Highly Frustrated.... now need a new game.

[ejoiner]

Hi guys, as you may have noticed from my recent thread on difficulties with my X-55 HOTAS, I am out of action on FSX for the time being. the stick is going back to Saitek for warranty repair/replacement. Which leaves me with no ability to enjoy my favorite computer past time.

Sooo... what OTHER sims/games do you guys enjoy that are not needing a joystick?

Eric

[Jafo]

Solitaire.....

[Wingmate]

The ArmA series are always fun though I always seem to get stuck in the never ending loop of working on stuff for them and never actually playing them.
If you like Real Time Strategy games the Wargame series are also quite good as is Hearts of Iron. If I am in the mood for turn based strategy I will go play Civilization.
Kerbal Space Program can be fun without a joystick as well though a joystick does make a large difference and I would say it isn't rocket science to learn, it actually is rocket science (AKA the art of crashing sequentially bigger rockets until something works) failing in KSP can be just as fun a succeeding.

Hopefully one of these will help pass the time until your joystick comes back in working order.

Cheers
-Josh

[CodyValkyrie]

Kerbal Space Program! It's a fun quasi-simulator with a ton of depth and has tons of mods. I adore this game.

[Dman]

Command Modern Naval Air Warfare...CMNO

Wanna go to war.. you get a real understanding of how a war is conducted

[Maty12]

I played IL-2 1946 for nearly a year before getting a joystick. It's really not that hard playing it with arrow keys, but it is better with one. War Thunder can be played with mouse only, as can the new beta-stage Flying Tigers: Shadows Over China, but it is certainly more arcade.

[Daveroo]

train simulator TS2016,no joystick,just your mouse and key board,i have a product called raildriver though,its like a new locomotives control panel.its on steam.or you can buy a boxed version.i love it as i dont have to set anything up,just start it and go.

[Peg o my heart]

History: Total War Series, Hearts of Iron
Sports: Football Manager

[wombat666]

Project Cars, Dirt Rally, Assetto Corsa, R Factor .......... only need a decent wheel and pedal set!

[Alan_A]

Don't know if you're into wargaming, but I've been meaning to try something from Panther Games. Unlike most wargames, there's a realistic command structure and, apparently, good AI, so you don't wind up having to micromanage every rifle company while also commanding a corps. They also do some professional work. I can't vouch for them since I haven't tried them yet, but people are really enthusiastic about them.

[Stefano Zibell]

Skyrim, a great viking simulator.

[bazzar]

Not sure why you need to give up on FSX. For less than the money you pay for another game, there are some pretty good "cheap" joysticks out there. I've used $30 stick for years now.

[Jafo]

Ok...so if Solitaire doesn't cut it....

....how about upgrading the 55 to a 65 .... no moving parts in the joystick means it's idiot-proof...

[JimmyRFR]

The only *sim* that I use that doesn't require some sort of controller to get a lot out of it is Train Simulator. It's perfectly controllable with mouse and keyboard. However, if you don't dig trains, it's not going to be for you. I can sit almost anyone in front of FSX or XP with a fast aircraft and a joystick and watch them have fun. But the only person who will sit with me and enjoy watching a train for 30 minutes is my 3-1/2 year old son.

There's one fun racing / crashing / derby sim called Next Car Game:Wreckfest that's a blast to play, and it's actually better with a keyboard than a wheel. It's a stretch to call it a sim though.

Oh, another one comes to mind: Spintires. It's a 4x4 mud / slogging sim, very slow motion, and the vehicles are all sort of Russian and utilitarian. It's more than fine with a mouse and keyboard.

Lots of other *games* I'm currently enjoying without any dedicated controls though.

- Shadowrun: Hong Kong
- Divinity: Original Sin
- Witcher 3
- Endless Legend
- Endless Space
- Dungeons of the Endless
- Invisible, Inc.
- Sunless Sea
- Rocket League (usable with keyboard, better with xbox controller)

I could go on, but that's pretty much my last 6 months of non-sim games there.

[erican2]

Farcry
Splintercell
Silent Hunter III

[donnybalonny]

You could also enjoy a month with less time in front of the PC screen. It can be very instructive. Fix things in your home, learn to play the fiddle, do yoga, whatever. It may change your life.

[huub vink]

As Bazzar already said:



From my own experience, the Thrustmaster HOTAS X is quite decent for its price. The Saitek Cyborg is a nice stick, but I wasn't very lucky with them. I had two, but none of them lasted longer than 2 years.

Cheers,
Huub

[Firekitten]

Counterstrike: Global Offensive
Rocket League
Fallout 4
Skyrim
Dirt: Rally
iRacing.

Choose... but choose... wisely.



[/mlg]

[wombat666]

Counterstrike: Global Offensive
Rocket League
Fallout 4
Skyrim
Dirt: Rally
iRacing.
Choose... but choose... wisely.
[/mlg]

Dirt Rally??

[b52bob]

As Bazzar already said:

From my own experience, the Thrustmaster HOTAS X is quite decent for its price. The Saitek Cyborg is a nice stick, but I wasn't very lucky with them. I had two, but none of them lasted longer than 2 years.

Cheers,
Huub

The best. I've had mine for five years or so and never had a problem. Plenty of buttons for various things. One thing it doesn't have that I would like is a trim switch.

Bob

[Ferry_vO]

Dirt: Rally, Assetto Corsa, Project Cars, Euro Truck Simulator 2 if you have a steering wheel.

Far Cry 3&4 if you like open-world shooters, and Dying light is you like to be scared...

These have kept me busy the last year or so.

[Daveroo]

You could also enjoy a month with less time in front of the PC screen. It can be very instructive. Fix things in your home, learn to play the fiddle, do yoga, whatever. It may change your life.

dude!! whats wrong with you????

[Stefano Zibell]

As Bazzar already said:



From my own experience, the Thrustmaster HOTAS X is quite decent for its price. The Saitek Cyborg is a nice stick, but I wasn't very lucky with them. I had two, but none of them lasted longer than 2 years.

Cheers,
Huub

I have the HOTAS X. It feels cheap, it's too light, it makes plastic noises, but it gets the job done, even when a lot is demanded from it, like when dogfighting in Flaming Cliffs 3.



Here's another game that's actually free until december 31: https://www.epicgames.com/shadowcomplex/

This was one of the best xbox 360 exclusives, not kidding. If you ever played the oldschool metroid games, do yourself the favor.

[IanP]

I have a HOTAS X - the only thing I dislike about it is the throttle notch, but that's actually really useful in Elite Dangerous, as it gives me a known stop point rather than trickling forwards or backwards. I use the throttle rudder control for vertical translate functions as well.
Also, my time waster at the moment is ARK: Survival Evolved. I just spent over two hours taming a level 34 Triceratops... I think I ran the entire island out of Narcoberries!

Ian P.

[Stefano Zibell]

I have a HOTAS X - the only thing I dislike about it is the throttle notch, but that's actually really useful in Elite Dangerous, as it gives me a known stop point rather than trickling forwards or backwards. I use the throttle rudder control for vertical translate functions as well.
Also, my time waster at the moment is ARK: Survival Evolved. I just spent over two hours taming a level 34 Triceratops... I think I ran the entire island out of Narcoberries!

Ian P.

You can also play with curves and have the throttle notch as an afterburner detent, it's pretty nice!