Assigning HOTAS
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What is the best procedure for assigning Cougar HOTAS settings in the setup?
I currently have the first and second detent trigger not functioning. First detent seems to be assignable, but then doesn’t shoot when in the cockpit. Trigger 2 detent shows as non assigned in the setup.
Is there a fool proof way of assigning these HOTAS buttons and making them remember their settings?
Also, you can’t see what is assigned unless clicking on it - and then you’re in assignment mode. Is there away to see the assignments in BMS without having to click on the input?
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@jcook the 2D setup UI has not really been invested in. recommend Alternative Launcher which is a well maintained modern UI for maintaining your key file bindings
https://github.com/chihirobelmo/FalconBMS-Alternative-Launcher/releases
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Thanks @airtex2019 for the info. So I guess without an external tool there is no stability in assigning and maintaining HOTAS assignments? Are there no techniques or tricks for this?
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@jcook first-party to BMS? there’s an excel spreadsheet based thing, that you can use to define your mappings and export as a .key file.
I’ve never used it… not sure how many here do, and can provide support. But there’s a 50-page pdf.
C:\Falcon BMS 4.36\Docs\01 Input Devices\02 Key File Editor\BMS-Key-File-Editor-Manual.pdf
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@jcook have you removed and re-connected your HOTAS? The order of your devices may have changed. Look at your DeviceSorting.txt file to check. Take a look at section 10.7 of the Tech Manual as it will explain more, especially 10.7.2 perhaps.
Good luck!
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@jcook Might consider removing/disabling the analogue idle detent (set g_bUseAnalogIdleCutoff 0) Since its far too easy to cut off the engine during flight, due to lack of hard stop. Then use the UI page to ‘set’ the AB detent. You can map the idle/detent callback to something or use the mouse in pit.
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Here is a few lines from my key file. You can see that both the first trigger detent and the second are mapped with the same 0x35. I suppose that means something.
What can I change in this file to get the second detent programmed correctly?
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@jcook but they have different modifiers, 2 (ctl), 4 (alt).
Can be seen also by scrolling to the call-back from within the game settings.
Id Modifier 0 1 Shift 2 Ctrl 3 Shift + Ctrl 4 Alt 5 Shift + Alt 6 Ctrl + Alt 7 Shift + Ctrl + Alt
And for completeness, the hex codes (edit UK keyboard ASCII).
Hex Key 0X28 ' 0XC - 0X33 , 0X34 . 0X35 / 0X27 ; 0X1A [ 0X2B \ 0X1B ] 0X29 ~ 0XFFFFFFFF (Not assigned) 0XD = 0XB 0 0X2 1 0X3 2 0X4 3 0X5 4 0X6 5 0X7 6 0X8 7 0X9 8 0XA 9 0X1E A 0X30 B 0XE Backspace 0X2E C 0X3A CapsLock 0X20 D 0XD3 Delete 0XD0 DOWN 0X12 E 0XCF End 0X1C Enter 0X1 Escape 0X21 F 0X3B F1 0X44 F10 0X57 F11 0X58 F12 0X3C F2 0X3D F3 0X3E F4 0X3F F5 0X40 F6 0X41 F7 0X42 F8 0X43 F9 0X22 G 0X23 H 0XC7 Home 0X17 I 0XD2 Insert 0X24 J 0X25 K 0X26 L 0XCB LEFT 0X32 M 0XDD Menu 0X31 N 0X4A Num- 0X37 Num* 0XB5 Num/ 0X4E Num+ 0X52 Num0 0X4F Num1 0X50 Num2 0X51 Num3 0X4B Num4 0X4C Num5 0X4D Num6 0X47 Num7 0X48 Num8 0X49 Num9 0X53 NumDel 0X9C NumEnter 0X45 NumLock 0X18 O 0X19 P 0XD1 PageDown 0XC9 PageUp 0XB7 PrintScreen 0X10 Q 0X13 R 0XCD RIGHT 0X1F S 0X46 ScrollLock 0X39 Space 0X14 T 0XF Tabulator 0X16 U 0XC8 UP 0X2F V 0X11 W 0XDB Win(left) 0XDC Win(right) 0X2D X 0X15 Y 0X2C Z
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Sorry, I don’t really know what you mean. Can the file be edited to get my second trigger to work? I have a Cougar HOTAS. Not using any shifting, macros or programming. It runs pure functionality as in the real F16.
