Guide / Tutorial Get your Basic TARGET Script - PIPs and Curves here.

Yeah, I looked at VKB.

PC Dealers etc do not stock these here in NZ.
It was going to cost me US$99 for the stick and US$85 for postage (total about NZ$350 at the time), so I passed.

Looks like an excellent stick though.

Clicker
Have you tried x-plane.com? It's not really x-plane, it's one of their partner companies. Click Other Products, then Hardware. Then on the Flight Simulation drop down click Flight Sim Peripherals for PC.They sell them for the same $99.00 USD. I don't know if they can give you any better postage. If you go through VKB, it's shipped from China. Yeah, a Russian company based in China. Probably for tax purposes. But that postage you quoted is extreme. Don't blame you for passing on that. I would have as well.
 
Hi Clicker,
Tried the macros and they both work ok.
Only problem with the Chat Clear is that if you happen to be in Panel 1 or Panel 3 then it sends the individual letter codes in the word 'clear' as commands.
So, for example, it drops the landing gear when it gets to 'L'.
 
Ok...the macro sends an “enter” to start, which is meant to be bound in game as quick Comms panel and “should work from anywhere”.

Try including “PULSE+CommsPanel, D(250),” immediately prior to the “PULSE+QuickCommsPanel, D(250),”

Hope this helps.

Clicker
 
NOTICE: New Update Announcement

Today FD announced an update which will drop in 2 weeks time and includes “improvements” to the Nav Panel.
This will, no doubt, break the Docking Request macro.

I’ll be away from my PC during the week it’s being introduced so will only be able to Review/Fix the following week sometime.

Clicker
 
Have you tried x-plane.com? It's not really x-plane, it's one of their partner companies. Click Other Products, then Hardware. Then on the Flight Simulation drop down click Flight Sim Peripherals for PC.They sell them for the same $99.00 USD. I don't know if they can give you any better postage. If you go through VKB, it's shipped from China. Yeah, a Russian company based in China. Probably for tax purposes. But that postage you quoted is extreme. Don't blame you for passing on that. I would have as well.
Just checked that site...they do not ship to anywhere outside the USA it seems.
 
NOTICE: New Update Announcement

Today FD announced an update which will drop in 2 weeks time and includes “improvements” to the Nav Panel.
This will, no doubt, break the Docking Request macro.

I’ll be away from my PC during the week it’s being introduced so will only be able to Review/Fix the following week sometime.

Clicker
It broke when 3.3 dropped and likely will break on this update as well. Used t be you highlighted the station, clicked select and then highlighted Request Docking and clicked select. Then they had the Request docking off to the side. Who knows what they'll do now.
 
Hey Folks,

seeing so many coding experts in one spot 's gettin my hopes up :-D
Maybe one of you has a solution to my problem.

So i got myself a FCS flight set from Thrustmaster and as thrusters react way to intense on even the slightest touch of the axis i experimented a little with target to set curves.
Problem so far: As target emulates a single joystick i don't have enough axis to set the flight controls as i'd like to -_-
Even with implementing the mouse axis i only have 10.
I need 4 for the joystick, 5 for thrust control and 3 more for pedals.
Any of you experts got a hint on how to get that damn emulator to obey my wishes? :D

And is there a way to mess up the code of a bind making it work with a single emulated controller when it was designed for 2?
Like playing with the Aymerix setup for 16000m while reassigning vertical and horizontal thrusters to the pedals, but while it works when i play without target, when i emulate i can't choose the setup in the ingame control options...

Sry if the explanation seems a little nebulous.
Not a native speaker here^^
But if anyone of you knows how to fix it or if another program like that grinch is capable of such a setting, i'd be forever indepted to you :-D

Greetz
Sinhoue
 
Too many questions - I can't answer them all.
Lets work backwards.


.... but while it works when i play without target, when i emulate i can't choose the setup in the ingame control options...

You choose the same setup that you use when you play without the joystick.
I'm guessing it's called 'custom'?
All the joystick does basically is provide a more convenient way of sending keyboard strokes.

So you first bind a keyboard key to an event. e.g L drops the landing gear.
You then program a key on the joystick to send L to the system. This is what the basic TARGET software does.
It allows you to define which codes are sent from the joystick. It doesn't affect the game settings.
So if it works with just the keyboard then it should work with the emulating software.

I find however that you have to have the target software running your joystick profile before you launch the game. Otherwise it gets ignored and Elite will load a default - probably Mouse & Keyboard. And then when you exit it saves Mouse and Keyboard as your default setting. :)

In the Elite settings you may find that you need to set the analogue axes - not the digital ones, to respond to curves.
This might solve the throttle problem - but that's just a guess.

joystick.jpg

Not sure if any of that helps???
 
Thanks for stepping in @Maenden .

