Cockpit views auto-center (can't free-look)

[freax0r69 10]

Please help, I have searched endlessly on the internet for a solution but have not been able to find one. The problem is that with version 1.96 the cockpit views will auto-center and will not allow you to pan (ie, look around) using the joystick hat switch. Before version 1.96 you could look freely using the joystick hat switch.

I'm using a clean install of OFP GOTY 1.85 patched to 1.96. My specs are: Windows XP SP3 (clean install) AMD X2 6000 Gigabyte Ga78ms2h HD4870 3 gigs of pc2 800 DDR ram Soundblaster Audigy 2zs Western Digital 500GB Saitek AV8R classic joystick (with twist, hat switch and dual throttles) and MS Intellimouse optical.

The funny thing is that even on my previous computer the 1.96 patch gave me the auto-center problem (and that was with a Logitech Wingman Force 3d stick).

Please help, any suggestions would be appreciated... even if you don't have a solution, please report if you hare having this problem too. Thanks again.

[suma 8]

I am afraid there is no solution. Some people report activating free look helps them, e.g. http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=86538, but I am not sure, it is quite long ago, but if you will try searching for old topics, you might find some more information. Some related threads are http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=41630 or http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?p=712946 and you are likely to find other threads, but mostly only from users being unhappy with the auto-centering, but there seems to be no solution.

Edited February 18, 2010 by Suma

[freax0r69 10]

Thank you Mr.Spanel for your quick reply. Unfortunately, I tried the numpad "*" key and the double tap of left "Alt" but it does not work. I have searched other forums as well and there seems to be no solution either.

I guess some people are lucky and do not have this problem and some do, although many people report that it worked fine up until 1.96. If this helps in any way: The free-look DOES work for the vertical (you can look up and down freely and it will 'stay' when you release the hat switch) but it does not work in the left or right direction (you can move the view left or right, but it will not 'stay' and will revert to the center). At least this is the best information I can give to help pin down the problem: The exact, specific problem is with the left or right 'pov' of the hat switch.

On a more emotional note, sadly back in the glory days of OFP I had a slower PC and I could not run the game at high visilibility distance... but I could fly my MiG-27 in Afghanistan on close air support missions and look left and right, up and down over the enmy like a real fighter pilot! lol. Now, even though I can crank up the visible distance to over 2000M with good frame rate, I can't look freely from the cockpit :-(.

Thank you for your help though, perhaps someone will post their experiences and help us find out how to fix it.

-Comrade Freax0r

Update: Forgot to mention, when I did a clean install I started it up out of the box (version 1.85) and I set up a helicopter test flight and the hat worked perfectly! But it was when I updated to 1.96 that it no longer worked.... (this is a problem because the beautiful RHS Mi-24 helicopters are only for 1.96). Also, the hat switch still works in the original OFP 1.46.

Edited February 18, 2010 by freax0r69
update

[suma 8]

The behaviour for this (hat view auto-centering) was changed sometimes around 1.90 beta. I am afraid there is no way you could get the old behaviour back, other than running the older version.

[freax0r69 10]

Dear Mr Spanel,

Is there any hope now with version 1.99 released that the cockpit views auto-center can be disabled to allow free-look? I am downloading the patch as we speak in the faint hope that it has been reverted back to the way it was before 1.96.

Thank you again

-Comrade Freax0r

[freax0r69 10]

bump

Also, here is a link to another thread where I had described the problem:

http://www.ofpec.com/forum/index.php?topic=33125.0