Need some insight with chopper flying...

So I heard about X360 controller working pretty well.

Because my tries with mouse and keyboard were... lets just say not very successful out I went and stole... wait... no... borrowed one from my brother in law but I am still having a hard time with this.

I've read various postings and even watched a video or two about flying with this controller. Impressive. But I still suck at this.

For one I have to admit I never ever had touched one of these controllers before (yeah, yeah, I know, I know... how could one miss all that console gaming hype, shame on me) and honestly I am not really very comfortable with it atm.

But that many ppl cant be all wrong about its advantages so I will give this a try...

Anyway, its not all about the controller - this is the most important point where I need help:

I tried default layout and also found and tried several suggested flying layouts but it still does not really fly.

For one I still have a fundamental understanding problem how the available controls in Arma2 need to work together... turn left/right, bank left/right, rudder, collective, cigarette lighter - how should I coordinate all these together?

The tutorials do not really help much and dont tell me to "practice" because I simply dont know how... sometimes I manage to pull off some really nice flying maneuvers - unfortunately by accident and because I dont really know what I am doing I cant repeat it if I want/need to.

And dont even get me started about landing a chopper again - on a very good day I may manage to land within 100m of my intended LZ... after hovering over the location for about 5 extra minutes trying to move in closer.

No way I could ever fly some passengers around they would probably all die from old age before I get them to a LZ. :(

I need a real basic Arma2 chopper flying lesson 101:

First step: Pay up life insurance.

Second step: Dont eat breakfast.

Third step: Controls must be worked together in this way:

Something most basic like that. Help me! Please....

Put bank left/right and nose up/down on one stick and turn left/right on another. Use a trigger for the analogue throttle command. Be aware you will have to be holding the trigger in about halfway before the throttle kicks in. Just practice, try just holding a hover, then when you can do that try moving then holding a hover, keep going like that; when I first played it I managed to land immediately after takeoff, upside down. Now I'm reasonable competent with either k/b or gamepad.

I don't know much about joypad controllers, but imho all this issue are only due to 1 thinh: keys assignment. The default assignment sucks, plain and simple. It will make your life unecessary difficult.

Try keeping keyboard & mouse first, to see the differences :

1) assign w & s to "move up" & "move down" respectively

2) assign mouse up & mouse down to nose up & nose down respectively ( you can invert if you feel more confortable)

3) assign mouse left & mouse right to bank left & bank right respectively

4) assign a&d to rudder left & rudder right respectively

this is it, you are set, with controls way easier to handle and closer to real collective/cyclic/rudder control scheme of a true chopper.

With this, anyone can fly easy

Ty both!

Actually analog throttle didnt work out too well for me... but regular throttle +/- on the triggers seams to work a LOT better than my previous setup.

Now at least I can keep the bird in the air and more or less be able to decide where she will go.

But I flew for a couple of hours now without using the rudders a single time - what does one need the rudders for?

And I am still having a very hard time landing anywhere near the spot I want... but I will practice more!

Rudder is used when at low speeds to turn the aircraft (with helis and VTOLS you can turn on a sixpence at low speeds).Basically only useful when taking off/landing a chopper and when taxiing an aircraft. I personally prefer analogue throttle as it lets me control my landing better, but it is up to you.

i just use the auto-hover feature to save myself when i feel i'm about to crash. it's pretty good at doing quick climbs, where my mouse lacks the sensitivity to do so.

i just use the auto-hover feature to save myself when i feel i'm about to crash. it's pretty good at doing quick climbs, where my mouse lacks the sensitivity to do so.

The auto-hover is more likely to get you and all passangers instantly killed by AA because the helo will come to a standstill while climbing rapidly...

I see the same behaviour when people zoom in at 200km/h+ to the landing zone and THEN try to slow down and land. Usually they end up in a massive climb over enemy held areas and get an AA rocket in the belly, lol. Its a common mistake that you have to travel as fast as possible. Helos handle MUCH better at slow speeds... rather obviously. At cruising speed, you should begin your approach to the landing zone like 2000m ahead of it! You can do it at 1000m if you like pushing it, but any closer and you'll end up high in the sky before you get even close to pulling off a nice landing. If you do it correctly, you'll descend all the way to the landing area without the slightest hint of reaching for the sky.

Personally I've just remapped the analogue finger pushers to climb/descend, while having the left stick as roll/pitch and the right stick as yaw. This give me excellent control, but of course its personal. The keyboard system of W/S as forward/backward and mouse to control... Well I dont know what the hell the mouse is controlling but it aint the helo - just plain SUCKS in comparison, especially if you're used to the Battlefield way of handling helos all the way back to the allmighty Kubelcopter.

Of course one of the simplest way to improve flight: use 3rd person. Flying in 1st person is incredibly hard because you cant see **** even if you turn your head. Realistic perhaps, but not very smart if you're say picking up a wreck in the middle of a Chernarussian forest with about 0.5m of clearence on either side of the helo ;)

Of course one of the simplest way to improve flight: use 3rd person. Flying in 1st person is incredibly hard because you cant see **** even if you turn your head. Realistic perhaps, but not very smart if you're say picking up a wreck in the middle of a Chernarussian forest with about 0.5m of clearence on either side of the helo ;)

Actually, I don't know if it's only me; but I find flying in 3rdPoV in A2 horrible, much prefer 1st PoV

Do not bind "Turn Left/ Turn Right" at all.

Give me 7/8 hours and ill post up my entire 360 config.

Summary for now would be:

Left / Right analogue buttons (triggers) = Rudders

Y = Increase Throttle

B = Decrease Throttle

A = Fire

X = Target

Right Shoulder = Change Weapon

Left Shoulder = Cant remember

Left Analogue Stick - LEFT = Bank Left

Left Analogue Stick - Right = Bank Right

Left Analogue stick - UP = Pitch down

Left Analogue stick - DOWN = Pitch UP

DPAD UP = Previous Action

DPAD Down = Next Action

DPAD Right = Use Action

DPAD Left = GPS ON/OFF

Right Analogue (not used afaik)

Works fine for me as I have trackIR to look around with. You made a good choice with the xbox controller, I own an X52 and yet I still use the xbox controller for Arma 2, too arcadey to use a full joystick imo. As for tutorials... you really don't need any. Open up the editor and place down all the aircraft you want, then spend a few hours testing each of them and finding their limits... best way to learn.

P.s. Practice in 1st person... 3rd person should be banned from Arma.

Do not bind "Turn Left/ Turn Right" at all.

Yes, I noticed several ppl recommend this - why is that, whats wrong with turn left/right?

turn left and turn right makes the chopper feels like UFO of sort, its an old relic back to the days of OFP where the control and flight model is much simple then ARMA, then they change the flight control when ARMA 1 come out and everyone find that its a joke to fly the chopper with OFP style "turn left" "turn right" control

I'd say I've masted keyboard flying. With q and z for power, x and c for rudder and up,down,left,right on arrow keys for banking up down left and right