My new tool for playing UT.

[Pneumatic]

In an effort to suck less at UT I got the Thrustmaster Tacticalboard.


It takes the place of the keyboard when you are playing (It can be used for any game) and puts a lot of keys at your fingertips (litterally). All of them are programmable so you can bind them to one or more keys on the keyboard. You can even program it to perform sequences of key-presses and can alter the time between them if you choose.

I have it mostly set up and I think I like it. All of the main things I use have become second nature (when I think of the shock rifle I can pull it out instantly), but the lesser used keys still require a bit of thinking to get to.

[xortam]

Cool looking device. What interface(s) does it support? I assume it doesn't interfere with your normal keyboard in any way. Is it rugged? How are you using it? ... Do you just move your keyboard out of the way and replace it with the Tacticalboard?

[Lizzard[MPE]]

i am so jealous of you kindness

[Pneumatic]

It is USB, and it doesn't interfere with the keyboard. Even during a game I can use the keyboard to type in messages and even play the game if I wanted to. When I am done I can just unplug it from the USB port and put it away.

If you look at it you can see that if you put your right hand down on it the cluster of 7 buttons is right under your thumb. I bound those to my favorite weapons so they are just a click away. other buttons are bound to message and voice things like "oh yeah!" and "gg".

One button was bound to Throw the weapon down (used in team games a lot). I had it in a spot where I accidentally hit it when I was in the middle of a fight. As a result, when the action heated up I would throw my weapon at my opponent. LOL I moved that one and it's much better now.

It seems pretty solid. That back row of buttons can be propped up by folding some feet down (like a keyboard) so that they are easier to hit without moving your hand too much. The pod with the buttons under your thumb is adjustable. It slides up and down and rotates so that you can put it in a spot that is easy to hit all of the buttons. The bottom has a gell thing that your hand rests on and it is also adjustable. I have big hands so I pulled it all the way out and it fits like a glove. The heel of my hand sits on the gell thing and my fingers land on the buttons right where they need to be.

The more I use it the more I like it, but if I find any big flaws I will let you know. Right now the only flaw is the learning curve. It takes some getting use to, but that;s just because there are so many new things I can bind to keys that I didn't have bound before.


There is a 3d view on the page I posted at the top that shows it a little better. In all of the pics the back row of buttons is lying down. With the legs extended it is on about a 75 degree angle and is like a wall of buttons at your fingertips if you straighten out your hand.

[xortam]

Thanks for the report. I can't run the VR on their site due to my strict browser security settings (won't bother loosening them up). I use a keyboard tray and my desk height is too high to set the Tacticalboard on. I don't game enough anyway but its always interesting to check out the new toys.