Player-Defined Kneeboard Checklists

[ShuRugal]

I would love to have the ability to create custom checklists in-game, with the following features:

• per-aircraft and global
• are interactive in-cockpit
• always load regardless of mission or server i am flying on
• will not be clobbered by updates
• are easily shareable.

 

Right now, putting together a custom kneeboard involves navigating a thoroughly byzantine directory structure, recreating that structure in the user's saved-game files, and carefully cropping images to fit the template.

The major problems i have with this are:

1. It's very user-unfriendly
2. no cockpit interactivity

I am aware of third-party applications for kneeboards which can do some of these things, but third-party overlays are unreliable and are often broken with no warning by official updates.

 

The reason I believe this would be beneficial stems from my own real-life flying experience.  I have found that one of the most effective tools for learning a new aircraft is to sit down in the cockpit with a notepad and the manual, and make myself a set of checklists for major workflows - startup, pre-taxi, pre-takeoff, initial climb, etc. etc.  I believe that being able to bring this method into DCS would be helpful for learning new modules.

Edited April 29 by ShuRugal

[MAXsenna]

Would be very handy to have an official kneeboard manager like Kneeboard Builder with a corresponding "editor".

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[twistking]

Edited April 30 by twistking

[Exorcet]

The kneeboard system as implemented is not very user friendly which is a shame because of how useful it is for both functionality and immersion. Stuff like radio channels and waypoints should be able to be imported into kneeboard pages directly from the ME.

[Mr_sukebe]

I think that we can already do most of that, though it does need a little knowledge.

- for interactive, I use the free mod scratchpad

- aircraft specific, place in the saved games for the aircraft

- global, just in the kneeboard folder

- theatre specific, put them into the Mods/terrain folder in the DCS install

- creating them.  Personally I use Excel for my frequency KBs and  PowerPoint for everything else, which for me makes editing pretty easy.   Fot the PPT KBs, I use Portrait mode to ensure they’re in the right ratio.  When ready, Sniptool them into the correct folder and save as a .png

It’s really quite easy when you know how.

More to the point, asking ED to use resources to make KBs more user friendly potentially delays more important things like fixes and Vulkan

 

[MAXsenna]

The kneeboard system as implemented is not very user friendly which is a shame because of how useful it is for both functionality and immersion. Stuff like radio channels and waypoints should be able to be imported into kneeboard pages directly from the ME.

Radio channels already be imported if the module makers implement it. Like what have been done recently for the Sabre, Mi-8 etc. I believe. The F-5E has it in the cockpit even, though I think it only works on Caucasus. I'm talking about presets of course.

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Yeah, I knew I'd seen it!

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[ShuRugal]

2 hours ago, Mr_sukebe said:

I think that we can already do most of that, though it does need a little knowledge.

- for interactive, I use the free mod scratchpad

- aircraft specific, place in the saved games for the aircraft

- global, just in the kneeboard folder

- theatre specific, put them into the Mods/terrain folder in the DCS install

- creating them.  Personally I use Excel for my frequency KBs and  PowerPoint for everything else, which for me makes editing pretty easy.   Fot the PPT KBs, I use Portrait mode to ensure they’re in the right ratio.  When ready, Sniptool them into the correct folder and save as a .png

It’s really quite easy when you know how.

More to the point, asking ED to use resources to make KBs more user friendly potentially delays more important things like fixes and Vulkan

 

always gotta be one.  Even with the big damn header at the top saying "don't reply to suggestions with why you think it's a bad idea" at the top of the forum, so big you can't even see any threads until you scroll down...

[TheBiggerBass]

A moving map integrated into kneeboard would be great as well.

[fagulha]

It´s due in my point of view.

I use the default kneeboard, with my edited personal pages, in all of my missions but should be a way to fill a default kneeboard page with comm card frequencies (and respective callsigns) defined by the user in the DTC comms tab. It will save a lot of time when writing the frequencies to my edited comms card outside DCS and then save as .png file to my mission file.

Edited May 1 by fagulha

[Mr_sukebe]

2 hours ago, ShuRugal said:

always gotta be one.  Even with the big damn header at the top saying "don't reply to suggestions with why you think it's a bad idea" at the top of the forum, so big you can't even see any threads until you scroll down...

You’ve missed my point.

I agree that the current situation is nothing like user/noob friendly and think that it would be a very good idea to overhaul it.

However, there is a current workaround that isn’t that onerous, so my point was to:

- advise of that workaround, which some may be unaware of

- put some thought into the priority 

In short, my view is absolutely to update the KB creation.  However, I’d see that as a pretty low priority when compared to other work underway

Edited April 30 by Mr_sukebe

[Rudel_chw]

5 hours ago, ShuRugal said:

always gotta be one.  Even with the big damn header at the top saying "don't reply to suggestions with why you think it's a bad idea" at the top of the forum

 

Agree, that's why I didn't post here even if I'm a big fan of the DCS Kneeboard.