New to BMS, setting up X-52 Pro
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Hello everyone, just got BMS up and running, I normally play DCS but I decided to check this game out too.
I’ve been trying to figure out how to set up my X-52 Pro. The way I use it in DCS, I have almost nothing mapped in-game except the movement axis, with everything else managed by the Saitek Profiler and programming the stick to simulate keypresses. I’m having trouble doing this with BMS, and it seems like I can’t unbind the joystick buttons from commands in the game. I just want to set my keybindings so that the joystick buttons aren’t doing anything in-game, leaving them free for me to create a Saitek Profile.
Is there a way for me to erase any joystick keybindings in the game?
Thanks in advance,
Harnis
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There is, but you are much better off mapping everything in the game and nothing on the Failtek profiler.
Still, if you are set on using the SST, open up your keyfile you will be using.
At the bottom of it there is a set of short strings which are directX key assignments. Delete them from the keyfile, and the joystick buttons wont do anything in game.
C:\Falcon BMS 4.32\User\Joystick\Generic\Kolbe
In that directory there is a manual describing how to do just that in more detail, as well as just about every other possible thing you might want to do with the in game keyfile assignments.
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@Harnis:
Hello everyone, just got BMS up and running, I normally play DCS but I decided to check this game out too.
I’ve been trying to figure out how to set up my X-52 Pro. The way I use it in DCS, I have almost nothing mapped in-game except the movement axis, with everything else managed by the Saitek Profiler and programming the stick to simulate keypresses. I’m having trouble doing this with BMS, and it seems like I can’t unbind the joystick buttons from commands in the game. I just want to set my keybindings so that the joystick buttons aren’t doing anything in-game, leaving them free for me to create a Saitek Profile.
Is there a way for me to erase any joystick keybindings in the game?
Thanks in advance,
Harnis
Although I strongly recommend using ‘in game’ DX programming over the Saitek profile software, yes there is a way to delete DX bindings. Open your keyfile (using notepad or other text editor). At the bottom end of the keyfile are the DX bindings. They are markedly different keyfile lines in that they don’t contain any hex address for the keyboard. Delete those lines.
That however will not, I think, get you where you want to be. You will now have to coordinate your keyfile keyboard assignments with your Saitek profiler assignements. For instance ‘G’ for landing gear toggle will have to be ‘G’ in the keyfile and ‘G’ in the Saitek profile. You’ll have to make sure each Saitek assignment is coordinated in the keyfile.
Instead of going through that (imho) silliness from scratch, you have two viable options:
1.) Use a pre-existing X52 Pro profile already made for BMS. The two most popular are by Hard~Deck and Scuby.
https://www.benchmarksims.org/forum/showthread.php?6032-Saitek-X-52PRO-Profile
https://www.benchmarksims.org/forum/showthread.php?17393-X52-PRO-Profile-by-Scuby
Or,
2.) Use a pre-existing X-52 Pro DX profile (or make your own). Here’s mine:
https://www.benchmarksims.org/forum/showthread.php?18522-X52-Pro-DX-Profile
There are a lot of benefits to DX, imho. I’ve used both and for me DX wins hands-down.
In any case, any of the above profiles might be a good starting point so that whatever you build, you don’t have to do it from the ground up.
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My main reason for wanting this is consistency with my profiles for DCS. I want the least amount of re-learning possible
Thanks for all the help guys, this DX stuff was confusing me and I’m pretty familiar with the Saitek profiler, and I have it working well with DCS. And I have no problem building a HOTAS profile from scratch, I find the process of creating it means I memorize the controls as I assign them rather than starting with someone else’s profile and having to learn it.
as for making sure that the keybinding matches the Saitek profiler, am I missing something? I mean, obviously, right? If the in-game keyboard command for toggling gear is G, I just set whatever button on my Saitek BMS profile to be “G”, and it will work, just like any other game, right?
Are there specific compatibility issues with BMS? Like is there a particular reason why you guys are saying it’s better to use the in-game programming? Issues with responsiveness or something?
All noob questions I’m sure, but thanks for the very useful help. I always had lots of respect for this community, seemed like one of the best sim communities out there.
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Issues with responsiveness are not so common, but a few you might spot are any hold commands wont play nicely, and any emulated bands commands.
