The Rookie Thread

[canox204]

Ok, so there is no trick to it. Its just difficult.

Thanks very much, thats all I needed to hear!

[Hunden Ynk]

Speaking of bindings, is there a way to rebind the "Clickable mouse cockpit mode on/off" key to one of the mouse buttons, like mouse4 or mouse5? It's set to LAlt+C by default, but it seems like it's not possible to assign a mouse button to it? It's greyed out in the bindings menu, like this: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/guitar_xe/mouse_zps98997978.jpg

 

You can do this with AutoHotkey http://www.autohotkey.com/, like this:

 

• Download, and install the program.
  

 

• Copy this script to Notepad and save it somewhere convenient with an .ahk extention.
  

MButton:: ; For middle button, try also XButton1 or XButton2 for button 4,5
Send {LAlt down}c{LAlt up}
return

• Right click you new file and select Run Script
  

That should do it, try replacing MButton with Xbutton1 or 2 and see if you can get those buttons to work as well.

 

Disclaimer: I don't know the AutoHotkey language (is it even called so?). I've had the program installed for some time now, but never got around to experiment - this was a good excuse. So I only pieced that together by looking and copying from the manual, hence, I don't doubt that there are prettier ways of achieving the same. Whatever works eh!?

Edited September 22, 2013 by Hunden Ynk

[Vedexent]

OK - here's a rookie question.

 

I'm slowing building a joystick profile for the Black Shark, but I'm only wanting to map buttons which don't have a clickable control in the cockpit.

 

Is there a control for weapon pylon selection (I/Y)?

 

I searched the cockpit tooltips, but I don't see one.

[Yurgon]

I'm slowing building a joystick profile for the Black Shark, but I'm only wanting to map buttons which don't have a clickable control in the cockpit.

 

Is there a control for weapon pylon selection (I/Y)?

 

Nope, I don't think that's mouse clickable. The hardpoint selector is located on the collective stick in the real Ka-50. None of the cyclic and collective buttons are mouse clickable in Black Shark, and therefore you should indeed map this to your joystick profile. :thumbup:

[Flagrum]

OK - here's a rookie question.

 

I'm slowing building a joystick profile for the Black Shark, but I'm only wanting to map buttons which don't have a clickable control in the cockpit.

 

Is there a control for weapon pylon selection (I/Y)?

 

I searched the cockpit tooltips, but I don't see one.

The selection of the pylons is done with the 4-way hat on the collective.

[Vedexent]

OK, thanks :)

 

I can map the keyboard outputs to hat switches on my HOTAS, so I'll go that route :)

 

EDIT: For future reference for anyone asking, see here for a list of collective and cyclic controls which aren't clickable: http://www.pcpilot.hu/dcs/316-dcs-black-shark-hotas.html?print=1&tmpl=component

Edited January 9, 2014 by Vedexent

[Yurgon]

EDIT: For future reference for anyone asking, see here for a list of collective and cyclic controls which aren't clickable: http://www.pcpilot.hu/dcs/316-dcs-black-shark-hotas.html?print=1&tmpl=component

 

That looks like... after taking a closer look, that is a copy&paste excerpt from the Black Shark manual, which can be downloaded via digitalcombatsimulator.com or can be found in the installation directory, e.g.:

 

C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World\Mods\aircrafts\Ka-50\Doc\DCS BS2 Flight Manual EN.pdf

 

The manual may be a bit overwhelming at first glance, but it does answer most questions people tend to have. :thumbup:

 

And I'd prefer it over excerpts on third party websites which may or may not be outdated.

[copypaper]

Getting shot by tanks

 

I'm copypaper. I actually mostly fly A-10C and Mi-8, although I do sometimes fly the Black Shark. But I fly with a friend who flies either A-10C or Black Shark when I'm in the Mi-8. We do Medevac missions, and she clears the way with the Black Shark. I'm actually newer than she is to flying, but my question is something that's happening when we fly coop.

 

The most common thing that shoots her down is very surprising to me-- tanks. Like, a full tank round. I've seen it happen while she's maneuvering, darting around, etc... Boom, helicopter explodes, registers as a main tank round from an Abrams. Probably five times in the 15 or so times we've played medevac missions?

 

Is there a trick to avoiding tank rounds? Is there something we're doing to provoke them? I've gone back and looked at tacview and track files (when they work) and the shots the tanks make seem just really really unlikely. It's happening less lately because I think she's been giving them more distance, but yeah, any thoughts? Thanks!

