, I know there are some alternatives out there, I'll have a look at the DCS Forums...

I had a T16000M + TWCS from 2018 that worked fine up until 2023; then its primary trigger broke in early 2023. Bought a new one, with a store "extended warranty", and the new one broke after 3 months (Z-axis/rotation drift). That one was replaced under warranty, and 3 months later it too broke (with the same Z-axis drift).

I went through three or four replacements, every 3 months, until the store refunded it and I bought a VKB Gladiator NXT EVO + STECS throttle. The VKBs are in their second month now; at least if a spring breaks I can run out to the hardware store and get a cheap replacement.

You might well be right on those points.

I fly modules in DCS as well so a stick/throttle combo is pretty much compulsory, I apply some of the flight techniques in this game too but it will be my 3rd throttle and I am tempted to splash some dosh in pedals for the Yaw axis, it's gonna take some time to get use to it but it will still be better than what I have now.

The rest of the Throttle works fine...

Yeah, T16000Ms are basically just-a-bit-above-entry-level toys, but also one of the few models which support left/right hand swapping, essential for a symmetrical dual-stick setup. Better sticks are an investment I don't want to make because I'm not such a great fan of Elite (anymore). Were better in the early years of production, more sturdy, with thicker plastic etc., but I understand. Newer ones look more 'cool' lol. I'm not pretending to be 100% correct on that, but something made me sure that the older 'green' ones are more reliable.

Base buttons are shit on both though, lol.

Kind of, a summary of factors. Goofiness is funny unless it's 30 minutes long, then, some ppl started thinking I'm really that bad, lol, and I moved onto a different Google account, and the production quality of my later stuff is a little better in general, and, yeah, sometimes I hate how does my voice sound on recordings lol. And, yeah, I never wanted to be a 'video content creator' etc.

But, uh. Thanks. For liking that piece of garbage, lol. :p

Now that explains why I did not find it any more... I liked it.

I didn't know about the changes in their built quality.

I also use a Warthog stick and there are a few issues with it too.

Fist, the stick can twist by a few mm on its vertical axis, it affects precision flying, then the thumb operated side button isn't exactly well designed either.
I was expecting a lot more for this sort of price.

No, I watch GrayStillPlays. I know the feeling.

Or maybe we are both just sadists.

I assure you, the best comedy moments happen when their main participants aren't so amused about it... :p
(or maybe I'm just evil, who knows)

It would make for a good comedy shot/moment. But she might not be so amused about it...

Yeah. I play(-ed) with two Thrustmaster T16000M's and the latest batches of those aren't exactly known for their longevity. Classic case of cutting the manufacturing costs: now I have two early production ones and they're okay. So, AX, being more demanding than ships-vs-ships PvE, caused my first pair to destabilise and lose the 'zero' point by the time I progressed from Cyclopes to Hydras, and I'm not the best shot in the Galaxy anyway. Ended up being an ultimate stupidity.

I was also going to go into greater detail, but you beat me to some of it(and said basically what I was going to). But I said what I had to on this subject, so I'll leave that here.

That's the problem I have now, my TWCS Throttle Rocker is dead, the play is has make precision in the Yaw axis impossible especially since I use fixed weaponry, I can't wait to get a new one... Or TFRP RUDDER PEDALS...

… You do realize that plasma accelerators do mostly absolute damage, do you?

(As for “where and when that AXI got the information”, Kasumi Goto already responded above.)

Oh, Kira and maintenance shafts. A disaster in the making, lol.

"I was just stating.", I said. "And, maybe, it could have occurred to you as a... weird joke. I know a friend who that would come to."

Of course, said friend was also, maybe a little unreasonably, into excessive curvature. Or mine, at least, and weirder or less restrained in some other aspects than me.

"Yes, it is impractical. I know." Though my tone indicated that it didn't really bother me. "But it was my choice to become like this... maybe, partially. It, kind of... began to happen, by accident, then I chose to accept, it. And ..."

I awkwardly gazed in a random direction.

