230 replies to this topic

[Propnut]

Excellent work Foust

[Loc Nar]

Way to go man, looks like you're closing in on establishing operational functionality. After my experiences with Thrustmaster hardware/software with my Cougar mods (gonna hack up some T16000's for my glider pits next!), I'm curious... how do you do your bench testing/calibrating with a Teensy based unit, and have you tried plugging into MWO with them yet?

-Loc

[Foust]

Loc ***, on 08 November 2012 - 12:15 PM, said:

I'm curious... how do you do your bench testing/calibrating with a Teensy based unit, and have you tried plugging into MWO with them yet?

Well I just use the windows device manager to calibrate.

I have not dropped into MWO with them yet. I did start looking at the mappings in MWO and decided I should probably research the actionmaps and go from there. I need to setup my aging rig in with the mechpit and give it a go.

Im afraid that if I put them in Ill stop working on it though...

[Propnut]

I have mine installed in the mechpit, it is working very well. About 1% of the time the trigger will set off all of the weapons at the same time rather than just those that are selected but that might be a wiring issue inside the joystick. My wiring is a bit...well...a lot...aweful. I have the same controllers that Foust does and the same Teeny ++2.0.

[Foust]

I did some experimenting with multiple displays and my current (5 year old) rig.

The mechpit is not wide enough to run my three 21" monitors in landscape however in portrait mode, they are just about the perfect fit.

I am driving the displays off of a GTX460 and a old 6600GT.

To get MWO to run on the three screens I used SoftTH. This was really really easy to make work. Copy the dll to the Bin directory and launch the game. It asks you if you want to build a config file and that's it. Really impressive piece of software.

Overall problem is my rig. It just does not handle MWO well, even on a single display. So take my all low settings 30fps and drive three displays and my fps drops to the mid teens and lower in a firefight. (you know when its important to be able to tell where your aiming) So there is that. I know I'm due a upgrade, so that issue is purely budgetary.

The second issue is the screen bezels. Tweaking the config file makes them a bit more "transparent" but they are still there. I'm considering tearing them apart to get the screens closer together. I'm also considering a 32" 1080p lcd instead.

Might be time to take on that second job...I've got hardware to purchase.

[NightlyReaper]

Everytime I get to feeling good about my little mech simulator (http://mwomercs.com/...mech-simulator/) , I run across another of these stupendous builds which SHAMES mine.

Bravo sir.

NightlyReaper, Out.

[Foust]

On 8 axis 75 button controllers:

I dropped into MWO on a different account to work on the config on the HOTAS. Everything worked. Physically anyway. The stick was not anywhere close to as sensitive as I was hoping with the halls.

A few tweaks and several embarrassing games later, I called it a night and fairly disappointed. Decided to spend a little time reading the joystick support threads and gave it another try the next night. I found some interesting config lines to add so I dropped them into the file and loaded it up.

Those lines made the stick perform wonderfully, however I was now always turning to the right. grumble grumble grumble

Then I figured out why. The line that fixed the stick and broke the rudder was a deadzone sensitivity adjustment. Since the hall sensors are so dead stable there was no issue with the stick. The lone pot that I left in the rudder, not as stable. Dropping the deadzone setting to .0005 (wonderful for the stick) sent the rudder into "right" mode. (ANALOG TURNING PLEASE!)

Solution now is to get more hall sensors and replace the rudder pot.

Next problem, find solutions for the single digit frame rates post patch....

[Loc Nar]

I dropped into MWO on a different account to work on the config on the HOTAS

...wish I had the good sense to set up a shill account to test out new schemes etc. My K/D is through the floor as a result, but I did finally start another account for extreme hardware testing as well as letting guests drive my pit without killing my stats.

Would love to see more posts like this and less triplicates about over the counter computer hardware that could be answered better in a million other forums. MWO forums should really have a dedicated cockpit builder's section, since they are interesting to a broad range of people and generate a lot of views, but are usually buried under the rubble of extraneous posts these days, but I digress...

Glad to hear real progress, albeit frustrating bits. Dialing in stick/HOTAS settings post-construction is another arena that Thrustmaster really shines, although when I first got my trashed Cougar it was because of it's full metal construction. Once I figured out TARGET and converted Crescent's script though (made for different stick and different build of game), dialing from there is now taking care of on-the-fly, and I've gotten quite handy scripting new bits, including a *functional PWM type rudder scheme (TARGET makes programming analog axis with digital outputs pretty easy).

Don't get frustrated though! Once I really started playing, I see why there is so much hate for joysticks in general. It really is a much more difficult mode of MWO, even with a perfectly dialed in stick. I have also found a proper armrest to be a vital, but often overlooked part of stick setups.

Loc Nar

*if you hack a Thrustmaster T16000 stick (4 axis/16 buttons, 16bit hall pots... $40!!!!) as a solution for your rudder pedal problem, it is TARGET compatible and you could use my rudder script to have variable rudder output with your pedals among other things

[Propnut]

Wow, only after LocNar posted did I realize why you would want to start another account to test your joystick. I have to admit that I am a bit disappointed in both of you. Why should stats count? This is a team based game, not Call of Duty. One of the most damaging additions that they will make to this game, besides 3rd person view, is public stats or stat ladders. I would rather have a good win/loss ratio than a k/d ratio. Too often team members will run off after a damaged enemy to "get that kill for my stats" and leave their teammates vulnerable.

