How does one map inputs? (I'm feeling like an idiot)
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Hello. After reading the whole Falcon AF manual and playing it for the past weeks, I finally got Falcon 4, allowing me to install BMS.
I’m having a problem though, probably the silliest one. But firstly, let me apologize if this is the wrong place to ask.
How do I map controls and inputs on the controller tab of the settings menu? So, I managed to get the flight controls working with my analogue stick (ailerons, elevators, rudders, etc), but I can’t find a way to map each individual keystroke to one of my keyboard keys or controller button.
Unlike in Falcon AF, where in it’s controller tab I could double-click a function (TMS Up for example) and then tap the desired key/button I wished to map that function to, Falcon BMS doesn’t allow me to do this. If I single/double/triple click a function, it will remain coloured in blue and I can’t change the key.In Falcon BMS manual it says “For a full explanation of customising device and keyboard assignments please refer to the Key File Manual.pdf”. But Key File Manual talks about why he decided to create it, how the code lines work, etc, and doesn’t seem to explain me how to map the bugger thing.
I also couldn’t find any youtube tutorial for it. There’s one where Krause talks about which keys are important to have mapped, but he doesn’t seem to tell how to map them to a button.
I don’t know what I’m missing here. Any help would be appreciated.
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Depending on your joystick you can find profiles for it. Like mine is a saitek 52 or logictech now. Kesmonkey is one I have used. There are sumforums for each major manufacture, thrust master, saitek, CH. Also their are 3 ways to program your joystick, dx programming which you can read about in the key files doc folder, using software that may have come with your stick and directly in the setup menu for falcon itself.
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You should just be able to select a function, then hit a button on the joystick to map it although, at least for me, this doesn’t seem to work for keyboard keys. I personally really recommend chihirobelmo’s alternate launcher. It’s still a bit buggy, but on the whole it makes the experience way less painful.
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Thanks for the answers.
Yeah, idlepigeon, I just noticed now that I can map buttons to the functions. I can’t, though, change a keyboard binding. I wanted to have my Radar cursors keys as my keyboard arrow keys (instead of shift + keyboard arrow keys).So there’s no way to change the default keyboard keys? This seems like a downgrade from the original Falcon 4, eh?
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Read the bms key file manual found in the falcon bms 4.33 u1/ docs/ keyfiles & input folder there are other docs there also that can help. There are also some device specific setup guides and the bms key file editor a excel spreadsheet. It is not a simple thing that can be explained in the format of this forum, but all keys and joystick buttons are programmable to your liking.
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Thanks for the answers.
Yeah, idlepigeon, I just noticed now that I can map buttons to the functions. I can’t, though, change a keyboard binding. I wanted to have my Radar cursors keys as my keyboard arrow keys (instead of shift + keyboard arrow keys).So there’s no way to change the default keyboard keys? This seems like a downgrade from the original Falcon 4, eh?
You can and its easily done in the setup/controller page.
Find the function you want to change and then left click on it , it will change color, then activate the keyboard key you want it to be associated with. Done.
Its always a good idea to “save-as” the key file your changing with a name you easily remember, your call-sign ?
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You can and its easily done in the setup/controller page.
Find the function you want to change and then left click on it , it will change color, then activate the keyboard key you want it to be associated with. Done.
Here’s the catch, it doesn’t work. The function changes to blue color, I can press whatever keyboard key I wish, nothing happens.
Also, I have a second controller connected, so I can also use it’s HAT switch / D-Pad, but just like the keyboard, I can’t map it’s HAT Switch as well unless it’s my main controller, oh god.Why did they have to make this so difficult in BMS? In Falcon AF I could simply click on the function I wished, make whichever keyboard key combination I wanted it mapped to and done. I don’t see why we need to use Key File Editors and such, besides, I been reading that manual for some time and it hasn’t explained me how to change my keybinds, I honestly have no idea of what he’s talking about.
It doesn’t interest me at the moment what each code line is or why he decided to create the Key File Editor. I just wanna know how can I choose a keyboard key for a desired function. Seems like this is over-complicated for no reason, or I’m just too dumb to have wasted so much time and yet have no idea how to map my keys. -
First what joystick are you using? Second when you click on the mapping you want to change it turns blue then when you are done does that key show up in the box in the key column, also if that key was assigned to another command it then (the command it was for before you made the change)reverts to no key assigned. Once you program your keys you have to save. Also when you select a already used key the list jumps to the command it was originally programmed for it so you have to scrol back to the one your changing.
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First what joystick are you using?
