Okay, so by “controller” I just mean a specialized mechanical keyboard. Endless Sky is a spiritual successor to the Escape Velocity games. EDIT: I also realized this pic is from before I wired it up, but the only differences are four screws in the corners and the Micro USB cord from my long-gone Nexus 10 tablet semi-permanently coming out the back.
- Gateron Black for most of the keyboard switches
- Also got momentary toggle switches and a light duty aluminum push button, because Millennium Falcon and Top Gun.
- “DSA” and “F10” profile keycaps
- laser cut (painted Masonite) and 3D printed (PLA)enclosure
- Layout built around the in-cockpit control mapping
- Hand-wired (aka “Dead Bug”) keyboard matrix
- QMK/VIAL programmable firmware on my last Promicro with a Micro-USB cable.
- Dymo-style embossing tape labels!!!
Oh, it’s a lot of fun, and once you get the hang of it it’s very easy to jump in for a casual session, or come back to after a layoff, but at the same time it often gets that “one more mission” or “one more custom loadout” time-murderer vibe. The main campaign for humans is a bit on rails, but it’s very well-written for a game like this. It is funny to hit a dead end in other mini-campaigns where it’s like, “Uhhh, that’s all we’ve written so far. Knock yourself out!.”