Author Topic: Extend saved "Mode" settings to include "dead band" and "damping"  (Read 1019 times)

Offline TDeacon

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I would like to see *all* flight-related settings integrated into the “Mode” settings, including "Dead Band" and "Damping" settings.  It would be much more convenient to be able to pick one mode for AC and another for GV, without having to further fine-tune them every time. 

MH

Offline TDeacon

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Re: Extend saved "Mode" settings to include "dead band" and "damping"
« Reply #1 on: April 13, 2012, 09:41:28 AM »
Does no comment mean contempuous rejection?  :-)

MH

Offline RTHolmes

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Re: Extend saved "Mode" settings to include "dead band" and "damping"
« Reply #2 on: April 13, 2012, 10:13:12 AM »
Deadband should be a global setting, cant see any reason why you would want to tie it to modes.

Damping - I never really understood what it does :headscratch:
71 (Eagle) Squadron

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Offline Wiley

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Re: Extend saved "Mode" settings to include "dead band" and "damping"
« Reply #3 on: April 13, 2012, 10:56:33 AM »
Deadband should be a global setting, cant see any reason why you would want to tie it to modes.

Damping - I never really understood what it does :headscratch:

I could see it being of use if one wanted different settings depending on what you were in, like a fighter vs a GV/gun vs a bomber...

Damping as I understand it basically slows down quick movements, so if you slap your stick from center to full left as fast as you can, the input to the game doesn't happen as fast if you have damping turned up.

+1 to it being something along the lines of a checkbox for 'spread stick sensitivity settings across all modes', default checked.

Wiley.
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Offline hitech

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Re: Extend saved "Mode" settings to include "dead band" and "damping"
« Reply #4 on: April 13, 2012, 11:02:09 AM »
Damping - I never really understood what it does :headscratch:

Damping controls how fast the joy stick can move.

With current joys sticks, damping is rarely needed.

 In earlier years joy sticks could spike, I.E. go from 0 to full in one frame with out touching the stick. Damping would "Dampen" out that spike by controlling how fast the stick can change instead of 100% you could have a 5% spike even though the raw input would have gone to 100%.

HiTech

Offline RTHolmes

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Re: Extend saved "Mode" settings to include "dead band" and "damping"
« Reply #5 on: April 13, 2012, 01:29:02 PM »
ok thx, that makes sense. my quick experiments with it just made the controls less responsive - not something that many pilots would wish for I imagine :)

in which case its right that its a global setting like deadband - both are for smoothing over deficiencies in the joystick hardware, so you want as little as possible of either regardless of what you're using the joystick to control.
71 (Eagle) Squadron

What most of us want to do is simply shoot stuff and look good doing it - Chilli

Offline guncrasher

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Re: Extend saved "Mode" settings to include "dead band" and "damping"
« Reply #6 on: April 13, 2012, 05:22:03 PM »
I wish I knew how to change "mode" in middle of game.  I have always wondered about that as I have the "auto" mode, but I have never bother to look it up.  been saying that someday I'll look it up since I started 5 or 6 years ago.


semp
you dont want me to ho, dont point your plane at me.

Offline hitech

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Re: Extend saved "Mode" settings to include "dead band" and "damping"
« Reply #7 on: April 13, 2012, 07:45:22 PM »
Under global there are functions you can map to change modes.

Offline TDeacon

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Re: Extend saved "Mode" settings to include "dead band" and "damping"
« Reply #8 on: April 15, 2012, 02:24:58 AM »
<snip>
... in which case its right that its a global setting like deadband - both are for smoothing over deficiencies in the joystick hardware, so you want as little as possible of either regardless of what you're using the joystick to control.

Actually, it's definately not global.  One does not want the same Dead Band for planes (probably no Dead Band actually) as one wants for GVs (where one wants Dead Band in order to avoid gun "drift" and in order to avoid residual turn input interfering with gear shifts).  So with the current system, one needs to adjust dead band each time one switches between a GV and a plane.  It would be more convenient to have dead band (and damping for those who use it) save-able to specific "modes".  It seems illogical to have 90% of your settings save-able to a mode, but not the remaining 10%.  

