@Thbrix and @drtbkj : Thanks, I have been using Alternative Launcher already for all other keybind settings. But I wasn’t aware initially that I could use it for this scenario of “do XYZ on button release”.
While I was researching on how to prevent AL to overwrite any custom key file changes of mine (as per the other comments above) when it generates its “BMS AUTO” keyfile, I realized that there actually is an easy way to configure my keybinds directly with AL. I simply never spotted it even though it was staring me right in the face.
Here’s the relevant setting in a screenshot in case other users are looking for the same solution. You need to click on the highlighted button to change it from its default “PRESS” option to the “RELEASE” option.
The only remaining caveat is to get the desired key registered when this window is open. What worked (almost) consistently for me was to set a switch to its OFF position (e.g., the EAC ARM/OFF switch on the Warthog), then open this window to assign the binding, change it to “RELEASE”, and then move the switch from OFF to ARM. The opposite, more intuitive approach to move the switch ARM to OFF would not register the keybind in AL, even when toggling several times between ARM and OFF. In other words, the switch must be OFF before opening the window, and then moved to its non-OFF position. I hope this summary makes sense.
Lastly, I made sure to always set “on release” binds for all possible switch positions. For example, in the screenshot above you can see my binds for the MASTER ARM switch, which is the physical FLAPS 3-way switch on my Warthog. I configured AL to:
- Set MASTER ARM to ON when the FLAPS switch is moved to UP.
- Set MASTER ARM to SIM when the FLAPS switch is moved to DN.
- Now the important bit: Set MASTER ARM to OFF when either UP or DN are released for the FLAPS SWITCH, thus moving it from either UP or DN to the center MVR position. That’s why there are two keybinds for “on release”.