DCS World TARGET profile for TM Cougar and Warthog + MFDs

On 4/1/2023 at 4:51 AM, Home Fries said:

There was no place to put the sight select switch on the cougar, though I am open to suggestions.  Unfortunately, I can't put it on H4 (CMS), as this uses a special routine for force trim.  Perhaps H2 (TMS) for VR users.

Hi Home Fries,
I understand. Cougar has less possibilities than Warthog and it's not easy to implement all on this HOTAS (eg. A-10C)
I'm learning Apache and for the moment and I don't really know how this "Sight Select Switch" is important
I'm using VR, so personnaly SHIFT + H2 would be fine.
Or SHIFT + H3 but you need to move IHADSS toggle somewhere else (Control Ovly Toggle is less important to have on Hotas, I think ...)
I see you never/rarely use SHIFT + (T2, T3, T4, T5) on throttle. I guess there is a reason.

Hi there! 

I got my TM Warthog recently, and haven't touch the TM software yet. The A10C II was preconfigured, and worked flawlessly, right out of the box. I own the Viper, the Hornet and the Harrier as well, and haven't done any assignments in DCS. 

When I download these scripts that utilize the TARGET software, what do I have to do in order to get them working? Do I have to change settings in DCS, or delete the A10C II bindings in the DCS controller setup? 

Thanks a lot in advance for your input!

Greets,

Michael 

58 minutes ago, Mik75 said:

Hi there! 

I got my TM Warthog recently, and haven't touch the TM software yet. The A10C II was preconfigured, and worked flawlessly, right out of the box. I own the Viper, the Hornet and the Harrier as well, and haven't done any assignments in DCS. 

When I download these scripts that utilize the TARGET software, what do I have to do in order to get them working? Do I have to change settings in DCS, or delete the A10C II bindings in the DCS controller setup? 

Thanks a lot in advance for your input!

Greets,

Michael 

You shouldn't have to do anything with the existing bindings.  When you load the TARGET profile, it creates a virtual controller that identifies differently from the Warthog Stick and Warthog Throttle (and Cougar MFDs as well).  The Warthog Stick and Throttle controllers should disappear while the virtual controller is active, deconflicting the virtual controller from the default controller settings.  All existing diff.luas are loaded to the virtual controller.

There is a chance that the Warthog controllers don't disappear when the virtual controller is active.  There are some troubleshooting tips in the PDF manual for that.

Finally, FWIW, my TARGET controller for the A-10C works almost identically as the default Warthog configuration, though due to limitations I couldn't do the persistent switches and need to use key commands instead.  However, I made the throttle base switches even more useful, e.g. I use the fuel flow switches for master arm and gun arm as default, and fuel flow when holding down the pinkie button modifier.

2 hours ago, Home Fries said:

You shouldn't have to do anything with the existing bindings.  When you load the TARGET profile, it creates a virtual controller that identifies differently from the Warthog Stick and Warthog Throttle (and Cougar MFDs as well).  The Warthog Stick and Throttle controllers should disappear while the virtual controller is active, deconflicting the virtual controller from the default controller settings.  All existing diff.luas are loaded to the virtual controller.

There is a chance that the Warthog controllers don't disappear when the virtual controller is active.  There are some troubleshooting tips in the PDF manual for that.

Finally, FWIW, my TARGET controller for the A-10C works almost identically as the default Warthog configuration, though due to limitations I couldn't do the persistent switches and need to use key commands instead.  However, I made the throttle base switches even more useful, e.g. I use the fuel flow switches for master arm and gun arm as default, and fuel flow when holding down the pinkie button modifier.

 

Thanks a lot for your quick reply! That sounds very promising. 

That means, if I don't load up the script when flying the A10C II, the default DCS bindings will be used? 

2 hours ago, Mik75 said:

Thanks a lot for your quick reply! That sounds very promising. 

That means, if I don't load up the script when flying the A10C II, the default DCS bindings will be used? 

Exactly!

24 minutes ago, Home Fries said:

Exactly!

Ok, perfect. I'll give it a try tonight! Thanks a lot for your help!

