What Macros have you defined to help you play?

[Xzanron]

Many of the people on the forums rave about VoiceAttack (I don't use it personally) and many of us have great joysticks and others (like myself) also have gaming keyboards.

I'm curious about what macros people have designed to help them play.

The only macros I really use are for energy distributions.

I have 4 energy settings I primarily use and I've defined macros to quickly switch to them:

Combat Close - S0, E2, W4
Combat Chase -S0, E4, W2
Combat Shield - S2, E0, W4
Run Away - S2, E4, W0 (The brave Sir Robin setting )

Each macro starts with reset (down arrow), then arrows to assign as needed. Had to add slight pauses between keys or ED missed them, but they work great.

What do others use?

 

[Microblitz]

"Voice-attack initiated"

(Cough cough!)

Ship : "Self destruct sequence engaged! please investigate the placement of your rear and bid it a fond farewell!".

---
Me: "Deploy Weapons"
Ships computer: "Cargo jettisoned"

 

[DYSEQTA]

I don't use any in ED. I feel that using macros in a sim is kind of defeating the point.

 

[mollymawk]

I am normally heavily into this kind of thing. Almost every game I've played I've experimented with scripting some kind of macro. These were even quite complex in SWTOR and STO. I've even made my own addons for WOW in the past. I would often spend more time playing at writing macros than actually playing the game.

I've recently used Voice Attack, Auto hot key, and i have a g13 keypad and g500 mouse i can program.

However, Elite is the first game in a long time where I have not felt the need to macro anything at all.
I find it is fine with all the basic controls that come with it. I think the difference is having the x52 pro, this gives me enough buttons close at hand to do everything.

For power management, i like to be very dynamic, I have a rotary wheel that moves power between engines and shields and as the primary fire button has 2 trigger positions, I can use that to feed power to weapons.

If was still using the first flight stick I bought for elite, I would definitely be doing what you are doing though, as it had a lot less buttons.

 

[Kramster]

Although I have around 50 programmable keys/buttons, I only have a docking macro that is as far as I feel I want to go down the automated route
If I was short on keys I would consider more macro's but I am fine

 

[Shads]

I use it to swap pips around. Full shield, full weapons etc. easier than hammering keys.

 

[Red-i]

So far, I haven't seen a macro interface for ED and I've been around since Beta 2.

I'd be interested in the request docking macro or the power management options. How do I set them up?

 

[Aszrayel]

I don't use voice attack or macro's. I love the manual input. It's like driving, you have to learn, then when you pilot your ship you have to be always on alert and hit the right button or someone gets hurt. Just the way I like it.

 

[Rhaedas]

My most used command is probably the engage one, which aside from the obvious jumping into SC or hyperspace also retracts weapons or scoops if I have them out, and puts four pips to engines and two to shields. But I have a number of other ones, some combos, some single keys, that are useful to be able to trigger while I've got both hands on the HOTAS flying the ship vs. finding a key. Frees up all the buttons for actual combative and maneuvering controls.

 

[lexandro]

None. Have no need of macro in ED, its not complex enough for me to consider using them. I do have macro keys, but they are set as simple alternate keybinds (ie Macro key 1 ~ shift+1 = silent running etc). But actual macro recording, not need at all. Though a simple one for requesting docking clearance would be handy, I cant really be bothered to make one since I have it down to a few presses on the stick buttons to do it quickly.

 

[Rhaedas]

So far, I haven't seen a macro interface for ED and I've been around since Beta 2.

I'd be interested in the request docking macro or the power management options. How do I set them up?

Power is the easiest one to do. The system is pretty versatile for just four keys. Just have VA mirror what you would do, with a .1 ms pause between, and always start with the Down key, as that resets everything to two pips each. Name them according, add any extra stuff like a sound or speech confirming it if you wish.

 

[jgm]

Docking request is the only real macro that I have (I don't count power distribution).

 

[tristancliffe]

I have a big list of voice attack commands, and I have it on all the time, but the only two I use now are "Request Docking Permission" and "Disengage". The latter drops me out of supercruise AND opens the throttle to 100% as it annoys me always having 75% (I use a switch on my stick to engage 75%, so my throttle is already at 100%, and I don't like having to move it to 90% and back to 100% every time I leave SC).

 

[Mkkt Bkkt]

I'd like to have my E - D as least automated as possible, however I do have 2 macros that I feel save a lot of time.

1. Request Docking Permission - I have a macro that will open the "left window", switch to contacts and request docking then go back to regular view, though it won't work unless I have the station targeted. And If there is a slight stutter it might sit on contacts, I may need to increase the delay of each simulated button. However I find this saves a lot of time, until the devs add a "request dock" button.

2. Pirate Intro - as the title says, I have my intro if that I give to whoever my victim is. I find "dump the cargo or die" to be very ineffective, and taking my time to say "hi, I wont shoot you, but i will if you run, now then I'd like some ..." would take too long since the target would probably be off into a station by now.

I'd probably have a preset for power distribution during combat if it weren't for my g600 mouse, it's almost a mini keyboard.

 

[Rhaedas]

1. Request Docking Permission - I have a macro that will open the "left window", switch to contacts and request docking then go back to regular view, though it won't work unless I have the station targeted

Little hints I figured out so you don't have to target the station (which I found to be a pain). First, the station when it's in range is always the top contact. Secondly, on the menus with a long list of things, if you press your menu up key and hold it down, it will go to the top and stop there (not wrap around). So, what mine does is first goes to the Contacts tab, then I spam it with about six or more up keys with no delays between, to make sure even if there's a whole bunch of ships around, I get the station. Then select, etc, etc. Has never failed me.

 

[Monarch Black]

I use voice attack, but most of the binds are things that have keys mapped as well for their actions (targeting, throttle, frame shift, landing gear, etc). The only real macro I have to automate a process is "Docking" (used from first tab in left menu): opens left menu, moves two tabs right, select (stations are usually first in contacts), down 1, select (requests docking), close left menu. Takes a second or so where I have key holds of .1 seconds and pause of .1 between commands, but it is such an annoyance-saver not needing to go through that every time I go to dock. Have thought about making the energy distribution ones, but just never got around to it. I've got energy management on my joystick hat-button, so it is a pretty quick affair to do manually on the fly.

 

[lexandro]

Little hints I figured out so you don't have to target the station (which I found to be a pain). First, the station when it's in range is always the top contact. Secondly, on the menus with a long list of things, if you press your menu up key and hold it down, it will go to the top and stop there (not wrap around). So, what mine does is first goes to the Contacts tab, then I spam it with about six or more up keys with no delays between, to make sure even if there's a whole bunch of ships around, I get the station. Then select, etc, etc. Has never failed me.

I have an easier system. I hit UI focus toggle button on the stick, press my menu tab button twice and hit the trigger. Always selects the station and opens the dialogue for docking. Then its just down one with the hat switch, hit trigger, job done. 5 key presses, no fuss.

 

[Rhaedas]

I have an easier system. I hit UI focus toggle button on the stick, press my menu tab button twice and hit the trigger. Always selects the station and opens the dialogue for docking. Then its just down one with the hat switch, hit trigger, job done. 5 key presses, no fuss.

That's cool...whatever works for you, we all fly differently. One command or five keys, same deal.

 

[jgm]

I have an easier system. I hit UI focus toggle button on the stick, press my menu tab button twice and hit the trigger. Always selects the station and opens the dialogue for docking. Then its just down one with the hat switch, hit trigger, job done. 5 key presses, no fuss.

You fail to appreciate the majesty of talking to your computer and it actually doing what you ask of it. That's worth a little bit of effort to set it up in the first place.

 

[Sen Ti]

I use two via Voice Attack: Docking Request and Disable Docking Assist (Docking Computer)