Essential Button setup Joystick / Throttle

[Sandman3838]

Good day 

Years ago, I tried Rudders and I hated it.
Plastic.....   not good

 

I'm getting back into this, after about 10 years.
What is scary my first flight sim was Chuck Yeager in the early 80s.  LOL

Anyway I just picked up on this.  I looks great.

 

- VKB T-Rudder MK IV
- Thrustmaster 2960778 T.16000M FCS

 

I think the Thrustmaster and Throttle have more buttons than I'll need for IL2.

As a starting point would you all be willing to share what you have your buttons set on this controller?
Call it the top 12 or 15 essential buttons commands.  Naturally the trigger button, fire machine guns.  

 

 

Thank you all for your help

Edited June 9, 2020 by Sandman3838
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[J2_Bidu]

Welcome back!

 

I use a Warthog. On the joystick buttons I have:

 

"Fire weapon group 1"
"Fire weapon group 2"
"Drop bombs, containers, paratroopers, emit smoke"

"Reload all guns"
"Change gun position"

"Engine blip switch (ignition interruption)"

"Elevator trim axis"

"Adjustable stabilizer axis"

"Personal weapon"

"Remove personal weapon / flare pistol"

"Show/Hide mission briefing"

"Save current corrections in head snap position".

 

I may have screwed up some names.

[RNAS10_Oliver]

2 hours ago, Sandman3838 said:

Good day 

Years ago, I tried Rudders and I hated it.
Plastic.....   not good

 

I'm getting back into this, after about 10 years.
What is scary my first flight sim was Chuck Yeager in the early 80s.  LOL

Anyway I just picked up on this.  I looks great.

 

- VKB T-Rudder MK IV
- Thrustmaster 2960778 T.16000M FCS

 

I think the Thrustmaster and Throttle have more buttons than I'll need for IL2.

As a starting point would you all be willing to share what you have your buttons set on this controller?
Call it the top 12 or 15 essential buttons commands.  Naturally the trigger button, fire machine guns.  

 

 

Thank you all for your help

 

I also have the T16000M stick, but with that I am using two Saitek Throttle Quadrants, the Saitek Combat Rudder Pedals and an Edtracker. This is what I've got assigned to my stick. Though for the most part I've done mine in this manner to emulate the controls for the Spitfire in some manner.

 

Spoiler

 

Hat1_Up = Fire Weapon Group 1.

Hat1_Left = Fire Weapon Group 1 and Fire Weapon Group 2.

Hat1_Right = Fire Weapon Group 1 and Fire Weapon Group 2.

Hat1_Down = Fire Weapon Group 2

Throttle = Change Firing Position and Gunsight Filter Toggle.

1 = Engine Blip Switch (Ignition Interruption) and Wheel Brakes.

2 = Fire Weapon Group 3 and Drop Bombs, Containers, Paratroopers, Emit Smoke and Launch Rockets.

3 = PTT on voice communications software.

4 = Pilot Head: Zoom In and Pilot Head: Reset Zoom. But made into a zoom toggle while held using an AutoHotKey script.

5 & 10 = Rudder Trim Axis.

6 & 9 = Elevator Trim Axis and Adjustable Stabilizer Axis.

7 = Command Menu. But intended at some point to become PTT for voice activated commands software.

8 = Show/Hide Mission Briefing. But made into a show map while held using an AutoHotKey script.

11 = Landing Lights On/Off.

12 = Cockpit Light On/Off.

13 = Navigation Lights On/Off. 
14 = Bombs Safety Switch.

15 = Drop Bombs Mode Toggle and Launch Rockets Mode Toggle.

16 = Reload All Guns.

 

Though fair bit of those are specific to the more modern planes in the game rather than just the ones in the circus. The following are commands available for the various aircraft on the Entente side. This is of course minus the various commands for map, zooms, head movement etc etc that are not aircraft specific.

 

Spoiler

AI-autopilot on/off
AI-autopilot for level flight: on/off
Level flight AI-autopilot: left turn
Level flight AI-autopilot: right turn
Plane control: pitch
Plane control: roll
Plane control: yaw
Plane control: yaw reset
Adjustable stabilizer axis
Cockpit light on/off
Altimeter: reference pressure toggle
Eject
Automatic mixtures and superchargers control
Automatic radiators control
Automatic RPM limiter
Engage engines start procedure / Stop engine
Engine blip switch (ignition interruption)
Engines throttle control
Engines mixture control
Water radiators shutters control axis
Start/stop the refueling process (inside the service area)
Fire all guns
Fire weapon group 1
Fire weapon group 2
Fire weapon group 3
Bomb sight
Drop bombs, containers, paratroopers, emit smoke
Bombs safety switch
Reload all guns
Remove personal weapon / flare pistol
Red flare
Green flare
White flare
Personal gun
Shoot personal weapon / flare pistol
Switch to a next free combat post
Change firing position
Switch to default position
Switch to 1st firing point
Turret: take/leave control
Turret: nestle to the gunsight
Fire primary turret guns
Reload turret guns
Gunners commands (Fire at will etc.)
Start/stop the rearming process (inside the service area)

 

Edited June 10, 2020 by Oliver88

[Sandman3838]

WOW  thank you for the help this is a great starting point.  Excellent!   