IF the in game keyboard command for toggling gear is G, then you can just set whatever button you like on the stick to be G - the key here is that you then have two places to coordinate things, which makes troubleshooting (IMO) harder - is the problem (if any) with the SST, with the stick, with the profile or with the keyfile?
Another thing is the fact that there is not really a ‘standard’ setting for the in game keyboard commands. There are several basic keyfiles included in the basic install, and neither of them really have everything in them.
If you arent too concerned about messing around with creating your own profile, I might suggest the basic keyfile that Kolbe provides in your install folder (same directory as I linked above) as a starting point for your SST profile.
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@Harnis:
…. as for making sure that the keybinding matches the Saitek profiler, am I missing something? I mean, obviously, right? If the in-game keyboard command for toggling gear is G, I just set whatever button on my Saitek BMS profile to be “G”, and it will work, just like any other game, right? …
Haha! Obvious? Yeah, I guess …. if you already know it. When I picked up BMS I’d never used a keyboard emulator OR an in game keyfile. When I went to tweak Hard~Deck’s profile, it was maddening not understanding the relationship between the two pieces of the profile. I’d change one and it would ‘screw up’ the other. But yeah, it’s obvious now.
There are some potential issues, but I don’t know if they are all BMS specific. For instance:
- As BW points out, some ‘long press/short press’ functionality is lost;
- The tendency for the X-52/52 Pro and/or SST (never figured out whether the HOTAS or the software caused this) to randomly push and hold keys from time-to-time;
- Potential issues with key press/release timing;
- Faults generated if two HOTAS functions are pressed at the same time (perhaps unintentionally);
- Getting ‘lost’ in which mode and shift state you’re in (6 possible layers) and doing something stupid … like ejecting for no reason;
- Etc.
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like ejecting for no reason
I learnt the hard way that eject should NEVER be on your HOTAS.
It wasnt even on my stick… My X-65F had a separate throttle panel and the guarded button varied over time between eject and emergency stores jettison… and in the heat of the moment, I forgot it was on eject and decided that it might be a good idea to drop my external stores so I could gun down the bandit in front of me…
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I learnt the hard way that eject should NEVER be on your HOTAS.
It wasnt even on my stick… My X-65F had a separate throttle panel and the guarded button varied over time between eject and emergency stores jettison… and in the heat of the moment, I forgot it was on eject and decided that it might be a good idea to drop my external stores so I could gun down the bandit in front of me…
Well, it WAS an emergency jettison of a sort, so you’ve got that going for you.
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If you assign a virtual keystroke to a button in SST it no longer produces the DX button output. It’s a replacement not an additional input so it doesn’t matter if you still have button bindings because you aren’t pressing those buttons logically even when you press those buttons physically. But it’s good to be tidy.
I find the process of creating it means I memorize the controls as I assign them rather than starting with someone else’s profile and having to learn it.
Good man.
My main reason for wanting this is consistency with my profiles for DCS.
Consistency with another plane for certain functions is pleasant but it’s more important to be consistent with the real airplane. A lot of engineering time went into the F-16 controls and their placement so a proportional amount of reverence should be given to the real layout. If nothing else check the manual and review the real layout and its functions. I’ve met players that have flown an embarrassing number of hours not knowing what the DMS hat is or does. There is a distinct learning penalty from avoiding the “Think 16” approach.
I just set whatever button on my Saitek BMS profile to be “G”, and it will work, just like any other game, right?
Yup. Be aware a few keys will be time sensitive and problems with modifier keys is somewhat expected due to before/simultaneous/after timing. But there’s nothing special about a virtual keystroke compared to the standard keyboard.
What you will find is that the Saitek marketing line of “just press virtual keyboard keys bound to the default game controls from a profile!” has some frustration. The default key bindings are kinda crap IMHO, relying heavily on lots of modifiers which can be problematic. To make the virtual keys work smoothly you want to make a custom key layout that doesn’t rely on modifiers much and by that time you’re 60% of the way to just doing most if not all stuff direct-to-DX anyway. The amount of work avoiding DX-direct binding, even with luxuries like SimHotasPinkyShift, is commonly in excess of the work to not avoid it with IMO a better outcome.