Currently, an Xbox One controller
Second when you click on the mapping you want to change it turns blue then when you are done does that key show up in the box in the key column,
Was this a question? If so, when I click, yes, it turns blue. Then I press a keyboard key, and nothing happens.
also if that key was assigned to another command it then (the command it was for before you made the change)reverts to no key assigned.
Sorry, I don’t get what you mean.
Once you program your keys you have to save.
I didn’t get to program them because I can’t assign them to the button/keyboard key I want.
Also when you select a already used key the list jumps to the command it was originally programmed for it so you have to scrol back to the one your changing.
Yes, I know, same behaviour as in Falcon AF. Whenever I want to know what a certain keyboard key does, I just tap it and it will show me which function it’s assigned to. It doesn’t mean I can’t click on another function and map this key to something else.
In falcon AF, if this key was already map to a function, it would tell me before overwriting.I finally managed to get the Key File Editor halfway working (I can choose my keyboard bindings, although I don’t get how to choose my controller button bindings as of yet). And I really, in all seriousness, don’t see how it’s useful.
If I could change my keys IN game, just like in Falcon AF, I could’ve been flying hours ago. Over here it takes too long, makes no sense. I have to open a menu/window for every function, and then scroll down a huge list with all my keyboard keys so I can choose which key I want for the function (Yes, I’ve imported the default keybindings, but it’s all messed up, there are useless keyboard keys which are better off in my controller, and some that I’ll never use because it’s so much easier clicking on the cockpit).
So while I could have made theses changes in less than 30 minutes in game, as I’ve done in Falcon AF, this will take me over 1 hour at least.I’ve downloaded the “chihirobelmo’s alternate launcher” idlepigeon mentioned, although it looks pretty and is functional for some things, it’s limited for axis mapping and has some serious bugs for keystrokes mapping. For example, I had UJR running, simulating a virtual joystick, so I could give an exact deadzone value for my Xbox One stick, but the launcher doesn’t allow me to choose which joystick to use. It asks me to move the stick so it can detect it, and then it only detects the physical Xbox One controller instead of the virtual one.
I thought things would be easier in BMS, regarding controllers and UI. Phew.
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Ok well I have no idea about how a xbox one controller would work with this sim. One thing to check is the device sorting text file in C:\Falcon BMS 4.33 U1\User\Config the controller should be the first in the list. How are you connecting the controller to the pc, usb cable or wireless. And here is a website I found about setting up xbox one controller for use with pc. https://www.windowscentral.com/guide-use-xbox-one-controller-pc
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One thing to point out is that it was really designed around using a true joystick and even a full h.o.t.a.s. setup, I’m not saying you cant use the xbox controller but not sure how it works with windows and how it is seen by falcon.
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I sent you a pm though I guess I could have asked here are you familiar with team speak
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I did some looking and really did not find much about the xbox controller as a joystick on a pc. But did find this one thread in bms forum https://www.benchmarksims.org/forum/showthread.php?30447-Cougar-versus-Warthog-versus-Xbox-controller&highlight=xbox not sure how much this will help or if you already found it.
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It works. Like, it has two analogue sticks, it has buttons, etc, like any other controller. I just won’t be finding any pre-made/default bindings for it. But mapping the controller bindings aren’t a problem, it’s pretty quick.
I might have got it working with the Alternate Launch app mentioned earlier. I got everything mapped and managed to work around the problems I was having.
However, another problem arised, when launching the game from this launcher, I can’t get to the Setup tab. If I try, the game crashes.
It wouldn’t be a problem if my sounds weren’t so messed up (I literally can’t hear anything from the cockpit but Bitching Betty xD). So I made a backup of my config folder, will delete this launcher, and try getting into the game again. Hopefully, my bindings will continue saved.Edit: Like, I don’t have problems having the controller to work. It works perfectly in War Thunder, in Falcon AF, and every other game where I could make the use of an axis. The problem here is BMS itself and keyboard. Nonetheless, thanks for looking for all the threads and all the help, hope I didn’t/am not bothering you too much with this.
Edit 2: I gave up of trying to use the Key File Editor.
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Glad your making headway.
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XBOX controller would work as an ordinal DX device. Nothing different to any joystick like Thrustmaster HOTAS COUGAR or WARTHOG. They will have 32 or less DX buttons, 1 to 4 POV switches and 8 axes at maximum. In BMS, only the joystick which have assigned pitch and roll axes can use its POV switches.
I might have got it working with the Alternate Launch app mentioned earlier. I got everything mapped and managed to work around the problems I was having.
However, another problem arised, when launching the game from this launcher, I can’t get to the Setup tab. If I try, the game crashes.