 

:helpsmilie:

Copy Paper

[lmp]

The only tank/IFV specific advice I can give is to make sure the laser warning receiver is on and to pay attention to it. A tank will need to lase your friend before it can shoot at her accurately. If the LWR goes off, jink, and retreat back to where it was safe.

 

Other than that, general rules apply. Prepare your route well, know where you are, know where the enemy might be, keep scanning as you go, use terrain cover and take it slow. Deny the enemy the opportunity to shoot at you altogether rather than try to dodge incoming rounds.

Edited January 29, 2014 by lmp

[copypaper]

The only tank/IFV specific advice I can give is to make sure the laser warning receiver is on and to pay attention to it. A tank will need to lase your friend before it can shoot at her accurately. If the LWR goes off, jink, and retreat back to where it was safe.

 

Other than that, general rules apply. Prepare your route well, know where you are, know where the enemy might be, keep scanning as you go, use terrain cover and take it slow. Deny the enemy the opportunity to shoot at you altogether rather than try to dodge incoming rounds.

 

Thanks! I think that's basically what we're doing and learning, but it's good to hear that we're on the right track. We've transitioned to having labels off recently, so some of it might just be growing pains.

[Yurgon]

We've transitioned to having labels off recently, so some of it might just be growing pains.

 

Way to go, switching labels off. :thumbup:

 

It's a tough transition, but I prefer it this way.

 

Tank rounds may be a bit too accurate, but I think I read in the past that it's not entirely uncommon for tank crews to learn shooting helicopters. After all, what have they got to lose? They're already way inside the Black Shark's killzone anyways.

 

And that's basically the point: Don't enter their killzone. DCS AI units are usually eagle eyed sharpshooters, but that doesn't mean it would be any wiser to enter a tank's weapons range in real life.

 

TL;DR: What lmp said. :)

[Bj_o_rn]

Been playing the Vegreev campaign and some of the bad weather ones have given me a bit of trouble flying this beast. Especially getting into a stable hover hold with strong winds seems really hard. Is that just a case of trimming it out properly before engaging hover hold or is the hover hold just bad at keeping it stable in strong winds?

[supesoft]

throttle bumps

 

Hi there, I just purchased BS2 a few days ago after playing Take on Helicopters for a few weeks and wanted something more realistic.

I started with the BigfootMSR training missions, done only the flight ones so far and I gotta say, compared to the autopilot-less helicopters in TOH this bird is a joy to fly. Landing, too. It's rock solid so long as I trim properly and don't turn off the autopilot channels (I did that at first, thinking "pffff who needs this I can handle it! then promptly flipped the bird over 5 meters off the ground :joystick: *)

 

Anyway, I had a few questions and I'm sorry if any of these had already been covered (I only got to page 36, couldn't read the rest).

 

1. I use TrackIR, and when I move my head it seems like the view starts to slowly auto-center itself, even if I don't move my head. Is there a way to disable this?

 

2. Where are the "Engine Throttle Levers" in the cockpit? I know I cannot directly control them by clicking on them with the mouse, and have to use PageUP/PageDOWN, but I would like to be able to actually see them so I know what position they are set in. For example PgUP x2 will set it to "auto", but then what position does PageUP x 1 set them to? And if I press the button 3 times, why is there an alarm that starts going off? I'm sure if I could actually see where they are and see what settings I'm changing I'd figure that out...

 

4. Difference between Barometric and Radar altimeters. In the training mission it says that the radar altimiter is not accurate above 300 meters, so it switches to barometric. But I notice that when it switches, there's a giant leap in altitude it displays. For example as I'm climbing to 300, to goes like.. 270, 280, 290, then when it passes 300 and goes BOOM! 0600+ meters. I'm so confused... where did these extra 300 meters come from?

 

5. I have a Saitek X52 Pro. What should I be using to control the collective? When I started playing Take on Helicopters I only had a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro, and for a $40 stick that wasn't bad. But it had a tiny little flap for throttle (or collective) and that was very insufficient.

So I bought the X52 so that I could have a dedicated throttle, but, something I couldn't have anticipated is that this throttle is not smooth... there's some kind of "bumps" in it at the lower end and at the far end, meaning that if I try to apply smooth collective over these "bumps" then I'd have a similar bump in collective input in the game - not good! :doh:

And even ignoring the bumps, the rest of the throttle seems a bit stiff, even when I turn the resistence knob all the way down.

