A New Level

[GreyBadger]

Thanks again all. :thumbup:

 

Mrs Badger tells me it's all ordered, so now I just have to play the waiting game. It's pretty exiting stuff I can tell you! Although I play a good few genres and RPG gives it a run for its money, simulation has always held a special place in my heart. But before this I've never had the opportunity for the kind of immersion that these items should bring to the table and I can't wait to try them out not only with A-10C, but with "IL2 1946" and "Take On Helicopters" as well. :)

 

And that's just to start! There are plenty of others hiding in my games chest. But I really would like to try and learn the Warthog this time around and to do that I'm going to have to keep the list have on board short but distinguished.

 

Just to clear up a wrong impression I gave by the way. I DO use a headset. I use it for MP gaming with my friend from the States so we can talk on Skype while we play and I use it if Mrs Badger has gone to bed and I don't want to make any noise. But I have never found headsets comfortable and I have tried a number of them over the years, both over ear, on ear and in ear. The only difference has been how long it is until I find I have to take them off.

 

Because the pro clip uses a headset though, adopting it would put me in the position of having to wear a headset EVERY time I fly the hog and to borrow a phrase from my trans Atlantic buddies..... "Thet dawg ain't gonna hunt!" :lol:

 

I was once invited to play multiplayer "IL2" by the good folks over that the "Combatsim" forums and I still remember it years later as one of the best MP Sim sessions I've ever played. Sadly I've not played a flightsim online since, (unless you count a very quick look at the v's mode of "Rise of Flight") but if I do get the opportunity to play multiplayer Hog, I'll just wear the headset over the hat for that session.

 

Of course I'll also need my glasses.... so it'll be the glasses under the headset, over the hat. Oh..and a Biggles scarf.. so Biggles scarf under the headset and glasses, over the hat. Wait..that doesn't sound right.. oh whatever, you get the gist.

 

Badger

[159th_Viper]

Wait till the Wife walks in on you in that getup.........

 

Yes, we have all been there and yes, you never forget that first bout of hysterical giggles, turning into rip-roaring laughter, emanating from her delicate frame!

 

Don't worry......your self-confidence does return.......eventually :P

[Mt5_Roie]

Just this weekend I was helping someone out in multiplayer so I had my track Ir hat on and a cheap headset. I don't know where the time went and I could not hear anything but my A10. My gf all of a sudden runs in the room screaming..I had to kill these two bugs I found because you are busy with your plane and wouldn't respond.

 

Hehe I cracked myself up because she hates bugs but that's what Raid is for.

[GreyBadger]

Hi all

 

Just thought I'd thank you all again for your various advice and let you know that both items arrived unexpectedly today and so they're now.... well.. not set up, but in place anyway. :lol:

 

They arrived "unexpectedly" because I didn't read the dispatch notes properly. I thought that the Trackir was coming by post in May and that the X52 was arriving today by "UPS".

 

"UPS" duly arrived, but delivered the Trackir... erm... ok.. on rechecking it was the X52 which was coming by post and not in May but next week on Monday.

 

Except that an hour later it turned up as well! My head hurts.

 

Seriously, how much hope have I got of learning this sim, when I can't even master two delivery dates without malfunctioning!

 

But enough of that rubbish, what about the toys. :D

 

Well I started with the Trackir and was immediately concerned by the fact that the accompanying manual came in about six different languages... but none of them was English! There was a quick start guide in English though and happily the manual is available in English on their website.

 

I hooked the camera onto the top of my monitor (isn't it dinky? For some reason I thought it was going to be bigger) downloaded and installed the software and with baited breath I turned it on..... it worked, but it wasn't right.

 

Now the truth is I saw the bit about making sure that the camera was the same height as the sensors, but I just thought "fnar fnar blurg, they're just covering themselves." the desk I use has a sort of shelf section with draws in it, which sits at the back of the desk and on which the monitor was sitting, so what could I do?

