15th May 2003, 9:25 PM
Yes. X-Wing Alliance, just like X-Wing vs TIE Fighter, FreeSpace, FreeSpace 2, and almost all other flightsims that aren't Freelancer, needs a joystick... a few do let you use mouse (Freespace 2, TIE Fighter and X-Wing in the original DOS versions (not the XVT engine versions, however)... but its terrible controls. I tried it once in TIE Fighter... HORRIBLE! It uses like a stick so you have to constantly pick up the mouse... not fun at all. I don't think Alliance lets you do that, anyway.
Oh, if you have a analog gamepad you can use that. It wouldn't be nearly as good as pretty much any joystick, but its technically usable... but there really isn't anything like using a real joystick to fly the ship. Its not just because its more fun that way... real joysticks have much better accuracy and specific control than the best mini-stick in a analog gamepad. It'd be usable... just not as precise. Or as fun. Joystick with one hand, keyboard on the other... since these games use lots of keyboard keys. I still remember what several dozen keys do in TIE Fighter... :)
Lets see... offhand... TIE Fighter. I don't remember XWA's control scheme... I played that game less and never fully adjusted from TIE Fighter. :)
joystick -- button 1 fires, button 2 targets ship in sights. Others do stuff I don't use. Oh, except the throttle, which changes speed. :)
keyboard -- F8 is shield power level, F9 is weapon power level, and F10 is beam power level.
1 through 0 change the camera view. Same for numeric keypad. - decreases speed (as alternative to the throttle axis on the joystick), = increases speed, backspace sets speed to zero. and \ sets speed to full.
X changes laser config (single/double/etc), S changes shield config (all front/balanced/all rear) on shielded craft, W switches weapons (lasers to ion cannons and missiles if you have them), B turns on the SLAM overdrive in the Missile Boat, T is next target, Y is previous target, R is target closest enemy fighter, Z switches to a special view screen where you see stats and flightpath plans for the targeted ship. Hitting Q then spacebar quits the mission. H enters hyperspace in ships with hyperdrive -- also quitting the mission. Also, I belive that ; and ' (though I may be wrong... don't use those commands enough... but its near there) switch power from weapons to shields and shields to weapons (shifting energy from one to the other to bolster one at the cost of the other). , switches the targetted ship system you are targetting in the currrently targeted craft or station. . goes to third person mode, behind the ship... but its useless since you get no interface there (realistically, you have no displays -- radar, power, etc... in that view mode... not too useful.). ENTER matches your speed with your current target, up to your max speed.
M opens the map screen. You can move around and zoom the map with the joystick and the first two buttons on it. From here left and right (on, I think, the keyboard) switch to the other parts of the pause interface... each one has a keyboard shortcut, but I only remember M... there's a game options screen (with sound volume and some settings... including the invincibility and unlimited missiles/ammo options that I have never used... it'd be no fun at all to win that way...), wingman commands list, ship systems (for repairs), and a keyboard commands list page (with all commands in the game listed).
Yes, that's from memory. If I'd looked it up, I'd have known the rest of the pause screen hotkeys and which keys, for certain, do the power shifting and if there are power shift keys for the beam power as well as weapon and shield. I honestly can't remember...
edit: just remembered! There is also a key to turn on the game recorder (records mission for watching and saving afterwards)... I think its C, but am not sure...
Oh, if you have a analog gamepad you can use that. It wouldn't be nearly as good as pretty much any joystick, but its technically usable... but there really isn't anything like using a real joystick to fly the ship. Its not just because its more fun that way... real joysticks have much better accuracy and specific control than the best mini-stick in a analog gamepad. It'd be usable... just not as precise. Or as fun. Joystick with one hand, keyboard on the other... since these games use lots of keyboard keys. I still remember what several dozen keys do in TIE Fighter... :)
Lets see... offhand... TIE Fighter. I don't remember XWA's control scheme... I played that game less and never fully adjusted from TIE Fighter. :)
joystick -- button 1 fires, button 2 targets ship in sights. Others do stuff I don't use. Oh, except the throttle, which changes speed. :)
keyboard -- F8 is shield power level, F9 is weapon power level, and F10 is beam power level.
1 through 0 change the camera view. Same for numeric keypad. - decreases speed (as alternative to the throttle axis on the joystick), = increases speed, backspace sets speed to zero. and \ sets speed to full.
X changes laser config (single/double/etc), S changes shield config (all front/balanced/all rear) on shielded craft, W switches weapons (lasers to ion cannons and missiles if you have them), B turns on the SLAM overdrive in the Missile Boat, T is next target, Y is previous target, R is target closest enemy fighter, Z switches to a special view screen where you see stats and flightpath plans for the targeted ship. Hitting Q then spacebar quits the mission. H enters hyperspace in ships with hyperdrive -- also quitting the mission. Also, I belive that ; and ' (though I may be wrong... don't use those commands enough... but its near there) switch power from weapons to shields and shields to weapons (shifting energy from one to the other to bolster one at the cost of the other). , switches the targetted ship system you are targetting in the currrently targeted craft or station. . goes to third person mode, behind the ship... but its useless since you get no interface there (realistically, you have no displays -- radar, power, etc... in that view mode... not too useful.). ENTER matches your speed with your current target, up to your max speed.
M opens the map screen. You can move around and zoom the map with the joystick and the first two buttons on it. From here left and right (on, I think, the keyboard) switch to the other parts of the pause interface... each one has a keyboard shortcut, but I only remember M... there's a game options screen (with sound volume and some settings... including the invincibility and unlimited missiles/ammo options that I have never used... it'd be no fun at all to win that way...), wingman commands list, ship systems (for repairs), and a keyboard commands list page (with all commands in the game listed).
Yes, that's from memory. If I'd looked it up, I'd have known the rest of the pause screen hotkeys and which keys, for certain, do the power shifting and if there are power shift keys for the beam power as well as weapon and shield. I honestly can't remember...
edit: just remembered! There is also a key to turn on the game recorder (records mission for watching and saving afterwards)... I think its C, but am not sure...