Help for someone new to FS2K2

[eraser]

Actually, though an A10 and F4 pilot with many, many hours, and over 40 years general flying experience, I'm new to any MS Flight Simulator. As such, with no frame of reference, I'm not certain whether something isn't working properly, or I'm not doing something right. Specifically, I'm getting all sorts of feedback through my joystick, as though it has a life of it's own. As background, the joystick is an MS Sidewinder Force Feedback2, and I have FS2K2 installed on a machine with a 1.1Gig processor and 256MB Ram. Installation went fine (including USB patch for Sidewinder)and everything seems to be working OK, with the possible exception of the above anamoly. My question is, is this normal? Is this joystick kickback something programmed to simulate control overloads, or do I have a problem with the stick?

Appreciate any help I can get. Thanks.

[wsieffert]

Most of the Force Feedback complaints are that the stick is limp and doesn't feedback. Maybe your on to something. Anyway, click on the tips icon at the top or bottom of this page or visit the tips website at http://flightsimvetclub.tripod.com/ .

[fottip]

<I'm getting all sorts of feedback through my joystick, as though it has a life of it's own. .... the joystick is an MS Sidewinder Force Feedback2, and I have FS2K2 installed on a machine with a 1.1Gig processor and 256MB Ram. Installation went fine (including USB patch for Sidewinder)and everything seems to be working OK, with the possible exception of the above anamoly.
>My question is, is this normal? Is this joystick kickback something programmed to simulate control overloads, or do I
>have a problem with the stick?
>

Pilot too, here (only lowly private/inst) and also use the SW FFB2 stick with FS2K2.

Not certain what you mean by "all sorts of feedback". A FFB stick should give you feedback, but I don't know what you're getting from yours.

Mine has always worked flawlessly, and I didn't even know there *was* a patch for the stick - mine works well without the patch.

What specific "anomolies" are you referring to?

[eraser]

Thanks for the quick feedback. What happens is that the stick will, at times, very forcefully fight back my hand movements- eg., I'll attempt a relatively steep (but not impossible) bank angle, and the stick will start jerking all over the place. Not having any experience with either the program or the stick, I just don't know if it's programmed to resist certain input, or if there's something wrong. I'd be interested to know if you, on your system, would try something radical (steep dive, whatever,...) and see if you get similar results.

My thanks, and PS: the patch came on a separate CD withthe stick, and was to correct a problem in systems with a VIA USB chip.

[Spongey87]

Your stick is perfectly fine. Because it is a Force Feedback joystick, it is supposed yo move by itself and sometimes fight back. I know it sometimes gets annoying for me on approach, becasue I move the stick a little to the left, and the joystick slams itself to the right. Guess I have strength too high :)

Just letting you know it is OK. It is supposed to simulate real response, like buffeting, or machine guns on CFS. YOu can even feel the ground!

[DaveKDEN]

Hi James and welcome.
My impression is your FF2 is working as advertised. A friend of mine has one and I tried it out for grins. Personally, I didn't much care for it. Reminds me of someone counteracting your control input (like an overbearing instructor). I know it has different sensitivity settings in the Sidewinder Software. You might try turning the sensitivity down to min. For what it's worth, I have a Sidewinder Precision 2 joystick and like it just fine. I'm not much on force feedback as I feel it's too artificial as compared to the feel of a real aircraft.
Dave
USAF: 1987-1997 - C-130's Pope AFB and LRAFB.
UAL: 1998-Present - 727's (until this past Oct). Essentially on hold until I train on the Airbus.

[Spongey87]

Well, its better than feeling nothing :)
Especially in Combat Flight Sims

[DaveKDEN]

Don't get me wrong. I think there's a place for FF joysticks. Shoot-em ups in particular (which a combat sim can be considered). However, the current level of FF joysticks doesn't even come close to the feel of a real aircraft. Your preference might be for FF, whereas mine is for no feedback.
Dave

[fottip]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jan-01-02 AT 08:48AM (EDT)[/font][p]>the stick will, at times, very forcefully fight back my hand movements- eg the stick will start jerking all over the place.

Doesn't sound right to me. Current state of the art consumer flight sim FFB technology isn't perfect by any means yet, but the implementation in the Microsoft sims is not that bad.

I have not experienced the sort of (random, right?) unexpected and self-initiated activity I think you are describing. What you should feel in FS2K2 is just smooth forces in the pitch and roll axes as you would in any non-fly-by-wire real airplane.

Someone mentioned you'll also get some feedback taxiing, and you will, and *that* part isn't realistic. It's the result of a bit of over-exhuberance on the part of some MS programmer who never flew a real airplane. Fortunately, it can be selectively disabled in the sim force feedback settings.

I would suggest you check your wiring connections, uninstall the Sidewinder software, remove the hardware devices in control panel device manager, physically unplug the USB connection to the PC, and reboot.

Plug the USB connection back in, let Windows find and install the drivers, reinstall the Sidewinder software and test the stick there to make sure it works. Then, open the Game Controllers applet in Control Panel and recheck and calibrate it. If everything checks out, it should be OK in FS2K2.

>the patch came on a separate CD withthe stick, and was to
>correct a problem in systems with a VIA USB chip.

Oh, that's why I haven't encountered it. Seems like there's always an issue of some kind with those VIA chipsets.

If you have a VIA board, you need the patch. If not, don't use the patch.

[lnuss]

I know exactly what you mean. I have (but rarely use) a Logitech FF and its behavior is inconsistent. Sometimes weak, sometimes strong, often feels like there are slipping cables between me and the flight controls, and it often jerks around.

I've not been able to understand how people can enjoy that. So I normally use a HOTAS Saitek X-36. Plenty of buttons, etc. so that I rarely touch the keyboard. And though it is springloaded, at least it is consistent.

Larry N.

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