LOL realized that all I mentioned was IL2  I should have mentioned that I was starting out with the WW1 part of it.

I'll drift into WW2 soon.  I have mostly been checking info  Flying Circus and ROF as a starting point.

[DakkaDakkaDakka]

These things are very personal, but at a minimum you want to make sure you map all the primary controls you need to adjust all the time.

 

I use a T.16000M (which I love, even after years and years of use - it's till good!) and a CH Pro Throttle. Here are my mappings for each
 

T.16000M

- Pitch/roll (I don't use twist b/c I have rudder pedals)

- Fire all weapons

- Reload

- Drop bombs (I forget what it's called)

- Fire flares

- Select flares (on hat switch - Up is white, Right is green, left is red, down is put away)

- Map (one of the plethora of buttons on the base - I mostly don't use them too much for WWI in FC, as we don't really have any level bombers or whatever. For WW2, they're helpful for flaps, etc.)

 

CH Pro Throttle

- Throttle

- Blip switch (index finger)

- Recenter view & Track IR (ring finger)

- Zoom in/out (up/down on the 4-way switch)

- Mixture (forward/back on the other 4-way switch) (also use this for altitude throttle on the D.VIIF)

- Radiator (up/down on the hat switch)

- Elevator trim axis / Stabilizer (on the foremost 4-way switch)

 

Basically, between those two sticks, you can map everything you'd commonly use and have it immediately at hand. I could probably map more things to the buttons on the base of the T.16000M, and in WWII, I do have a few more mappings, but for WWI you can do pretty well with the above.

 

Again though, very much a personal preference thing. I recommend getting some gear with a ton of buttons, hat switches and similar and just got to town. You'll figure out what you like over time.

Edited June 10, 2020 by DakkaDakkaDakka

[HagarTheHorrible]

If you need to make a choice then you can dismiss the Blip switch button, it’s really totally irrelevant in FC.  People certainly use it, yes Oliver88. I am thinking of you, but it doesn’t really have any useful function in the game, other than the fact it existed in real life but it doesn’t perform the same function in game.

 

If you play, using VR, or not, then VoiceAttack is a really, really useful programme for getting things done without tying up lots of different buttons.

[ST_Catchov]

My set up is very simple. I have a MSFFB2 stick with a hat, throttle slider and 8 buttons, one of which has carked it. So 7. I have no other devices with buttons, sliders etc.

 

1. fire all guns

2. recenter view

3. reload/correct gun jams/stoppages.

4. Drop bombs

5. blip switch

6. zoom gunsight snap view

7. carked it.

8. unused (saving it for something special)

And throttle on the slider of course

 

hatswitch: Forward/back - zoom in/out

hatswitch: left/right - mixture decrease/increase

 

Z key: Lower lewis

X key: fire lewis only

 

Radiator: default keys

 

I think that's it. It's that simple.

 

 

[JGr2/J5_Klugermann]

I use 2 sticks,  main device is MSFFB2 . Have some redundancy on key assignments on second stick so I don't bork buttons on primary.

Twist grip for rudder as I only have 1 leg and wouldn't want to circle constantly.

[DakkaDakkaDakka]

Actually although blip isn't that necessary for overcoming gyroscopic forces when initiating roll, because FC seems to be a bit more intolerant of engine over rev abuse while diving, I find I am forced to use it much more than in the past, in order to prevent overspeeding on dives / diving turns. I use it for landing as well, to prevent interminable floating in ground effect.

 

But... not everyone flies the Camel or Dr. 1, so it's one of those preference things, mentioned before.

[FTC_Snowy]

On 6/10/2020 at 8:46 AM, HagarTheHorrible said:

If you need to make a choice then you can dismiss the Blip switch button, it’s really totally irrelevant in FC.  People certainly use it, yes Oliver88. I am thinking of you, but it doesn’t really have any useful function in the game, other than the fact it existed in real life but it doesn’t perform the same function in game.

 

If you play, using VR, or not, then VoiceAttack is a really, really useful programme for getting things done without tying up lots of different buttons.

I have to politely disagree, I use the blip switch a lot in my Camel. It is useful in combat and when landing. I can turn faster with some application of the blip switch and also when doing a split S. If you watch Requiem’s excellent tutorial on the Camel he recommends using it when landing. 

[DakkaDakkaDakka]

Not using the blip when landing the Camel or the Dr.1 is going to result in extremely long approaches and potential overruns.

 

Now, if you don't survive long enough to get to the landing part, this is nothing to worry about, of course.