Hi, guys and gals!
After a long and tortuous ordeal of buying the Merc Edition and not getting it until almost two weeks later, I was finally able to log in and start mapping my joystick controls.
Now, I have a concern that may have already been raised, but since I can't seem to find it among the forums, I'm going to raise it anyway. But before I can raise it, I'd like to give a little overview of throttle controls that I'm sure many of you are already familiar with, just for context.
I noticed that many of you in the forums use Saitek flight controllers to play the game, particularly the X52. I use the more venerable X45, which is an earlier model but still has a similar button layout. This query might also be applicable to other products.
Now, for those of you who use Saitek flight controllers, the diagram below should be easy to understand. It's the way the throttle is designed with detents (marked with ^ and designated "Dn" where "n" is the detent from the absolute bottom).
FIGURE 1:
BOTTOM-D1-------------------------D2---D3---TOP
|_______^____________________^___^___|
This design was made primarily with jets and space sims in mind. Many flight sim games thus map throttle control like this:
FIGURE 2:
0%-------------THRUST--------------100%-AFTERBURNER
|_______^____________________^___^___|
In the configuration above, the throttle's rest state (0%) is at the absolute bottom of the movement. Pushing the throttle forward, the first detent (D1) gives the user the feeling of coming out of full stop, with the second detent (D2) providing feedback to indicate that the user is about to max out the engine. Pushing beyond the last detent (D3) activates the afterburner.
Most space sims, however, further maximize the detents. In space sims like Strike Suit Zero and some ground-based vehicle games, the throttle is mapped out perfectly to take advantage of the detents as such:
FIGURE 3:
REVERSE-0%--------THRUST--------100%-BOOST
|_______^____________________^___^___|
Here, the rest state is right above the first detent, making it easy to find by feel, with reverse thrust kicking in if the throttle is pulled back through D1 toward the bottom. When pushed forward, it goes up to 100% throttle right as it comes over D2, and afterburner or boost kicks in when pushed beyond D3.
The first thing I noticed when playing Elite: Dangerous, however, is that the thrust mapping is more like this:
FIGURE 4:
100%<-----------------0%------------------>100%
|_______^____________________^___^___| + BOOST KEY
Here, the rest state is right in the halfway mark of the throttle's full movement, with everything below that mapped as reverse thrust, and everything above that as forward thrust. A separate key is provided for boost. No meaning is given to the detents. It also has the consequence of making 0% thrust very hard to find by feel.
Or with the option to use the throttle as forward thrust only, throttle controls then become even more simplistic:
FIGURE 5:
0%------------------THRUST------------------100%
|_______^____________________^___^___| + BOOST KEY
Here, the bottom of the movement is the rest state, while the top of the movement is full thrust. Again, a separate key activates boost. Once more, the detents are useless.
For me, the default options provided in-game defeats the awesomeness of the Saitek flight controllers, as they are not maximized to their full potential. This is sort of ironic, considering the sheer number and complexity of controls already available in the game.
Which brings me to my concern: Is there any way to configure the thrust mapping in Elite: Dangerous to operate more like the classic space sim controls (FIGURE 3) rather than what's currently available (FIGURE 4, 5)? Can this be achieved through the Saitek programming software? Maybe even an in-game option that I overlooked?
If there are no means of applying FIGURE 3 without messing with the source code/script, would there be enough of you out there who might agree with me to petition Frontier Developments to provide this option in-game?
Constructive thoughts highly appreciated.
Thanks!
After a long and tortuous ordeal of buying the Merc Edition and not getting it until almost two weeks later, I was finally able to log in and start mapping my joystick controls.
Now, I have a concern that may have already been raised, but since I can't seem to find it among the forums, I'm going to raise it anyway. But before I can raise it, I'd like to give a little overview of throttle controls that I'm sure many of you are already familiar with, just for context.
I noticed that many of you in the forums use Saitek flight controllers to play the game, particularly the X52. I use the more venerable X45, which is an earlier model but still has a similar button layout. This query might also be applicable to other products.
Now, for those of you who use Saitek flight controllers, the diagram below should be easy to understand. It's the way the throttle is designed with detents (marked with ^ and designated "Dn" where "n" is the detent from the absolute bottom).
FIGURE 1:
BOTTOM-D1-------------------------D2---D3---TOP
|_______^____________________^___^___|
This design was made primarily with jets and space sims in mind. Many flight sim games thus map throttle control like this:
FIGURE 2:
0%-------------THRUST--------------100%-AFTERBURNER
|_______^____________________^___^___|
In the configuration above, the throttle's rest state (0%) is at the absolute bottom of the movement. Pushing the throttle forward, the first detent (D1) gives the user the feeling of coming out of full stop, with the second detent (D2) providing feedback to indicate that the user is about to max out the engine. Pushing beyond the last detent (D3) activates the afterburner.
Most space sims, however, further maximize the detents. In space sims like Strike Suit Zero and some ground-based vehicle games, the throttle is mapped out perfectly to take advantage of the detents as such:
FIGURE 3:
REVERSE-0%--------THRUST--------100%-BOOST
|_______^____________________^___^___|
Here, the rest state is right above the first detent, making it easy to find by feel, with reverse thrust kicking in if the throttle is pulled back through D1 toward the bottom. When pushed forward, it goes up to 100% throttle right as it comes over D2, and afterburner or boost kicks in when pushed beyond D3.
The first thing I noticed when playing Elite: Dangerous, however, is that the thrust mapping is more like this:
FIGURE 4:
100%<-----------------0%------------------>100%
|_______^____________________^___^___| + BOOST KEY
Here, the rest state is right in the halfway mark of the throttle's full movement, with everything below that mapped as reverse thrust, and everything above that as forward thrust. A separate key is provided for boost. No meaning is given to the detents. It also has the consequence of making 0% thrust very hard to find by feel.
Or with the option to use the throttle as forward thrust only, throttle controls then become even more simplistic:
FIGURE 5:
0%------------------THRUST------------------100%
|_______^____________________^___^___| + BOOST KEY
Here, the bottom of the movement is the rest state, while the top of the movement is full thrust. Again, a separate key activates boost. Once more, the detents are useless.
For me, the default options provided in-game defeats the awesomeness of the Saitek flight controllers, as they are not maximized to their full potential. This is sort of ironic, considering the sheer number and complexity of controls already available in the game.
Which brings me to my concern: Is there any way to configure the thrust mapping in Elite: Dangerous to operate more like the classic space sim controls (FIGURE 3) rather than what's currently available (FIGURE 4, 5)? Can this be achieved through the Saitek programming software? Maybe even an in-game option that I overlooked?
If there are no means of applying FIGURE 3 without messing with the source code/script, would there be enough of you out there who might agree with me to petition Frontier Developments to provide this option in-game?
Constructive thoughts highly appreciated.
Thanks!
Last edited:
