Caldera

Well... This community is great! And thanks Max, I supposed in the paraphrased comments of Casmo "This is just A Way" and I probably should simply state that it at the beginning of such posts like this that I make. Such as: Hey all, This is just "A Way" to do something and I don't have any questions nor need help on this topic. Finding the time to help someone should include finding the time to figure out their problem or if they have a problem. For my part, I was just trying to explain a new and neat trick that I figured out that can maybe help someone else. I don't really want to waste any ones time, however doubtful, anyone is actually helped... PIRPOE? I just made that up. Caldera

Well, I took some advice. I already knew what mast bumping was, I spent millions of simulated $$$ crashing the DCS Huey by doing just that. I did learn some more stuff, and more than I needed as for DCS most it is not really simulated. Bzig is a great source. Feathering <--> Flapping and Lead Lag Dual Rotors Tail Rotors etc... Just a question out of curiosity, does anyone know if there is a clutch (slag clutch?) in the Apache that disengages on engine failure? Caldera

Yep! That was it. The reason that the Y axis jumped back about 50% is because I had the Saturation Y value at 50%, while I actually had the X axis Saturation Y value at 75%. Confusing, because the stick worked fine for control, until I used force trim. Which seemed to confuse DCS. So if I a reading right, the DCS curves need to all stay 100% and linear. If I want to change modify them use the MOZA software? Caldera

So from the video, mast bumping is not a thing for the Apache.

I have this curve for both x and y cyclic. I am just trying to calm the cyclic control down a bit. I had the same thing happen to me when the Saturation Y was 100%. Caldera

Hey all, After more experimenting and I might be crazy, but I can't tell any difference in how the MOZA reacts in Instant Trim (FFB friendly) mode or Joystick / Pedals without springs and FFB mode. Just the same? But.. I am having another problem that I could use an answer for. When I set forced trim I am not quite getting the response I anticipated. These pictures are using Instant Trim (FFB friendly) mode, but it seems the same in both modes. This is the default after trim reset. This is with force trim held and the cyclic pushed all the way forward. This is when, after releasing force trim, I release the cyclic. Notice how the greyed box moves down as does the cyclic. For some reason I had thought that the greyed box and hence the cyclic should center more or less on the red X. It is not working that way for me. Even though the red X always marks where forced trim was released. The stick always pops down to this new position and thus becoming the center of the new trimmed position. If I pull the cyclic back, the behavior is the same. If I move it to the left or right there is still some of this effect, but much less pronounced. This the way it is supposed to work? Thanks in advance, Caldera

Another nice touch! After touchdown... Caldera

Thanks for the replies, After reading several comments and paying more attention to what I was doing. I guess, out of habit I was banking while slamming a pedal hard to one side. This I think is what is causing the lift I am seeing. To some other comments and my own experience, the Apache in DCS is easily able to do rolls and loops (can you dare say immelmann's) so I essentially have no fear flying it. Mast bumping just will not occur in my limited experience. True to life? Caldera

Hey All, I have been practicing my gun strafing and rockets. One of the things that I like to do is at the end of the run I smash the left or right peddle and put myself into a slide/skid/rotation where the end result is a 180 degree heading change to previous direction of flight that is essentially just in a straight line in the same direction of travel. I also use the the same technique somewhat when I just want to slow down fast. At those times I would allow slide/skid sideways for a time until I have slowed down to the speed I want then straighten back out. This process is probably not all that realistic, but I have zero real life experience. But what I notice is that even though I am removing collective (sometimes allot to all) I get a whole bunch of lift from somewhere. Although this lift and the consequential rise in altitude sets me up perfectly for a dive back down into my strafing run in the opposite direction. I do not understand why it occurs and if it is realistic or just a simulation side effect. Why does this occur? Is it realistic? Thanks in advance, Caldera

Sharp, Yep! One can do that all day long ( I have done it that way for years), but unless you focus on the center of your computer screen the view will often not center. A PIRPOE may occur. In the middle of refueling, in combat or maybe a landing approach and your view is off center. What do you focus on? Using the LCTRL+F1 view first gives me something to exactly focus on is its very function is to exactly center the view on the computer screen. Especially in the Apache I focus on the LOS cross, before I re-center and the results are significantly better overall. The process takes no longer to perform. If you don't suffer from this problem? Then take no advice from me... Caldera

