hotas sync on mission start doesn't really work properly

this isn't new for anyone probably, but the hotas sync only works if the switch is on.

for example, if I assign the tm warthog hotas EAC switch to the f18 anti skid switch (using a lua mod to make it work as a switch, not a toggle), and I start a mission with the EAC on the off position, the f18 will start with the anti skid switch set to ON regardless.

the only case I noticed that the sync works is the opposite way, if I assign it to something that starts on off position by default (let's say the refuel probe which starts on retract position) if I assign the same EAC switch on my hotas to the probe, and I start the mission with EAC flipped to ARM, then mission will start with probe flipped to extend correctly.

this is probably because of lazy programming, what I think is going on is that the hotas sync works by detecting switch input from the controller and if there's any input, then it will do something, such as turn the assigned commands to the same position, but if it doesn't detect any input, it does nothing, which is completely stupid since not everything on the plane starts on off, and if it did, then there wouldn't be a need for a hotas sync really, I could just flip everything off before starting a mission.

this is terribly frustrating, specially considering that these modules and hardware isn't exactly cheap, and I spend the last 3 nights trying to setup my hotas for the f18.

is there any way to make this work? I'm seriously considering opening my throttle and turning the switches upside down to match in game start position as if they were off.

To say it in kind words: it works sometimes...

HOTAS sync has been weird and I never bothered to check about it until just now.

MiG-21bis, flap switch. I have a button that commands the middle setting. If I set the switch to that setting, start DCS, start Cold Start instant action mission... it won't be synced.

I quit to DCS main menu, flip the switch away and back to that setting, load the Cold Start mission again, it is synched. And it doesn't matter how many times I quit mission to menu and load again, it's synced without touching the switch ever again.

Last check, is it that particular button or any button. Start DCS.exe and change state on a different button (not flaps) and then start Cold Start mission. Flap switch is synced.

So sync works if DCS knows about the switch state. But DCS doesn't know about the button if it was never changed in state since DCS.exe was started. Otherwise yes. I didn't test every single scenario but it seems that you have to change state on at least one button once and all button states are known by DCS.

you have to change state on at least one button once and all button states are known by DCS.

absolutely not. I just tested and it works exactly as I mentioned above.

so the 2 position physical switches on a controller only have one input, and it's either on or off.

the launch bar and the anti skid virtual switches (for example) both start the mission "ready on the ramp" on the up position. if you assigned either of them to a switch on your hotas, and you start the mission with that physical switch on the off position, dcs won't recognize it and start the game on the UP position anyways.

if you mod your lua file and invert the switch behavior, so that physical switch ON means anti-skid OFF, and you start the game with physical switch ON, then it will work, because the game recognized controller input, and anti skid will start on OFF position. if you do the opposite, and start the mission with the switched turned OFF, game will start correctly with the anti-skid set to ON, not because it synced, but because it didnt recognize input and started in the default position anyways.

this is the behavior that got me wanting to manually rotate my physical switches 180º, but it's a stupid thing cuz it would only work for switches that start on the ON position by default, and the moment you decide to reassign that swtich to a command that starts OFF by default, it wouldn't sync properly again.

is such lazy programming, they made this hotas sync thing only recognize active inputs, when you just had to program another line saying if no input is detected, assume switch is down.

but anyway, the best way to go is leave the hotas sync setting on, and then flip all your physical switches to match the default mission start position. this sounds counter intuitive, but it's the only way to make all of them work on the go.

one would assume that if you have the switches the same way the mission already starts, then you don't need to sync anything, but absurdly enough nope! if you don't have hotas sync on, then when mission starts, it doesn't care about any switches set to ON, and assumes everything is OFF. so if you have a switch assigned to anything that starts on ON by default (for example anti skid again), and you start a mission with the physical switch flipped to ON, then you will have to flip it 3 freaking times to have the anti skid flipped to off!!!!

how can you program a fly by wire flight model and not be able to detect if a switch is on or off?

ps.: please don't take me wrong, I don't mean to be rude or anything, dcs is the best flight sim I've ever played by far, and I love every aspect of it. I just think is such an easy thing to fix and it would really make things easier for setting up and customizing switches. in fact I'm just gonna add a suggestion to the dcs wishlist, if anyone else is annoyed by this issue, jump over there and give it a +1

wishlist thread: https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?p=3683217

The arrangements I'm working with are those custom (or for some modules included) commands which have definitions both value_up and value_down and also my flap switch is producing a DX button in all three positions. I have programmed it in TARGET to do this.

For commands without a "value_up" or are rotary/toggles, yeah sync doesn't work because there's nothing to sync to.

The arrangements I'm working with are those custom (or for some modules included) commands which have definitions both value_up and value_down and also my flap switch is producing a DX button in all three positions. I have programmed it in TARGET to do this.

 

For commands without a "value_up" or are rotary/toggles, yeah sync doesn't work because there's nothing to sync to.

everything I mentioned has up and down values assigned, I wouldn't bother trying to sync a toggle switch that works as momentary.

...For commands without a "value_up" or are rotary/toggles, yeah sync doesn't work because there's nothing to sync to.

Even for commands that do have both value_down and value_up the sync does not work all the time. Quite often however, they do sync with some delay after mission start. I find it impossible to define a single logic for the sync behaviour across modules.

OK, I only did a single test on a single module.