This is by no means a rant against the two of you, mostly about the direction that this game is going.

Anyway..back on topic. I agree with you on the arm-rest issue Loc Nar, that is why I added them to my mechpit.

[Foust]

My reasoning for the testing account was more to avoid the "Oh crap, its that Foust again. All he does is turn right and miss his target" You know, reputation and what not.

Granted at 8-10fps on average I do a lot of missing anyway.

It really really feels good to use that throttle and rudder. Feels much more "authentic". I agree that stick position and arm rests are key, especially considering how I have everything arranged for testing. That is to say in the wrong position with no arm rests.

Addition edit:

I agree with the Call of Duty mentality and its detriment to the game. Same for 3rd person. I cant count all the times I have seen the game "chase the jenner" played instead of base capture. Another fun one is "make the fire support return to base to hold off the capture" along with the fun and exciting suicide scripters and they don't even add anything funny to their trolling chat.

I keep shouting "KEEP OFF MY LAWN" at the monitor but no one listens, they chase the jenner.

Edited by Foust, 29 November 2012 - 06:02 AM.

[ORIGINAL SteelWolf]

Any simpit updates?

[K dawg]

http://www.leobodnar...oducts/BU0836X/

this board might also be of use to you. Leo makes great stuff and we use it alot for sim racing to make dashboards in simcockpits.

He has some other boards that are extremely useful as well

[BobBuilt]

cool love to see this become a motion pit aswell

[Foust]

Sadly no updates really other than thinking about ways to change it already. Two kids and holidays do not a lot of free time make.

It is not abandoned, just low on the priority list.

[Foust]

So its a new year. I just returned from 3 weeks of vacation to visit family. (Now I need a vacation)

It also meant 3 weeks without MWO. I missed MWO. Regardless of all it faults, I still really enjoy dropping with my lance. Last night I even got to drop with Propnut. This is a thread about my mechpit though so I should really talk about that.

Reasons I am not satisfied with the current build of the mechpit:

1. It is really overbuilt. Which means that it is
2. Heavy. Really heavy. Especially the door
3. The door is so heavy that it pulls the entire structure off of square.
4. It is not wide enough. When I built the walls on the strakes it removed that much space, meaning the space needed for the throw of the stick.
5. No dashboard. The way I have the screen setup, without the dashboard I don't have that looking out the cockpit feel and more a staring at a screen feel
6. It looks nothing like the in game cockpits. I blame Turbo Corvair for his excellent work bringing out the flaws in mine.
7. Other nit picky things I have. Moving on.

So, what have I done about it? I have modeled the cockpit from the catapult (or a reasonable representation of it) and plan to build it. I will then re-build (the fun part) the mechpit around it. I think I am going to ditch the entire original build, or the back end of it at least and build with the idea of the back side as a open entrance. So something like 3/4 enclosed.

I also plan to make the thing lighter. I really over built the first time, so hopefully lesson learned.

With a bit of motivation I hope to be able to get into the dash board (which means new panels) this weekend. At the very least I want to get what I will now refer to as the "old" mechpit torn down.

My frame rates have improved though, so that's a plus.

[Foust]

Reverse progress report:

The old mechpit is torn down. All that remains is the base and the back end of the Akers-Barnes pit I centered it around. All the time spent building the thing and it only took about 2 hours to flatten. Bitter-sweet. The old is gone but the new will come.

I did build a crude triple monitor mount to align my screens, and I have the start of the lower dash board cut out. I will build up "Rev2" around the displays.

If I can stop spending my free time playing MWO to build the mechpit for MWO....

[Propnut]

I look forward to the rebuild Foust.

[Loc Nar]

Quote

f I can stop spending my free time playing MWO to build the mechpit for MWO

Heh... this is the loop I'm stuck in. Once I got my controls functional, I learned to play and now have too much fun daily to go through the necessary downtime needed to get onto the next phase. Now with hundreds of matches on my HOTAS, I am ready to rebuild it as well. It's held up fine, but after I learned about rotational viscous dampers and found some for pennies on the dollar...

Looking forward to seeing your scale catapult pit. It didn't cross my mind until now, but a while back a user named LeoFirebrand made an incredible catapult model out of cardstock, including a scale cockpit. Here is his photo album as well, which shows a lot of the intermediary steps. Likely a lot of the cockpit detail and dimensional relationships he worked out would scale up to full size...

[Foust]

A step in the right direction.



Hopefully it looks a little like the one in the game.



Now to work out how to get a screen in there....

[Foust]

Pulled the trigger on a new rig and the components should arrive today.

i7 3770k
Asus P8Z77-V LE Plus
Corsair Vengence DDR3 1600 16GB
Corsair Hydro Series H100
Crucial M4 128Gb 6Gb/s SSD
Asus GTX660
Corsair CX750


Should help those pesky frame rate problems....