Most essentials to map?
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What are the community’s opinions on the most important functions to map out to a joystick?
Say, for example, we’re talking about only 12 buttons. What are the 12 most important things should one map to a joystick so one doesn’t have to break eye contact to operate, nor have to use the mouse to click on something in the cockpit to make work, nor have to hit a plain ole key on the keyboard?
Joystick parameters:
12-button joystick;
No pinky button
Four buttons, one hat, and one wheel are available to the thumb;
Trigger is only one-function (e.g. no two-detent trigger);
Seven buttons would need to be operated by reaching across with the other hand (or letting go of the stick with the joystick hand);Throttle and flight axis are taken care of, don’t mention those.
Based on thew wide range of missions A-G, A-A, t/O & Lndg, A-R…. what are the 12 most important buttons to put on the right hand’s joystick (including the seven that the left hand will end up pressing)?
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What are the community’s opinions on the most important functions to map out to a joystick?
Say, for example, we’re talking about only 12 buttons. What are the 12 most important things should one map to a joystick so one doesn’t have to break eye contact to operate, nor have to use the mouse to click on something in the cockpit to make work, nor have to hit a plain ole key on the keyboard?
Joystick parameters:
12-button joystick;
No pinky button
Four buttons, one hat, and one wheel are available to the thumb;
Trigger is only one-function (e.g. no two-detent trigger);
Seven buttons would need to be operated by reaching across with the other hand (or letting go of the stick with the joystick hand);Throttle and flight axis are taken care of, don’t mention those.
Based on thew wide range of missions A-G, A-A, t/O & Lndg, A-R…. what are the 12 most important buttons to put on the right hand’s joystick (including the seven that the left hand will end up pressing)?
Hi, K,
It’s an interesting question. Firstly, it would help if you told us exactly what stick/throttle you have. Do you have rudder control. Secondly I would get the BMS Alternate launcher
With it, assign one button to the DX Pinky. , as a reach over( that’s not a perfect solution., as you have to press the “pinky” while pressing the other button to get shifted). So, keep in that in mind for controls you want as reach overs. If the the hat is a 4-way, that gives you the “pinky”/FOV and 16 buttons under the thumb. If the wheel can be “banded”, like a Saitek, that could give you a couple more. If not, then either rdr antenna elevation or Gain as an axis.
You’re going to need a pickle button
On the hat put the cursor, with TMS, up/down and DMS down as shifted. The fourth shifted hat is up to you. Cursor enable is a possibility. DMS left/right is really needed (since you don’t want the mouse to switch MFD pages), and TMS left/right can be a reach over.
CMS, you need at least up and left. If you program your CMS Prog 1 for 1 chaff, and Prog 6 for one flare, then CMS up gives you one chaff and left gives one flare. You can do Up , with left shifted. Plus one for jammer CMS down, with CMS right as shifted.That can be a reach over.
Comms buttons. At least Comm up/down for the radios. You could be comm left on one of the reach overs with right as shifted. nws/miss. button , can be a reach over
Speedbrake
paddle switch
You’re going to have to figure what works for you, personal preference has a lot to do with it. I see what you wrote about the mouse, but you may have to be flexible with that. Maybe put the mouse to the left of the throttle?
I have to tell you, BMS is real tough without a decent HOTAS, and doubly so without mouse or keyboard.Put the second trigger detent on your trigger.
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Hi,
Also, while a little bit more work, you could look at what others use on a days to day basis by looking at the 3 profiles listed in this thread, which is about a Joystick/HOTAS with limited buttons and see what others have mapped - perhaps there are common mappings between the three profiles:
https://www.benchmarksims.org/forum/showthread.php?40038-T-Flight-Hotas-X
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I have a Mad Catz F.L.Y 5, yes rudder (via twist, I’m fine with that, most fighter plane turns are “bank and pull” anyway, it’s not a sailplane where I need to keep the yaw string perfectly centered to extract maximum efficiency from the energy in the atmosphere).
I have 2x Cougar MFD usb thingies, use YAME to throw the MFDs to another monitor.
I don’t know how many points are covered by the hat, I assume eight(?), as I used to use it for panning view and it can pan “diagonally” up-left for example; the hat does NOT have a push-button function - just deflection only.
Does the above change you reply, drtbkj, or anyone else?
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Drtbkj’s comments are pretty much what I would echo also.
Interestingly enough, the HOTAS X has 12 buttons, a broadly similar setup and the starting question was very similar:
Can some one give me the basic and most useful key binding for this 12 button system. …. For example:
1=trigger
2=toggle landing gear up and down
3=switch button (if applicable)
4=air brake toggleand so on up to 12.
The second page of the thread should be helpful and has images (I don’t know how to copy them over). If you don’t have Track IR (head tracking hardware) you won’t need the Track IR buttons.
The Alternative Launcher by Chihirobelmo is fantastic and very user friendly in my experience. I suggest you map settings in that, rather than in the in-game BMS settings page: https://www.benchmarksims.org/forum/showthread.php?31774-Falcon-BMS-Alternative-Launcher-(Easy-Setup-Keep-Joystick-Assignments)
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Cursor (for TGP/Radar) 4 buttons or axis
Cursor zero
Dogfight/Missile/Cancel 3 buttons or rocker
TMS UP/RIGHT/DOWN 3 Buttons
DMS UP/RIGHT/LEFT/DOWN 4 Buttons
Weapon release
Slap
Pinky
Manual range (for TGP zoom)
Uncage21 Buttons not including 2 stage trigger
You could possibly lose:
Uncage
Pinky
Slap
Cursor zero
and use dogfight/missile auto canceland get this down to 14 I think
Still tough