Razer Tartarus or any other kaypad

[Greywolfplays]

Hi Folks,

have anyone tried to use a keypad as a button box? It looks like a cheaper alternative to a logitech g farm side panel and possibly more versatile. Does not look very authentic, but definitely better than a keyboard/mouse combo for side functions and cabin views.... What do you think?

[EricF]

I thought about using the Tartarus pad, too. I have one and use it for mouse/keyboard games. But since I generally use left-hand drive trucks which tend to put most control panels on the right, and the Tartarus keypad is for the left hand -- it just wasn't working for me.

So I came up with another solution -- an Elgato Stream Deck XL, which is basically a configurable macro keypad with display behind the keys -- so each key can have a configurable legend. The software can detect what application is in the foreground and switch to the appropriate config on the fly. I used some ETS2/ATS icons out on the internet that were originally made for the Roccat Power Grid phone app (now unsupported) which sort of does the same thing. I modified and added some icons in the same look, plus a few others for map/pause, the radio, and to control my TrackIR. Each button is tied to a key mapping in the game or calls up some other path or keypress.

The Stream Deck isn't cheap, not by a long shot, but I can set it up with custom layouts and key actions for other games as well as Windows and other applications. So it's really versatile -- basically a button box for everything.

[djukon]

have anyone tried to use a keypad as a button box? [...] definitely better than a keyboard/mouse combo for side functions and cabin views.... What do you think?

On the lack of something better, the RT would be my current replacement for a Microsoft Strategic Commander, while using a 3 axis joystick on my right hand. I'm not using a steering wheel as it uses up two hands for a single axis, as well as other inconveniences I discuss in another thread. I'm not interested in having a dedicated trucking gaming rig, so compromises such as ditching the wheel are fair game to me. I.e., control-ability before authenticity.

The MSC has 3 axis with hand/arm movement, besides the 29 buttons in each of the three modes (18 are used with thumb shifts). The RT offers you only 2 axis on the thumbstick, which means the thumb won't be able to press anything else while controlling the stick. On the other hand, you can use your pinky finger to press keys. I would like to try it though, just to get a feel for the possibilities. Note: the analog axis on the MSC are not that important being analog, as I map them to discrete looking positions.

Here's a screenshot from Strategic Engine in one of the modes, with the F1-shift open to give you an idea of how I'm mapping functionality to it. If the MSC breaks down, I'd try to do something similar to the RT to replace what I currently have.