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@jcook said in Assigning HOTAS:
Sorry, I don’t really know what you mean. Can the file be edited to get my second trigger to work? I have a Cougar HOTAS. Not using any shifting, macros or programming. It runs pure functionality as in the real F16.
You do NOT want to be changing that keyfile (and that 0x35 on your SimTrigger) without knowing what you are doing. Your picture shows a portion from keyboard keys layout, and it appears a single key is used for both First and Second Detent for this control, with modifiers to differentiate (as noted by Fish44) - it expects CTRL to be held (or ALT to be held) before pressing keyboard key 0x35. When we add custom joystick callbacks, we do it at the very bottom of one of these keyfiles, and we leave that keyboard keys section above alone including that Detent callback on key 0x35.
If you do not want to use some pre-made Cougar HOTAS keyfile for Falcon BMS, you can edit your keyfile manually, or use the Alternative Launcher for BMS as airtex mentioned.
Here’s a guide to editing keyfiles manually - including this hex stuff and what each part of a keyfile line means - the benefit being that once you’ve created your own keyfile exactly as you want, you can backup this file and use it forever for your same HOTAS flight stick & throttle:
https://www.blu3wolf.com/falconbms/Kolbe/Falcon BMS Keyfile Manual.pdf -
@jcook keybd scan code 0x35 is the forward-slash, on US keybd layouts (it’s the key to the left of the right-hand-side [shift] key on most other layouts)
Do you by any chance have french, german or other keybd layout?
It has long been a source of confusion… (does that key work for you, toggling NWS etc?)
So, eg.
0x35 2
=> [ctrl+ForwardSlash]
0x35 4
=> [alt+ForwardSlash]ps/btw I made
https://gist.github.com/arithex/3e953d1eb096afe58ce05ba6846493e4as a bookmarkable resource for anyone who wants/needs to hand craft (or debug) a key file
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@jcook for the avoidance of doubt … this aspect of the BMS setup UI works mostly fine, for me.
My keyfile is very different but… I can hit the key bound to trigger1 or trigger2, and the listview scrolls to show it. And the left-hand column shows which keys and modifiers are bound to the commands…
Not sure what’s going on with your keyfile.
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Thanks all for the input. I appreciate all the ideas. Years ago i had all this working, having recently returned to BMS i had forgotten the many tricks.
Solution was i needed to hold trigger at first detent, click on 2nd trigger detent in the UI, then pull trigger to 2nd detent. The set up 1st trigger detent.
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@jcook Interesting … yeah as I said, this 2D setup UI hasn’t been well invested in.
Just in case you want to sanity-check the .key file that results, to figure all this out – the the joystick/hotas mappings will appear at the bottom. In a slightly different format than they keyboard codes you pasted above.
Instead of keybd scan-codes and modifer flags, it’s just a 0-based number for each joystick button. Trigger1d is usually #0 and Trigger2d is usually #1. Assuming your stick is the first device in your DeviceSorting.txt list.
By way of example, here’s my first few button mappings…
##---------------------------------------- ## Stick Buttons ## SimTriggerFirstDetent 0 -1 -2 0 0x0 0 SimTriggerSecondDetent 1 -1 -2 0 0x0 0 SimPickle 2 -1 -2 0 0x0 0 SimMissileStep 3 -1 -2 0 0x0 0 SimHotasPinkyShift 4 -1 -2 0 0x0 0 # (shifted) SimTriggerFirstDetent 256 -1 -2 0 0x0 0 SimTriggerSecondDetent 257 -1 -2 0 0x0 0 SimPickle 258 -1 -2 0 0x0 0 SimToggleMissileCage 259 -1 -2 0 0x0 0 SimHotasPinkyShift 260 -1 -2 0 0x0 0
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@jcook said in Assigning HOTAS:
Sorry, I don’t really know what you mean.
If this looks daunting for you then i agree with
@airtex2019 said You do NOT want to be changing that keyfile (and that 0x35 on your SimTrigger) without knowing what you are doing.
However, as an advocate of using/editing the key file to get things done, I can suggest that you take a back-up of the key file (or better a zip of the config folder), and mess with it to your hearts’ content. If u break it just restore your original.
My keyfile is now ‘MY PRESCIOUS’, refined over many years, and I don’t use any tools for launching. So much so, I have an automatic …BMS436\User\Config daily backup routine, so can I always get back to where I want.
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@Fish44 yep same … I literally added
C:\Falcon BMS 4.36\User\Config
to my OneDrive folders so I never lose any changes, lol -
Thanks guys for your help. I agree its a good idea to backup the important files.