2 helo issues/question

[S_Z 0]

Buy yourself a joystick! In my opinon it is much more fun flying with joystick instead of keyboard and/or mouse, and there is no "autoheight" when flying with a joystick(with throttle control) if you didnt knew that already.

[shadow 6]

I have flown a few times in OFP with my TM HOTAS Cougar + pedals.

Can't really say I'm impressed. The choppers turns like cars when flying fast. The tail-rotor works at all speeds

So I usually fly the choppers with a mouse. The flight seems more smooth that way. But in planes you got to have a joystick.

[Kermit 0]

How confusing

[eXor 0]

It would be nice if ofp could have some AIM-9 missiles and other air to air ordance for the choppers and more importantly visibility of aircraft up to the horizon.  I'm sure you've all been targetted by a chopper you could hear but not see in multiplayer

[S_Z 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Shadow @ Dec. 11 2002,09:32)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I have flown a few times in OFP with my TM HOTAS Cougar + pedals.

Can't really say I'm impressed. The choppers turns like cars when flying fast. The tail-rotor works at all speeds

So I usually fly the choppers with a mouse. The flight seems more smooth that way. But in planes you got to have a joystick.<span id='postcolor'>

Strange... for me there is no difference in how the helikopter turns if I fly with joystick or use keyboard and mouse...

[shadow 6]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (S_Z @ Dec. 11 2002,19:38)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Shadow @ Dec. 11 2002,09:32)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I have flown a few times in OFP with my TM HOTAS Cougar + pedals.

Can't really say I'm impressed. The choppers turns like cars when flying fast. The tail-rotor works at all speeds

So I usually fly the choppers with a mouse. The flight seems more smooth that way. But in planes you got to have a joystick.<span id='postcolor'>

Strange... for me there is no difference in how the helikopter turns if I fly with joystick or use keyboard and mouse...  <span id='postcolor'>

The choppers in OFP turn like cars when you're using the pedals

[drewb99 0]

I fly both planes and helos in OFP with mouse without incident

It's also much easier using a mouse to target things.

[Kermit 0]

Using the keys does not allow you to manipulate the tail rotor. Using the mouse, I think, tells the game where you want the aircraft to point and it calculates how to point the aircraft in that direction using whatever is simulated. Using the joystick lets you do everything yourself, like keyboards, only finer.

Again, that is how I think it is. If I could get confirmation from someone who knows what they are talking about (either someone from Bohemia Interactive Studios or someone who has taken a look at the code), it would clear that up.

[shadow 6]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Kermit @ Dec. 12 2002,12:09)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Using the keys does not allow you to manipulate the tail rotor.  Using the mouse, I think, tells the game where you want the aircraft to point and it calculates how to point the aircraft in that direction using whatever is simulated.  Using the joystick lets you do everything yourself, like keyboards, only finer.

Again, that is how I think it is.  If I could get confirmation from someone who knows what they are talking about (either someone from Bohemia Interactive Studios or someone who has taken a look at the code), it would clear that up.<span id='postcolor'>

I don't know any of the code, but I think you're onto something. Sounds reasonable to me.

I even tried changing my rudder-pedal's sensitivity-curve and deadzones, but the choppers still respond too linear to the pedals, if you know what I mean

[joltan 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Shadow @ Dec. 12 2002,12:16)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I even tried changing my rudder-pedal's sensitivity-curve and deadzones, but the choppers still respond too linear to the pedals, if you know what I mean <span id='postcolor'>

Mhhh... strange - I use my joysticks rudder control (by turning the handle) to control the tail rotor, but for me when flying at higher speeds it has nearly no effect. Turning, without pulling the chopper around, is not possible for me at high speeds, while at low speeds the tail rotor is my main way of turning around...

[eXor 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Mhhh... strange - I use my joysticks rudder control (by turning the handle) to control the tail rotor, but for me when flying at higher speeds it has nearly no effect. Turning, without pulling the chopper around, is not possible for me at high speeds, while at low speeds the tail rotor is my main way of turning around...<span id='postcolor'>

Momentum. That's the way it should be. If you're going fast and try to do a turn you make a wider circle. Pulling back on the stick and full rudder at the same time gives the fastest turn though it bleeds loads of speed making you a sitting duck if there's someone on your tail

[S_Z 0]

My joystick also has rudder-control by twisting the handle and when I’m going at high speed twisting the handle has little effect (as it should be I guess) just as using the keyboard(default keys x and c I think) for rudder-control has little effect.

So using the joystick is just like using the keyboard only that with the joystick I have more control, there is no “autoheightâ€.

