Default controls ignored?

[Redglyph]

Hello,

 

DCS version 1.5.5.60565.216

 

I'm not entirely sure it's a bug, or a missing feature, probably a mix of both.

 

In DCS you can set default controls, for example to set the rudder pedals so they are not automatically configured to change the pitch, roll and thrust, which would make no sense.

 

If I do that for a new device or a new DCS installation, the correct Config\Input\Default\joystick\<device cfg> file is created. It does not exist yet for the individual modules, for example the P-51D has no such file yet.

 

When I configure the P-51D, it does not seem to use the default configuration as starting point, instead it maps by default the pitch, roll and thrust axes to some imaginary analogue axes of the rudder pedal device, and creates a new Config\Input\P-51D\joystick\<device cfg> file from scratch. Which happens to be the default configuration for this device before it was modified by the user.

 

So the problems are

- the default configuration seems to be ignored, at least regarding the axes,

- the user has to configure individually each aircraft when a device changes,

- the user has to remove all the "nonsense" configurations for a new module (or if the update makes it mandatory to start with a new configuration because of incompatibilities).

 

I realize not all aircraft have the same controls, for instance the Spitfire only has one brake axis, the A-10C has two, and so on. But at least we would be able to remove all the nonsense axis mappings for a new device, or for any new module. If names or IDs are identical, the settings could also be copied.

 

In the current situation, the user is spending a lot of time clearing all the axis mappings for the joystick, the rudder pedal, the throttle, which could be avoided. :)

 

I cannot test the key mappings for now, so I cannot tell if the same problem/missing feature is true for these settings.

Edited January 6, 2017 by Redglyph

[Redglyph]

bump

[Rabb]

Well, I cannot agree more that control setup system should be revised.

 

Clearing duplicated controls for other controllers and assigning new ones is an especially tedious task. Backup and transfer can also be tricky - and produce problems if some new control was added.

 

Further, specific possible issues I would like to be resolved:

 

1. Purpose of General controls - Why not make them automatically implemented to all modules and at the same time remove them from specific modules? Currently, it doesn't seem to work like that.

 

2. Unified module control action logic - In Mi-8, for instance, right click moves the switch lever to the right if it's horizontal, or up if it's vertical. In MiG-21 it is opposite in most cases. Should also be applied to rotating knobs. We've been hearing about precision and faithfulness of FM, 3D models, etc. that ED requires from 3D party developers. I believe this part should be covered also.

 

3. Some commands are missing from the command list, although they are implemented in-game. The first module which comes to my mind is Combined Arms which has several of those.

 

4. And finally a real problem that I encountered yesterday - I had cleared Screenshot key assignment from all modules, including General. Restarted the game, rechecked, everything is clear. And then, online, when I pressed PrtScr key, as a part of a key-combination I'm using for 3rd party screenshot tool, each and every time DCS also made a screenshot. Rechecked multiple times, all is clear. Like Screenshot - PrtScr connection is hardcoded in game. And I end up with two screenshots instead of one. And each time, online, because of default screenshot, my game hiccups.

[Redglyph]

Here I'm just trying to make sure the behaviour above is not intended and reported (perhaps it's intended though it wouldn't make sense to me).

 

1. Purpose of General controls - Why not make them automatically implemented to all modules and at the same time remove them from specific modules? Currently, it doesn't seem to work like that.

My guess would be that you may want to use some specific device for a given aircraft which is generally used for a common control. Also, common controls are not always implemented in all aircraft, so you'd lose the general mappings that are not used in such an aircraft.

 

Being able to override them, but still keeping them for individual modules seems a better, more flexible solution.

 

2. Unified module control action logic - In Mi-8, for instance, right click moves the switch lever to the right if it's horizontal, or up if it's vertical. In MiG-21 it is opposite in most cases. Should also be applied to rotating knobs. We've been hearing about precision and faithfulness of FM, 3D models, etc. that ED requires from 3D party developers. I believe this part should be covered also.

That's an entirely different issue so it should probably be in another thread. There is a standard, and this has been reported for the Mig-21bis. I'm not sure when it will be addressed, but you can use this mod in the mean time (I fixed them, it's quite easy). You'll find all the details in this thread. The same is true for the A-10C (there's also a fix for this one), most other modules seem consistent enough.

 

3. Some commands are missing from the command list, although they are implemented in-game. The first module which comes to my mind is Combined Arms which has several of those.

Can't comment on this one, I have no idea what this is (I don't own C.A.) :)

 

4. And finally a real problem that I encountered yesterday - I had cleared Screenshot key assignment from all modules, including General. Restarted the game, rechecked, everything is clear. And then, online, when I pressed PrtScr key, as a part of a key-combination I'm using for 3rd party screenshot tool, each and every time DCS also made a screenshot. Rechecked multiple times, all is clear. Like Screenshot - PrtScr connection is hardcoded in game. And I end up with two screenshots instead of one. And each time, online, because of default screenshot, my game hiccups.

Strange, but again, it seems to be a completely different problem.

[Rabb]

Well, all those are controls issues. My reasoning was, instead of fixing one problem, why not fix them all.

 

My guess would be that you may want to use some specific device for a given aircraft which is generally used for a common control. Also, common controls are not always implemented in all aircraft, so you'd lose the general mappings that are not used in such an aircraft.

 

Being able to override them, but still keeping them for individual modules seems a better, more flexible solution.

 

By General, I meant General in the first, module-selection drop-down list, and those include time accelerate, decelerate, normal, score window, screenshot, etc. Does anybody really sets those differently in different modules? Also, if I am not mistaken, no matter how you set them, they don't override specific module controls, or have a purpose.

 

Maybe even general views can be included as such, general.

[Redglyph]

This thread was intended for the specific "default controls" issue (hence the title...), trying to squeeze other problems and wishes in will just bring confusion and have it discarded.

[bolek]

Did you try if the default controls work in Su-25T?