Stuck in startup tutorial: Cannot start engines with r-alt/r-ctrl + HOME

[Bahger]

Yes, those numbers are mainly used up.

 

Last night I tried assigning new commands to righr and left engine start but it still didn't work. Then I re-set the default values and the start-up worked, twice. It then failed at every subsequent attempt.

 

I am completely at a loss. I was hoping that this would be the first study sim I got deeply enough into to learn all engine start-up procedures. The fact is, my HOTAS is working perfectly and the throttle registers zero input, pre-start. This must surely be some kind of programming weakness. I'm going to have to give it up for the moment, as all this key-mashing of RALT-HOME and RCTRL HOME is doing my system no good at all.

[kylania]

Clearly the answer is to just ask your crew chief to start her up while you're getting your flight suit on so that your seat is nice and warm by the time you get there.

[Bahger]

There speaks a man with a brand new TMS Warthog.

 

I really don't know if this is a problem with my CH HOTAS or a weakness in A-10's design. I've troubleshot eveything to no avail.

 

It is so unusual in the binary world of computers for something to work perfectly some of the time and not at all for most of it.

[Bahger]

Well, I think I fixed it. In case it is of use to other CH users, here's the deal: for whatever reason, my CH throttle, at least as mapped for A-10, reads zero at full forward position on the CH Control Manager calibration screen. Inverting the Z axis in CH Control Manager does not change this readout. Because A-10 requires throttle input to be at zero for engine start-up, I have to start the engines with throttle at full power. Fortunately this does not send the jet careening across the ramp because throttle input is not activated until the instrument is moved from full forward, which, after the successful engine start, blips the engine a little on the way down but settles to idle when the throttle is moved to full back position. The sim is optimised for the TM Warthog HOTAS, whose throttle has a detent and is obviously not activated by being moved from full forward. I'm curious to know why it works this way in CM or if it's a user mapping error that should be amended but at least I now have a modus operandi for engine start. As always, thanks for your patience and expertise.

[AKA_Clutter]

Bahger,

 

Glad you got it "fixed". I have CH gear and use CH Manager and generally run it in profile mode. TO date, I have had no issues with the sim or doing ramp starts. In Ramp starts I do use the keyboard commands (RALT + HOME and RCNRL + HOME) to move the throttles to the idle position. Like I said, I have not had any issues with this. A squad-mate did have an issue similar to what you described earlier. This was solved by setting a small dead zone ( ~ 3 to 5) at the throttle full back position. Drop me a PM if you have more questions or wish to swap profiles and CMS files.

[nomdeplume]

Well, I think I fixed it. In case it is of use to other CH users, here's the deal: for whatever reason, my CH throttle, at least as mapped for A-10, reads zero at full forward position on the CH Control Manager calibration screen. Inverting the Z axis in CH Control Manager does not change this readout. Because A-10 requires throttle input to be at zero for engine start-up, I have to start the engines with throttle at full power.

 

That sounds very strange. Are you inverting the throttle in the CH software? It might be worth undoing that, and inverting it within the game's controller configuration to see if that makes a difference.

 

I've been playing it since it came out with an x52 (got my HOTAS Warthog yesterday :D) and haven't had any problem with the throttle. It's definitely not because the game expects/is optimised for the TM set.

 

I don't think I've seen anyone on the forum have that problem either and found the solution was to put the throttle to 100% to startup... that's definitely a new one! I really do think you've somehow got an unusual configuration set up.

[Bahger]

Yeah, I tried un-inverting the throttle in CM and inverting it within the game's command interface but it didn't behave as logic would dictate, for whatever reason. Bob Church, the CH uber-guru at the CH Hangar, confirms that the throttle Z-axis is supposed to be configured like that, go figure.

 

I really don't mind having to start the engines with the throttle at full-throw, as long as it does not actually engage the engines until it is moved quickly back to idle, because this means that there is no chance of the jet careening across the ramp on start-up.

 

Actually, at least five people have reported having this issue on various forums. Most seem to have cured it by making a small deadzone for their CH throttle.

 

I can't claim to understand the technicalities of CH HOTAS programming in great detail; for all their attempts to make it user-friendly it is essentially graduate-level geekery. In five years of having CH kit I've discovered that it has its eccentricities and this is one of them. Otherwise it works beautifully, though. There is probably some way to reprogram the throttle to read zero at idle and progress to whatever the value is for full power in the direction one would expect but, as I say, as long as it is actuated only when it is moved, and when actuated behaves like a throttle should and in the right direction, then I don't mind that it meets the sim's requirement for a zero throttle value on engine start at the wrong end.

 

PS Clutter, thanks for your kind offer of assistance, it's always good to know there are other CH users out there who can lend a hand when needed.

[Chief Instructor]

Bahger,

 

I had EXACTLY the same problem as you. In addition, my trackIR5 refused to work aswell. HERE'S THE INTERESTING BIT:

 

I installed clean from the complete BETA 3 dowenload, not a patched install. I am running Windows 7 64 bit home edition and it took me a while to realise that the install had placed 4 shortcuts on my desktop - 2 for single player and 2 for multi player. Our of the two single player shortcuts there is one which is just called DCS A10 Single player (or something similar) THIS IS THE ONE I WAS USING. However, I eventually noticed that there was another single player one called Single player_x86. I tried this one and presto... TrackIR worked as did the normal key based engine start up! :-)

 

If you track the properties of the two single player shortcuts, they are starting two different .exe files, depending on which one you choose. Have a scan through your game install directories and find the .exe within a folder called x86 and try that one. I guess this has something to do wih a 64 bit install but I don;t know which way aound it is supposed to be!

 

Anyway, it solved the startup, joystick and TIR problems for me! Maybe there is something funny going on during the install process...

 

Good luck.

 

P.S. I can't give you exact file and location names right now because I'm at work! Otherwise I would have.

 

Luke

[MTFDarkEagle]

the x86 is an indication of the 32bit installation. x64 is for 64 bit. During install you have the option to install the 32bit allongside the 64 bit. The TIR doesn't work in the 64bit version yet.

[Chief Instructor]

Indeed. However, the X64 shortcut is not labelled as such and therefore, I was mistakenly running that instead of 32 bit. In the 64 bit version the engine start sequence using the keys as described did not work. The post originator may have made the same mistake...