Dose anyone understand the scaling setup in AH and can they explain how it really works?
I, like many before and after me have messed with the scaling system for our joysticks. While I dont really know how/why things work I mess around with the sliders and fly a few flights, them mess with them again, and repeat time and time again until I find something that "feels" good. What Id like to be able to understand is how it works and how its all tied together so I can come at it a bit more logically. Anyone can build a chair trying over and over again until they get it ok, but if you know how a ruler, level, protractor, and a square all work together you can do a better job first shot.
Dead Band we know is a "dead" space in the input of the stick. The higher the slider, the bigger the circle of "dead" space from the center of the stick out. Dead space = zero input.
Damping slows the response of the input. If it takes one second to go from 0 degrees input to full deflection with your joystick (stupid numbers I know ), by adding damping, sliding the slider all the way up, you can slow that time down to say 5 seconds for full deflection. Is this damping over the FULL deflection of the axis? Can it be adjusted for say only a certain section of the axis? Say I want to have it slower in the fine movements as Im aiming my shot (instead of jerking the stick around over correcting due to "oldman syndrome" ) and crisp 1-1 input for maneuvering in flight.
Scaling sliders, Ive seen some odd setups with ascending sliders, level sliders, descending sliders and a dozen explanations on what they do or how to use them. Setup are very personal. Some players are very heavy handed (ME! ME! ME!) others very smooth. I have watched films of players and they are so smooth maneuvering for a shot, you can see the "unload" and the burst cuts a plane in half. the only time I come close to that is when I sneak up on a bomber. The rest of the time when they same "cone of fire" I pretty much fill the whole cone!
What are the sliders doing? are they in effect creating a damping effect 10% of the sticks movement to input at a time? On the HTC site it says "It is recommended that you avoid setups that make large jumps in adjacent columns." So if I set the first 3 sliders low to try for a slower input for fine control (if that is how it works ) then putting the other 7 straight across the top will cause an issue, and what would that issue be?
Personally I think "nose bounce" is caused by two things in the game. First, combat trim/on. With the auto trim working to adjust all the time for speed it can put your plane out of trim when your slowing during the battle and going for your shot. As your about to fire you may be in a nose up adjustment and be forced to push over to align your shot but now the combat trim is adjusting again causing you to correct your aim bouncing your nose all over the place. Watch your film diving on a group of bombers who are sleeping. I know my nose doesnt bounce at all in that condition and cutting off a wing doesnt surprise me.
The second I believe is stick adjustment. Some players are atuned to having the sliders all the way up and are very gentle on their stick (these are the guys STILL flying with the MS Sidewinder as they never wear out their equipment ), but Im thinking that number of players is very low. The rest of us need some sort of adjustment to our sticks. some guys either understand the setup, or just hit it right by luck. The rest of us stumble along poking and tweaking it forever never getting that "optimum" setup.
For me Id like to have my rudder movement smooth but not so quick that I can spin a 109 to reverse flight by hitting them full......
my X, and Y axies slow and steady when lining up for a shot but still responsive enough to make a zero dance the Cha-Cha
So ideally Id like it if someone could give me a full explanation of the how/why of the stick scaling process. One so I can fix my scaling better, and two to add to the Help Site I have for others to be able to undstand things in this game.
I can explain the way I understand it. Which could be flawed. It would take a while txt for proper wording.
in a severe crude nut shell
As you said dead bands is much less or no data within that center stick circle size, which you size with the slider.
Dampening puts data flow in slow motion, not real time. This buffers stick jerking
Dampening cuts up the travel circle in many circles. Kinda like songs on vynal record. Each slider controls the sensitivity of each circle space. They start at center and get larger away from center, to outer travel. This is why the sliders should never have a zagged flow. Because you are traveling into the next circle space. It has to be smooth.
No scaling is 100% data flow from center to outer travel.
Thats some pretty raw text, but you get the idea.