Controllers
By Suncho
Controller configuration, or "config" is how a pilot interfaces with his pyro. A
pilot's config must become a natural extension of him or her self. The most
common proven configurations are provided in this section, but pilots should
feel free to experiment with their own configuration styles.
In descent, there are three basic controllers- the joystick, the mouse and the
keyboard. There is also the spaceorb 360, but overall in descent that has never
been proven to be an ineffective control device, so I won't even get into it.
The keyboard was a staple for many users of previous versions of Descent,
especially Descent1. Many players continue to use only the keyboard to fly their
pyros, some of them extremely well. However, because the keyboard provides no
fluid motions, it is an inferior controller. It only has the capability of
turning a button on or off- for example, move forward at full speed (key pressed
down) or not at all (key not pressed down). The mouse is superior to the
keyboard because it adds one fluid motion into the equation- basic pyro ship
turning, left, right, up, and down. This fluid motion allows for more pinpoint
aim. Thinking of it in percentage terms, an action to turn left can be done 25%
or 67% or whatever you'd like. This allows for much higher accuracy with such
weapons as vauss or Mass Driver. The joystick ends up as the best controller
because it allows for two motions to be fluid- this mind you only if you're
using a sidewinder joystick, because it has the twist. With the stick and the
twist, two movements can both be fluid while you're flying. Many will argue for
their own personal setup and controller, but this is sort of the food chain of
descent. Not to say that a mouse player will beat a keyboard player every time,
or a joystick player will beat all every time-certainly not. But the "food
chain" does give a good idea of how high your abilities can be.