Flying in VR with 12 buttons and no keyboard - Possible?

[quickxotica]

Newbie here, returning after many years away from IL-2.  I have a new G2 and rtx3080 rig (for sim racing), and want to be able to fly in VR. I recently bought & installed IL-2 BoS and tested. It looks beautiful, but my problem is I cannot see the keyboard and only have about 11 or 12 programmable buttons on my old HOTAS X stick/throttle combo.

 

Question: Is it possible to consolidate all the minimum necessary flight/fight/takeoff/land controls into just 12 buttons (aside from stick, rudder and throttle obv., since they're already dedicated inputs)? 

 

Rough draft, my list would start with:

1. toggle flaps (on/off)

2. toggle landing gear (up/down)

3. cycle weapons (through available list)

4. trigger selected weapon

6. auto trim (is there such a thing?)

7. toggle cockpit lights

8. prop pitch increase

9. prop pitch decrease

10. push-to-talk

11. Tab?

12. Enter? 

 

I know this is very rudimentary. I'm not a pilot, just an enthusiast. If this has already been answered somewhere else, I apologize, but please point me in the right direction.

Thank you!

Q

[Drano]

Get voice attack. Indispensable for VR IMO. With that program you can use your voice to operate commands. Just associate a word or phrase with a keyboard command and it'll do the rest. There's a free version but the number of commands is limited with that one. Check it out. 

[quickxotica]

2 hours ago, Drano said:

Get voice attack. Indispensable for VR IMO. With that program you can use your voice to operate commands. Just associate a word or phrase with a keyboard command and it'll do the rest. There's a free version but the number of commands is limited with that one. Check it out. 

Thank you. I will investigate that product.  Any other tips on flying "blind?"

[ITAF_Airone1989]

Joystick Gremlin

It's a little bit tricky at the beginning, but allow you to "double" your buttons:

 

- set a joystick button as "ctrl" (i.e. button number 7)

- go to the in game key setting and, for example, set:

+) Flap down: joystick button n° 4

+) Flap up: ctrl + joystick button n° 4

 

So, now to use your flaps you just have to press:

N°4 -> flap down

N°4 + N°7 -> flap up

 

 

 

 

 

[TCW_Brzi_Joe]

joy2key is another alternative to joystick gremlin. With 12 buttons focus your setting on basic plane controls, and use at least 1 shift key (as explained by ITAF_Airone1989)

 

Basic:

throttle up/down

shoot all guns,

trimm up/down,

flaps up/down,

toggle gears,

breaks,

toggle canopy,

start engine. 

 

engine menagement planes (you can skip that and fly bf109 or fw190 only)

1) mixture up/down

2) (RPM+ & prop pitch-) vs (RPM- & prop pitch+)

3) open/close outer cowls & oil radiators

4)open/close inner cowls & water radiators

 

Even with VR, I can still press some keyboard buttons. Like arrows, or Numpad keys, or F1, F2, F3.. 

 

Edited March 30, 2021 by TCW_Brzi_Joe

[1./KG4_grat123]

Joystick gremlin allowed me to use the mode switch on my x45 throttle to set my MSFFB buttons for different stages of flight/combat. Still short of buttons and now my X45 throttle is getting glitchy so time to look for a new throttle!

[kissTheSky]

Sheer number of commands in BOS is making things complicated for me. Like you, I have my rig for simracing primarily, and also fly in IL-2. Like many said, you can still press a couple of keys by muscle memory ((“P” for unpausing the game for instance). 
 

if you also have your steering wheel attached at all times, don’t forget it has buttons too ;). I have my wheel brakes in IL-2 set for paddle shifters, so I can maneuver once on the ground. Even H-shifter (if you have it) will give you extra 8 buttons. 
 

my problem is remembering where I mapped everything ?. I know I mapped eject and minimap on the steering wheel, but can’t remember which button was which! Do I feel lucky to testing them in order to get to the map without ejecting myself? You can see where I’m going with this ?

[quickxotica]

On 3/30/2021 at 2:36 AM, kissTheSky said:

 ...my problem is remembering where I mapped everything ?. I know I mapped eject and minimap on the steering wheel, but can’t remember which button was which! Do I feel lucky to testing them in order to get to the map without ejecting myself? You can see where I’m going with this ?

 

THIS is hilarious, and totally like me. In my first VR flight I accidentally lowered landing gear mid-turn with an Me-109 right on my six. It didn't end well for me.

 

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions above! I'll report back once I make some progress.

Edited March 31, 2021 by quickxotica

[Varibraun]

On 3/29/2021 at 11:46 PM, quickxotica said:

Get voice attack. Indispensable for VR

 

+1

On 3/30/2021 at 5:36 AM, kissTheSky said:

my problem is remembering where I mapped everything

 

Voice Attack solves that problem, it might be the best $10 I have ever spent.

[kissTheSky]

6 hours ago, Varibraun said:

 

 

Voice Attack solves that problem, it might be the best $10 I have ever spent.

I will give that a try as well. Right now, I have the top priority controls on the hotas, and then things like open canopy, wheel brakes, minimap etc, on the steering wheel.muscle memory helps a ton with the steering wheel,so I’m set. What I’d use voice attack for, is the actual keyboard bound commands like pause, communicate to the squadron and things like that. 
 

 

[Fouldespiser25]

One thing nobody mentioned are the cheap USB game device that has 10 buttons and a joystick on it.  I bought two of these for $20 cut some holes in two pieces of some old ply and can program 28 button pushes with them 14 within reach of each hand.  They show up as USB Joystick.  I can navigate easily using my fingers but one could put guide posts of some sort.  Add to that all my hotas buttons and I have an over abundance for WW2 AC.

[Charlo-VR]

Can someone post their IL-2 voice attack profile here? That’d make adopting it easier for those curious how it works

[JG27_Steini]

Some sticks like Saitek X52/X54 ... have the possibility to be progammed 3 times. You just switch the mode with your right hand. So you have up to 80+ possible functions. 

Edited August 9, 2021 by JG27_Steini

[mattswe]

Buy a Logitech Quadrant, it's really cheap. You get three axes (I have mixture, oil and water radiators on them) and 6 momentary buttons. I have no problem finding them when in VR.