@Sinhoue , I know you said you're not a native speaker so I need a bit more info around what you mean by "I need 4 for the joystick, 5 for thrust control and 3 more for pedals. "
I think you do not mean "axis" as Joystick should only need 2 ("X" and "Y"), a rudder needs 1 ("Z") for example?
What do you wish to bind all these to in game, can you list them please?

In any case, Windows/DirectX has a limitation of 8 axes and 32 buttons total (for each device).
So, the drawback of TARGET Script is that when you enable your 3 devices, TARGET combines those into one combined device.
The workaround for the Windows/DirectX limit though is that in TARGET you can get each button/switch to do more than one thing using various different methods.

I'll likely post something along these lines in the coming week or two.

Clicker
 
@Sinhoue
And is there a way to mess up the code of a bind making it work with a single emulated controller when it was designed for 2?
Like playing with the Aymerix setup for 16000m while reassigning vertical and horizontal thrusters to the pedals, but while it works when i play without target, when i emulate i can't choose the setup in the ingame control options...

Yes there is a way to use TARGET and code the toe brakes (I assume you mean) to be used in game as switches or as additional axis.
I have not covered this in this thread as it's quite advanced for what I want to do but I may cover it in future.

If you go take a look at Aussiedoid's very excellent WARTHOG script thread and download his script...whilst hugely daunting, he does include the Toe Brake functionality.

Cheers
Clicker
 
You choose the same setup that you use when you play without the joystick.
No. I play with and without target. But in both cases with my FCS set.
Got a binding set of Aymerix which i use, and it works fine!
But without decreasing sensitivity for light axis input i have difficulties controlling the ship (especially thrusters while landing the ship...) so i wanted to use target to set sensitivity curves to all axis.
So you first bind a keyboard key to an event. e.g L drops the landing gear.
You then program a key on the joystick to send L to the system. This is what the basic TARGET software does.
It allows you to define which codes are sent from the joystick. It doesn't affect the game settings.
So if it works with just the keyboard then it should work with the emulating software.
Let's call this plan b...
I prefer direct connection to the joystick input without emulating keyboard buttons.
So i can simultaneously use mouse and keyboard on a second screen without prompting any reactions ingame.
Although i must confess target gives me a hell of a time with this -_-
Gives same axis and buttons to both controllers by default.
Like x-axis be leaning the joystick left and right AND pushing the thrust control forward and backward...
And Button 1 be the fire trigger on the joystick AND a button on the thrust control.
Really annoying to change it every time i try and create a new config.
In the Elite settings you may find that you need to set the analogue axes - not the digital ones, to respond to curves.
This might solve the throttle problem - but that's just a guess.
This might actually work by making target obsolete :D
But will this drop sensitivity for all input?
Or is it more like less sensitivity when i lean the stick or push the throttle just a bit but exponentially increasing sensitivity when i increase input (put the pedal to the metal and stuff)?
Cause the second type of reaction is what i'm looking for^^
@Sinhoue , I know you said you're not a native speaker so I need a bit more info around what you mean by "I need 4 for the joystick, 5 for thrust control and 3 more for pedals. "
I think you do not mean "axis" as Joystick should only need 2 ("X" and "Y"), a rudder needs 1 ("Z") for example?
What do you wish to bind all these to in game, can you list them please?
I do mean axis.
x-axis for rolling (lean joystick left/right)
y-axis for pitching (lean joystick forward/backward)
x-rotaxis for turning (turn joystick left/right)
slider for acceleration (push throttle forward/backward)
z-axis for zooming (turn the little wheel on the throttle forward/backward)
y-rotaxis for downwards thrusters (left foot-pedal)
z-rotaxis for upward thrusters (right foot-pedal)
when i remember correctly these were all i could choose without binding the mouse axis
did bind the 2 mouse axis for looking around in UI with the little joystick on the throttle (although i didn't want to bind mouse movement to ingame actions...)
still missing at least 1 axis to bind to horizontal thrusters (turning foot-pedals left/right)
and i think i had another idea in mind but can't remember right now (1am here)
In any case, Windows/DirectX has a limitation of 8 axes and 32 buttons total (for each device).
So, the drawback of TARGET Script is that when you enable your 3 devices, TARGET combines those into one combined device.
The workaround for the Windows/DirectX limit though is that in TARGET you can get each button/switch to do more than one thing using various different methods.
This is pretty much the essence of my problem :D
Without target i have 8 axis for each device which makes the bindingpreset from aymerix possible even with my minor changes with foot-pedals...
As soon as i activate target i can't even choose the regular bindingpreset from aymerix ingame.
Inside the bindings folder there is an error txt stating that the preset needs 2 controllers, while the game only detected one -_-

So to make it short.
This emulating everything into 1 controller is starting to freak me out xD

Cheers and good night
Sinhoue
 
Just a couple of comments then whilst I think more about this...

