Flight Sim hardware usability.

[Jack Mcslay]

One thing I find lacking on the original game are control binding capabilities suitable to flight sim hardware, made worse by that you can't configure the controls without going back to the main menu. I'm hoping KSP2 will have a more extensive control configuration for it, with features as such:

• All switchable functions (lights, gear, rcs) be given 4 different binding options: Toggle, Enable, Disable and Hold - high end flight control panels have swiches that report differently depending on model
• More predefined functions common in aircrafts, such as thrust reversal, high performance engine mode, collective, engine on/off
• Support for throttles with idle and afterburner detents (this video explains what it means - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_67641vioY )
• Allow different crafts have different control configurations, like, your're not going to get much use out of flight controls if you're driving a rover on Tylo and if you have a single joystick it would be very useful to have it bound to accel/brake and steering rather than pitch and yaw

Edited July 4, 2022 by Jack Mcslay
making it clearer

[jeb2electricboogaloo]

to add to this. do you find you have issues if you have multiple controllers (e.g. a throotle and stick, or 2 sticks) where the game doesn't distinguish between button 5 on one controller and button 5 on another, effectively reducing not just the number of buttons you can use, but limiting which buttons those are (the lower number buttons on controllers tend to be the most easily accesible without taking your hand off the controller, so if ive got buttons 1 through 7 on my joystick assigned to something, I now can't use the easy access buttons on the throttle unit because they're also numbered 1-7).

iv'e also found that with devices that have a lot of buttons, KSP 1 just doesn't pick them all up. so even more of my buttons are unusable.

[Ericwi]

On 10/25/2022 at 4:13 PM, jeb2electricboogaloo said:

to add to this. do you find you have issues if you have multiple controllers (e.g. a throotle and stick, or 2 sticks) where the game doesn't distinguish between button 5 on one controller and button 5 on another, effectively reducing not just the number of buttons you can use, but limiting which buttons those are (the lower number buttons on controllers tend to be the most easily accesible without taking your hand off the controller, so if ive got buttons 1 through 7 on my joystick assigned to something, I now can't use the easy access buttons on the throttle unit because they're also numbered 1-7).

iv'e also found that with devices that have a lot of buttons, KSP 1 just doesn't pick them all up. so even more of my buttons are unusable.

Yes this has been an issue in KSP1.  Semi limiting the use of multi sticks as all buttons share the same calls to the programs.    Dev's please fix this in KSP2.

 

Note in KSP1 it can be fixed via Advanced Fly-By-Wire mod. 

[SolarAdmiral]

These are great suggestions.

My wishlist for some simple(ish) features that would help build more simulator layouts for any budget,

- multiple controller support is a must. 

- more action groups (maybe 10 more using alt+ 0 to 9 in addition to 0 to 9?) With the huge spaceships we'll be building and the new engines and reactors, it would be great to have more bindable keys to work with to map all the right click functions. This would help both keyboard users, and anyone with a joystick or controller with buttons to map to.

- multiple monitor support would be great. And being allowed to set a different view for each monitor. Imagine being able to have IVA cockpit view on a center monitor, with the normal exterior view on one side and the map view open on the other. Or being able to set a smaller screen to show just the nav ball and flight instruments, and setting it up below or beside a main monitor. 

[SolarAdmiral]

So, in the excitement for KSP2, I've been putting together a quick budget simulator setup.  Now, as long as we can get the first two from my above list, multiple controller support and some more action groups, getting input into the game from controllers and stuff is easy.

And in the process, I found out about stuff like this, its supported by various flight sims like Microsoft Flight, X plane, ext. https://www.logitechg.com/en-ca/products/flight/flight-simulator-instrument-panel.945-000027.html Do you think there's any chance we could get KSP to output Flight Telemetry Data in the same format as these flight sims so instruments like this could be used?

Or, maybe even better, think we could get a companion app, like Fallout 4's pipboy? I'm sure we all have some old tablets or phones laying around that are no longer used. What if there was an app we could download, and bring up an assortment of flight instruments on them, like the NavBall, or altitudes and speeds.

 

[LUCINNDA]

What about X52 HOTAS setting on new KSP2? Will be easy for me to set up it, or I`ll must to learn NASA sticks setups?

Edited January 26, 2023 by LUCINNDA
retype traslate errors

[Skorj]

On 7/4/2022 at 12:36 PM, Jack Mcslay said:

• All switchable functions (lights, gear, rcs) be given 4 different binding options: Toggle, Enable, Disable and Hold - high end flight control panels have swiches that report differently depending on model

I just wanted to add: also brakes! Well, to a point I made earlier, everything should be both stage-able and bindable to an action group, and every action group should be bindable to hardware switches.  I'd really like, on just a low end flight stick, to be able to choose that any button can either Toggle, Enable, Disable or Hold anything, through a control group if that's the easiest way (which I suspect it is).

Edited January 27, 2023 by Skorj