It wouldn’t be a problem if my sounds weren’t so messed up (I literally can’t hear anything from the cockpit but Bitching Betty xD). So I made a backup of my config folder, will delete this launcher, and try getting into the game again. Hopefully, my bindings will continue saved.It will be continue saved unless you plug another device or unplug unused device and launching BMS from the original launcher next time.
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It should work OK with your Arrow keys for radar ( as I used it years ago )
Hat Switches are a bit tricky. when you have multi controllers.
Just checked , I have no problem setting “up arrow” as “TQS: RDR CURSOR-Up”
PS: Unplug any non compliant controller and just have the keyboard only, and then try to map the radar.
There’s only ever ONE “POV” hat switch.
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Reading the manual, BMS recognize up to 4 POV switches if they all were on primary(pitch-roll) joystick. I haven’t tested it.
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Learning how to work the .key files and the Key File Editor will pay dividends later on, assuming you stick with BMS. You may have your setup to your liking now, but what happens when you change controllers, buy a new, fancy HOTAS? You’ll have to dig into the .key files again!!
My suggestion is this –- learn about callbacks, XT scan codes, and use Notepad++
For example, you want to map radar up/down/left/right to your arrow keys. What are the callbacks for those? Looking at p.27 of the TO-BMS1F-16CM-1.pdf manual, it is SimCursorUp, SimCursorDown, SimCursorRight, and SimCursorLeft. Open up your .key file in Notepad++, look for those lines, and change them. Using the BMS - Full.key file, we’ll find these on lines 280-283. I’ll use SimCursorUp as an example and map it to the Up arrow.
SimCursorUp -1 0 0xC8 1 0 0 1 “TQS: RDR CURSOR - Up”
Reading the BMS Key File Manual.pdf, from page 16 onwards, we’ll find out that SimCursorUp is the callback, -1 is the SoundID, 0 is not used, and 0xC8 is the keyboard key (XT scan code). There we can see what we want to change.
But how do we know what is the code for Up arrow? Open up the BMS Key File Editor.xls file, click on the Keystr Editor button, set your Keyboard Layout (Locale) as appropriate (ie, US International), click on the Keyboard button, and switch Show Keyboard Labels to Show Key Codes. We can see that Up arrow is 0xC8! So on the BMS - Full.key setup, the radar cursors are already mapped to up/down/left/right. But is that really the case? After 0xC8, we have 1 which is the modifier key and referring back to the BMS Key File Manual.pdf, we see that 1 means the modifier is SHIFT so the radar cursors are mapped to SHIFT+UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT. To map the radar cursors to just up/down/left/right, or in this case just the radar cursor up to the UP arrow, line 280 must look like this:
SimCursorUp -1 0 0xC8 0 0 0 1 “TQS: RDR CURSOR - Up”
For further example, let’s say you want to re-map these to your Numpad 8/4/6/2 keys and we’ll put SimCursorUP to the Numpad 8 key. We can see that the code for that is 0x48. To map SimCursorUp to the Numpad 8 key, we must change line 280 to this:
SimCursorUp -1 0 0x48 0 0 0 1 “TQS: RDR CURSOR - Up”
Save the .key file to something unique, fire up BMS, load your .key file, and verify that your mapping has taken place. There may be instances where you’ve mapped the key to two callbacks, read p.29 of the BMS Key File Manual.pdf…. simply put, in Notepad++, search for other instances of 0x48, make sure the other instances have different modifier keys (SHIFT, CTRL, ALT or combinations of those), or if there are duplicates, map those to other keys or remove the mapping altogether. To remove the mapping, the line must look like this:
SimCursorUp -1 0 0XFFFFFFFF 0 0 0 1 “TQS: RDR CURSOR - Up”
That’s a quick-and-dirty guide and only scratches the surface of re-mapping keys. You can do this via the 2D UI in BMS but some (including myself) find this very awkward to use and prefer editing the .key file instead. Also, saving your .key file in the UI makes it lose formatting so try to avoid it as much as you can if you like editing the .key file. DirectX mapping has it’s own section and again, learning how to work with this will pay dividends later on. Good luck!
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Oh well.
I restarted the PC, not sure what changed, but I managed to bind functions to my keyboard.Now, I think I know why it was crashing, I mapped TMS to one set of Hat Switches, and DMS to the other (I’m using an old unnamed flystick with a Hat-Switch. It’s main axis is not very functional, but I’m using it for the buttons).
I don’t see why BMS can’t have two sets of Hat Switches while Falcon AF allowed me to do this. Anyhow, I can work around it, gonna have to map them to shift/ctrl + arrows.