Confusion about HOTAS layout - please help!

[Laminator]

After having drooled on my keyboard for quite some hours ´cos of my excitement about this nice sim I´m now trying to get to serious business and try to work out my VAC and HOTAS profiles.

 

And right here my confusion starts to build up massively. I´ve read the manual for some hours and watched some training lessons and videos on youtube, but up till now I really do not know what could be a really good approach for a consistent handling-philosophy for my X-52 HOTAS.

 

One approach could be to mimic the real HOTAS-concept of the A-10C as described in the coresponding manual chapter (i.e. using the 3 X-52 modes to map my 3 hats and some buttons to all the real HOTAS-functions found in the A-10 pit). But I think this method relies heavily on the use of the mouse in the clickable pit.

Another one could be to map explicit functions to all the availible buttons and hats without mimicing the real thing (i.e. e.g. btn x = toggle gear, btn y = toggle airbrake and so on).

 

As the A-10C with all it´s systems is quite complex I think it´s essential to have a solid concept for the task at hand to make it easier to handle the aircraft in the heat of battle.

 

So I´m questioning myself which method other experienced simmers with limited budget have chosen? Any hints which direction to go? Any help would be highly appreciated.

 

regards

Laminator

[Frederf]

I have an X-45 and I've managed to get every single command on the HOTAS with only the pinky shift button (no M1, M2, M3). Modes kinda suck to use. Shifts are kinder on the user.

 

Definitely try to recreate the real HOTAS as well as you can. If you must you can leave off a few of the less common commands like master exterior lights, speedbrake, or boat to the keyboard. DMS, TMS, Trim, CMS... these are super important. I have them over two hats with a shift key. Trim and CMS are the shifted states of DMS and TMS respectively.

 

There are some toggles on the X-52 throttle base which make fine gear/flaps commands but they aren't critical. I use shift (up) and ctrl (down) for F flaps and G gear. My entire letters are bound to the CDU keyboard so I can type naturally into the scratchpad.

[EtherealN]

My suggestion would be to make mappings on your profile to correspond to the default keyboard keys found for various functions in the HOTAS configuration menu. This will allow you to designate a specific hat as "TMS", "DMS" etcetera, and thus you will not be required to memorise different switches for the long/short commands.

 

Also, do make use of the Shift modifier on the x52 - so you can have the two hats on the stick itself set up thusly (as an example):

 

Lower Hat: DMS

Lower Hat + Shift: Trim

Upper Hat: TMS

Upper Hat + Shift: CMS

 

Thus, you then find all of the functions that should be on the stick on the stick. Then on the throttle:

 

Hat: Slew

Hat + Shift: Hat

 

You'll still have to find a way to set up the boat/china etcetera. I personally used the toggle switches on the base of the stick when I used my x52, but to be honest I'm suspecting that it might be better to have them allocated to Mode2+Shift. Thus you never have to move your hand off the stick, and irrespective of which mode you are in you will always have Slew, DMS and TMS available.

 

Similarly, for some commands such as the airbrakes, you could select button D for retract, and Button D+Shift to deploy. (Always have the retract breaks as the most easy to access one.)

[Laminator]

Thx a lot u2 for pointing that out! That absolutely clarifies which route to go.

[EtherealN]

Just in case as well: remember that by Shift modifier - don't use the keyboard Shift. Use the one on the stick - the default is the one at the pinky. Just struck me that there's overlap in naming there. :)

 

One other things as well that might be helpful depending on how your brain functions (at least if it's like mine, this'll help): don't sit there and just immediately try to map everything right away. Map the hats and the obvious stuff like the cannon and weapon release, but don't worry if you then have buttons that are unused - start flying and you'll soon find something to map to them. Point being: you'll soon notice which things you need and which things (if any) you can keep on the keyboard. I also found this process to make it easier to learn them - you're not faced with memorising 6 hats and twenty three buttons all at the same time.

Edited April 29, 2011 by EtherealN

[Laminator]

...

One other things as well that might be helpful depending on how your brain functions (at least if it's like mine, this'll help): don't sit there and just immediately try to map everything right away. Map the hats and the obvious stuff like the cannon and weapon release, but don't worry if you then have buttons that are unused - start flying and you'll soon find something to map to them. Point being: you'll soon notice which things you need and which things (if any) you can keep on the keyboard. I also found this process to make it easier to learn them - you're not faced with memorising 6 hats and twenty three buttons all at the same time.

 

Exactly my approach.

The only way for me to realize what is really needed often and quickly - and thus useful on the HOTAS, and other functions that seem important while reading but are rarely used in real action and thus ok to be on the keyboard or so.

 

Once again thx for your support, it´s highly apprecated when a routined user is helping out in this critical and important topics:)

[ErichVon]

After having drooled on my keyboard for quite some hours ´cos of my excitement about this nice sim I´m now trying to get to serious business and try to work out my VAC and HOTAS profiles.

 

And right here my confusion starts to build up massively. I´ve read the manual for some hours and watched some training lessons and videos on youtube, but up till now I really do not know what could be a really good approach for a consistent handling-philosophy for my X-52 HOTAS.

 

One approach could be to mimic the real HOTAS-concept of the A-10C as described in the coresponding manual chapter (i.e. using the 3 X-52 modes to map my 3 hats and some buttons to all the real HOTAS-functions found in the A-10 pit). But I think this method relies heavily on the use of the mouse in the clickable pit.

Another one could be to map explicit functions to all the availible buttons and hats without mimicing the real thing (i.e. e.g. btn x = toggle gear, btn y = toggle airbrake and so on).

 

As the A-10C with all it´s systems is quite complex I think it´s essential to have a solid concept for the task at hand to make it easier to handle the aircraft in the heat of battle.

 

So I´m questioning myself which method other experienced simmers with limited budget have chosen? Any hints which direction to go? Any help would be highly appreciated.

 

regards

Laminator

 

I use KonKuSSion's CH Manager .map for CH gear.

 

It took me a month to figure it out so it actually works as he intended. I still am on baby food as to the CH Control Manager and this @#$% game / sim.

 

If you need help with his .map , CH specific, other than Kon helping you, I am the guy to ask.

 

Yesterday, after about 2 months, I now know what the difference is between the SHORT and LONG commands concerning HOTAS. LOL!

 

Maybe go to a X-52 forum and see if somebody has already created an A-10C profile you can copy, is my best advice to doing it easier.

 

I found Kon back in February by going to Google. He was top of the list concerning CH gear and LockOn. I got into this A-10C sim by finding LockOn Platinum to BestBuy back in January. I am not impressed at all, the training tutorials in the Platinum series and maybe why I got it, 2 CDs for $20; nobody wanted it, they knew...

 

My Saitek adventure was the AV8R-01. It slops out after about 2 years of heavy use. I decided to go with the best, my CH trio. Not cheap. When it craps out, back to the factory for R&R and I'll get another set.

 

Erich

:pilotfly:

[TimA]

As an alternative to creating your own, you could have a look at SFJackBauer's X-52 profile:

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=58484

 

It is highly recommended, the hat setup is extremely intuitive once you get used to it.

[Laminator]

Thx all for your input.

 

@TimA: Thx for the link, quite interesting read.

I won´t use it as is, but this profile is really good inspiration how to solve some areas. And creating the profile on my own helps me a great lenght to memorize what I need to know. It´s like having prepared papers for cheating in school - you never need them, cos u know the stuff you have written ;)