H.O.T.A.S (Warthog or X-55)?

[slicker55]

Searching for the best deal on a new Warty right now... keep coming back to Amazon albeit not the lowest price, most reliable.

[dburne]

Searching for the best deal on a new Warty right now... keep coming back to Amazon albeit not the lowest price, most reliable.

 

Did you order it?

Next Day Air??

:lol:

[slicker55]

Nah ... not yet... it's the weekend but might not be so patient come Monday morning :)

 

Have you got all that stuff on Ebay yet?

[dburne]

Lol, not yet maybe next week.

[shannonnezul]

Ralfi has words... I post link...

[slicker55]

Ralfi should go and wash his mouth out - this could have been a very constructive video but I just got tired of listening to his continual use of bad language and switched it off. I did post a comment to this effect which remains unanswered but from other replies he's made, it seems he cannot string a written sentence together either without resorting to profanity. It's not like me to get over-sensitive about this kind of thing but there's simply not need for it.

Edited December 13, 2015 by slicker55

[shannonnezul]

I won't disagree. He appeals to a certain crown but point more than made shortly in video, thought it stressed the competition between the two and why the hog' is the best choice. Sorry forgot how much he does just kinda swear at the thing.

[slicker55]

Nah, no problems mate... no need to apologise... I was quite annoyed when I first came across the video because, actually, he raises some significant issues. It's just that I couldn't stick all the language and then I felt disappointed because I did want to hear what he had to say. Oh well, that's life (maybe I'm being too sensitive) he doesn't say anything I haven't heard before. In complete contrast, I guess we simply get used to the eloquence of our fellow ED members!

[dburne]

I agree, I was going to watch the video out of curiosity more than anything, but will give it a pass - never been fond of swearing.

I would have stopped watching as well.

[simo1000rr]

I will add my 2 cents just in case you still debating , i've Just bought my warthog 1 week ago from amazon UK , it was on a something called snap sale for 3 hours for 190 British pound , i was exactly like you debating if i get the warthog or the x55 , My concern although wasn't the same as yours whether i get the x55 because it has more buttons or the warthog with less buttons but best quality ,No my concern was how was im going to deal with no twist joystick , being used to the x52 for more than 3 years that was my concern , The twist , Then when i found this snap sale i didn't hesitate i ordered it right away with the Play-seat airforce ( the playseat airforce is tailored to support the warthog out the box ) .

Did i regret my choice hell no im regretting i didnt buy it 3 years ago to enjoy the difference in quality . all i can say is that the difference is really noticeable , the great accuracy in input and in the axis is beyond words. To me using the warthog after being used to the X52 is like leaving Honda for a brand new Mercedes Benz . Thats how good it is.

Now im looking for a rudder controlor

[slicker55]

simo1000rr,

 

I'm right behind you and will hope to fully appreciate what you're saying in the few minutes.. just installing my warty right now after a flying visit to my local supplier.

 

You say Amazon was doing it for 190 WOW... do you mean the stick and throttle pack?

[dburne]

simo1000rr,

 

I'm right behind you and will hope to fully appreciate what you're saying in the few minutes.. just installing my warty right now after a flying visit to my local supplier.

 

:thumbup:

 

Congrats, I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

[slicker55]

Hi dburne,

 

It's Monday and just setting it up as planned. Drivers have been installed. The instructions on the Thrustmaster website show how to upgrade firmware but I can't find the firmware updater they're referring to?

 

Update Info:

 

So, my first call to tech support - very helpful, there are no updates - shipped with the latest drivers... recommend USB 2.0 direct to motherboard and not to use powered USB hubs...

Edited December 14, 2015 by slicker55
update information

[dburne]

In the TARGET program, you can click on " get firmware" for each controller, will show you the firmware version number, you can compare to see if you have the latest.

 

Edit: not sure why my link is not working, google TARGET firmware .

Edited December 14, 2015 by dburne

[dburne]

The latest firmware:

 

Thottle: FW23

Stick: FW11

 

Click on get firmware in TARGET, if yours is the same you are good to go.

 

You can get the latest drivers and firmware ( if needed ) from here:

http://ts.thrustmaster.com/eng/index.php?pg=view_files&gid=1&fid=3&pid=311&cid=1

Edited December 14, 2015 by dburne

[slicker55]

hi dburne,

 

okeydokey - thanks...

