Cycling through modes vs discrete commands?

[Floyd1212]

I've had this in my head for a while, but after watching Wags' latest video on mapping controls I figured I would post.

It seems like there are a lot of "modes" that could be cycled through with a single button, instead of taking up multiple positions on a hat for discrete selection.  (I'm mostly thinking about how to conserve buttons on an game controller when using it to control the TEDAC as CGP.)

For example:

• a single button to cycle through Gun|Rockets|Missiles for WAS
• a single button to cycle through HMD|TADS|FCR|LINK for Sight Select
• or maybe use the right shoulder button on the controller to step through W|M|N|Z for the TADS FOV in one direction to "zoom in", and the left shoulder button to step through them in the other direction to "zoom out"

Is it possible to use a utility like Joystick Gremlin to script some of these functions outside the game?  And is there a compelling reason why this would be a bad idea?

[sobe]

Floyd1212

Good idea but it does require a third party software or target.

I have gone another way.  I use a shift (modifier) key and a switch key.  By using both types of keys, you can theoretically get 16 commands on a 4 way button.  When I do the diagramming for this, the black print is regular, red is shifted, green is regular-switched and green/red is shifted-switched.  You do need to dedicate a key for shifting (I use the lever on the joystick for shifting and centering my Trackir) and a key for the switch command (which I will use to switch to the cockpit of the CPG).  Fortunately, a number of commands are duplicated for the Pilot and CPG so that makes diagramming a little cleaner. 

[Bailey]

This is possible with VoiceAttack macros. 

[Floyd1212]

I messed around with Joystick Gremlin and got cycling through a set of functions working, like

• a single button to cycle through Gun|Rockets|Missiles for WAS

but cycling forward and backward through something like the TADS FOV isn't going to happen in the way I was hoping.  You would need to track the current mode with a variable or something and Joystick Gremlin doesn't seem to have variables.  Maybe something can be done by editing .lua files?

It does have a feature where you can cycle between "modes", where you might have a button for Sight Select - TADS that also takes your controller into "TADS" mode where the hat might send button presses to adjust the TADS FOV, and another button mapped to Sight Select - FCR can then put your controls into "FCR" mode, and the same hat can now send the FCR FOV specific commands.  Basically a way to create layers of commands on your controller without having to hold down a modifier button for a secondary function. Might have to play around with that one a bit more.

As a side question, I see the WAS buttons are defined as "Action/De-Action" for the different weapon systems.  Do you need to be able to "de-action" them?  Is the weapon system unavailable to the other seat if you currently have it "actioned"?  I was thinking you could just have one of the 3 systems actioned at all times, but maybe it doesn't work that way.