 

Nope, they weren't covering themselves. Turns out it's really important :music_whistling: and my desk no longer has a shelf bit with draws in it, which sits at the back. ( I always hated that thing anyway!)

 

Now I tried again and it was too low! (Oh come on!!) The camera was properly tracking the sensors now, but I couldn't bob up. It's logical that the monitor should have a height adjuster no? but I can't see it if it does.:huh:

 

Help was at hand though in the form of a little shelf with legs we had kicking around, which sits about three inches high and which seems to have solved the problem. The guide cross in the software display is still a little high, but I can bob and I think I'll get away with it. :thumbup:

 

Time to fire up the Warthog then. :D By now I didn't have time for an extended session, so I just replayed the startup tutorial and Great Caesars' Ghost, that is a HUGE difference! :lol:

I can just look where the arrows are pointing! No more coolie hat followed by fevered pressing of "/" and "*". And I watched the canopy come down.. all the way down! And the up front dash.. it's not a 2d box at all, it's a wedge and there's a dashboard beyond it! just..wow!

 

Look I've yattered on so long that I don't have time to tell you about the X52. Except to say..ooooooh, sooo many buttons and see, see it has pretty lights..ooooh..oh and it's telling me the time and the date.. I'll never be late again I tells ya! but so many buttons and three "modes" which triples the buttons and with one switch as a modifier, well that would... erm.. sextuple the buttons!! Aaaaaaaand my head hurts again. :lol:

 

That's it lads, I'll let you go. thanks again for all the hints and tips.

 

Badger

[71st_Mastiff]

Always a delight to watch people discover new tech.

[cichlidfan]

Even driving a simulated 18-wheeler is a great deal of fun when you have TIR. ;)

[Rusty_M]

The TrackClip Pro could be connected to an Alice Band or anything else that could go round your head in that manner. You could probably fashion something out of tape that could clip it to a baseball cap worn sideways.

[cichlidfan]

Here is a picture of what I have used for the ProClip when I did not want headphones.

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=1697949&postcount=18

 

EDIT: I am going to guess that it is what Rusty calls an 'Alice band'. ;)

Edited April 17, 2013 by cichlidfan

[Rusty_M]

It is. Although I just called it a hairband until I met my wife.

 

Edit: She says to be careful you don't accidentally fire it into your own eye.

[cichlidfan]

It is. Although I just called it a hairband until I met my wife.

 

I had not heard the term before but it makes sense.

[Dusty Rhodes]

Wait till the first time you answer the door with your Track IR clip on your hat. Or forget to take it off when you go downtown. Good time, good times..........

[shagrat]

Did you have your wife / GF open the door to your room, showing her girlfriend the "cute" husband "playing" his flight games (TrackIR, HOTAS and all)... giggling and closing the door again? Now i know why animals in the zoo never look happy...

[Harzach]

Of course they can't spell properly across the other side of the pond. Bless em. :lol:

 

:music_whistling:

[Cookie]

Wait till the first time you answer the door with your Track IR clip on your hat. Or forget to take it off when you go downtown. Good time, good times..........

Or wait till the first time you sit in a movie theater and frantically move your head around because you wanna see the thing that is juuuuuuust a touch to the left of the screen. Just pray your friends don´t notice... you´ll never hear the end of it. :D

[Hamblue]

Did you have your wife / GF open the door to your room, showing her girlfriend the "cute" husband "playing" his flight games (TrackIR, HOTAS and all)... giggling and closing the door again? Now i know why animals in the zoo never look happy...

I did and quickly invited them in to check it out.

Friends thought it was cool.

[GreyBadger]

Afternoon All

 

I have a new question today relating specifically to the "X52 Pro" and not yet knowing how the forumites like to see it done, I was torn between adding it to this thread, or starting a new thread...

 

I'm going to add it here I think. I've already talked about both peripherals here and it keeps things tidy right?

