Need Advise on how to profile my HOTAS

Hello all,

Im new to DCS and have purchased A10C and the X55 HOTAS. I can (maybe) figure out the game and flying, but am having problems with the setup of the x55. Do I clear out the in game options for the controls and use the x55 software to program the HOTAS? If I do that do I leave the x55 software open in the background and then open the game? Do I create the commands in the x55 software and then load it into the DCS options? I would really like to get this set up and start flying for at least the learning phase and add commands as I go (huh, sounds like a good idea). Looking for any advise for the game and setup options for the x55.

I know the x55 has had a bad rep but mine seems to be working.

thanks

You can program it in many ways. You can program the game to recognize joybuttons, you can program the software in the X55 to emulate keystrokes, you can use the x55 software to create shift states to multiply the number of things a single button can do, you can program the DCS controls to do the same thing from within the game.

Its not easy to explain this in general if you don't already understand it.

I would probably start by just mapping relevant HOTAS controls to the stick by finding the relevant keystrokes in the options. Use the POV hats to replicate the POV commands. The HOTAS control section of the A-10C manual should be helpful in understanding that.

Once you have the essentials mapped, which are basically everything on the actual HOTAS in the real airplane, you can start flying with that and over time as your understanding of the aircraft improves you can start to really customize it.

One thing I found is that while someone swears by their set up of controls on a given stick set up, barring the Thrustmaster, its mostly a matter of preference and you can't know your preference til later.

So, in short, either map the keystrokes to your stick as best as you can by reading the manual, or take a short cut and use someone else's profile for the X55. Longterm when you have some chops look at reprogramming it to suit your style or ergonomic preferences.

Also Do I have to set the x and y with the rudder with a command in the x55 software. Yes im really a NOOB!

You can program it in many ways. You can program the game to recognize joybuttons, you can program the software in the X55 to emulate keystrokes, you can use the x55 software to create shift states to multiply the number of things a single button can do, you can program the DCS controls to do the same thing from within the game.

 

Its not easy to explain this in general if you don't already understand it.

 

I would probably start by just mapping relevant HOTAS controls to the stick by finding the relevant keystrokes in the options. Use the POV hats to replicate the POV commands. The HOTAS control section of the A-10C manual should be helpful in understanding that.

 

Once you have the essentials mapped, which are basically everything on the actual HOTAS in the real airplane, you can start flying with that and over time as your understanding of the aircraft improves you can start to really customize it.

 

One thing I found is that while someone swears by their set up of controls on a given stick set up, barring the Thrustmaster, its mostly a matter of preference and you can't know your preference til later.

 

So, in short, either map the keystrokes to your stick as best as you can by reading the manual, or take a short cut and use someone else's profile for the X55. Longterm when you have some chops look at reprogramming it to suit your style or ergonomic preferences.

Thanks for replying so fast. let me ask you this, in the x55 software the flight controls are left empty do I need to set the X,Y, and rudder? And do I set them with a one button push or with a advance key command where I push it, continue the push, repeat then let go of the key?

so can I just program with the x55 software save all of it and then go to the game and it will read it from the x55 software or do I need to do something else? thanks again

Like PFunk said, I would start with the in-game options and program your HOTAS that way. Then, when you start understanding this, start using the software to take the HOTAS to the next level.

For the rudder axis, program that via the "AXIS" button, located in the in-game options controller menu. This is where all the axis are set to the appropriate controller.

Good luck!

DrDetroit

Yea I guess some basic breakdown of how the software relates to the overall use of the stick is necessary at this juncture.

The axis sections of the Saitek software exist for the purposes of using the axes for something other than its primary purpose. This means that normally you would simply use the in game settings to program the axes, such as pitch, roll, yaw, etc. If you wanted however to use an axis for keystroke emulation for instance you could use this section to use one of the many tools the software offers you.

I'd say that the software's options for the axis settings is one of those advanced things you don't really need to bother with at first when you're new. Primarily you should look to the options menu in DCS, find the relevant control, so for HOTAS commands it'll be under the category of HOTAS, and then bind each keystroke for each control to your Saitek software.

For the purposes of binding a key you simply click into the field for the given controller button, you press the associated keystroke, then click the green checkmark button. I do not have the X55 but I imagine its not very different from the software for the X52, which I do have. Binding keystrokes is easy. Just remember to save the profile then load it as the active profile in the Saitek tray icon. In my experience changes to a profile need to be reloaded into the active profile to take effect.

Beyond that there is the shift state concept. Basically one of the buttons on your stick is a shift state modifier. This means that when you hold it down it will make a joybutton output an alternate keystroke. Its basically the same as using the Shift button on your keyboard to make a capital letter only you can select the shift state keystroke to be anything you fancy.

It should also be noted that the software is not limited to individual keystrokes. You can program in a string of them, such as when a command in DCS is bound to Shift+[key] or Ctrl+[key], etc.

The software allows you to create complex time based macros but this is again advanced. For 99% of the things you'll want to do to begin with the basic keystroke bindings should do. Come to grips with that first, then move on to more complicated concepts.

