Axis mode switching and other silliness

[mattcaron]

In talking with rtrski over in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=28&p=51856#p51817, the use of a relative axis for the throttle on a 2 stick setup for certain applications was suggested. Consulting the manual, I set that up, and now have 2 configs - one absolute for six degrees of freedom games and one relative for things like mech, tank and airplane games, where a conventional throttle would be better.

Apart from now really wanting the omnithrottle, there are a few things I wanted to do but couldn't figure out how. These may not currently be possible and, if so, please consider them to be feature requests.

I would like to be able to:

1. switch the axis from an absolute axis to a set relative axis (that is, with a preconfigured RMpl and TCurve) so that I don't need to open the configurator when I switch games.
2. assign an LED to reflect the axis mode - that is, have one color for the relative axis function and a different color for the absolute function.
3. have the relative axis start at 0 and go to max (65k) rather than starting at 32k and being able to go down to 0 and up to 65k.
4. have the relative reset button set the axis to 0, not 32k.
5. assign an LED to reflect the axis state. Specifically, when the logical axis is centered / zeroed. I figured out how to do this with the "Axis in Center" event, but this seems to refer to the physical axis, not the logical axis (i.e. I push the stick forward, light goes off. Let it snap back, light goes on, even though the axis value as reported in the test widow is not the centered value).
6. change the name as reported by USB. This may seem strange, but when playing games via DOSBox, the button mapper displays the string. With two VKB sticks, all I get is "VKB-Sim © Alex Oz 2021 VKBsim" and the rest is truncated. I'd like to be able to set it to something shorter so I can tell the two sticks apart. (This may not be possible, as it may be being pulled from a Linux VID:PID database and not actually reported by the stick).

Thanks in advance.

[fallout9]

You'll have to identify first the axes you'll use as relative. This would work only if you have no more than 6 axes in use (out of total of . In this example I'll use the ministick's analog axes (5 and 6) on a Gladiator NXT and assign the unused axes 7 and 8 as relative axes. I'll also uncheck the Cn option, so they won't get the center at half. RMpl and Tcurve could be adjusted depending on one's preferences.

I'll set up the ministick center push button as TempoB and send the extra, short push button to physical button 41.

I'll set up physical button 41 as AUX Axes, functioning as Switch on axis 5 to axis 7, alternate. Same, button 42 becomes AUX Axes - Switch - axis 6 to 8 - alternate.

To reset the relative axes to position 0 we'll need a button - here, button 12 acts as RelAxes button, its function Reset for axes 7 and 8.

And finally, I'll link physical buttons 41 and 42 to logical buttons 41 and 42 and connect them so they would get activated together.

For LEDs only axis in center would fit your profile.

[mattcaron]

Oh, that is brilliant. I never thought of using an unused axis and the Aux Axis function, despite having seen it. Yes, I do have some free axes, so this won't be an issue.

I had thought to uncheck the Cn box, but the manual said "MUST be checked for analog sensors", so I figured it wouldn't do what I wanted. In hindsight, I should have just tested it.

And yes, once that is done, the relative reset and all that should just fall into place.

Thank you for your detailed reply. I will try to find time to test out tomorrow and report back.

[mattcaron]

Reporting back, this all worked perfectly, excepting:

1. It appears that the LEDs on the GNX base are treated as 1 logical LED (LED 0), despite being 2 physical LEDs. So, I can't have the blue one light up in response to one event and the red one light up in response to the other event - the second event always overrides the first. But, I can deal with this - the "axis is zeroed" LED was a nice to have and I can do without, but knowing the axis mode is critical.

2. Did you have any thoughts on changing the USB information so I can better differentiate the sticks in DOSBox?

Thank you so much for your clear and detailed explanation.

[mattcaron]

Reporting back in, I've used the config described a bit and find it working well. There are some things (for example, changing what DOSBox sees) that would make life a little more simple in some cases, but it's nothing insurmountable. Ultimately, I would have played more stick-using games, except that, along with the sticks, I got a copy of CP2077 and I finished my first playthrough and then... well, patch 1.5 dropped so I started a second.

But, after 125 or so hours of that, the novelty is starting to wear off, so I'm going to be playing a variety of games in rotation, going back to old classics like Mechwarrior 2 and Descent, trying out this Elite Dangerous that all the kids are talking about and, yeah, still doing some CP2077 from time to time.

That all said, I've played enough to want to make some more tweaks, and I have to say that is where these sticks really shine for me. As I was playing with the omnithrottle, I realized that my ship was moving along the Y axis when I twisted the Z. Easily fixed - just add a smidge more deadzone. Further, when in relative mode, one button on the GNX base zeroed the throttle, one button switched mode, and the last was unused. Well then, let's just make it max throttle, shall we? Why not?

Being able to go in and throw some tweaks to tune the stick in exactly the way I like is really a game changer. Other top tier sticks may do this, I don't know - but it's a pretty new concept for me. All I'm used to are being able to bind things in game and that's it. Really, really nice.

Thanks.

[Gargouille]

Following your advice, I've tried the relative mode and can't fly without it now

I've made a more straightforward topic, specifically for the Y axis... With led color swapping (on the grip, not on the base)

[patton610]

I think I'm in the right place i don't want to do anything as drastic as the orginal poster but I do want to use the existing primary set of axis x/y in conjucton with shift 1 in order to control two sticks in a aircraft. I have a shift1 established that current currently creates a second virtual button for every input on the stick except the axis . I have not located a method to such as tye button wizard to assign an axis to shift1.