I tried the slider, but it's a little stiff and doesn't give me smooth control either. I've also tried some of the rotating rings on the throttle, but again these are rather stiff and don't give good control.

 

What do you guys use for collective control? Maybe I should just add some grease or something to make these things smoother...

 

Thanks for any help!

 

* Turned out the toe pedals on my rudder were setup to give banking input :huh:

 

I also was frustrated with these bumps in the X52 Pro throttle. I adjusted the knob to give it zero resistance, which only made the bumps more pronounced. I tried putting the resistance to full, which almost eliminated the bumps, but was too stiff. In the end I ended up setting the resistance to around 90% and actually got used to the bumps. Another thing that helped me though, was building a rig for racing/flight simming and it allowed me to secure my throttle to the rig. This allowed me to push more heavily on the throttle without having it slip around while doing so. Now I can hold the throttle with a stronger grip and stabilize through those "bumps" without much of a problem at all. In fact, I hardly even notice it anymore. I highly recomend securing your throttle in some way to achieve similar results.

Admittedly, this is not the only quirk with the X52. However, I'm still overall very satisfied with the functionality of the X52 and believe you took a step in the right direction by picking it up. I would only trade it for a Warthog Thrustmaster, which is a $500.00 high quality force feedback flight stick, which I can't afford, but still admire. X52 has served me very well though.

Edited February 7, 2014 by supesoft

[Bucic]

 

5. I have a Saitek X52 Pro. What should I be using to control the collective? When I started playing Take on Helicopters I only had a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro, and for a $40 stick that wasn't bad. But it had a tiny little flap for throttle (or collective) and that was very insufficient.

So I bought the X52 so that I could have a dedicated throttle, but, something I couldn't have anticipated is that this throttle is not smooth... there's some kind of "bumps" in it at the lower end and at the far end, meaning that if I try to apply smooth collective over these "bumps" then I'd have a similar bump in collective input in the game - not good! :doh:

AFAIR, I've removed the pieces responsible for the 'bumps'. It's best to search through and ask this kind of questions directly in the 'Input and output' forum section, BTW.

[Jumbik]

Hello guys. I have refently bought BS2 and i have one problem. How can i set up a mouse in order to be able to look around and at the same time to be able click on buttons? The mouse works only as a cursor by default. I would like to be able to look around by defalt and by presing some button change it to a cursor mode. Also how can I bind mouse wheel to zoom? I have found the zoom in key setup but it was not bindable to mouse :(

 

Thank you

[Thymo]

Hello guys. I have refently bought BS2 and i have one problem. How can i set up a mouse in order to be able to look around and at the same time to be able click on buttons? The mouse works only as a cursor by default. I would like to be able to look around by defalt and by presing some button change it to a cursor mode. Also how can I bind mouse wheel to zoom? I have found the zoom in key setup but it was not bindable to mouse :(

 

Thank you

 

LAlt + C will toggle between freelook and cursor.

 

Would rather get some kind of headtracking (TrackIR,FreeTrack,FaceTrackNoIR).

[Jumbik]

LAlt + C will toggle between freelook and cursor.

 

Would rather get some kind of headtracking (TrackIR,FreeTrack,FaceTrackNoIR).

 

Thank you :)

 

I was looking at the trackir but its really costy for me. I would rather wait for oculus rift and pay almost the same price. Im not sure how much it cost elsewhere though.

 

The free versions for webcams are not that good I suppose if you do not have a good webcame and lighted room. Or am I wrong?

[arkroyale048]

Hi !

 

I just bought the Black Shark a few days ago. Been wanting to try out rotary aircraft. I hail from the fix wings (A-10C & F-15C)

 

 

I am slowly building a hotas profile for the Black Shark on my X-52. For ease of training. I try to map 'similar' functions into the same button (e.g F-15C's radar lock and A-10C's TMS Up)

 

Is there someone kind enough to provide me with an exhaustive list of 'essentials' that must be mapped on the stick as opposed to cockpit clicking. So that I can improve efficiency.

