Sensitivity Settings Reminder

[Bomber_12th]

I'm still seeing some posts in various places about the aircraft feeling too twitchy, bouncing around constantly in flight (being from the constant, minute, unprovoked controller inputs/shaking, not the actual air/weather), and being un-tamable/unmanageable on takeoffs/landings. If these are all being experienced it is because the sensitivity settings for your controller axes are set too high. Just as is found in DCS as well, the default MSFS sensitivity settings, if they are left alone, are too high for most controllers. In my experience, using a CH Products Fighterstick and CH Products Rudder Pedals, I have the sensitivity setting at -25 for all three of the aileron, elevator and rudder axis assignments. This results, for me, in the feel of the aircraft being the exact same as what I know flying similar A2A type Accu-sim aircraft in FSX/P3D (the similarity in feel is really quite uncanny). The dead zones should be left at 0.

With the default/too high sensitivity, what's happening is little controller inputs are resulting in big inputs in the sim. By lowering the sensitivity settings, larger controller inputs will now result in smaller/finer inputs in the sim (much more controllable). If I leave the sensitivity settings at 0 for my rudder pedal axis, for instance, I'm all over the runway with the XCub on takeoff and landing because little movements of my rudder pedals will result in big movements of the rudder in the sim, and cause repeated over-corrections again and again (far from reality when it comes to flying the real thing). Lowering the sensitivity of the axis to -25, I can control the aircraft on takeoff and landing like a breeze, no problem at all, easily keeping the nose down the center line of the runway, because now the rudder inputs in the sim match up correctly with the inputs of my controller/rudder pedals. Compared to watching videos of real XCub takeoffs/landings, inside and out, I can confirm that this experience is very accurate now too, with the lowered sensitivity settings. Of course each controller may need a slightly different sensitivity setting depending on the measurement of travel for the the various axes (it just so happens with my joystick and rudder pedals that -25, for all axes, seems to be perfect).

 

[StormILM]

About the dead zones, I am used to having dead zones in my flight sim controller setups but with FS2020, your advice is spot on, it actually almost completely eliminates my tendency for over-controlling and PIO. I have the Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog system and their T.1000 rudder pedals. In terms of sensitivity, for my I keep the stick at -70 for each axis but -75 for the rudder pedals feels good for me. I still may do a bit more testing to tune this in more without the dead zones. Heck, may need to go back and re-examine the dead zones in that sim. Thank you so much for the advice!

 

[Navy Chief]

Thank you, Bomber, for your advice (and your input as well, Storm!). I have not played around with sensitivity/dead zone settings much before. But your advice is perfect. Thank you! NC

 

[Ganter]

Bomber; I know that's an issue with some of the "young'uns" new in to simming - and well said as a reminder to all of us - but I'd already calibrated and then adjusted, honed my sensitivities and dead zones. As a rule about 4% Dead Zone and -50% Sensitivity. That creates a pretty good curve.

I was making an orderly approach down to the runway today in slight winds dead on the nose - and had a stabilised approach until about 150' at which point - with the slightest controller input to pitch up and correct the GS - the nose pitched wildly up all the way to 20 degrees and then a controller input to correct this made the nose pitch down violently to nose dive. This continued all the way down (real life would have gone the hell around) but I wanted to see what it was all about. Eventually bounced the aircraft horribly and came down on the nose gear.

From my testing the problem with some of the GA aircraft is there is no 'slope' of control surface response to airspeed. As we know, in the real aircraft - inputs on the stick will diminish (wash out) as airspeed does too. You will need increasingly aggressive inputs to control the aircraft as it approaches the touch down speed and then the stall. This is not the case in the current build - you have as much input authority (in the King Air for example) at 40 kts as you do at 230 kts. This is why people are complaining that aircraft are not controllable at take off and landing.

The fact is that trim behaviour is broken in some of the aircraft at this present time - and this further error in the code for input wash out at lower speed does nothing to alleviate this.

I might add - the slower the GA aircraft the less this is apparent.

 

[Bomber_12th]

I can't say my experience has been the same, though I haven't flown the King Air or the airliners much - the majority of my hours have been spent in all of the GA types up to the TBM. I've never had wild/violent/jerky control surface responses except for when I have mistakenly had two controllers plugged in at the same time, mapped to the same control surfaces.

 

[Ganter]

Certainly not a controller issue - it's software.

As I said though, the bigger the aircraft the more this is apparent - which makes sense when you consider the V speeds and contact surface areas.

Oh well, it's all work to be done.

 

[StormILM]

The fact is that trim behavior is broken in some of the aircraft at this present time - and this further error in the code for input wash out at lower speed does nothing to alleviate this.

The analog trim is certainly too sensitive with no real way to fine tune it except in the individual aircraft config file. There is one exception to this, I have my Warthog Throttle's X Slider control (on the right top side of the throttle body) set for Elevator Trim Axis (-100, +100). I have the dead zone set to zero and the sensitivity for -85. Works like the trim wheel on a GA aircraft. As far as the POV Trim sensitivity on my Warthog stick, I had at first thought there was a fine tuning for that in the program but looking back, I realize that is apparently not the case. Adding fine tuning of trim control will go a long way into helping with PIO/Overcontrolling tendencies.

 

[JAllen]

Modern NOT Legacy

Yes, I am one who had severe control issues. However I am not new to simming by any stretch.

Make sure your control setup is NOT set for 'Legacy'.
Somehow my setting was and seeing the familiar sliders did not ring a bell. The switch to 'Modern' is not readily obvious. In the Legacy mode some acft are reasonably controllable but others are impossible.

 

[Ganter]

The analog trim is certainly too sensitive with no real way to fine tune it except in the individual aircraft config file. There is one exception to this, I have my Warthog Throttle's X Slider control (on the right top side of the throttle body) set for Elevator Trim Axis (-100, +100). I have the dead zone set to zero and the sensitivity for -85. Works like the trim wheel on a GA aircraft. As far as the POV Trim sensitivity on my Warthog stick, I had at first thought there was a fine tuning for that in the program but looking back, I realize that is apparently not the case. Adding fine tuning of trim control will go a long way into helping with PIO/Overcontrolling tendencies.

Good info Storm. The analogue trim is doing that what it damn well did in FSX - turning slowly for 2 seconds and then accelerating to 3 x the rate of trim wheel, etc.

Given the new flight model - that needs to STOP right now.
I'll be looking to do that tomorrow.

At least that's a start.
Still fun though.


p.s; Thanks JAllen - but I don't think any of us are in Legacy Mode. You actually have to select that in the menus.
We are ALL still, however, dealing with ESP.