Author Topic: My pit for Freespace 2  (Read 13683 times)

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Hey everyone I have a cool suggestion after I discovered it myself.

I finally got my Logitech Wheel working under Windows 7. It sits clamped to my pit off to the left when not being used for racing sims. I realized that by checking off the Force Feedback I now have some cool collision shaking effects. I first started to use it in IL-2 1946 so decided to try it in Freespace 2 Open.  Works really well and adds to the immersion of the game.


 
Re: My pit for Freespace 2
Well it has been awhile since I posted. I had some health issues last winter so did not get to play a lot. In the spring I went to test things out and my 24" touchscreen had some hardware problems so I decided to rebuild my sim pit. First I wanted an extension for my Warthog joystick so I lowered the stand and made the extension. Next I decided I wanted the real tactile feel of buttons so I decided to create button panels which also include analog controls for things like trim. I also wanted a setup where I could quickly change labels for all the buttons so using my wife's Silhouette Cameo I created templates out of heavy card stock. This lets me use this pit for any sim I decide to play (ready for Star Citizen)

For sims like IL-2 Cliffs of Dover and Flaming Cliffs 3 I am using a 19 inch monitor in the center running directly off my main PC. So viewing extracted gauges with VirtualCockpit and UDPSpeed work with little effort.

I am using a GP-Wiz40 as well as a BU0836X card for the buttons and analog inputs)

Here is the work on progress. I am almost done (just need to do the labels on the templates and create the Xpadder profiles)





« Last Edit: October 07, 2014, 10:23:28 pm by OverDhill »

 

Offline headdie

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Re: My pit for Freespace 2
Wow, thats pretty amazing, hats off to you
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quote General Battuta - "FRED is canon!"
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Re: My pit for Freespace 2
Hoping that Star Citizen will support extracting gauges for people who like to build sim pits.

 

Offline Droid803

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Re: My pit for Freespace 2
Most impressive!
(´・ω・`)
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Offline Cobra

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Re: My pit for Freespace 2
Want.
To consider the Earth as the only populated world in infinite space is as absurd as to assert that in an entire field of millet, only one grain will grow. - Metrodorus of Chios
I wept. Mysterious forces beyond my ken had reached into my beautiful mission and energized its pilots with inhuman bomb-firing abilities. I could only imagine the GTVA warriors giving a mighty KIAAIIIIIII shout as they worked their triggers, their biceps bulging with sinew after years of Ivan Drago-esque steroid therapy and weight training. - General Battuta

 

Offline Lorric

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Re: My pit for Freespace 2
Show off... :D

It's very impressive. I can imagine playing on that at night, no lights on, let your imagination go to work, it's just you in the cockpit of your ship in the darkness of space with the enemy in front of you...

 

Offline fightermedic

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Re: My pit for Freespace 2
very cool, love it a lot
>>Fully functional cockpits for Freespace<<
>>Ships created by me<<
Campaigns revised/voice-acted by me:
Lightning Marshal 1-4, The Regulus Campaign, Operation: Savior, Operation: Crucible, Titan Rebellion, Fall of Epsilon Pegasi 1.1Aftermath 2.1,
Pandora's Box 2.2, Deep Blood

Other Campaigns I have participated in:
The Antagonist, Warzone, Phantoms & Echo-Gate

All the stuff I release is free to use or change in any way for everybody who likes to do so; take whatever you need

 

Offline Colonol Dekker

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Re: My pit for Freespace 2
Bet diaspora launches rock.
Campaigns I've added my distinctiveness to-
- Blue Planet: Battle Captains
-Battle of Neptune
-Between the Ashes 2
-Blue planet: Age of Aquarius
-FOTG?
-Inferno R1
-Ribos: The aftermath / -Retreat from Deneb
-Sol: A History
-TBP EACW teaser
-Earth Brakiri war
-TBP Fortune Hunters (I think?)
-TBP Relic
-Trancsend (Possibly?)
-Uncharted Territory
-Vassagos Dirge
-War Machine
(Others lost to the mists of time and no discernible audit trail)

Your friendly Orestes tactical controller.

Secret bomb God.
That one time I got permabanned and got to read who was being bitxhy about me :p....
GO GO DEKKER RANGERSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Re: My pit for Freespace 2
Getting ready to make the button template

I have a question for you veterans of FS2. Which keys do you feel are the most important and used the most? I would think some of the Shield and Energy management would be one. There are seriously a lot of key binds. Also I have yet to find a text file with all the keybinds listed.


 

Offline headdie

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Re: My pit for Freespace 2
Off the top of my head.
Shield balance
B - Targets bombers and torpedos in flight
M - Match Speed
Power Distribution
Weapons Bank Selects
Target Object Under Reticule
Target Subsystem under Reticule
Countermeasures
If possible Comms Menu Options like Attack, Ignore, Support Ship
As many targeting options as you think you can cope with
Jump
Minister of Interstellar Affairs Sol Union - Retired
quote General Battuta - "FRED is canon!"
Contact me at [email protected]
My Release Thread, Old Release Thread, Celestial Objects Thread, My rubbish attempts at art

 
Re: My pit for Freespace 2
BTW fightermedic I want to thank you for all your work on the cockpit mod.

