Setting up VKB Gunfighter & Virpil CM2 to work in Falcon BMS 4.35
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Hi folks, total BMS noob here - have been flying DCS for a short while (4-5 months), but have seen various YT videos of BMS and thought I would give it a go. The Campaign depth in particular interests me (former fan/player of Tornado, if anyone can remember back that far), so I’m trying to get my current HOTAS setup to work with BMS. I think I’m mostly there, as it were, but a niggle or two still remains, so I thought I’d reach out and see what you folk think:
Background: I have severe spinal damage so can only use my hands (hence the twist-axis rudder) and cannot weight-load my neck (i.e. wear something on my head to use TrackIR).
Hardware:
Right Hand - VKB Gunfighter III base, Z-axis, twist rudder option, “Kosmosima” grip (top of grip has 1 x analogue thumbstick, 1 x digital 8-way thumbstick (each direction, and centre-select, are all processed as individual button presses), and 1 x “castle”/DMS-style digital thumbstick (each direction, and centre-select, are all processed as individual button presses)
Left hand - Virpil CM2 HOTAS/Throttle, including analogue “Flaps” lever, and a 5-way switch to enable the 6 centre-panel buttons to have 5 different, shifted modes - you’ve probably all seen this unit before so I won’t bore you with details.Software:
vJoy
Joystick Gremlin (JG)
BMS Alternative Launcher (BAL)Ok so I’ve used the BAL and JG to be able to use the full range of digital buttons on offer (or as many as I’ll need), so that’s all good, and seems to be functional. My issue is this: although a friend bought me a TrackIR 5 recently, I cannot use it due to my spinal injuries, which preclude any weight loading of my head, so as a general “look around” method I use the Kosmosima grip’s analogue thumbstick as a look around stick. I’ve got the saturation/sensitivity set spot on in DCS and it allows me to move my “virtual eyeline” around so I can follow a plane in the merge (as just one example), with the thumbstick self-centering when released, and the view thus also self-centering, and for a Zoom function I use the Virpil Throttle’s analogue “Flaps” lever - once axis tuned as a slider it works really well, so I can track an air target with my “eyes” (the analogue thumbstick), and zoom in on ground targets (the analogue Flaps lever), all without moving my head or neck much. Most planes have switch-driven, stepped, digital-movement flaps these days anyway, so that gets moved to a 2 or 3-way digital switch on the CM2.
Problem is I don’t know where to replicate this functionality in Falcon BMS 4.35. I’ve found (in BAL) the “AxisAssign/Views/Distance” function, and that works fine with the Virpil Flaps lever to give a Zoom function, so that’s sorted, but I can’t find the equivalent of the DCS 360 degree look-around stick/head movement. I tried assigning the thumbstick to the “AxisAssign/Views/FOV” function, but that doesn’t appear to do anything (although this may be a mistake in the JG programming by me, so by all means speak up if it normally does something), but in any case it only seems to pick up movement in one plane i.e. the thumbstick’s X-axis, in this case.
Any ideas folks?
Many TIA.
Jay Behr
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Problem is I don’t know where to replicate this functionality in Falcon BMS 4.35. I’ve found (in BAL) the “AxisAssign/Views/Distance” function, and that works fine with the Virpil Flaps lever to give a Zoom function, so that’s sorted, but I can’t find the equivalent of the DCS 360 degree look-around stick/head movement. I tried assigning the thumbstick to the “AxisAssign/Views/FOV” function, but that doesn’t appear to do anything (although this may be a mistake in the JG programming by me, so by all means speak up if it normally does something), but in any case it only seems to pick up movement in one plane i.e. the thumbstick’s X-axis, in this case.
Any ideas folks?
Many TIA.
Jay Behr
You can use opentrack headtracking software and assing it a ministick as input
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Are you sure the mini stick is operating as axes and not buttons?
Have you tried changing the mini stick to buttons and assigning like that?
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You can use opentrack headtracking software and assing it a ministick as input
Interesting idea - I will look into it.
Thanks for the idea.
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Are you sure the mini stick is operating as axes and not buttons?
Have you tried changing the mini stick to buttons and assigning like that?
Yes, I am sure - it’s easy as, on the VKB, a little red light lights when you have it in analogue mode.
When used as buttons it can “move” the view, but it’s of course not in an analogue fashion (“little, some, lots”), and doesn’t “self centre”, so isn’t really of use.
Thanks for the reply though, appreciate you taking the time.
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Yes, I am sure - it’s easy as, on the VKB, a little red light lights when you have it in analogue mode.
When used as buttons it can “move” the view, but it’s of course not in an analogue fashion (“little, some, lots”), and doesn’t “self centre”, so isn’t really of use.
Thanks for the reply though, appreciate you taking the time.
I have a Gunfighter. Will see what I can figure out
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I’ve got the OpenTrack method to work by assigning these axes:
Yaw 8
Pitch 7It’s very sensitive and returns to centre so I guess you’ll need to lower the stick sensitivity in VKB software and map freeze tracking to the hat button
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I’ve got the OpenTrack method to work by assigning these axes:
Yaw 8
Pitch 7It’s very sensitive and returns to centre so I guess you’ll need to lower the stick sensitivity in VKB software and map freeze tracking to the hat button
I think better to work with curves in opentrack
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Agreed
You can also change axes to absolute or relative which will mean the view stays where you let go
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Agreed
You can also change axes to absolute or relative which will mean the view stays where you let go
I’m just not getting it to work, with opentrack, or any other way. Precisely where should it be input within the Alternative Launcher, coz I can’t get anything out of it in either AltLuncher or the BMS Launcher.
I have the feeling I’m missing something obvious, but I can assure you it’s not for wont of trying.
BTW thanks for trying to help, and apologies if I’m thick.
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The only thing you need to do in alternative launcher is make sure the ministick you want to use isn’t assigned to anything else.
Oakdesign’s screenshot shows everything you need to do to get open track configuration started.
His screenshot shows axis 5 for yaw and 6 for pitch. On my gunfighter it was yaw axis 8 pitch axis 7.
If your ministick is behaving as axes then this should work.
After you get the ministick controlling the view I can help you fine tune sensitivity, the mode of movement and tracking reset buttons if you need further assistance
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