Do you guys have much luck using stick twist for rudder?

I would treat twist rudder as a workable compromise, not a full replacement for pedals. For taxi and airliners it can be fine, because you are not usually asking much from the rudder axis once airborne. The place where it gets ugly is small GA in a crosswind, where the same hand is trying to do aileron, elevator and rudder at once.

If you stay with twist, a small dead zone and a flatter curve near the center helps a lot. Also worth checking for any spiking in the axis, because a slightly dirty or worn twist sensor can make landings feel much worse than they should.