QoL improvements

[Bozon]

OK here are my wishes for some QoL improvements, mostly regarding key-bindings and what they mean. The Mosquito for all its greatness is an ergonomic disaster - there is no need to add to that because we are operating levers and switches by keyboard or stick buttons that look nothing like the real thing - but this is what we have to work with.

1. Gears & Flaps levers - down means DOWN!

What does it mean when I press the "flaps down" button?

1. "Move the lever to the down position"
2. "Apply downward pressure on the lever, see if it moves"

Currently it is #2, while I expect it to be #1. I appreciate the modeling of the animated latches and all, but it means 2 more buttons that I need to assign to the latches/stops of these two levers. This is silly and actually reduces from immersion - my buttons look nothing like these levers and latches and make up an even worse ergonomy. It is double frustrating because I can't feel the latches - I must look at them to verify that the lever actually moved. When I command "lever down" with a binded button press - the lever needs to move down, latches and all, no ifs or buts. I would appreciate it if the animation of the latches will remain, but this needs to be 1 action.

The reason these latches were placed there in the real thing is that placing 3 similar and critical handles next to each other is a really REALLY bad idea and an accedent waiting to happen. So they added different latches to the levers that the pilot will be able to distinguish by touch that he is grabbing the wrong lever. I absolutely cannot recreate that with a normal stick/throttle.

2. Radiator switches - bind both

We have two switches that operate the left/right radiators. I see no practical scenario in which I will want to operate them separately. For the pilot in the real plane this makes no difference since he flicks both up/down in one movement - "we" however need to bind 2 precious buttons for these toggles. Therefore I wish to have an additional binding for "toggle both radiators" as 1 button.

[grafspee]

Good point, it catch me all the time, i forgot to lift landing gear guard to rise up gear, or forgot to lift flaps guard to lower them, i do this things by mouse thanks to track ir, but those who don't have it, it is real pain in the a**.  

[Mogster]

Yes, I can see these things add realism but some things are far easier to do in rl than on a pc monitor. The switch covers serve no purpose in the sim but require an additional button press. In rl you’d flick the cover open with a finger before operating the switch in one easy motion, in the sim it’s another key combo to remember…

[_Hoss]

23 hours ago, Bozon said:

OK here are my wishes for some QoL improvements, mostly regarding key-bindings and what they mean. The Mosquito for all its greatness is an ergonomic disaster - there is no need to add to that because we are operating levers and switches by keyboard or stick buttons that look nothing like the real thing - but this is what we have to work with.

1. Gears & Flaps levers - down means DOWN!

What does it mean when I press the "flaps down" button?

1. "Move the lever to the down position"
2. "Apply downward pressure on the lever, see if it moves"

Currently it is #2, while I expect it to be #1. I appreciate the modeling of the animated latches and all, but it means 2 more buttons that I need to assign to the latches/stops of these two levers. This is silly and actually reduces from immersion - my buttons look nothing like these levers and latches and make up an even worse ergonomy. It is double frustrating because I can't feel the latches - I must look at them to verify that the lever actually moved. When I command "lever down" with a binded button press - the lever needs to move down, latches and all, no ifs or buts. I would appreciate it if the animation of the latches will remain, but this needs to be 1 action.

The reason these latches were placed there in the real thing is that placing 3 similar and critical handles next to each other is a really REALLY bad idea and an accedent waiting to happen. So they added different latches to the levers that the pilot will be able to distinguish by touch that he is grabbing the wrong lever. I absolutely cannot recreate that with a normal stick/throttle.

2. Radiator switches - bind both

We have two switches that operate the left/right radiators. I see no practical scenario in which I will want to operate them separately. For the pilot in the real plane this makes no difference since he flicks both up/down in one movement - "we" however need to bind 2 precious buttons for these toggles. Therefore I wish to have an additional binding for "toggle both radiators" as 1 button.

Make it a Chain (Radiator one happens when you press the button or flip the switch,Radiator two happens .5 sec later) or Sequence event (Something different happens each time I push the button/flick the switch) ...............  or TEMPO..(Long/short presses) all three work with one button/switch.  Or set an Axis that will control both... I just use my mouse and flick them down as I start each engine and leave em alone till I land... Hey, and it works for the Gear, Flaps too.... Chain, Sequence, TEMPO.  I'm using TARGET GUI for that with a TMWH. I can do it with my BlackHog and joy2key also.

Cheers, and good luck

Edited June 26, 2022 by 352nd_Hoss

[Bozon]

12 hours ago, 352nd_Hoss said:

Make it a Chain (Radiator one happens when you press the button or flip the switch,Radiator two happens .5 sec later)

…

 I'm using TARGET GUI for that with a TMWH. I can do it with my BlackHog and joy2key also.

Cheers, and good luck

 

OK, thanks. I have VKB Gladiator, perhaps their software can do it too. 

The problem with that is that it’s a workaround - it will affect other games, unless I setup profiles… etc, etc. Then you change something from within the game and it does not work, or worse, you buttons now have un expected operations.

Given no other solution, or as a stop gap I will try it, but these things should really be from within the game.

[Robi-wan]

On 6/25/2022 at 5:01 PM, Bozon said:

We have two switches that operate the left/right radiators. I see no practical scenario in which I will want to operate them separately. For the pilot in the real plane this makes no difference since he flicks both up/down in one movement - "we" however need to bind 2 precious buttons for these toggles. Therefore I wish to have an additional binding for "toggle both radiators" as 1 button.

This immediately came to mind.

It mattered IRL, in DCS maybe not so much. Just as a personal preference I would vote against changing the radiator flap switchology.

 

[_Hoss]

14 hours ago, Bozon said:

OK, thanks. I have VKB Gladiator, perhaps their software can do it too. 

The problem with that is that it’s a workaround - it will affect other games, unless I setup profiles… etc, etc. Then you change something from within the game and it does not work, or worse, you buttons now have un expected operations.

Given no other solution, or as a stop gap I will try it, but these things should really be from within the game.

I use Sedenions DX script, so the changing of the switches is done on the BlackHog Explorer using joy2key. But that is in IL2, in DCS I just flip the switch as I start the engines. On the BlackHog I have different profiles for the different Aircraft in DCS, but I only have one 120DX button SCRIPT profile I use for all the planes.

[Bozon]

8 hours ago, Robi-wan said:

This immediately came to mind.

It mattered IRL, in DCS maybe not so much. Just as a personal preference I would vote against changing the radiator flap switchology.

 

I did not ask for a change, I asked for an additional line in the key bindings that allows to toggle both switches with a single button.

An existing example: the left/right starter buttons have such a option.

[TAW-Prof]

Joystick Gremlin is very good for sequencing. I have mapped the whole engine start sequence to a single button on my throttle!

[Nealius]

Agreed on all points, particularly the gear/flap lever locks. Other modules like the MiG-21 and Fw190A8 also have such levers but we are not required to bind them, as they are automatically moved with the singular up/down binding. The Mosquito should have parity with those other modules.