We want some ADVANCED documentation on the disc.

[zoynyne]

For too many years we've all been forced to spend weeks, if not months figuring out exactly what .cfg parameters do, etc.

I do not ask for advanced recommendations on HOW to optimize settings.

Merely an advanced outline on what the next versions .cfg's, etc, actually DO.

An "unadvertised" document file or two is all we'd need - either on the disc or somewhere in the program folder.

Not too huge of a request eh? And something I think a LOT of simmers would heavily appreciate.

Anyone want to second this?

[tgibson]

Hi,

I'm a bit unsure of what you are asking for. The FS SDK's contain detailed info about the cfg's and what they do (I agree, an SDK for the fsx.cfg file is sorely needed). Available at the FS Insider site.

I understand that someone has been hired to work on the SDK's so they can be released with, or soon after, the release of the sim. This will be a wonderful improvement for the addon community.

Don't know if they will be included on the DVD - virtually everyone who needs the info should be able to download it from the web site. How to get them should be included in the help files, though.

Hope this helps,

[zoynyne]

Well, trouble is most of us "hardcore" simmers finally figure out what we need to know well before SDK's come out.

Personally I've never had much trouble doing so anyway, but it just seems to be a fairly common topic of dicussion here (.cfg parameters and adjustments).

I'd have thought this idea would have plenty of backers around here.

If they put out the SDK's sooner than usual this time that would definitely be a great thing for everyone though.

[tdragger]

<<If they put out the SDK's sooner than usual this time that would definitely be a great thing for everyone though.>>

Cool. At least we'll have some happy customers. <g>

[RyanbATC]

Yeah, Larry kinda brought it up a few posts down, when discussing about control inputs. Something about what the entries in the cfg files do...like stick_sensitivity_mode=0 ...(we discussed this neat addition in that post)...even a simple txt file or rtf file about advanced entries are would be nice...we like to play around with them and mess up our flight sims :)

[tdragger]

Unfortunately quite a few of the entries aren't even used anymore. We're just lazy about removing them...

[lnuss]

But it would be very helpful to have, at the very least, a list of valid entries within the fs9.cfg file (and its successors, of course) and the range of values they accept, even if it's just a text file readable on Insider, in the spirit of hints and tips. Preferred, of course, would be some degree of explanation for them, as well. This is especially needed for entries that are not placed in the file by default, such as no_brake, stick_sensitivity, etc. and for those others which are not controlled by menus/sliders/etc. within the program.

Thanks,

[tdragger]

The problem with that is many of the settings were never meant to be edited. Often times a developer will add a setting to enable him/her or others on the team to experiment during the development process without having to recompile the code. In theory once the "best" setting is decided on the value should be moved back into the code and the setting in the CFG file removed. But often this doesn't happen due to time, risk, or other factors.

A few of these settings could actually ruin your experience if you changed them. If we were to document them we'd, in effect, be endorsing the practice of users playing around with the settings, which might lead to more product support calls.

In other words, don't expect absolutely complete documentation on our settings files (or anything else, for that matter).

[zoynyne]

>A few of these settings could actually ruin your experience if
>you changed them. If we were to document them we'd, in effect,
>be endorsing the practice of users playing around with the
>settings, which might lead to more product support calls.

===============

Maybe a big huge AT YOUR OWN RISK, NOT OFFICIALLY SUPPORTED, MAY RESULT IN DESTROYED INSTALLATION, or whatever works disclaimer? I think most who play around with .cfg's know to back the file up first, and know that a reinstall could be the end result. Course I could be very, very wrong on that lol...

[tdragger]

Been there, done that...it don't work. ;)

[lnuss]

Sure wish the stick_sensitivity setting had been known to me a lot sooner. The improved precision of control is priceless. Now I can gently nudge a control to get a barely perceptible response from the aircraft (something I grew used to in real aircraft), which was not possible in the sim before I found out about this switch, and the control response is now much more predictable than before. Formation flying and crosswinds are two of many situations that benefit from this. Control jitter (from the pots in the stick) is also less troublesome, though obviously not totally eliminated.

That's an example of the kinds of things we feel are missing from the documentation. Of course it might not have mattered so much to me on this particular switch had the default setting been to 0, but it wasn't. Don't wanna go back.

Don't get me wrong, Mike -- I understand your viewpoint, and there well may be things that shouldn't be widely known, but the above example is one that is a big help to us. Where do you draw the line? Well...

[bonneville455]

>Sure wish the stick_sensitivity setting had been known to me
>a lot sooner. The improved precision of control is priceless.
>Now I can gently nudge a control to get a barely perceptible
>response from the aircraft (something I grew used to in real
>aircraft), which was not possible in the sim before I found
>out about this switch, and the control response is now much
>more predictable than before. Formation flying and crosswinds
>are two of many situations that benefit from this. Control
>jitter (from the pots in the stick) is also less troublesome,
>though obviously not totally eliminated.

Larry,

The stick sensitivity setting is still unknown to me, but sounds very interesting. I haven't used a joystick when flying for years, due to sloppy control. Can you elaborate on this? Thanks in advance.

[lnuss]

Check out the thread in this forum called Control Delay. Basically, you put the line:

stick_sensitivity_mode=0

into the fs9.cfg file (CONTROLS section, if I recall), then turn realism slider to max, control sensitivity to max (it now controls deflection) and you can also reduce the null settings. Now you have more precise and more predictable response from the stick (and rudder and...)

[bonneville455]

Thanks.

I hadn't used a joystick to fly in a long while and had honestly forgotten that the problem was that the default sensitivity is way too high. What this (stick_sensitivity_mode=0) seems to do is reduce the lowest sensitivity (far left) setting to zero, as opposed to the default minimum level. I found that reducing the sensitivity to the lowest default setting almost did the trick without adding this line, but adding it allows even further reduction. I dropped it just a wee bit from the default minimum and it seems to be just right.