The beloved NeGcon and the wrong im about to do to it

[Mano]

I recently tried version 0.8 of Ballistic NG and liked it, it gives me a feeling of playing a hybrid of XL and 3.

It was only logical that i dusted off the negcon and the pc adapter to try it, problem is i am recovering from a shoulder-clavicle injury and was on a brace/splint so i couldnt use it comfortably (as of now i am mostly off the splint, only use it when going out, so i can use the negcon almost normally for testing).

This previous situation led me to find an alternative, and it was easier than i thought, this is the Mano Config, and you need a controller with back buttons/paddles/triggers, i am using a razer sabertooth:

Steering: left and right analog triggers (used with my index fingers)
Pitch: left analog stick/dpad
Thrust: left back button/paddle/trigger
Hyperthrust: right back button/paddle/trigger
Left airbrake: X
Right airbrake:B
Use item: Y
Discard item:A

Steering with the analog triggers is quicker than with the negcon or the stick, it also has the advantage like the negcon, that it separates completely from pitching, making it more precise and less prone to activating either without wanting.
It is also more comfortable than the Negcon because you dont have to twist it, and the wrist is in the same position always, so its more comfortable to airbrake or use the buttons.
its also completely compatible and configurable with any pc game that supports a pad.

Optional controllers: the Xbox one Elite controller
For the PS4-PC the Razer Raiju, or the Nacon Revolution Pro seem like good options.

Granted, all those are pricy options, so modding a regular xbox or ps4 controller and rewiring a couple of buttons to the back is possible

Looked at other options, like the scuff controllers, but vertical paddles *seem* to *me* that would be uncomfortable because for wipeout games you dont take the finger off the thrust at all and the position to activate vertical paddles seem comfortable for a single click but not for leaving the finger there the whole time, but it might suit some people just fine.


I am currently playing BNG like this and i think its at least close to the precision of the NeGcon, if not better, but i need to spend some time with it (recover completely from the injury and get to know the game and tracks), it might replace the old king, if so, the new breed of controllers with simply changing the config will solve the problem of always looking to make the neggie work with everything wipeout related that comes out (not that it happens as often as i would like though).

[JABBERJAW]

Note to self, "remove from friends list" :). That is a very good idea, you can get the smooth movements separate from the pitch. It's probably a bit more fine tuned than an analog stick as well. I have an adapter from element42 that works perfectly on BNG and HD(ps3). Does one of the directions override the other? If so, you can steer one way and tap the other (at the same time) to get the barrel roll. You could also steer right(analog) and tap dpad left to get the barrel roll(dpad overrides the analog control). This is the best way to barrel roll with the negcon. It's funny because I had a thrustmaster controller where I put the pitch on the triggers and steered with the stick, so it was a very similar setup you have in reverse order. I recently made a negcon for Omega and pure/pulse(PSTV) that is used through a cronusmax that works just about perfectly (deadzone, sensitivity), and also have a box controller with just buttons for every function, thus separating pitch in the same way. You should put up a video of your setup on YouTube. You could also perhaps use that through a cronusmax plus, but I'm not sure how to program the analog trigger to stick function

[Mano]

hahaha i know what could be one reason for the "remove from friends list": the first thing i thought right after the nostalgia for the NeGcon was: now what the hell am i going to do with the 20 NeGcons i have?. And im sure i have just a fraction of what you have hoarded during this years :)

About the directions overriding each other, no, what happens is that if you hold one trigger and then press the other, they both cancel and the axis goes to 0 value, until you let go of one. What you describe would be even faster, and now i will be looking for how to get it, even without barre rolls (i dont play the newer series, for now) it should help change steer directions even faster, and much quicker corrections. Still the triggers are faster than the negcon because you dont have to wait for the twist, ditto for analog sticks, while being more precise at the same time (no axis variation at all)

Theres a learning curve of course because its a little less intuitive than the stick or the twist, but it has been definitely worth it so far and seems to have an even better future when it becomes second nature.

Thanks for the cronusmax plus tip, i will look into it, adjusting sensitivity, deadzone and linearity will certainly be fun and help.

[JABBERJAW]

I still want to see the pressure sensitive negcon

[Mano]

Oh man, you had to open that pandora box: just sent a mail to the designers and company that make the fssb controller to find out an approximate value to make one, hope at least they tell us someting that isnt, no thanks not interested on doing it :(

Sent info, a wikipedia link, and a video of how it works, just to catch interest, and also an explanation of the objectives of the design.

If they go for it we can explain and analize what to do next.

If not, will contact someone else with experience to see if its viable.

fingers crossed.

:D

[Mano]

Just received an answer from realsimulator.com, asking on how many units to develop as to calculate costs, for now i have asked for a quote on 4 controllers.

Will post back with further answers.