 

Anywhoo.. I've still not done any programming on the HOTAS. Despite jay43 very kindly taking the time to write me out two pm's worth of basic instructions to get me started, I still haven't quite got my head around it yet. I just need some time for it to filter through though, coupled with reading the programming guide I found on the right click menu for the stick. :)

 

While I'm cogitating though, I need a basic working stick and so I used the link provided by Mac10 and poached some of the good ideas for button placement (just for the bits and bobs I need right now) and set about adding them in via the games options menu.

 

The profile had the speed brakes mapped to the slider on the throttle, which I rather liked and the trim mapped to the two twirly wheels on the throttle, which I wasn't so sure of, but on reflection can see working out. When I went to add them in the control options page though, the Warthog wasn't having any of it and I found I couldn't select them as control imputs. (Instead I've temporarily mapped the speed brakes to the third of the metal switches on the bottom of the Joystick and the trim to the coolie hat on the throttle.)

 

The upshot of this is that I "think" I just learned something about the programming software and my new question to you clever folk is, am I right?

 

Up to this I've been struggling a little to understand why I would want to bother with the HOTAS software programming, which seems a fairly mammoth task. When DCS A-10C provides me with perfectly good tools to map out the joystick functions.

 

The "X52 Pro" though, simulates keypresses on the keyboard after it's programmed. Something jay was trying to tell me and the relevance of which might have been a little lost on me at first. But if (when I feel clever enough to do it) I program the speed brake for example to the slider and tell the software that the keys used (presumably using a modifier function of some sort) are from memory L-ctr + B & LShift + B. Does the game then accept the slider that it wouldn't before as a simulated keypress? And is THAT why I'll be wanting to use the HOTAS software? :)

 

Hopefully that all made some sense. :lol:

 

Badger

[Hamblue]

did you try programming in the axis section?

The slider probably won't work for the speed brakes because that function doesn't need it. Any 3 way button can be mapped, just push to hold.

[pii]

Afternoon All

 

I have a new question today relating specifically to the "X52 Pro" and not yet knowing how the forumites like to see it done, I was torn between adding it to this thread, or starting a new thread...

 

I'm going to add it here I think. I've already talked about both peripherals here and it keeps things tidy right?

 

Anywhoo.. I've still not done any programming on the HOTAS. Despite jay43 very kindly taking the time to write me out two pm's worth of basic instructions to get me started, I still haven't quite got my head around it yet. I just need some time for it to filter through though, coupled with reading the programming guide I found on the right click menu for the stick. :)

 

While I'm cogitating though, I need a basic working stick and so I used the link provided by Mac10 and poached some of the good ideas for button placement (just for the bits and bobs I need right now) and set about adding them in via the games options menu.

 

The profile had the speed brakes mapped to the slider on the throttle, which I rather liked and the trim mapped to the two twirly wheels on the throttle, which I wasn't so sure of, but on reflection can see working out. When I went to add them in the control options page though, the Warthog wasn't having any of it and I found I couldn't select them as control imputs. (Instead I've temporarily mapped the speed brakes to the third of the metal switches on the bottom of the Joystick and the trim to the coolie hat on the throttle.)

 

The upshot of this is that I "think" I just learned something about the programming software and my new question to you clever folk is, am I right?

 

Up to this I've been struggling a little to understand why I would want to bother with the HOTAS software programming, which seems a fairly mammoth task. When DCS A-10C provides me with perfectly good tools to map out the joystick functions.

