Rayzer Posted November 7, 2023 Posted November 7, 2023 Hi All, I'm sure this has been covered before but I would greatly appreciate it if someone could help me get started! I'm not an inexperienced flight sim pilot, I've been flying since the first Microsoft Flight Simulator was released. I used to fly ALL the Janes Simulators, Microsoft Combat Sims, ALL versions of the MSFS up to the latest 2020, X-Plane 10,11, and 12, and many others. I'm not new to DCS either BUT I've never been able to get off the ground, ever! I've had DCS for almost all 15 years and I own ALL the US aircraft except the newest F15E not yet released. I have the Super Carrier, Persian Gulf, Nevada, Normandy and Combined Arms terrains as well as the GPS add-on. Several Campaigns. I'm no where ready for ANYTHING in DCS but learning to fly these complex aircraft with WORKING controls. I think I can now but I need some help. 1. Which Plane or helicopter is the easiest to learn on and has the easiest training program among the aircraft I own? I know the Averojet is used as a jet trainer, (and I have the P-51default trainer), but I don't own that one. Should I purchase it to learn on or is one I already own better to learn on? 2. I have NEVER been able to get my rudder pedals to work therefore I could never take off or land. Making a long story short, I ditched my Saitek Cessna pedals, replaced them with Thrustmaster pedals, (not the TPR ones, the basic ones), and now I have control on the ground!!! Since I now have controls that work, Ihave brand new Thrustmaster HOTAS A10 Warthog joystick and throttle with panel, pedals, and 2 Cougar MFD panels. I also have the interchangeable Cougar F-16 handle. If I can get these all working, I'm going to get the F-18 Handle for xmas. 3. My Computer is brand new, AMD processor with 9 cores, 16 GB RAM, 2-HDs each 1 TB, GeoForce graphics card, (new card with lots of memory and processing speed that I can use highest graphics without latency, a Sim Chair system with 3 27" LCD Monitors, surround sound, and Track IR system not yet installed. My questions are: Which plane should I start with? Is there a Basic Generic Profile for my Thrustmaster system or a profile for the plane recommended that I can download AND HOW do I load that program to be able to use it. I've not learned how to use the TARGET software for the Thrustmaster controls and have no idea how to program it OR load a profile that will work in DCS. I REALLY JUST WANT TO FLY!!! Single player for now since I've got a lot to learn. I REALLY just need some very simple instructions to get me up and having fun as I learn all these complicated systems including programming my controls without spending ALL my time reading all these hard to understand manual. I WILL read them, but I want to have fun with my huge investment while I'm doing it! Can anyone make some recommendations and provide some simple instructions so I can get started using all this beautiful software and hardware? PLEASE? Tim
razo+r Posted November 7, 2023 Posted November 7, 2023 2 minutes ago, Rayzer said: [...] 1. Which Plane or helicopter is the easiest to learn on and has the easiest training program among the aircraft I own? Easy Helicopter would be the Huey, and easy aircraft, I would guess something like the F-5 and F-86 is easy. As a rule of thumb, the older the aircraft, the simpler it is. 2 minutes ago, Rayzer said: I know the Averojet is used as a jet trainer, (and I have the P-51default trainer), but I don't own that one. Should I purchase it to learn on or is one I already own better to learn on? Only buy the P-51 if you want to dip into the world of WWII. You can use the TF-51 to see if it's something for you. Be aware though that if you want to dip into WWII, the Normandy map and WWII Assets Pack is almost mandatory. 2 minutes ago, Rayzer said: My questions are: Which plane should I start with? Start with the one that you are most interested in. It will help you a lot with learning if you like the aircraft. 2 minutes ago, Rayzer said: Is there a Basic Generic Profile for my Thrustmaster system or a profile for the plane recommended that I can download AND HOW do I load that program to be able to use it. Check here: https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/filter/type-is-profile/apply/ Once downloaded, go to controls and press "load profile" and find the downloaded profile. That should do the trick. Sometimes the modules come with a profile by default. Best is to ALWAYS go into the controls and check what's already premapped or not. 2 minutes ago, Rayzer said: I've not learned how to use the TARGET software for the Thrustmaster controls and have no idea how to program it OR load a profile that will work in DCS. You can fly without using any Thrustmaster software just fine. Just use the ingame control options. 2 minutes ago, Rayzer said: I REALLY JUST WANT TO FLY!!! Single player for now since I've got a lot to learn. I REALLY just need some very simple instructions to get me up and having fun as I learn all these complicated systems including programming my controls without spending ALL my time reading all these hard to understand manual. I WILL read them, but I want to have fun with my huge investment while I'm doing it! Reading parts of a manual or at least knowing how to find stuff in it will save you a lot of time if you have any questions. Also use the training missions that come along with the modules. They'll get you up to a decent level.
Eugel Posted November 7, 2023 Posted November 7, 2023 Most of the time it´s a good idea to learn the aircraft that you are really interested in. So for example, as you have the Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS, it would be easiest to fly the A-10, because you don´t have to configure anything (maybe the pedals). With the A-10 all the buttons and axis are already correct in DCS and work out of the box. But then again, if you lean towards dogfights or generally aerial combat, that would be a bad place to start... Either way, you don´t need the TARGET software, you can directly configure everything from within DCS. Have you tried the ingame tutorials yet ?