3 hours ago, Home Fries said:

Exactly!

Wow! This must have been a huge effort on your side! I´m pretty sure it workds very good, once set up correctly! But I have to admit, that is too complex for me!  I guess, I´m better off with sticking to the traditional bindings through the game menu, even if I miss some very cool stuff then...

Once again, thanks a lot for your help!

There is a lot to it, and it may be a lot to chew at first.  I recommend coming back to it after you get comfortable with DCS.  Most of the settings you don't even need to mess with, so long as you configure your hardware correctly.

19 hours ago, Home Fries said:

There is a lot to it, and it may be a lot to chew at first.  I recommend coming back to it after you get comfortable with DCS.  Most of the settings you don't even need to mess with, so long as you configure your hardware correctly.

Hi there!
I gave it another go, and I´ve spent some hours to set everything up (TrackIr, VAICOM, SRS, etc.). The voice says "SU25 selected" when I hit the play button in CTS. I´ve assigned the keyboard and Warthog in the controller setup in DCS in the corresponding columns, as described in the manual. The default WH assignments don´t show up, when the script is running. But I can´t select different profiles "on the fly" with HOTAS shift + speedbrake. If I hit this combination for a bit longer, it changes speedbrake behaviour (binary analogue, etc.). If I select the A10C profile as default at startup, everything seems to work fine at first, but then, all goes crazy. Like the coolie hat on the throttle. It doesn´t change MFDs and SOI, but activates switches and OSBs on the MFDs.

What am I doing wrong here?

Plus, I don´t understand the "CUSTOM INPUT DEFAULT LUA PROFILES (RECOMMENDED)" part. Is this optional, and what does it do? 

Here are some screenshots of the current state:

You need to hold S3+SPDB for two seconds to enter the profile selection mode.  This mitigates the likelihood of inadvertently entering the mode while flying.  S3+SPDB short will often change the brake type to your preference, depending on the aircraft/module selected.

I highly recommend reading the Setup PDF that comes with CTS (you can find it under "References"), or at least the first 24 pages (don't worry; there are plenty of pictures so it's not a long read).

20 hours ago, Home Fries said:

You need to hold S3+SPDB for two seconds to enter the profile selection mode.  This mitigates the likelihood of inadvertently entering the mode while flying.  S3+SPDB short will often change the brake type to your preference, depending on the aircraft/module selected.

I highly recommend reading the Setup PDF that comes with CTS (you can find it under "References"), or at least the first 24 pages (don't worry; there are plenty of pictures so it's not a long read).

Hi there. I was holding down this combination for 2 seconds and longer. But all it did was switching the break behaviour (as shown in the screenshot). 

I've read through the manual couple of times, but the whole process is probably just too complicated for me. So the fault is on my side for sure.

I'll stick to the default in game assignment for now. Thanks again for your patience and input! 

that might be a configuration issue.  check that you dont maybe have to toggle the value in CTS > HARDWARE C ONFIGURATION > VR: Use Airbrake Switch for Profile Swap

also note that the window for thrustmaster (where we are looking to see the changed text. pictured in a previous post above) doesnt auto-scroll and can sometimes look like its not changing.  But if you have audio on, theres usually a voice that speaks up as well.  good luck

11 hours ago, Whistler_RIO said:

that might be a configuration issue.  check that you dont maybe have to toggle the value in CTS > HARDWARE C ONFIGURATION > VR: Use Airbrake Switch for Profile Swap

also note that the window for thrustmaster (where we are looking to see the changed text. pictured in a previous post above) doesnt auto-scroll and can sometimes look like its not changing.  But if you have audio on, theres usually a voice that speaks up as well.  good luck

Thanks, Whistler.  You brought up a great point.

@Mik75 you may also need to set your MFD Count to 0.  The profile is designed with MFDs in mind, and it defaults to 2 in the hardware.  Normally you use the Left MFD to enter profile selection mode.

Thank you Home Fries for your hard work and contribution to the community.

One question - how do you uninstall CTS?

Thanks.

2 hours ago, Bulldogg said:

Thank you Home Fries for your hard work and contribution to the community.

One question - how do you uninstall CTS?