[joltan 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (eXor @ Dec. 12 2002,14:17)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Momentum. That's the way it should be. If you're going fast and try to do a turn you make a wider circle. Pulling back on the stick and full rudder at the same time gives the fastest turn though it bleeds loads of speed making you a sitting duck if there's someone on your tail <span id='postcolor'>

Yes, of course it should be that way, never complained about it

So I guess it's a problem with the pedals - not with rudder control per se.

[Acecube 0]

After reading this thread I again tryed to use my joystick on a chopper. Now theres two problems driving me nuts:

The joystick has got no ruder (handle to twist) but in options->controls there is Z-axis put for rudder which I can't get off there so I could do the rudder with the keyboard. Anyone got a clue how to get the setting off?

For collective (height control) I use the throttle wheel on the joystic but its a pain in the ass as you cant get a feeling for the zero vertical acceleration point. You just keep climbing or falling cuz its very hard to find the middle. Any suggestions?

Thnx

[Kermit 0]

As I said, Acecube, you cannot use the keys to move the pedals.  I am afraid there is no way to bind a key to that function.  If I am wrong, I will be overjoyed. [edit]I have the same problem with the throttle as you do. That is why I use the mouse (that, and my joystick sucks; among other things, the buttons do not work).[/edit]

I have a question.  If you are flying forward in a helicopter at a high speed and you give one of the pedels a hard push, would you spin around but continue to fly in the same direction, so you are going backwards?  Or would you merely fall off into an awkward bank?

[eXor 0]

You would turn, very slowly.

[S_Z 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Acecube @ Dec. 13 2002,09:04)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">After reading this thread I again tryed to use my joystick on a chopper. Now theres two problems driving me nuts:

The joystick has got no ruder (handle to twist) but in options->controls there is Z-axis put for rudder which I can't get off there so I could do the rudder with the keyboard. Anyone got a clue how to get the setting off?

For collective (height control) I use the throttle wheel on the joystic but its a pain in the ass as you cant get a feeling for the zero vertical acceleration point. You just keep climbing or falling cuz its very hard to find the middle. Any suggestions?

Thnx<span id='postcolor'>

I had the same problem with my old joystick, no rudder-control. The only way I could get the rudder-control keys on the keyboard to work was if I moved the mouse around first which made flying with that joystick pretty pointless (didn’t have thrust-control on it either).

If you are willing to spend some money on a new joystick with rudder-control I can recommend Logitech’s “Wingman Extreme Digital 3Dâ€. It doesn’t cost much (not where I live anyway) and it works great with OFP(and other sims of course). The thrust-control works perfect(high-precision)…I have no problem at all getting to a zero vertical acceleration point.

[shadow 6]

7--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (S_Z @ Dec. 13 2002,147)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">The thrust-control works perfect(high-precision)…I have no problem at all getting to a zero vertical acceleration point.<span id='postcolor'>

I don't mean to burst your bubble, but as Flashpoint has no center-deadzone for the throttle/collective, the less accurate throttle you got , the easier it is to find the sweet middle-spot for your collective/throttle in-game of OFP.

The more precise a throttle is, the more fine-tuning signals it sends. Too much and you'll be tipping from up to down (because there is no deadzone on the mid-range of throttles in OFP). I also customized the throttle's sensitivity-curve just to get the icing on the cake

The Cougar's throttle is probably the most precise throttle ever made and I had a helluva hard time finding the middle-spot when flying choppers in OFP before I made a profile for the game with added deadzone in mid-range for the throttle

[S_Z 0]

You are right, its  probably not nearly as precise as the Cougar, what I mean is that its easy to adjust the control in very small steps…its very smooth, that makes it easy to get to a vertical stand still (or maybe its just me who is very good at it )

Still it's a great joystick for the “low†price and from what you have been saying it seems to work better with OFP than the expensive ones (Cougars joystick + pedals + throttle).

[shadow 6]

Yeah, I would be stupid if I recomended everyone to buy a set of Cougars for OFP. I was just nitpicking on the throttle-precission

More momentum and a tweaked flight model would ofcourse help us flyboys in OFP

[eXor 0]

Those Cougars sure look sexy though

/me drools and stares at santa.....

[Acecube 0]

Now thanks for the quick replys!

An alternative to binding rudder control on keyboard keys would be binding it to my cooliehat on that joystick, but still i'd have to get rid of the Z-axis setting!?

[shadow 6]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Acecube @ Dec. 13 2002,15:39)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">but still i'd have to get rid of the Z-axis setting!?<span id='postcolor'>

*Go to Controls in OFP

*Mark that line with your left-mouse-button

*Press BACKSPACE

[Acecube 0]

Tryed all this! Doesn't work. ;-(

[Spitfire 0]

Shadow, I certainly hope you are a die hard fan of Falcon 4. Otherwise your beautiful Cougar has gone to waste if you only use it in OFP and FS2002...