Rayzer Posted November 7, 2023 Author Posted November 7, 2023 THANKS ALL! You've all given me some great advice and places to start. I'm partial to US Navy Aircraft so I need to look at the manuals for the F18, F14 and F5 and decide which one makes more sense to me. I've tried a few tutorials, but all have been cold starts and I've had some trouble "seeing" some of the controls that require some interaction in order to move forward in the tutorial. Mainly I don't quite know all the controls to look around the cockpit adequately. Will Track IR help with that? I have it, it's just not connected and set up in DCS. Also, I've noticed that some of my controls need to have their axis' "reversed", how do I do that from within the game? I can't seem to find that option in the controller set up. For instance, my left/right wheel brakes are on when I'm not pressing the toes on the pedals. I have to press the toes down to release the brakes. OR when I fly a helicopter how do I reverse the throttle axis so it acts as a collective not a throttle? Finally, I see in the DCS controls set screen the "Load Profile" tab. But I don't see any profiles. I loaded everything in DCS using the default locations/Folders. Where are the profiles stored by default so I can browse to them. Same with "downloading" a profile, where should it be downloaded to so I can find it in the load profile tab? Tim
razo+r Posted November 7, 2023 Posted November 7, 2023 (edited) 45 minutes ago, Rayzer said: THANKS ALL! You've all given me some great advice and places to start. I'm partial to US Navy Aircraft so I need to look at the manuals for the F18, F14 and F5 and decide which one makes more sense to me. I've tried a few tutorials, but all have been cold starts and I've had some trouble "seeing" some of the controls that require some interaction in order to move forward in the tutorial. Mainly I don't quite know all the controls to look around the cockpit adequately. Will Track IR help with that? I have it, it's just not connected and set up in DCS. Yes, TrackIR will solve that problem. 45 minutes ago, Rayzer said: Also, I've noticed that some of my controls need to have their axis' "reversed", how do I do that from within the game? Go to controls, click on axis, select the one needing reversing, press edit axis or similar (dont know the exact wording) and tick the "reverse" tickbox. 45 minutes ago, Rayzer said: I can't seem to find that option in the controller set up. For instance, my left/right wheel brakes are on when I'm not pressing the toes on the pedals. I have to press the toes down to release the brakes. OR when I fly a helicopter how do I reverse the throttle axis so it acts as a collective not a throttle? As above 45 minutes ago, Rayzer said: Finally, I see in the DCS controls set screen the "Load Profile" tab. But I don't see any profiles. I loaded everything in DCS using the default locations/Folders. Where are the profiles stored by default so I can browse to them. Same with "downloading" a profile, where should it be downloaded to so I can find it in the load profile tab? Tim My guess is \saved games\dcs\config\input . But it seems it doesn't matter, just place it somewhere where you can find it. Check the DCS User Manual 2020, it's also a bit explained in there. You can find it in your root installation folder. \DCS\Doc Edited November 7, 2023 by razo+r
MAXsenna Posted November 7, 2023 Posted November 7, 2023 2 hours ago, Rayzer said: how do I reverse the throttle axis Like razo+r wrote, and be sure to set it as a slider. The toe brakes too. Basically every axis that is not a stick/pedals should be set to slider.
Lange_666 Posted November 8, 2023 Posted November 8, 2023 9 hours ago, razo+r said: Yes, TrackIR will solve that problem. Go to controls, click on axis, select the one needing reversing, press edit axis or similar (dont know the exact wording) and tick the "reverse" tickbox. @Rayzer TrackIR: Will give you the option to look around more quickly but depending on the profile used (an aggressive one) you could ending up chasing the mouse if you need to click on something. Can be annoying but a headtracker is a must. Reversing an axis is done in "Axis Tune" on the bottom of the DCS controls for that particular aircraft (check that you are editing the correct aircraft). Docs: you could use Chuck's Guides to start, it will come with a lot of pictures showing where to find those controls/switches/buttons in the cockpits. 1 Win11 Pro 64-bit, Ryzen 5800X3D, Corsair H115i, Gigabyte X570S UD, EVGA 3080Ti XC3 Ultra 12GB, 64 GB DDR4 G.Skill 3600. Monitors: LG 27GL850-B27 2560x1440 + Samsung SyncMaster 2443 1920x1200, HOTAS: Warthog with Virpil WarBRD base, MFG Crosswind pedals, TrackIR4, Rift-S, Elgato Streamdeck XL. Personal Wish List: A6 Intruder, Vietnam theater, decent ATC module, better VR performance!
Eugel Posted November 8, 2023 Posted November 8, 2023 3 minutes ago, Lange_666 said: Docs: you could use Chuck's Guides to start, it will come with a lot of pictures showing where to find those controls/switches/buttons in the cockpits. That is very good advice, Chucks Guides also use the TM Warthog as an example how to setup the controls for each module.
Recommended Posts