Mini joystick on pro throttle for trim in IL2

[-evey-]

I'm just learning the software for my new HOTAS and wonder is there an easy way to program the mini joystick to act as a way to alter the trim in IL2 or LOMAC? Or is it better just to stick with using a four way hat?

[tiger roach]

Well my HOTAS is brand new also, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. ;)

However, so far I think the IL2 map from the Profiles thread has a better approach, with the trim controls on the 4-way hat (there are only four ways to go with 2 trim settings after all) and using the mini-stick for view panning. YMMV of course.

[Revvin]

Take a look at this (http://www.ch-hangar.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=23) thread and this (http://www.ch-hangar.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=284) one and erm...this (http://www.ch-hangar.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=20) thread and this (http://www.ch-hangar.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=225) one for ideas on how to use that ministick guys :thumbsup:

[-evey-]

Revvin held me down and made me buy a TRACK IR2 so I don't need a mouse look around. I thought that it would be a handy analogueish trim adjuster.

[Revvin]

Only trouble is -evey- is that the ministick self centre's so it would cancel out the trim you input, you might be better off mapping it like a hat switch.

[-evey-]

Good point,

Doh

[JNOV]

The way I handle trim in IL-2 (and Aces High) is to define a button to activate trim mode. When that button is pressed and the stick or pedals are deflected away from center by a sufficient (i.e., "deadband") amount, I change (in the appropriate direction) the corresponding trim input. In AH, there is no analog trim, so I just program CMS to hold the corresponding key input until the stick or pedals are centered or until the trim-activating button is released. IL-2 supports analog trim axes, so I use them. This is particularly nice, because one can change the trim inputs at a rate proportional to deflection. Using the analog axes also allows you to do cool things like immediately set max, 3/4, 1/2, and 1/4 trim.

In terms of buttons, I use one four-way hat to control trim. One direction activates trim for all three axes, and the other three allow selective, per-axis activation. I also program the "shifted" versions (I use four shift states) of one of the four buttons to reset trim and shifted versions of all of the buttons to directly set trim values as described above.

In general, I find using the control axes to control trim to be natural and somehow more satisfying than just assigning the sim's keyboard trim inputs to six different button presses.

As to your original suggestion of using the mini-stick to control trim, you could certainly use it in some fashion. As Revvin points out, the ministick does auto-recenter, but you could use it in "relative" rather than "absolute" mode. That is, if you have analog trim axes (as in IL-2), you could set up the trim to change at a rate proportional to the ministick's deflection. Coupled with buttons to reset trim, and, perhaps, set it to certain pre-defined values, this could be quite effective, methinks.

I haven't posted my IL-2 profile, because it's a bit of a work in progress. But if you want to see the code to do what I've described, I'll put it up.

- JNOV