Really the goal should be to get your controls set up, functional, and then focus on learning the aircraft. Your level of knowledge and proficiency in using the aircraft's systems is what will ultimately inform your later design for your control setup on your HOTAS. Its sensible therefore to minimize the time invested in a control scheme that you will quickly (hopefully) outgrow as your education in the A-10C goes on.

Yea I guess some basic breakdown of how the software relates to the overall use of the stick is necessary at this juncture.

 

The axis sections of the Saitek software exist for the purposes of using the axes for something other than its primary purpose. This means that normally you would simply use the in game settings to program the axes, such as pitch, roll, yaw, etc. If you wanted however to use an axis for keystroke emulation for instance you could use this section to use one of the many tools the software offers you.

 

I'd say that the software's options for the axis settings is one of those advanced things you don't really need to bother with at first when you're new. Primarily you should look to the options menu in DCS, find the relevant control, so for HOTAS commands it'll be under the category of HOTAS, and then bind each keystroke for each control to your Saitek software.

 

For the purposes of binding a key you simply click into the field for the given controller button, you press the associated keystroke, then click the green checkmark button. I do not have the X55 but I imagine its not very different from the software for the X52, which I do have. Binding keystrokes is easy. Just remember to save the profile then load it as the active profile in the Saitek tray icon. In my experience changes to a profile need to be reloaded into the active profile to take effect.

 

Beyond that there is the shift state concept. Basically one of the buttons on your stick is a shift state modifier. This means that when you hold it down it will make a joybutton output an alternate keystroke. Its basically the same as using the Shift button on your keyboard to make a capital letter only you can select the shift state keystroke to be anything you fancy.

 

It should also be noted that the software is not limited to individual keystrokes. You can program in a string of them, such as when a command in DCS is bound to Shift+[key] or Ctrl+[key], etc.

 

The software allows you to create complex time based macros but this is again advanced. For 99% of the things you'll want to do to begin with the basic keystroke bindings should do. Come to grips with that first, then move on to more complicated concepts.

 

Really the goal should be to get your controls set up, functional, and then focus on learning the aircraft. Your level of knowledge and proficiency in using the aircraft's systems is what will ultimately inform your later design for your control setup on your HOTAS. Its sensible therefore to minimize the time invested in a control scheme that you will quickly (hopefully) outgrow as your education in the A-10C goes on.

Hey Thanks for explaining that. That make a lot of sense.

Hey Thanks for explaining that. That make a lot of sense.

Is there anyway to get the x55 rotaries to work in DCS control options? For now I would like to be able to use the mouse nipple for slew. be nice if I could use the other rotaries to work but I guess I don't need them right now.

You'll be able to configure the rotaries in axes section of DCS options.

You'll be able to configure the rotaries in axes section of DCS options.

Thanks for the info but could you explain how to do that, I could not figure out how to do that?

I wouldn't think it would but would playing this on Steam have anything to do with the control settings on either the x55 software or the DCS options setting. I did program a lot of the buttons (I was playing around with the software) on the x55 software and then went to the game and nothing worked. I went back and everything I did was gone. I did save it all. Just not sure what is going on with that.

Steam will have zero effect on the Saitek software. Its possible you either failed to correctly save the profile or you've failed to correctly load the profile in the tray item or when re-opening the profile editor.

I'm completely unfamiliar with the effects that steam integrity checks have on DCS files or if its in any way different to how the ED auto updater works.

Your Saitek software sounds very similar to my CH stuff. It is insanely powerful once you get used to it.

Personally, I haven't used it much for the A-10C, since my real world HOTAS buttons closely resemble the real setup in the plane and unless I need an OSB, I rarely take a hand off the controllers.

However, keep that macro system in mind for other aircraft! You could, for example, write a one-button macro for a startup sequence, weapon configuration, or perhaps a weapon engagement sequence if you're really fancy.

I'm thinking of these to shortcut some configurations for some of the older craft (P-51, F-86, FW-190, etc.) At first I resisted this idea. I was thinking that this would be unrealistic, since those planes didn't have a HOTAS. However, I think it's even less realistic to have to use my POV hat to look down into my on-screen cockpit, zoom in or out to see what I'm trying to hit, and then use a mouse cursor to (hopefully) hit the right switch. This is especially confounding in a plane where the switch is obscured behind something and you don't have TrackIR. For example, the rocket select knob in the P-51D is obfuscated behind the flight stick. In the real plane, no problem, but to hit it with the mouse, I need to roll my plane to the right and take my eyes off target...This kills your SA and it may well kill you in the process. Nuts to that.

Sitting in a real cockpit, a person would just reach out and hit a knob, probably without looking since you've spent so much time training it the craft, like we do with our car stereos and headlight switches. Since it's a simulator, you can use these setups to "simulate" the effect of being in a real cockpit with switches you can hit without thinking about it too much. If you think it's cheating, you can even program in a delay between when you hit your HOTAS button and when the effect takes place in the sim to simulate hand travel time.