1) Unless you need some specific functionality from TARGET, don't use it
2) If all you want (and what brought you here presumably) is some curves for your combined FCS, then the TARGET GUI (ie not the script) may do the trick
3) Last but not least, when you use either the GUI or the script, these MUST be run first before starting the game AND you will need to go through your controller setup binds all over again at least once...HOWEVER...every time you start the game, IF you use a different controller setup, then ED will spit that error you saw...SO...you may need to create several bind files (one for each controller setup)...if you go down this path then be warned that ED only creates ONE "custom.bind" file so you'll need to rename and edit the description within the file.

Here's how in case you want to do this...assuming you know where the bind files are stored on your PC...
Open Custom.3.0.binds in notepad.
On the second line in the file modify the preset name to something that makes sense to you.
Example: <Root PresetName="Thrustmaster" MajorVersion="3" MinorVersion="0">
Then, save the file as Thrustmaster.bind

Anytime you have your TCS plugged in and TARGET running, this option should be available for selection within Controller Settings when you start ED.

Hope this helps

Clicker
 
No. I play with and without target. But in both cases with my FCS set.
Got a binding set of Aymerix which i use, and it works fine!
But without decreasing sensitivity for light axis input i have difficulties controlling the ship (especially thrusters while landing the ship...) so i wanted to use target to set sensitivity curves to all axis.

If you're talking about the rise and fall thrusters (R and F on the basic keyboard setup) then I don't know how you can set these to be on a curve.
AFAIK the values of your pips to 'Eng' alter the strength of the jet so you've got 5 settings. Pips at 0 to 4.
There is also 3 ways of coding within TARGET to fire these thrusters. Pulse, Hold, and Press-Release.
It may be that a combination of these will solve your landing problem.


Inside the bindings folder there is an error txt stating that the preset needs 2 controllers, while the game only detected one -_-

I've only got the joystick, but I believe that if you also have the throttle input then you need two different drivers from Thrustmaster. One for the joystick and another for the throttle.
Apparently these should appear as 16000m and TWCS Throttle in Windows' game controller-settings.
 
@Sinhoue
Yes there is a way to use TARGET and code the toe brakes (I assume you mean) to be used in game as switches or as additional axis.
Not what i meant^^
I was talking about the error with the bindingpreset due to the single emulated controller.
As soon as i activate target i can't even choose the regular bindingpreset from aymerix ingame.
Inside the bindings folder there is an error txt stating that the preset needs 2 controllers, while the game only detected one -_-
This one, to be exact.

1) Unless you need some specific functionality from TARGET, don't use it
Agreed! Will try to adjust the ingame sensitivity settings this weekend.
But somehow i don't think this will provide the desired effect...

2) If all you want (and what brought you here presumably) is some curves for your combined FCS, then the TARGET GUI (ie not the script) may do the trick
Unfortunately not, as it is just a user interface to create target scripts without coding experience and knowledge.
Ends up giving the exact same problems caused by the single controller emulation...

3) Last but not least, when you use either the GUI or the script, these MUST be run first before starting the game AND you will need to go through your controller setup binds all over again at least once...HOWEVER...every time you start the game, IF you use a different controller setup, then ED will spit that error you saw...SO...you may need to create several bind files (one for each controller setup)...if you go down this path then be warned that ED only creates ONE "custom.bind" file so you'll need to rename and edit the description within the file.
First part of the sentence is self evident.^^
Second part seems to be inevitable, as discouraging as it sounds -_-
But as a matter of fact i think one can create more than one custom binding preset.
At least i remember seeing the custom preset AND the aymerix preset in the options at the same time.
Not 100% sure though. Gotta check this weekend.

If you're talking about the rise and fall thrusters (R and F on the basic keyboard setup) then I don't know how you can set these to be on a curve.
That is where target enters the stage^^
But i'm acutally talking about all thrusters.
Vertical, horizontal and forward/backward ones. They all react too sensitive to light controller input

AFAIK the values of your pips to 'Eng' alter the strength of the jet so you've got 5 settings. Pips at 0 to 4.
This might actually help o_O
Will try. Thx!