 

i've got quite bit of work to do now to get everything working with the warty but an initial fly of nevada in the a-10c was... well, what's the point ... you already know... yeahhhhhh - thanks for the encouragement... i owe you one.

 

oh, the guy at TM did say to let you know the usual 'cut' is on it's way but you may not get it until after christmas now!

 

LOL

[dburne]

hi dburne,

 

okeydokey - thanks...

 

i've got quite bit of work to do now to get everything working with the warty but an initial fly of nevada in the a-10c was... well, what's the point ... you already know... yeahhhhhh - thanks for the encouragement... i owe you one.

 

:thumbup:

 

oh, the guy at TM did say to let you know the usual 'cut' is on it's way but you may not get it until after christmas now!

 

Yeah right LOL.

 

Enjoy the new hardware!!

[simo1000rr]

simo1000rr,

 

I'm right behind you and will hope to fully appreciate what you're saying in the few minutes.. just installing my warty right now after a flying visit to my local supplier.

 

You say Amazon was doing it for 190 WOW... do you mean the stick and throttle pack?

 

yes mate it was for both the stick and the throttle , i didn't believe myself when i saw it until i placed the order just before they change their mind at amazon .

i got it with the seat because my desk cant handle the heavy weight of the throttle.

a word of advice if you dont like working with TARGET software like me get the gizzy profile for the throttle it is very easy to install , hassle free and it makes the switches on the throttle works on aircraft like the f15 and the su27 ie; to turn on your radar or flaps or gear up and down .

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=153039

Edited December 14, 2015 by simo1000rr

[slicker55]

Hi simo...

 

I have already seen the profiles you've mentioned but thanks anyway. Must say, you had a cracking deal from Amazon - well done. (he says through gritted teeth) Hahahahahah....

 

This morning, I tried to persuade Overclockers to match £243 (Buyur) but they wouldn't. They did agree to price-match Amazon at £262.

 

I like Overclockers, they're quite near to where I live and very reliable. Also, very handy if ever there's a need to take anything back. Oh, and probably the most important thing... there, back and on it within 2 hours!

 

:)

[slicker55]

 

The latest firmware:

 

Thottle: FW23

Stick: FW11

 

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Thanks,

 

I followed your advice to check and mine is the same version as yours :thumbup:

[dburne]

Thanks,

 

I followed your advice to check and mine is the same version as yours :thumbup:

 

Great you are good to go!

 

Have fun and enjoy that new hardware!

[slicker55]

Morning dburne,

 

You have become my Warty ally and I appreciate your words of encouragement.

 

I sat down with TARGET for the first time last night and I'm quite intrigued. I'm pretty confident I'm going to absolutely love it once I get the hang of it.

 

I do think Thrustmaster can improve their quality of service in relation to this software. This is clearly a very comprehensive application once you start getting into the nitty-gritty and I find that reading a user guide is nowhere near as good as watching someone actually doing it.

 

I am going to send them an email to suggest they consider preparing video tutorial's covering the basic, advanced and script modes.

 

In the meantime, I'm gathering as much info as I can. I instantly recognise some similarities with the Saitek H.U.D. software which I had become very confident in using. This does help a little during the transition but I do wish there were some video tutorials. Oh, and I mean the ones where people actually speak instead of simply pointing to things and typing stuff in a text editor!

 

There's no going back now... the X-55 is already on Ebay and the bidding has started!

 

That had better not be you dburne... LOL

[dburne]

 

There's no going back now... the X-55 is already on Ebay and the bidding has started!

 

That had better not be you dburne... LOL

 

Lol no, you do not have to worry about that being me! Once my Crosswind pedals get here, I will get rid of the Saitek Combats and will be done with Saitek finally.

 

Yes TARGET can be a little intimidating at first, as it does have a bit of a learning curve. Trust me though, if I can get my arms wrapped around it, anyone can!

Just remember, the A-10C is plug and play already for the Warthog, do not need to mess with a TARGET profile for it.

 

Once I started to learn the TARGET software, I was like man I am not going to get this. And I came from previous TM hardware, having used Foxy for many years, first with the FLCS and then with the Cougar.

I agree, the manual is not very good - it covers just enough to get one started, but could have done much better digging into the finer details. But there will come a point where you go, oh yeah, that is how it is done - and it will become clearer and much easier.

