Hey there,
Has anyone got the above combo? I recently bought an x52 Joystick/Throttle combo as my old logitech joystick doesn't centre correctly anymore.
I also just dug out my old copy of IW:2... The joystick does not work. I think i understand how the profiles work but does anyone know of an easy way to get the two working together?
Karl
Edit: Nevermind. It seems to want to work this time. Mostly. The throttle doesn't work quite right - it only goes to half speed. the little slider is also involved in the throttle. Any ideas?

Nah. It was only going to half. But I fixed it. In the iw2/config/default.ini files there is a throttle section that had 2 jotstick commands "joyUaxis" and "joyZaxis"...I removed one and it appeared to be the precision slider so only the throttle does speed now. You'll not believe how long to took for me to notice that those two joystick commands were different...
Doesn't stop the game being bloody hard though.
Karl

No kidding. I was more bothered by getting stuck at parts for reasons unrelated to getting blown to bits, though. I think it had to do with finding the location of a Marauder base... Might get the game out again and give it another try, now that I'm armed with the infinite wisdom of walkthroughs if needed.
No joystick to use, though. It would be kind of weird, anyway, given that there are six axes to control roll/pitch/yaw and X/Y/Z thrusters, and simultaneously controlling all those with a single stick won't really work. Hmm, maybe a PS2 Dualshock controller...

If you can afford it then the x52 is well worth the money. Best joystick I've ever had.
Pimpage.
Review
I love my X52
Karl

The Spacetec SpaceOrb 360 would be the best for 6DoF movement IMHO, but six buttons just aren't enough for IW2. (If you don't know what it is, it's basically a precursor to all of those 3Dconnexion "6DoF mice" built specifically with gaming in mind rather than CAD and 3D modeling.)
I've found a good solution for anyone that has a decent HOTAS (Thrustmaster HOTAS Cougar, CH Products Fighterstick/Pro Throttle, Saitek X-45/X52), though:
-Stick and rudder twist/rocker/pedals for rotational axes
-Throttle controls absolute forward/back, though I'd suggest also having a hat switch give up two positions for this axis as well
-Analog thumbstick for sliding up/down/left/right
Some might actually prefer this to the SpaceOrb approach since you can more easily control a given axis without accidentally triggering another, but it may make combined axis movement a little more difficult.

Yeah, I just checked it out - apparently that joystick does have enough buttons and hat switches and whatnot to control even a game like this comfortably. I'm a bit wary of Saitek's stuff, though, bought a gamepad and a Cyborg joystick ages ago, neither of which lasted me more than a year. But that was a couple of years ago, so they might've sorted out such stuff nowadays.

Another vote for the X-52. Fantastic wonderful awesome controller, it is.

Necromancy, whoo!
So, today (well, technically yesterday, it's 2:30 AM now) is the day I finally got an X52 Pro. Installed I-War 2 to test it out, natch. So far, it seems quite nice. Setting up the controls took a couple hours, but now it's quite amazing that I have no need for a keyboard except possibly for putting in the names of savegames. If anyone's interested, I could post the profile and INI files. I don't think it's quite perfect, though, so if anyone's got alternative button layouts, do share.
Also, Karlallen, care to comment on the stick's longevity after all this time?

I just got this game in a few days ago and I love it. I've gotten a ton of space sims lately and it's one of the best so far and I've barely scratched the surface. Haven't tried the X52 with it, but now that you guys mention it, I may have to give it a shot.

The x52 is a lot better than the x45 but I still don't really like it. I'm using a Logitech Wingman Extreme Digital 3D (because I'm impressed by long names) along with the x45 throttle.
The x45 was shit because of the lack of twist rudder in this day and age, especially with how awful the rudder substitute on the throttle was and because of the stupid hand guard thing that was apparently designed for people with 3 fingers or vastly smaller hands than me.
The x52 is better but the guard thing is still there and still an ergonomic nightmare for anyone with hands as big as mine. Sure I could just cut it off but the necessity of mauling a joystick to make it fit my hands makes it a product I shouldn't buy, not to mention the fact that it might void my warranty!
Also, I really want IWar now...

Thread hijack: I have an old Windows 95 Sidewinder that I found in my house. Will it work in modern games on Vista/XP?

Don't see why not, its an MS product so the drivers should come with windows. The lack of buttons on those old sticks might be an issue but control wise it should work.
You might need to open it up and replace the springs though, they could have sagged and lost tension over the years
Is it USB? The lack of a midi port on modern computers might be a stumbling block but I just set up an old logitech gamepad (probably a few years newer than the sidewinder) with my XP media centre PC using a gameport-usb adapter and it runs like a charm with default drivers

I wish I still had my old Sidewinder Force Feedback. I've heard drivers might be an issue, but I could be wrong. I don't know why good force feedback sticks aren't the norm these days. So much better than just a spring for tension. That Sidewinder would really kick, you felt everything from damage affecting flight to landing gear locking into place. Had to plug that thing into a wall outlet to power it, IIRC.

I've been tempted by an x52 Pro soooooo many times. I'm thinking that the release of Mech Warrior 4 is finally going to push me over the edge... assuming someone doesn't manage to get the Steel Battalion controller working in Vista/Win7. (Now that's a dream mech controller)