 

Secondly; I've been only flying for a few days now (busy with work, and unfortunately gonna be so till the end of the month :( )

I seem to notice that my hand needs to be constantly on the stick (this leaves me no room to operate cockpit clickables). Everytime I let go of the stick; the craft simply wants to nose up. I've already mapped trimmer and trim reset (mapped it in the same place where I would trim in both the F-15C and A-10C for easy reference). I totally have no idea how the trimmer works. I was sort of expecting something similar to the A-10, where if I find that I'm pitching up without input; I trim down. The trimmer on the Blackshark seems to want me to careen everywhere. So how do I go about using the trimmer in such a way where I am able to let go of the stick; and the craft will remain level ?

 

P.S.

 

Trying to spend as much time as possible getting familiar with the cockpit layout. Please forgive me for finding that there is no recognizable 'sense' in the arrangement of the switches and everything.

 

Not gonna bother learning weapons systems for now. I just want to get comfortable flying the aircraft. Afterwards; gonna proceed with learning the avionics.

[Fishbreath]

Is there someone kind enough to provide me with an exhaustive list of 'essentials' that must be mapped on the stick as opposed to cockpit clicking. So that I can improve efficiency.

 

Secondly; I've been only flying for a few days now (busy with work, and unfortunately gonna be so till the end of the month :( )

I seem to notice that my hand needs to be constantly on the stick (this leaves me no room to operate cockpit clickables). Everytime I let go of the stick; the craft simply wants to nose up. I've already mapped trimmer and trim reset (mapped it in the same place where I would trim in both the F-15C and A-10C for easy reference). I totally have no idea how the trimmer works. I was sort of expecting something similar to the A-10, where if I find that I'm pitching up without input; I trim down. The trimmer on the Blackshark seems to want me to careen everywhere. So how do I go about using the trimmer in such a way where I am able to let go of the stick; and the craft will remain level ?

 

My Steam guide has a list of functions I have on my HOTAS: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=216920028 It also has some information on trimmer and autopilot use, which may or may not help you for trimmer use. It's distilled from all of the trimmer threads here—there's a ton of information in all those threads, but I figured it was high time someone gathered them into one spot.

 

I'm going to be expanding it into avionics and weapons system employment before long. As for the cockpit arrangements not making a lot of sense, I hear you; the Ka-50 is a little cramped, and I guess they just packed in everything wherever they could.

[Jumbik]

Hi !

 

I just bought the Black Shark a few days ago. Been wanting to try out rotary aircraft. I hail from the fix wings (A-10C & F-15C)

 

 

I am slowly building a hotas profile for the Black Shark on my X-52. For ease of training. I try to map 'similar' functions into the same button (e.g F-15C's radar lock and A-10C's TMS Up)

 

Is there someone kind enough to provide me with an exhaustive list of 'essentials' that must be mapped on the stick as opposed to cockpit clicking. So that I can improve efficiency.

 

Secondly; I've been only flying for a few days now (busy with work, and unfortunately gonna be so till the end of the month :( )

I seem to notice that my hand needs to be constantly on the stick (this leaves me no room to operate cockpit clickables). Everytime I let go of the stick; the craft simply wants to nose up. I've already mapped trimmer and trim reset (mapped it in the same place where I would trim in both the F-15C and A-10C for easy reference). I totally have no idea how the trimmer works. I was sort of expecting something similar to the A-10, where if I find that I'm pitching up without input; I trim down. The trimmer on the Blackshark seems to want me to careen everywhere. So how do I go about using the trimmer in such a way where I am able to let go of the stick; and the craft will remain level ?

 

P.S.

 

Trying to spend as much time as possible getting familiar with the cockpit layout. Please forgive me for finding that there is no recognizable 'sense' in the arrangement of the switches and everything.

 

Not gonna bother learning weapons systems for now. I just want to get comfortable flying the aircraft. Afterwards; gonna proceed with learning the avionics.

 

Hello

 

I'm new here also and I had the same issue with trimmer as you. I do not have now after I have watched this video:

 

 

And regarding the need to have hand on stick all the time. That's also solved now after I have played the tutorial missions from the community here. Map the autopilot keys on your hotas and you will be golden. :) It's really unbelievable how easy is the helicopter to fly when you know how you can utilize the autopilot options and on route way point follow.

 

For example trimming and afterwards enabling the hold altitude autopilot will leave you with a lot of room for cockpit clicking.

 

You can also use auto-hover for example...

 

The autopilot is sophisticate enough that it can fly the whole mission for you and land at the end. With some minor adjustments of course...