 

Start with the GUI advanced mode ( do not even mess with basic), just start creating a new profile and get in there and do it. You won't mess anything up. Check out the axis and curve adjustments, the modifiers, etc. I love using the Paddle on the stick as a modifier, ie hold paddle in and press a button for a different command. Adding button commands is really pretty straightforward.

Once you get comfortable in creating profiles with it, then check out the script editor. It is all raw code without GUI help, but man what one can do with it.

 

My knowledge is fairly basic, and there are many in the forums that are way beyond me in working with TARGET. I suspect you eventually will be as well.

 

Oh one last thing, you will want to go into device manager and in your input devices, set the usb power management to not power down to save energy, for the WH. Also , run a TARGET profile, this will put a new usb device in there for the combined stick, do the same for it ( only has to be done one time). Having that power management box checked for the WH, can cause hair pulling out issues.

 

 

Enjoy,

[slicker55]

RightyOh,

 

See, that's the sort of info I'm looking for... many thanks...

 

Last night, I made a new profile (just as a test) using the basic mode and the general layout from my Saitek Su-25T profile, mapping all relevant key bindings to the switches in TARGET. The end result worked OK but today I've been watching some 'very brief' tutorials on Youtube and it seems the guys tend to map the switches 'in-game'...

 

I was also thrown a bit when I saw all the axis's appeared to have been automatically imported into the DCS controllers / options menu but once again, after watching the Youtubes, it seems these have to be 'cleared' and setup again?

 

You may not be able to help with this one but maybe someone else will pop by... it's to do with Helios... Sometimes you may want to map a HOTAS switch to activate a virtual switch in Helios. This is not a problem with Saitek H.U.D. software providing the switch on the HOTAS is not programmed to fire a key command.

 

It seems to work the same with TARGET until the script is running at which point the association between the TARGET switch and Helios switch stops working?

 

Ummmm, me thinks it's gonna be fun!

 

:)

 

PS... and, oh yeah... following directly in your footsteps ... my plan is to sell the X-55, raid the piggy bank, order a set of Crosswinds and once installed, sell the Saitek Combat's ... not done too much digging yet but there seems to be a fair queue to get hold of the Crosswind's (Feb 2016)

Edited December 15, 2015 by slicker55

[dburne]

RightyOh,

 

See, that's the sort of info I'm looking for... many thanks...

 

 

You are most welcome!

 

Last night, I made a new profile (just as a test) using the basic mode and the general layout from my Saitek Su-25T profile, mapping all relevant key bindings to the switches in TARGET. The end result worked OK but today I've been watching some 'very brief' tutorials on Youtube and it seems the guys tend to map the switches 'in-game'...

 

Well you can certainly do this - map what you want int the game, and use TARGET for the rest. Just be sure your profile is running first before mapping in game, so you get the buttons assigned to the appropriate device. Personally, if I am using TARGET, I do all my button assignments in TARGET.

 

I was also thrown a bit when I saw all the axis's appeared to have been automatically imported into the DCS controllers / options menu but once again, after watching the Youtubes, it seems these have to be 'cleared' and setup again?

 

Oh yes absolutely, the first thing you will always want to do ( with the exception of the A-10C), is go in and wipe out all those axis and button assignments a new install always throws in there. Even if they appear right, wipe them out just in case and set them again. Again, the exception being the A-10C as it is set properly and is plug and play. I mean, the game sets the same axis assignment across all my controllers - resulting in some really interesting attempts at flying LOL. And it throws in button assignments that I do not want. First thing I do after installing a new beta version of DCS, is wipe those out and re-assign.

 

You may not be able to help with this one but maybe someone else will pop by... it's to do with Helios

 

No sorry, have never tried to use Helios.

 

PS... and, oh yeah... following directly in your footsteps ... my plan is to sell the X-55, raid the piggy bank, order a set of Crosswinds and once installed, sell the Saitek Combat's ... not done too much digging yet but there seems to be a fair queue to get hold of the Crosswind's (Feb 2016)

 

Good choice! Actually the lead time is a lot better than it was not that long ago. The ordering process was very easy, and communication from Milan during the process very good. I placed my order on 10/22, got the invoice on 12/10, and they are shipping out today. ( I PayPal's the funds to his right away upon receiving the invoice ).

 

Fwiw, you do not pay until you receive the invoice from Milan , which is about a week prior to shipping.

 

Have fun!