Thanks.

You only need to delete the folder, I recall by default it's under the "my documents" folder.

I am trying to use the ANT knob as my rudder,

I have set Rudder Pedals to "2"

But it still won't bind to the rudder.

What am I missing?

Congratulations to @Home Fries!   Not only is he a brilliant programmer, but is also a talented Livery Artist.    How does the man find the time?  @Home Fries:  Which module did you choose?

Hey all,

I was wondering if anybody got this target profile working with win 11 Pro? I am having a few issues one is the MFD Filters are not getting installed and the profile times out..

With the Profile I omitted the MFD's and then the virtual joystick does not get enabled and it times out so no luck so far with win 11..

I tried running the program as admin and it did not seem to have an effect

eDIT: It appears the stick is not even workingnow in win11. I did have it working not sure what had happeded??

The_Nephilim

I'm not running Windows 11, but I notice that with my Windows 10 system that sometimes the TARGET virtual device drivers does not disabled the discreet stick and throttle drivers when the TARGET profile starts.  A symptom of this is that it takes a very long time for the TARGET profile to load.  Check in your Windows Devices and see if you have both the TARGET combined driver and the discreet stick, throttle and MFD drivers.  A couple of years back this was related to a conflict with the Microsoft Store service, but it had appeared to have been solved.  Another symptom was that I wouldn't have a problem if I started the TARGET profile immediately after booting.

This may not apply to your case, but thought I'd mention it.  Good luck.

Well in Windows 11 to get the filter drivers installed you need to disable core isolation menory integrity. There is also a new version of Target but the MFD Drivers could use an update so we do not have to disable memory integrity but that is what needs to be done here to get it working.

And if you disable it and install the filter drivers you are not able to turn the memory integrity back on as long as those old drivers are there.. so maybe we should ask Thrustmaster to update those MFD Drivers for Windows 11..

Windows 11 actually fixed some issues with TM's creation of virtual-device.   For many years, i would have to make sure that i started up my PC, and then disconnected and reconnected my AC-powered USB-hub (which every single one of us should have.  if you dont, then thats your problem.  the motherboard cant produce enough power to light up the device quickly enough for the HID-detection routine.) .   This was to allow windows to re-detect the flight peripherals after all the operating system has been spun-up. The way that the operating system assigns ID numbers for USB devices is part of the problem. it wasnt made with this usage in mind like an XBox. 

When devices dont recieve power at quite the speed they need it (especially at startup time) they fail in unusual ways that can often look like other problems.  start there first, always.  
 
I dont know anybody doing flight-simulators for long that doesnt eventually get a powered-hub , both for its supplementary power, but also for its extended length so we can make a sim-pit of our desks, and lastly because it lets us control reconnection of flight devices (or disconnection for when we want to play other types of games). 

https://a.co/d/eMkUVdy

 

Well I already have a powered hub that was not the issue. my post above accuretly described what the issue was in Win 11.. but thnx for the help

5 hours ago, The_Nephilim said:

Well I already have a powered hub that was not the issue. my post above accuretly described what the issue was in Win 11.. but thnx for the help

So disabling memory integrity is the only way to get the MFD working in Win 11? I just received mine and having problems already. I can't seem to get it installed and working, could use some help.

Well from what I see yes this is what is preventing the filter drivers from being installed in Win 11. 

Yes to get there in Win 11 goto Start , Settings then in the search type core isolation. it should show up then disable memory isolation.. that is what I did and I had to uninstall all programs for my HOTAS and MFD's and reinstall, as the drivers for the HOTAS Cougar did not get installed as I disabled memory integrity after I installed the cougar.

Once I did that and restarted win11 a couple times the TARGET Profile loaded up no issues.. you did run the MFD Installer program from thrustmaster?

Hey Everybody,

I am currently having issues with the paddle switch not working the brakes in the F16. now it works in the cougar control panel, the paddle switch, it works in the options screen in DCS, but it does Not work in the F16 cockpit.

I can press "W" and the brakes work just no paddle switch I am unsure what is going on here but it started 2 days ago and I have not been able to figure out what is wrong here?