MAX, I would scare myself if I were to calculate the number of hours that I have messed with head tracking curves. Etc, Etc, Etc... I have to use rather aggressive curves, other wise my eyes feel like they want to pop out of my head. FWIW I find dead zones more annoying than aggressive head tracker curves, especially trying to use a HMD. It creates a scenario where the whole head movement vs screen movement creates an unnatural feeling for me. IMO using a HMD sort of requires aggressive curves to be effective. I would scare myself if I were to calculate the number of hours that I have messed with VoiceAttack. I use VoiceAttack quite allot for speech command macros and for HW controller macros. IE one controller button press might run a VoiceAttack macro, which widens the power greatly of any one controller button press. For example, in the Apache, WAS up selects guns, selects Auto Range, selects a burst of 20 rounds and tells me what it just did. All with one button press. Have you tried that? I could done what I described above entirely in VoiceAttack, but I chose to use switches. I just posted the information in an attempt to provide one solution for others struggling with head tracking as I have. Caldera

Imacken, I have since changed my mind and I am no longer using eye tracking. While this works really good in A/C with no HMD (warbirds), my brain did not want to convert the process because I had used TrackIR for so long. Caldera

jda, I just read your post, I mostly alway used "Instant Trim (FFB friendly)" mode, because "Central Position Trimmer" mode requires you to return the joystick to center before it will re-recognize any control input. Until you do, the controls don't work. But the transfer is entirely bumpless using that mode, which can be an advantage in some cases. I crashed allot until I got this in my head. Instant Trim, while not perfect, at least never removes all control. But it may cause a bobble or two until you get the hang of it. The best advice is to make many very small trim adjustments in this mode. I had always thought that a hybrid mode between the two would also be a good choice. There is talk of forced trim (videos) that is/are endless about the Apache. Caldera

Thanks for all replies! Some how the MOZA seemed to be working in the "Joystick without springs and FFB" mode. I have no clue really why. Some developer will chuckle at the confusion over some text descriptions that make perfect sense to that very developer. I did however, switch to the "Instant Trim (FFB friendly)" mode. Confusing, as this is the same mode I used with my old joystick. Seems to work better and the pop to the center direction seems to have vanished. Now it just pops to the place I have reset the trim to. I have had to re-tune some MOZA settings and I am still working through that. But so far I am loving it, and I am glad I made the MOZA purchase. Caldera

Hey All, So I am currently using TOBII, but I have used TrackIR extensively. While TOBII is a bit better, the biggest frustration that I have with either head tracking is the need to constantly reset the view to center. I can't really use VR. The problem is that once centered, my head seems to shift position slightly or the software no longer sees the same position of my head that I re-centered to. Either way the on screen center position drifts and I must re-center (over and over). On the ground it is easier and more accurate, but in flight I just seem to introduce off center views as I am also controlling the A/C at the same time. It's is a pilot induced re-centering view position oscillation error (PIRPOE). Sometimes when I notice it, it feels like my eyes are trying to come out of my head. Happens allot... I would like to share a work around that I have come up with. Which in my case involves using a three position return to center switch on my throttle controller. I choose this switch because it is very convenient and I can use it with out looking at the switch. Any two switch positions can work though, even two separate switches. So what I do is in DCS I map LCTRL+F1 to one position of the switch and in TOBII I map the re-center function AND in DCS I map F1 to the opposite position of the same switch. So this becomes a three step process. Because I am flying the Apache, I will describe that process in the Apache. Any A/C will work however, just requires finding the center point of the view. The first step is to position the switch for the LCTRL+F1 view, which changes the view to "LCTRL+F1 Natural Head Movement View". This allows me to move my head, but holds the IHADSS LOS cross in the center of the screen. The second step is to focus intently on the IHADSS LOS cross. The third step is to hold my head in that position and then quickly flip the switch the opposite way. This re-centers the screen in TOBII and switches the view back to the F1 view. The process is very fast and seems very accurate. I hope this helps someone out, Caldera