There is also 3 ways of coding within TARGET to fire these thrusters. Pulse, Hold, and Press-Release.
It may be that a combination of these will solve your landing problem.
As i want to set horizontal and vertical thrusters to my foot-pedals as axis input, hold seems the only logical option...
At least i can't imagine pumping the pedals under the table to "pulse" the thrusters xD

I've only got the joystick, but I believe that if you also have the throttle input then you need two different drivers from Thrustmaster. One for the joystick and another for the throttle.
Apparently these should appear as 16000m and TWCS Throttle in Windows' game controller-settings.
Nope. Only one driver for all 3 pieces. Or at least only 1 install. Maybe it did install 3 drivers. Haven't checked.
But that is not the reason for my problem, as the whole set works fine without target.
The problem comes with the single controller emulation -_-

Thanks a lot for all the hints and advice.
I'll climb into the ring for round 2 against target and try some of your ideas as soon as i have more time.
So probably this weekend.
But reading your answers i get the feeling you don't fully understand what controller set i'm using, so here's a pic:
51-2EaapcgL._SL1000_.jpg


Maybe this helps to understand my blabber a little better :D

Anyways.
Wish me luck :)

Cheers
Sinhoue
 
Hi again @Sinhoue

Regarding...
Sinhoue said:
As soon as i activate target i can't even choose the regular bindingpreset from aymerix ingame.
Inside the bindings folder there is an error txt stating that the preset needs 2 controllers, while the game only detected one -_-

This one, to be exact.

I assume "aymerix bindingpreset" is a .bind file you got from someone?
If "yes", then the error you are getting is caused by one or more controllers defined within that preset not being present when the game started.

If it worked for you previously whilst using TARGET, then either you have something disconnected, or, possible connected via a different USB port.
If not, then what's happening is that the devices are combined into one by TARGET and therefore a completely different device as far as Windows (and therefore ED) is concerned and is what is causing the error.

Also, I have that exact same set of pedals which I use with my WARTHOG and they came with their own drivers.
So on my setup I need to load both sets of drivers.

Perhaps, if bought as a complete set, the drivers that came with it may be combined, but certainly something worth checking.

Hope you manage to get this working to your satisfaction very soon!

Cheers
Clicker
 
How to make your joystick buttons do more than just one thing - part 1 - Functions.

In this installment, we add some more functionality to our basic script.

I will show how to create a custom function to enable a joystick button to do more than one thing.

Creating custom functions is NOT included in the TARGET Script manual and I only learnt about it by studying other people's scripts etc.
Sounds complex, but can be pretty straight forward!

Desired outcome for our new function:
Press the Docking request button to Request Docking, set 4 PIPs to shields and lower the landing gear.

To do this we need to...
a) create a variable for the key we use to toggle the landing gear (I use "L")
b) call the existing functions in a similar way as a "Mapkey" statement...using "ActKey()"
c) change the function of the KeyMap() we used previously for mRequestDock to call our new function instead
d) bind the key in ED Controller Settings (which I'm sure you've already done), and

Here's how:-

a) Create variable...
In EDGlobalVars.tmh add the following...
Code:
define LandingGear        USB[0x0F]        // L

b) create the new function immediately after the initEnhancedFAOFF() function in the EDScript.tmc file...
Code:
int fnAdvancedDockingRequest() {

        // Lower the landing gear
        ActKey(KEYON+PULSE+LandingGear);
         
        // Send docking request
        ActKey(KEYON+PULSE+mRequestDock);
     
        // Call the PIPMapper to set full power to Shields
        initPIPMapper(SYS,ENG);
 
}

c) change KeyMap for mRequestDock

...for WARTHOG...
Change MapKey(&Joystick, S1, PULSE+mRequestDock);
To MapKey(&Joystick, S1, EXEC("fnAdvancedDockingRequest();"));

...for T16000...
Change MapKey(&T16000, B5, PULSE+mRequestDock);
To MapKey(&T16000, B5, EXEC("fnAdvancedDockingRequest();"));

And lastly,
d) If you have used a different key (ie not "L"), in game, for landing gear make sure you use that key here, or, bind "L" within the game's Controller Settings.
As previously mentioned, the USB scan codes for all keys are listed at the bottom of EDGlobalVars.tmh file.

Now, when you hit the designated "Request Dock" button it will do all three things in quick succession.
If for any reason you want to cancel your docking request, just hit the button again and the script will effectively cancel the request and raise the landing gear.

In part 2, I'll have a go at showing how we can get one switch to do more than one thing via the TEMPO function.

As always, please ask if you want anything further explained or if you're having trouble following this tutorial or can't get it to work for you.

Cheers
Clicker
 
Last edited:
Forgot to mention...same caveat as when we set up the mRequestDock macro...if the Nav Panel is not at its home position, the request dock macro is likely to do some funky stuff instead of requesting Dock.

Have fun.

Clicker
 
NOTICE: New Update Announcement

Today FD announced an update which will drop in 2 weeks time and includes “improvements” to the Nav Panel.
This will, no doubt, break the Docking Request macro.

I’ll be away from my PC during the week it’s being introduced so will only be able to Review/Fix the following week sometime.

Clicker

I can confirm that the Request Docking macro still works fine after the update.
Thanks @Maenden for checking this out for me.

Cheers
Clicker
 
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