You're Doing It Wrong: Analogue Vs Digital Settings in E:D

jgm

jgm
While building my HOTAS reference sheet generator I have noticed an ongoing problem in many of the configurations, with a confusion between using analogue and digital bindings.

I'll use pitch as an example. here is a good setting for pitch, using the analogue binding.

pitchgood.jpg

This binds your stick's Y axis to pitch using the analogue range of the stick, resulting in this basic response curve:

good.jpg

No surprises here: as you increase pitch on the stick your ship responds accordingly.

However, many users have their configuration set to something like the below.

pitchbad.jpg

It doesn't look radically different, but the bindings set here are digital. This means that the response curve now looks like this:

bad.jpg

So if you're flying with a HOTAS it might be worth checking to ensure that all of your analogue controls are mapped appropriately, otherwise you're missing out on a lot of the precision that should be available to you.

(I'm going to see if I can flag these badly-mapped controls in the reference sheet generator, but am aware that lots of people don't use it so I'm putting this up here as well).
 

jgm

jgm
h347h said:
A lot of people just use S curve software.
Click to expand...

That won't make any difference for this problem. The S curve software alters (continuing the example in the OP) the ship's pitch rate for a given pitch of the stick so that it isn't as linear as in the first graph, but if the user has set their controls to be digital inside Elite: Dangerous it won't matter.
 

777Driver

777Driver
jgm said:
No surprises here: as you increase pitch on the stick your ship responds accordingly.

However, many users have their configuration set to something like the below.

View attachment 82912

It doesn't look radically different, but the bindings set here are digital. This means that the response curve now looks like this:
Click to expand...

Just curious as to how you know people are configuring their axis like that? Am pretty sure the bulk of users would use the first method.
 

jgm

jgm
777Driver said:
Just curious as to how you know people are configuring their axis like that? Am pretty sure the bulk of users would use the first method.
Click to expand...

The reference sheet generator that I look after (link in sig) picks it up the different bindings. Some people were noting that not all their bindings were showing up, and it was because they were mapping to the digital rather than the analogue controls.

It's also rarer for it to be pitch; I just used that as an example. It's more commonly showing up with yaw and thrusters.

I was surprised too, which is why I wrote the post.
 

Spam

Spam
A mate of mine was complaining about very poor yaw performance on his HOTAS and I found exactly the problems as above. Pitch/Roll were fine, he just misread the Yaw and indeed configured it as a digital yaw control on twist.
The same guy also used his Rift for 2 weeks without the camera on.
He is also a rather bright fellow.
Goes to show that you don't know the depth of your own ignorance until its pointed out.
 

M. Grey

M. Grey
This is an Elite thing and only happens when you assing for example +Axis to thruster up and -Axis to thruster down. If you assign vertical axis then it is working analogue.
Would be better if Elite would recognise if it is an anlogue axis.
 
Last edited:

jgm

jgm
mr.Gr3y said:
This is an Elite thing and only happens when you assing for example +Axis to thruster up and -Axis to thruster down. If you assign vertical axis then it is working analogue.
Would be better if Elite would recognise if it is an anlogue axis.
Click to expand...

The thing is, there are some valid uses for assigning it as a digital input. For example, some people use twist on their stick to go to next/last panel when going through the UI. So simply disallowing analogue inputs to be used for digital controls wouldn't work.
 

M. Grey

M. Grey
jgm said:
The thing is, there are some valid uses for assigning it as a digital input. For example, some people use twist on their stick to go to next/last panel when going through the UI. So simply disallowing analogue inputs to be used for digital controls wouldn't work.
Click to expand...
Not disallow but recognise and then use anaglogue where possible.
Even for UI control analogue wouldn't be bad.
But you're right, for some digital is good too. ;)
 

jgm

jgm
mr.Gr3y said:
Not disallow but recognise and then use anaglogue where possible.
Even for UI control analogue wouldn't be bad.
But you're right, for some digital is good too. ;)
Click to expand...

Yeah not sure if there could be any cases where a control could be both analogue and digital, and the user would want to use the analogue input in a digital fashion. I can't think of one, but that's not saying that someone else couldn't.

I'll tweak my generator to highlight the issue and let the user work out what's best to do.
 

Brujah

Brujah
Well, as I suggested in your other thread, I think your software is making a mistake somewhere, because it detected a misconfigured axis on my T-Flight HOTAS X (the rudder on the throttle stick) and that is not misconfigured in the way it suggested.
 

ExoForce

ExoForce
jgm said:
Yeah not sure if there could be any cases where a control could be both analogue and digital, and the user would want to use the analogue input in a digital fashion. I can't think of one, but that's not saying that someone else couldn't.
Click to expand...

Hotas-X. Avoiding interdiction with a rocker switch. Combat strafe aiming.

Edit: Great tool, I was doing it with pen and paper. Thank You!
 
Last edited:

Roybe

Roybe
777Driver said:
Just curious as to how you know people are configuring their axis like that? Am pretty sure the bulk of users would use the first method.
Click to expand...

Because an analog stick on digital settings will 'feel odd' but it is still playable..I did it for about a week or so.....during original beta...could not understand why I had a huge deadzone...then figured out the problem. When folks complain about a large deadzone that is generally the problem.
 
Last edited:

ninyule

N
Oh dear...I am one of those folks!! I have been playing for about 9 months and have had the yaw and lateral thrusters set digital!!

what a doofus...

OP, you are performing a sterling service!!
 

Saltyseadog

Saltyseadog
Just finished rebinding my Hotas-X control Bindings in Horizons to include the buggy, took a spin to a nearby landable planet, tested everything out and all appears to be working well. I visited http://www.mcdee.net/elite/ to get a png using paint for my Elite folder. Get the screenshot but it tells me that some controls are wrong and to check this thread for a solution. Have read the thread but am still not sure where I am going wrong. In the screenshot you can see that nothing appears in the throttle box. I have my throttle set on Forward Only in both the ship and buggy controls. Prior to Horizons I just used the reverse thrusters when needed. As I am not interested in Combat and prefer the finer control a combination of Forward Only and Joystick curves gives me. Since Horizons came out there has appeared a few new settings in Controls one of them is (Forward Only Throttle Reverse) I have now set this as in the binds using a shift J7+Rocker left which allows the throttle stick to be used in reverse. Possibly this has caused a problem with your fine and very helpful program. The other thing I have done which may have bearing on this is as I have bound both the ship and buggy steering L&R to the Yaw Axis, Joy RZ-Axis which works fine but in turret mode I also use the Yaw axis for L&R turret control and set a shift of J6+Hat Right and J6+Hat Left in the steering axis slots underneath the (Forward Only Throttle Reverse) option in the buggy. This was because the yaw axis for the turret takes precedence over the SRV steering and I set the shift/hat r&l as a backup in order to steer the SRV seperately in Turret mode. As I said, I avoid combat when possible and forgot to try this when I tested my binds on the planet. I include a link to my binds file. As I said it all seemed to be working well when I tested it out but am an older gent and defer to the younger generations computer knowledge, so if i am doing it wrong then I would appreciate a heads up. Tried to post the bindings file but it didn't work sorry. Perhaps it is this I should have done. http://www.mcdee.net/elite/configs/txtduh.binds
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom