Newcomer / Intro Help setting up Thrustmaster T.1600Mcontrollers w/ Elite

[courtlaw]

Hi there. New to the forum and looking forward to setting up Elite with Oculus Rift.

I just purchased Thrustmaster T.16000M joystick, Throttle and rudder pedals.

Before getting lost in the rabbit hole with configuration and setup I figured I'd post here for some much needed helpful advice.

First question is should I use TARGET software that came with the Thrustmaster or uninstall it and use the Elite Dangerous configuration?

Should I use the T.Flight Rudder pedals or just use the joystick?

Is the a way to just import settings that work for you guys?

Those are the main questions.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

- Steve

 

[Hossi]

TARGET script is definetly pretty awsome. I would recomemend to use it as an intermediate layer between the controllers and elite. Once you get the hang on the scripting languange you can do a lot of neat things. Like using controll curves to finetune your controller (and dynamicaly adjust these curves), and assigning multiple functions to a button depending on if you press it short, long, once or twice, or together with another button. You can actally controll different applications at the same time, I have a button combination to controll a media player in the background for music.

I don't use pedals, so no opinon on this.

You can copy the 'bindings' from one pc to an other, but this will only work if you have the exactly same setup, its somewhere in appdata\local\frontier....options\bindings
I could post my binding, but I use a warthog togeteher with a twcs throttle. Wouldn't work for you.

 

[Valorin]

I am using a x52pro and no pedals, but my experience with setting up hotas controls in general, is lots and lots of trying around. Apart fro the axises (eses?) the button config was really a tough nut for me. I changed around a lot until everything was how I am using it now. So I guess it comes down a lot to preference. I'd try the pedals since you have them anyway.

I am also using joycurves to make controls a bit less responsive and twitchy, which is especially good when flying FA off.

 

[L M P]

You should use TARGET if you can, but it takes some time to figure it out and set it up. I saved my standard ED binds file and my TARGET binds file in separate folders on my desktop. I swapped them when I wanted to play during the time I spent figuring out and setting up TARGET.

 

[Rampant]

I don't use TARGET at all - I just used the Elite: Dangerous control mapping function and that has got my control interface exactly how I want it.

All that I would advise is that you do some experimentation of your own.

Yours Aye

Mark H

 

[Ashnak]

First question is should I use TARGET software that came with the Thrustmaster or uninstall it and use the Elite Dangerous configuration?

I don't, and if you use a configuration from the link below, you're stuck with the ED configuration. In which case, wehn you have a configuration that works, make a backup and store it somewhere outside of the ED folder structure (ED uses not only the file name, but also the contents of the files themselves, so creating a backup, renaming it and keeping it in the old place may produce some interesting results...). ED updates have/hada nasty habit of destroying bindings files.

Should I use the T.Flight Rudder pedals or just use the joystick?

Your choice. I didn't get the pedals, the HOTAS has enough axes, and I value my increased freedom of movement, but if you have a full simulator setup with an appropriate chair, you may feel different.

Is the a way to just import settings that work for you guys?

Check out https://edrefcard.info/. Even if you don't find any settings to load, I foud that site to be immensly helpful when setting up my HOTAS.

 

[UmbraRex]

I use a T16000M HOTAS myself. I have the pedals as well but never even took them out of the box.

The default setup in ED is pretty useful, I've remapped a couple of the zoom functions but other than that I've left it pretty much alone.

I don't use the Target software at all. Someone on another thread in here mentioned it can get quirky if you try to do to much.

 

[courtlaw]

Thanks for the replies.

If I have both Target and the ED configurations installed will they interfere with each other or do I have to uninstall the one I'm not using?

 

[Hossi]

Thanks for the replies.

If I have both Target and the ED configurations installed will they interfere with each other or do I have to uninstall the one I'm not using?

If you use target script it will replace all your connected thrustmaster devices and replace it with a 'thrustmaster combined' device, with 40 button and 20 axis (number not neccesarily accurate). For ed that's something completly differnet, the keybindings will not recognize it if you set it to a configuration without target.

Edit: You don't have to uninstall anything though, just replace the bindings file

 

[Spaceman Si]

Not to hijack your thread, OP, but could someone explain what "joystick curves" are in simple language please?

I've not long gotten a Thrustmaster 16000.m Hotas myself, and am still wondering how best to set it up. So this is a great thread

 

[Hossi]

Not to hijack your thread, OP, but could someone explain what "joystick curves" are in simple language please?

I've not long gotten a Thrustmaster 16000.m Hotas myself, and am still wondering how best to set it up. So this is a great thread

The curve defines the ratio between input (movment of stick) and output (strength of control in-game). By default its linear, you move the stick 50%, you get half the power/speed whatever. By adjusting the curve you can get more precision in the lower range (great for precise manouvers like aiming and docking) while maintaning the full range.

 

[Spaceman Si]

Thank you! I can make sense of that - I think it might be worth spending an hour or two getting to know the joystick without actually doing any significant game -play, like the tutorials.

 

[courtlaw]

If you use target script it will replace all your connected thrustmaster devices and replace it with a 'thrustmaster combined' device, with 40 button and 20 axis (number not neccesarily accurate). For ed that's something completly differnet, the keybindings will not recognize it if you set it to a configuration without target.

Edit: You don't have to uninstall anything though, just replace the bindings file

So are saying that I should set the key bindings within the ED configuration menu first and then transpose that to TARGET?

 

[the100thmonkey]

TARGET is definitely worth it, even if only for the response curves.

One thing to be aware of is that you will have to remap the hat switch on the top of the stick to DXHat or it won't work.

 

[Maenden]

I've got the Thrustmaster T1600M. I don't have the pedals.

If you're using a PC then you just map the Thrustmaster buttons to the equivalent buttons on your keyboard using the software.
Also adjust the curves etc using the software provided.

It creates a file with the suffix .fcf. I put this in my bindings folder.

You then need to run the joystick profile (the .fcf file) using TARGET GUI before launching the game.

Basically all you do with the joystick is duplicate the keys and mouse settings. Plus a few extras such as curves.
When you match the joystick to the binding make sure you choose the analogue box not the digital ones.


I use the joystick for pitch, roll and yaw

I use the hat to toggle the sys-eng-wep pips.
The left hand joystick button works as target (T on the keyboard) and the right hand as select (Space on the keyboard).

I haven't got around to assigning the base buttons yet.

This is a very simple arrangement but it works OK for me. I make no claims to be an expert.

If you're interested you can download my bindings folder files from my website here:

http://www.ianperryman.com/elite/myED.zip

 

[the100thmonkey]

So are saying that I should set the key bindings within the ED configuration menu first and then transpose that to TARGET?

You can take the default key settings and, as Maenden says, map the joystick buttons to those keys. Basically, the game client recognises the T.16000M and assigns a profile to it, but not the virtual device created when you run the TARGET script - you have to setup a control scheme for the virtual device manually.

You might find it simpler to play the game for a wee while without TARGET to get used to the button layout and then create your TARGET profile. Personally, I've always started with an empty binding file and set my axes and the obvious buttons (e.g. fire, secondary fire and UI buttons), then bound controls to buttons as I come upon the need for them. It takes a while longer, but I find it much easier to learn the scheme that way. YMMV.

 

[Quenaelin]

I just bought T.16000M with pedals and started playing ED after year break and I am playing it with pedals, but not with TARGET software. I wan't to keep it simple and clean, ED recognizes HOTAS system automatically and that is enough for my gaming purposes. I assigned moon lander throttle controls to brake pedals and spaceship yaw to rudder pedals.

 

[Maenden]

Just one other point. You can have more than one joystick profile.
You just give them different names.
You then open TARGET GUI, choose the file you want and run it before you launch Elite.

 

[iSteel]

I do not use TARGET as I found it too hard to configure. I am lazy. I just map the stuff within the game.

One tip is to use one button as "shift" in a way when you keep it down and press a button you get a secondary action. I have had T.16000 FCS well over a year now and only last weekend I learned how to use the shift properly. I have my throttle pinky button as shift button. As an example the button right from the pinky button is mapped as boost, but if I hold down pinky button and "boost" I will turn my thrusters to reverse. Now I have mapped all my needed functions to joystick and throttle in a way I do not need to take off my hands at all from them.