Valtyr Posted July 30, 2011 Posted July 30, 2011 Howdy, This post is mostly for people who own the Sim and don't play a lot or at all because they lack a true HOTAS setup for their computer or for people who are interested in this sim but don't want to purchase expensive hardware. I am currently playing this game with a simple Logitech 3D Extreme Pro, TrackIR5 a mouse and a keyboard and it's not bad. I will not tell you that you will not enjoy this game more with better hardware, I just want to tell you that it's possible to play AND enjoy DCS A-10 with low budget hardware. Here is how my set-up works. Obviously I use my track IR to look around the cockpit and zoom in and out (leaning forward and backward). Since I use a TrackIR I freed the 1 PoV switch that my Joystick has and I assigned keyboard keys as shift keys in combination with my PoV hat. For Example: My TMS, DMS switch and my china hat all work of my PoV hat switch, I use X,Z and C as shift keys. All I had to do was to memorize those keys and I can fly without constantly having to glance at my keyboard. I hope this makes sense. I have mapped Speedbreaks, NVG's and CMS switch forward and aft to the 8 buttons located next to the stick. I've assigned all important functions of the Airplane and HOTAS this way, most in combination with my 1 PoV hat switch and it's fairly easy to fly, I hardly ever even look at my keyboard anymore. After I assigned my keys I printed out the HOTAS chart that came with the digital version of the game and simply wrote down the keys that shift that function for my PoV switch on my actual joystick. It's a quick and easy to use reference just in case I forget something (which happens). I also drew a quick reference for weapons, RWI codes etc. etc. on the same chart. Well I hope this post made some sense and if you have any questions or suggestions for this post please do let me know. Also if you are interested in my control files, message me and I will do my best to get them to you. Cheers.
Guest Izoul123 Posted July 30, 2011 Posted July 30, 2011 yep, I'm actually using the same joystick and track ir5 as well. was track ir5 that made the sim playable really though. i am saving for the warthog hotas though. still tough to justify 500 bones for a controller...so nice though...sim would be so more more playable/immersive.
RodBorza Posted July 30, 2011 Posted July 30, 2011 Same here. A very simple 10-button controller with throttle embedded. Coolie Hat, China Hat, Slew and Radio on keyboard. TrackIR 5 to llok around, two joystick buttons to zoom in and zoom out. Works beuatifully. As Izoul123 said, justifying 500 bucks for a HOTAS...well... not desirable right now. This is an amazing sim! 'Nuff said!:pilotfly: YouTube: SloppyDog
galagamo Posted July 30, 2011 Posted July 30, 2011 I played this sim with my X52 for a long time before I got the TMWH, there is no going back. Sure you can enjoy it w/o the TMWH but after you've used this HOTAS for any length of time you will be jaded. It would be like going from caviar, to minced dogfood. Not trying to discourage anyone, just saying ignorance is bliss:music_whistling: One of the advantages of being single with no dependents is I can afford this crap so there is a trade off [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] OS:WIN7 HP X64|MOBO:ASRock Z68|CPU:I52500k@4Ghz|RAM:12Gb 3x4Gb GSkill Ripjaws 9-9-9-24 @1600Mhz|GPU:ASUS GTX580|HDD:2x128Gb Crucial sataIII SSD raid0|PSU:Antek 1000watt|Case:Antek 1200|Peripherals: TMWH|Saitek ProFlight rudder pedals|TrackIr4
cichlidfan Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 I am playing with some definate money invested in controllers BUT... the most important point about most successful setups is that they all include head tracking. I think that head tracking of some kind is the real critical item...not the HOTAS hardware. If I had limited funds I would put TIR first and then see what kind of controller I could swing! ASUS ROG Maximus VIII Hero, i7-6700K, Noctua NH-D14 Cooler, Crucial 32GB DDR4 2133, Samsung 950 Pro NVMe 256GB, Samsung EVO 250GB & 500GB SSD, 2TB Caviar Black, Zotac GTX 1080 AMP! Extreme 8GB, Corsair HX1000i, Phillips BDM4065UC 40" 4k monitor, VX2258 TouchScreen, TIR 5 w/ProClip, TM Warthog, VKB Gladiator Pro, Saitek X56, et. al., MFG Crosswind Pedals #1199, VolairSim Pit, Rift CV1 :thumbup:
Guest Izoul123 Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 I played this sim with my X52 for a long time before I got the TMWH, there is no going back. Sure you can enjoy it w/o the TMWH but after you've used this HOTAS for any length of time you will be jaded. It would be like going from caviar, to minced dogfood. Not trying to discourage anyone, just saying ignorance is bliss:music_whistling: One of the advantages of being single with no dependents is I can afford this crap so there is a trade off Oh I'm sure it is incredible. I just have to make a decision to comit lots of time to the simulator, otherwise it's not worth it if I'll be bored 6 months from now. I don't think I will though. SO much to learn. Relearning on the actual warthog hotas I'm sure will take a day or two.
Tone71 Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 My TMS, DMS switch and my china hat all work of my PoV hat switch, I use X,Z and C as shift keys. I used my Saitek Cyborg Evo for months in much the same way; I used the 3 base buttons as "shift" keys for the POV hat, so I could switch between TMS, DMS and Slew (without shift it defaulted to Coolie). China hat fwd/aft was assigned to 2 thumb buttons. I found this setup to be perfectly useable and enjoyable. After learning the ropes and realising I loved the game (sim!) I decided to invest £120 in an X52 Pro. Windows 10 Home, Intel Core i7-9700K @ 4.6GHz, Gigabyte GTX 1070 G1 Gaming (8GB VRAM) on 34" LG curved monitor @ 3440x1440, 32GB RAM, TrackIR 3 (with Vector Expansion), Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS, Saitek Combat Pedals, Thrustmaster Cougar MFDs.
Valtyr Posted August 1, 2011 Author Posted August 1, 2011 I agree as well, a TrackIR or any homebrewed head tracking solution is what makes or breakes a good controller set-up. All I wanted to do this this post was to encourage players to give the game a try even if all they have is a 30 dollar joystick. I have no doubt that playing this Sim with a real HOTAS stick is great but for some of us that just isn't an option for whatever reasons. Cheers.
Recommended Posts