mapping ideas for logitech X3D joystick

[limescout]

Well, I got this great joystick as a gift, the Logitech X3D pro as a gift. This thing has something like 12 mappable buttons, throttle, mini joystick, etc. I just can't figure out what to do with all the options for mapping! Any ideas?

all the buttons:

trigger
fire2
4 joystick buttons
4-way mini joystick (on top of the main one)
6 buttons on the base
a throttle control
~
the Joystick itself moves in all directions plus rotates left and right.

Thanks in advance!

[Avatar]

Well, I use a Saitek ST290, which has a trigger, 4-way hat switch (that little mini-stick on the top of the stick is called a hat switch or "coolie"), and 5 additional fire buttons on the stick (3 by the thumb - numbered 3, 2, and 4 - and one to each side of the hat switch - button 5 on the left and button 6 on the right). Unfortunately, BZFlag doesn't recognize the hat switch natively, though it will recognize the regular buttons without needing special mapping software. So, my current setup is:

Trigger: Fire (obviously)
Button 3 (left side by thumb): Identify/Lock On and Spawn
Button 2 (center by thumb): Jump
Button 4 (right side by thumb): Binoculars
Button 5 (left of hat switch): Drop Flag
Button 6 (right of hat switch): Self-Destruct

I use the stick alone for driving (Y axis for acceleration and X axis for steering) - I find it more intuitive for tank driving, more like the old first-person arcade driving games from the '80s and '90s. I never use the throttle as a control, except in other games where it's actually needed.

When I stop being lazy and actually build a profile in my stick's mapping software, I'll decide on some keyed functions to assign to the hat switch positions, which would give me four more commands on the stick itself. Of course, I already have all the functions I ever actually use already on the stick, so I'm in no hurry.