Thrustmaster Hotas Warthog Tested
Thrustmaster Hotas Warthog Setup and Test Results …
When we first plugged the joystick in, it was immediately recognized. After software installation, then followed a calibration that was not strictly necessary because everything was perfectly set.
Practice test with Combat Simulator A-10C Warthog …
First, we started the Combat Simulator A-10C Warthog DCS series of Eagle Dynamics. Since the Hotas was developed specifically for this gameno further settings need to be done inside the game. Only the small gray trim wheel on the side of the thrust unit had no function and was subsequently occupied by the elevator trim.
The main functions are mapped to the Hotas Warthog and so the boot process was easy to accomplish. At the start you can recognize clearly then absence of the Z-axis. Here are rudder pedals required because you dont really want to continue to control the nose wheel with the keyboard. Maximum precision and realism increased the fun again enormously.
Now it also became clear how it feels with his hands on the stick and thrust lever to play. All functions like target marking, weapon selection, orientation sensor and shedding / firing could be mapped to the Hotas, without ever having to use the mouse or keyboard! Only deeper system settings like hazardous reactions (fire in the turbines) still had to be adjusted with the mouse and keyboard.
Also it should be noted that the stick is more suitable for large hands. The positions of the gray hat switch, and the red bombing knob on top of the stick, are somewhat inconvenient and require a long thumb. By grasping the small stick these can also be accessed and operated. However, a slightly shorter stick would have been more conducive to the operation. The buttons have a hard pressure point and are initially unfamiliar to use, but the user is getting used to it more and more with time.
It is the same with the throttle control. Are the buttons on the back yet easily accessible, the operation of the Pinky switch or the China Hats made more difficult. It is hard to image another solution for the problem so the user needs to deal with it.
Practice test with Armed Assault 3 …
Now we come to the second test candidate, the military simulation ArmA 3 from Bohemia Interactive. Even if there is not (yet) the focus on a realistic flight physics, so you can still get an idea of what it’s like to fly helicopter missions and survive. After a short setup in the game and allocation of the most important keys, we could join the battle. At a great terrain following flight followed we test the agility of the Hotas, in conjunction with a small helicopter, the Hummingbird (Hughes OH-6 Cayuse). Here, however, the high centering force was noticeable and rapid dodge and dive turned out to be a bit more difficult. Can counteract it here but by the sensitivity setting of the axes, that brought back the desired maneuverability.
Practice test with Microsoft Flight Simulator X …
This high centering force is for games like the Flight Simulator X from Microsoft again very good. Precise, can so even large commercial aircraft such as the Boeing 747 be landed on the runway.
But also fast space shooters should be possible using more sensitive settings. Many players are already reporting the use of the Hotas Warthog successful in games such as Star Citizen.
There are also tutorials describing the removal of the centering spring to make the control softer. Alternatively, you can also change the grease of the ball joint. In addition, there is the possibility of purchasing an third party extension. This is mounted between the base unit and the stick and improves the manuverablity enormous. Here only decides the personal feeling.
To conclude with a little anecdote about Thrustmaster’s Service: Due to lack of drivers following is printed in the small handout: The drivers can be downloaded from http://ts.thrustmaster.com. If you do not have internet access, please contact our support team by phone, the phone number is specified in the Hardware Owner’s Manual.
The hopeful User is now definitely thinking that it is possible, to get a cd sent free of charge by mail. We were pleased at least that the support line has a free 0800 number (germany). What support staff then said, however, was amazing: if you dont have internet available, go to a computer with internet (maybe friends) in order to download the driver, save it to a USB stick and install at home. That would be no problem. An evaluation of this approach, we do not want to make at this point and leave it to the reader to make up his mind about it.
Thrustmaster Hotas Warthog Result and general impression …