Just though I'd ask everyone's opinion. I just started FS1 and have used my Xbox 360 controller with the default setup. I found it to be very difficult to control and hard to follow targets (very touchy) in the training missions.
Should I attempt to adjust the sensitivity or just bag it and dig my Wingman joystick out of storage? The only reason I would use the 360 controller first is that it has all those wonderful buttons vs. only 2 on the Wingman! If I stick with it, what is a good control/button setup?

Personally, I'd say to grab a nice joystick if you can afford one. Space combat games like freespace just don't feel right without a joystick.
I have the Sidewinder Force Feedback 2. Sadly, Microsoft no longer creates them. It's the best joystick I've used (though it is a bit large). A good force feedback joystick will make the game a bit more immersive, and I think it's well worth it.

Thanks for the input. It looks like the joystick is the way to go. I dug my Wingman out of the garage and after a little trouble got it going in XP with Freespace. That last training mission is a lot easier with a proper joystick.
Now on to the real game!

yea, problem with the gamepad is that you WILL need the buttons on the keyboard and no gaming device will have enough buttons to cover them all. If you play with a gamepad you'll have to have one hand on the keyboard anyway, which makes a gamepad difficult to use... so joystick or mouse is basically a must

Hi, sorry to necro up this thread but did you get your gamepad to work Despy?
I would buy this if say, I can just hook up an xbox controller (or any other for that matter).
It would be most awesome methinks.
cheers
edit :
/facepalm
sorry don't mind me, noob alert... used the forum search and it showed _just_ your OP...
I though no one had replied. sigh.

One drawback to using the mouse is that you have to lift it and move it back to the center and then move it again, if you want the ship to keep turning in the same direction.
Is it possible to configure your set up so that the ship will keep on turning when you move the mouse, until you move it back in the opposite direction?