 

Check the training mission here in KA 50 forums.

[arkroyale048]

@ fishbreath and jumbik

 

Thanks for the encouraging response.

 

@fishbreath

 

Awesome ! This is just what I need to get started. Looking forward to the expansion of your guides.

 

@jumbik

 

Yes; I've already watched this video. It did help somewhat. I no longer bounce everywhere when utilizing the trimmer.

 

My issue now is turning.

 

Say I'm heading in this direction; and I want to turn around. Use my rudder pedals to do so. Once I reach the heading that I want and ease off the pedal. Why is it that the craft wants to go back to my original heading ?

 

I've also mapped auto hover.

 

How exactly does the auto hover work ? I was sort of expecting something magical like; I'm in a forward flight, and all I need to do is activate auto hover; and it will on it's own, stop my forward motion, level out and hover in place. That doesn't seem to happen. Do I have to manually stop forward flight on my own and get as close to hover as I can before using auto hover ?

[Yurgon]

Say I'm heading in this direction; and I want to turn around. Use my rudder pedals to do so. Once I reach the heading that I want and ease off the pedal. Why is it that the craft wants to go back to my original heading ?

 

You should post a track.

 

Turning isn't usually performed by using the rudders. Just like in a fixed wing, helicopter pilots bank the aircraft, apply a bit of back-pressure on the cyclic and maybe step on the ball (use rudder to keep the ball centered in the slip indicator) in order to turn to a different heading.

 

But however you turn, if the chopper fights you, it's probably got to do with trim and/or the autopilot.

 

I've also mapped auto hover.

 

How exactly does the auto hover work ? I was sort of expecting something magical like; I'm in a forward flight, and all I need to do is activate auto hover; and it will on it's own, stop my forward motion, level out and hover in place. That doesn't seem to happen. Do I have to manually stop forward flight on my own and get as close to hover as I can before using auto hover ?

 

The term "Auto Hover" is misleading. Think of it as "Hover Hold". Therefore, as you suggested, getting as close to hover as you can before engaging Auto Hover is exactly the way to go. :thumbup:

 

The Ka-50 should be able to enter a stable Auto Hover if your movement speed is below 5 kph in any direction (as indicated in the HUD).

 

Also, Auto Hover wants to keep the helicopter chained to the position where it was applied. Use the trim button to reset that position to your current position and thus assist the chopper in getting into a really stable auto hover.

 

Look at the HSI, a centered cross will indicate solid auto hover, but if the cross moves out of the center of the HSI, the chopper will try to maneuver to get it centered again.

[Jumbik]

Maybe you have already seen it but I would also suggest to watch this video:

 

He covers the basics how to turn properly and how to avoid vortex rings...

 

Regarding the problem with the turning, the helicopter wants to return to previous heading after turn for two reasons, either your autopilot interferences or the heli still has negative inertia.

 

So turn off the keep current heading autopilot and try it again. If you still experience the same problem, then you will have to compensate for the turn until the inertia will balance out.

 

 

From my experience being gentle with the stick is the key. Jerking it too much will cause the most issues. Also map the remove trim button somewhere so you can stabilize the craft without too much problems.

 

Also do not forget to hide the Gears. I have problems remembering this and it causes issues at higher speeds, you will be fighting the plane a lot more with them out.

[arkroyale048]

@ Yurgon

 

Noted... I shall post a track as soon as I get some free time from work.

 

What I meant was turning in place while on hover. In which I use gentle taps on the rudder.

 

@ Jumbik

 

I'm rewatching it again to see what I have missedl.

I am not sure if my autopilot is interfering. I only have the 3 buttons lighted up on the right panel as per recommended. If I do have the current heading autopilot switched on; where do I deactivate it ?

 

I've been told that it has to do with the real life physics of a coax helicopter and helicopters in general.

 

The craft simply wants to go into the rotation of the rotors (right I believe) so one has to compensate with a little left cyclic.

[Flagrum]

I am not sure if my autopilot is interfering. I only have the 3 buttons lighted up on the right panel as per recommended. If I do have the current heading autopilot switched on; where do I deactivate it ?

The AP turns the helo back to the last heading you had originally set by applying the trimmer. That is what "heading hold" is supposed to do. You don't need (or even better: should not) to deactivate the heading hold channel, but rather just trim the helo again once the desired attitude is established.