"I may have caused it to get out of hand. Slightly."

Not that it being my fault that my body was so disproportionate was any kind of news to me. Hadn't it been for my mental state and relative lack of awareness at the time, things would likely have stayed more reasonable. But just more. I looked ahead again.

"It, occurs to me, now... I could have given you, the measurements, for my... body. Or, at least, the hips. And maybe the thighs. But I hope they made the seat big enough."

“Well, now… speaking of which… do you really never think, not even once, that it can sometimes be impractical?”

This question had been burning a hole in my pocket for quite a while. I had no issues with it, even admired the ability to cope with a tough spot… but I couldn’t imagine never having the slightest doubt. But maybe I already knew the answer, since she seemed more comfortable hopping onto this ship in her own carrier.

“Why on the stars would I think you should crawl into a maintenance shaft? Just stay chill and make your way to the cockpit, you’re almost there. And once you’re seated, leave the rest to me, until we hit our destination.”

I gave her an encouraging nod.

“And getting stuck in doors is not something I find remotely amusing. I’ve seen good folks get seriously banged up by such blasted things. But… that was another time, another place, and under heavy fire.”

And that’s not something I wanted to delve into here, I added in thought. Oddly enough, in her presence, I often found myself chatting way more than usual.

Yeah, this one. It was too long and too stupid, even for a concept of 'one of my first Hydra kills played on shitty sticks with 0.2 deadzone'. :p

If you're so inclined to write off thorough research and testing from pretty much the Thargoid hunting group, then go ahead and stick to your beliefs.

And if you want to look at Thargoid weaponry from a "lore" perspective, then you can simply say their energy weapons are potent enough that no human protection, short of throwing as many bulkheads to reinforce overall hull structure as possible on, works as a defense against their weaponry. (On the subject, there is doubt which persists on whether "caustic" refers to the actual guns or just the missiles and death clouds.)

... additionally, my own experience of getting shot by a Hydra while caught in (another's) lightning doesn't make me think the thermal resistance of my armor is doing anything to reduce the damage.


It's not the "How not to fight a Hydra" video? (I went digging through that gallery a while ago)

Now it goes again. What is AXI where and when that AXI got the information about goids weapons? To me it is hearsay being copied over and over again. You are using EDSY right and did you ever ask yourself a question why is raw damage equals to caustic? Do goids shoots caustic energy projectiles at you? No, they don't it is clear that they are using energy weapons something like instant plasma which are thermo. Thargons are doing explosive damage so that's why when you got the whole load of them, they do much more damage since most of axi ships are tuned for raw aka caustic. Good hunting

"Good is maybe a strong word.", I replied, pausing momentarily to prepare the second half of the answer. "But, I... 'accepted' these, challenges, by having this body, and being so big."

I squeezed through the second, inner airlock door, then gave an answer to the inquiring look, and question.

"It, works. Maybe, it is not as wide as the passageways on my Phantom, but I may not get stuck anywhere... unless a door closes too early, or you think I should try to squeeze into a maintenance vent."

I paused for a second.

"It would only be funny for you."

I keep experimenting with my Python Build, weapons and UTILITY MOUNT are done but I still think there are improvements possible for the OPTIONAL INTERNAL and CORE INTERNAL, for example, I don't need the FUEL SCOOP to do Bounty hunting from my Carrier, then I wonder if it is worth keeping the 5B FRAME SHIFT DRIVE (SCO) when it is possible to gain a few tons by fitting the smallest possible FSD.

EXperimental

It is possible to gain 17.5 t just by mounting a 2D FSD, I got one 3D FRAME SHIFT DRIVE in my Corvette, impossible to jump to the next system with her but I don't need it and eventually I can fit the old one. Gain in weight = more maneuverability.

Stats before the swap.


Stats after swapping to a 2D FSD.


No Fuel Scoop.


So obviously, depending on the gross weight of your ship, some optimization measures won't work that well, but even if it doesn't look like much gain, a few °/sec gains make a difference, you'll feel it when flying your ship.