MH
« Last Edit: April 15, 2012, 02:28:53 AM by TDeacon »

Offline RTHolmes

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Re: Extend saved "Mode" settings to include "dead band" and "damping"
« Reply #9 on: April 15, 2012, 06:30:59 AM »
if you are getting drift on an axis its a sign you need to recalibrate, then dial it out with deadband - regardless of what you're using it for.

seeing the gun drifting in GV mode means that you will get pitch or roll axis drift in an aircraft too (which will turn off autopilot if its bad enough.) likewise unwanted rudder inputs while driving will also manifest while flying, you dont want that either.
71 (Eagle) Squadron

What most of us want to do is simply shoot stuff and look good doing it - Chilli

Offline TDeacon

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Re: Extend saved "Mode" settings to include "dead band" and "damping"
« Reply #10 on: April 15, 2012, 12:54:53 PM »
if you are getting drift on an axis its a sign you need to recalibrate, then dial it out with deadband - regardless of what you're using it for.

seeing the gun drifting in GV mode means that you will get pitch or roll axis drift in an aircraft too (which will turn off autopilot if its bad enough.) likewise unwanted rudder inputs while driving will also manifest while flying, you dont want that either.

This is not a calibration issue.  There will be some drift even if you are perfectly calibrated, due to hardware tolerances.  That's why the deadband adjustment is there in the first place.  

On the joystick horizontal and vertical axes, I use zero deadband for planes, because I am constantly making minor stick adjustments in flight, and the extra slop associated with deadband is undesired.  In contrast, with GVs, I don't always have my hand on the stick (when lying in wait for example), so I put in a small amount of deadband to avoid this drift.  The small sacrifice in controllability is acceptable.  

On the rudder Z axis, I use zero deadband for planes for the same reason as above.  In contrast, with GVs, I use a very large deadband setting.  This is because I steer with rudder pedals; they have a lot of mechanical slop, and if you have any residual “turning” input from them, most vehicles won’t shift up.  This is a consequence of HTC removing the manual gearshift feature from GVs.  

I hope you aren’t one of those “my way is the only way” guys.   :)

MH

Offline RTHolmes

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Re: Extend saved "Mode" settings to include "dead band" and "damping"
« Reply #11 on: April 15, 2012, 01:22:55 PM »
no I do understand how you want to use it, I just think that people who are happy to tolerate unwanted control inputs in one mode, but not in another are rare.
71 (Eagle) Squadron

What most of us want to do is simply shoot stuff and look good doing it - Chilli

Offline bustr

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Re: Extend saved "Mode" settings to include "dead band" and "damping"
« Reply #12 on: April 16, 2012, 03:52:09 AM »
I wish I knew how to change "mode" in middle of game.  I have always wondered about that as I have the "auto" mode, but I have never bother to look it up.  been saying that someday I'll look it up since I started 5 or 6 years ago.


semp

Semp here is how I did it with my CH Throttel. First in the key mapper I assigned keys to the modes becasue by default there are no assignments.

Keyboard Mapper:

Mode1 ctrl_left arrow
Mode2 ctrl_up arrow
Mode3 ctrl_right arrow
Mode4 ctrl_down arrow

Controller Mapper:

CH Throttel
Mode1
Button13 - Mode2

Mode2
Button13 - Mode3

Mode3
Button13 - Mode4

Mode4
Button13 - Mode1

One button cycles all 4 modes.
bustr - POTW 1st Wing


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Offline icepac

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Re: Extend saved "Mode" settings to include "dead band" and "damping"
« Reply #13 on: April 16, 2012, 08:48:58 AM »
no I do understand how you want to use it, I just think that people who are happy to tolerate unwanted control inputs in one mode, but not in another are rare.

Not that rare.

Offline RTHolmes

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Re: Extend saved "Mode" settings to include "dead band" and "damping"
« Reply #14 on: April 16, 2012, 09:08:17 AM »
Imaginary Poll - Do you prefer:

A. Your Aircraft/Vehicle to respond crisply and exactly to your control inputs.

B. Your Aircraft/Vehicle to do random stuff that you have no control over, in addition to your control inputs.
eg. pull back on stick and the aircraft pulls up but also rolls to the right and the rudder twitches from side to side.



you think theres plenty of players who would pick B? :headscratch:
71 (Eagle) Squadron

What most of us want to do is simply shoot stuff and look good doing it - Chilli