 

Offline niffiwan

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Re: My pit for Freespace 2
On my el-cheapo joystick I have the following bound - although it changes from mod to mod depending on (e.g.) the presence of glide, or other features of the mod (so cycle primaries or secondaries will go if most ships only have a single bank, or there's no point in cycling, e.g. a Diaspora Viper & primaries)

Fire Primaries
Fire Secondaries
Target under reticle
Countermeasures
Target closest hostile targeting me
Cycle Primaries
Cycle Secondaries
Equalise ETS
Cycle Target Subsystems
Look back (or Toggle Glide)
Reverse Thrust
Equalise Shields
Target Bombs/Bombers
Target Subsystem under Reticle
Transfer laser energy to shields
Afterburner

As for a complete list of keybinds, you can't get any more "truth" than the code itself :) It's not that hard to read, see the following link, it's line 46 to 196.

https://github.com/scp-fs2open/fs2open.github.com/blob/master/code/controlconfig/controlsconfigcommon.cpp#L46

(edit: typo)
« Last Edit: October 12, 2014, 02:28:16 am by niffiwan »
Creating a fs2_open.log | Red Alert Bug = Hex Edit | MediaVPs 2014: Bigger HUD gauges | 32bit libs for 64bit Ubuntu
----
Debian Packages (testing/unstable): Freespace2 | wxLauncher
----
m|m: I think I'm suffering from Stockholm syndrome. Bmpman is starting to make sense and it's actually written reasonably well...

 

Offline Klaustrophobia

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Re: My pit for Freespace 2
my opinion of controls importance is as follows.  leaving out the "DUH"s like fire/throttle/turning

absolute essentials, at your fingertips at all times:
primary/secondary select (forward only is sufficient)
countermeasures
equalize shield
target nearest hostile
target nearest attacker
target ship in reticle
afterburner

next priority for stick/throttle mapping:
full shield management
secondary dual firing
target subsystem
cycle turrets/subsystems
target bomb
rear view (other angles much lower priority)
glide/reverse thrust (for mods that use it)

useful on hand but not really a great hindrance on the keyboard:
target escort
target target's attacker
target bomb/bomber

non-critical but still useful commands that may be ideal for mounting on the button panels:
communications shortcuts as you see fit to use, highest value IMO:
 - attack/protect/ignore my target
 - cover me
energy management
stop targeting ship/subsystem
occasionally useful targeting options:
 - last ship to send transmission
 - newest ship

obviously, YMMV.  these are based off of my playstyle and using x-45 HOTAS with in-game mapping only.  you can get more creative if you use programming software with macros, shift modes and such.
I like to stare at the sun.

 
Re: My pit for Freespace 2
Thanks for the input.

Well here are my templates as well as my HOTAS setup

Left Panel



Right Panel



HOTAS




 

Offline Cobra

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Re: My pit for Freespace 2
I want to get a Warthog HOTAS... but I also really dig the way x52 is set up. This thread just makes me want to get one more. :(
To consider the Earth as the only populated world in infinite space is as absurd as to assert that in an entire field of millet, only one grain will grow. - Metrodorus of Chios
I wept. Mysterious forces beyond my ken had reached into my beautiful mission and energized its pilots with inhuman bomb-firing abilities. I could only imagine the GTVA warriors giving a mighty KIAAIIIIIII shout as they worked their triggers, their biceps bulging with sinew after years of Ivan Drago-esque steroid therapy and weight training. - General Battuta

 
Re: My pit for Freespace 2
To be honest I really liked the X52 Pro I had for about 3 weeks. Well everything except the terrible (and I mean terrible) deadzone issue it had. I was flying like a drunk man oversteering so bad. That and the fact that Windows kept not seeing it and I would have to reconnect the USB to have it show up. In the 3rd week it died and I sent it back. I then ordered a X45 off Ebay (used) and it was decent but I did and still do miss the X52 throttle. My wife surprised me and bought me the Warthog as a retirement gift.

If you get one you should also make or buy an extension for it. It will improve your precision as well as reduce the movement efforts (the main spring is pretty stiff). Most of the switches on the throttle are toggle which is a pain for most sims even if you tell the software to send one key press as you still have to switch them back. With only 3 axis on the Warthog Throttle it is a bit more limited than the X52 Pro I had.

Overall you have to love the quality and precision of the Warthog stick. With the added 60+ buttons and 7 12 bit analog axises on my panels this pit can handle pretty much any sim I will play. Only wish FS2 handled more controllers.

The overlay templates I have made so far are working out great.  Now if only I can get the time to play (we travel a lot with two kids living out of state).

  

Offline Cobra

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Re: My pit for Freespace 2
I haven't had much problem with my x52 Pro except for the green color for the C button not lighting up. Every now and then it tends to "reset" itself in mid maneuver, so the center is stuck in whatever direction I was pointing until I unplug the joystick. Happens rarely these days, though.

I've been thinking about the x55 as a cheaper alternative, since I can't really afford pedals. I'd have to get a USB hub for it, though.
To consider the Earth as the only populated world in infinite space is as absurd as to assert that in an entire field of millet, only one grain will grow. - Metrodorus of Chios
I wept. Mysterious forces beyond my ken had reached into my beautiful mission and energized its pilots with inhuman bomb-firing abilities. I could only imagine the GTVA warriors giving a mighty KIAAIIIIIII shout as they worked their triggers, their biceps bulging with sinew after years of Ivan Drago-esque steroid therapy and weight training. - General Battuta

 
Re: My pit for Freespace 2
When did you purchase the X52? I wonder if they fixed the deadzone issue?

 

Offline Cobra

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Re: My pit for Freespace 2
Umm.. Two and a half years ago, I think? Somewhere aroubd then. I still have to drop the deadzone in Freespace 2 by a notch to get satisfactory performance, but it was still a huge improvement over the original.
To consider the Earth as the only populated world in infinite space is as absurd as to assert that in an entire field of millet, only one grain will grow. - Metrodorus of Chios
I wept. Mysterious forces beyond my ken had reached into my beautiful mission and energized its pilots with inhuman bomb-firing abilities. I could only imagine the GTVA warriors giving a mighty KIAAIIIIIII shout as they worked their triggers, their biceps bulging with sinew after years of Ivan Drago-esque steroid therapy and weight training. - General Battuta