 

The "X52 Pro" though, simulates keypresses on the keyboard after it's programmed. Something jay was trying to tell me and the relevance of which might have been a little lost on me at first. But if (when I feel clever enough to do it) I program the speed brake for example to the slider and tell the software that the keys used (presumably using a modifier function of some sort) are from memory L-ctr + B & LShift + B. Does the game then accept the slider that it wouldn't before as a simulated keypress? And is THAT why I'll be wanting to use the HOTAS software? :)

 

Hopefully that all made some sense. :lol:

 

Badger

 

Yes the advantage of the software is it is just suppling key presses so as long as you have the correct keypress assigned it should work. (I havn't programmed a x52 in awhile so hopefully that hasn't changed)

 

Assigning buttons to the config in a-10 is generally easier, IMO, though and by assigning modifiers you can pretty much do it all that way. But , and I don't know why, sometime ED doesn't let you assign certain things to certain devices, as you've found out, and that can throw a kink into your plans.:huh:

 

Instead of trying to program the whole thing you may want to just add to your config as you learn the sim. I find it easier to remember what I've programmed that way and you don't have to learn someone elses profile on top of learning the sim.

 

So how do you like your new toys ? You gst the TrackIR yet?

 

opps never mind just went back and saw your Alice Band snicker snicker :-) I got to say that doesn't look to comfy with all those teeth, you must really hate headphones.

Edited April 20, 2013 by pii

[Yellonet]

What kind of control you can assign to a certain function is dependant on how that function is controlled in reality. For example, the speed brakes are not manipulated with a slider but with a sort of rocker button.

To engage the speed brakes you hold the rocker in the rear position until the speed brakes are extended as much as you want, then let go and the rocker goes to its middle position, to disengage you move the rocker to the front position where it will stay.

[shagrat]

The "X52 Pro" though, simulates keypresses on the keyboard after it's programmed. Something jay was trying to tell me and the relevance of which might have been a little lost on me at first. But if (when I feel clever enough to do it) I program the speed brake for example to the slider and tell the software that the keys used (presumably using a modifier function of some sort) are from memory L-ctr + B & LShift + B. Does the game then accept the slider that it wouldn't before as a simulated keypress? And is THAT why I'll be wanting to use the HOTAS software? :)

 

Hopefully that all made some sense. :lol:

 

Badger

Yes, thats the "problem" with the X-52. You assume correct, it needs two things to get this working. A X-52 pro Profile that needs to be loaded through the Tray Application before launching DCS and a Config in DCS itself to map buttons and "keystrokes" to aircraft controls.

 

The X-52 pro Profile should be used to map the slider as a three zone control, upper zone 10-15% emulates a keystroke "v" for example, a middle zone 70-80% where nothing happens and a lower zone 10-15% again assigned a keystroke "c" for example... Do NOT use ALT,SHIFT or CTRL with this it will modify ALL other keys on the keyboard while engaged.

 

Now you have the slider working like the Airbrake full up you get continuous "v", in the middle position it stops, in full down position you get continous "c"

 

In DCS you now bind "HOTAS Speed Brake Switch Forward" to the keystroke "v" and "HOTAS Speed Brake Switch Aft" to "c", voilà the slider operates the speedbrake like the Warthog HOTAS :D

 

Do not worry about "c" and "v", usually used for CHINA HAT FWD/AFT you will have this controlled by buttons from your X-52 anyway so you won't need the keyboard for that.:thumbup:

[pii]

What kind of control you can assign to a certain function is dependant on how that function is controlled in reality. For example, the speed brakes are not manipulated with a slider but with a sort of rocker button.

To engage the speed brakes you hold the rocker in the rear position until the speed brakes are extended as much as you want, then let go and the rocker goes to its middle position, to disengage you move the rocker to the front position where it will stay.

 

That sounds logical but there are controls that you could easily assign a button press to that Ed won't let you in a10c.

[GreyBadger]

G'Day folks

 

did you try programming in the axis section?

The slider probably won't work for the speed brakes because that function doesn't need it. Any 3 way button can be mapped, just push to hold.

I did look at the axis section, but couldn't see the function in there. To be honest choosing different headings from that drop down menu and then searching to see if I've hit on the right one is a right old pain. It often seems easier just to select "all" and then wade through the entire list to find the control I'm looking for! Fingers crossed after I've had to do that for a while, I'll start to get a feel for where they've put stuff in that list.

 

Instead of trying to program the whole thing you may want to just add to your config as you learn the sim. I find it easier to remember what I've programmed that way and you don't have to learn someone elses profile on top of learning the sim.

Actually I had been thinking along those exact lines and for that exact reason. :) At the moment I've only set up (in the game, not the stick software) the controls I need for takeoff and landing. When I go back to that Nav tutorial, which I skipped because it was so complicated, I'm guessing I'll be sharing HOTAS and keyboard duties at this stage rather than trying to figure out where to put what. :lol:

 

So how do you like your new toys ? You gst the TrackIR yet?

Yes they're great pii. I did post a quick first impressions, but in fairness it was more of a "ooooh" and "ahhhh" post than a proper "Paws On", so I don't blame you for missing it.

 

opps never mind just went back and saw your Alice Band snicker snicker :-) I got to say that doesn't look to comfy with all those teeth, you must really hate headphones.

Ah yes.. that's not mine pii. Somebody else posted that as a suggested alternative so that I might get the pro clip thingie if I wanted. I opted for the basic one instead and now model a nifty baseball cap as I fly. Being made to Look like "Rimmer" from "Red Dwarf" is a small price to pay to be able to see all the way around the furry dice hanging in the cockpit. Oooooooh.... six really is opposite one. It's a miracle I tells ya!

 

 

What kind of control you can assign to a certain function is dependant on how that function is controlled in reality. For example, the speed brakes are not manipulated with a slider but with a sort of rocker button.

To engage the speed brakes you hold the rocker in the rear position until the speed brakes are extended as much as you want, then let go and the rocker goes to its middle position, to disengage you move the rocker to the front position where it will stay.

Hey... so setting it temporarily to that metal rocker turned out to be exactly the right thing to do. :) Maybe I have a feel for this after all. Maybe I just got lucky. Only time will tell. :lol:

 

The X-52 pro Profile should be used to map the slider as a three zone control, upper zone 10-15% emulates a keystroke "v" for example, a middle zone 70-80% where nothing happens and a lower zone 10-15% again assigned a keystroke "c" for example... Do NOT use ALT,SHIFT or CTRL with this it will modify ALL other keys on the keyboard while engaged.

 

Now you have the slider working like the Airbrake full up you get continuous "v", in the middle position it stops, in full down position you get continous "c"

 

In DCS you now bind "HOTAS Speed Brake Switch Forward" to the keystroke "v" and "HOTAS Speed Brake Switch Aft" to "c", voilà the slider operates the speedbrake like the Warthog HOTAS :D

Erk!! So Who's on first again?

Yup.. all things considered the rocker is looking pretty good to me after all. :lol:

 

Badger

[jay43]

Badger

For the slider to work as speedbrake it needs to be assigned as Bands click on the little black arrow in the profile software next to the slider it will show fall back no function and some others can't remember but the one you need is Bands click that.

You will now see its divided that slider into 3 boxes, you can add more but you only need the 3 for the speedbrake to work.

Now adjust the % to 0% - 25% in the upper box and the lower go 75% - 100%, in the middle right click and in the pop up list check on do nothing for the middle box, so in the middle zone of the bands it will send no functions at all.

Next assign which keys you wish the speedbrake to use lets say A for open and B for close just for ease.

Make sure you save it and load it as a working profile, next open the game and in options and controls as before goto keyboard see whats being used as speedbrake clear it and now assign new click on the box for open speedbrake now push or pull the slider and it will put the key you binded in the stick where you want it.

In Axis you can adjust it to behave like a slider i just can't remember if i did that or not, and can't check now as i am using the TMWH stick.

[71st_Mastiff]

Scince i use a ch fighter stick i assigned the x52 throttle clutch button to toggle speed break.

[Yurgon]

Erk!! So Who's on first again?

 

. :)