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THe ONE thing I hate most about FS2002 -

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is the lack of fine adjustment of the seat height!!! Now , I know that that sounds like a very small thing when considered against the overall programme (which I love!) -- but the thing that makes the Sim the most difficult to use for me is the limited vision that we have. So anything that reduces that vision even more is important.Now please , don't tell me HOW to adjust the seat height -- I know that, but what I would love to find out is HOW the seat height can be adjusted in finer increments. How does the programme implement the seat height adjustment? Sometimes you just need to see just a little further over the top of the panel, and the standard seat height adjustment provides too much adjustment and gives the forward view a very unnatural appearance .Barry

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Guest Douglas K

BarryIn the panel CFG you may find a section called:&l;Views&r;VIEW_FORWARD_ZOOM=1.3VIEW_FORWARD_DIR=2.8, 0.0, 0.0or you can add it if it isn't already present.The first number in VIEW_FORWARD_DIR ( 2.8 in the example above ) is what you are looking for, it will allow you to raise or lower your "seat" for a better look at where you are headed.Increasing the first number will raise your viewpoint or "seat", if you decrease this number the opposite effect will occur and your view forward will show more sky and less earth.You will have to experiment by trial and error until you find a value for this entry that suits your needs.Some people use Post-it notes or tape on the monitor screen to remember or represent the ideal horizon line position during the adjustment process.

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For manevers such as pattern work, or landing, I usually switch to the virtual cockpit. With "active camera" the seat & eye view can easily be moved back & forth. The hat switch will roll side to side, & up & down. Just about every view is possible.When even "wider views" are required, then switch to full view with digital readouts, the mini instrument views, or spot views. Of course some aircraft allow for multiple panel views in 2D. I personally never use the "seat adjustment" with 2D panels. It just looks as though it moves the scenery around, and seems un-natural.Other combinations to use without active camera are: shift/ctrl/enter or backspace & different combinations of those keys for VC panels.L.Adamson

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Guest Henri W

Douglas,You are probably describing what Barry is looking for, but lets make sure that we all understand that what you are adjusting is the viewing direction and not the seat height. I am always very picky about seat height (eye height) with respect to e.g. wings and viewing direction. Attached an example of instructions for eye height and viewing direction in a panel.cfg.VIEW_FORWARD_WINDOWS=MAIN_PANELVIEW_FORWARD_EYE=0.0, 2.5, 0.0VIEW_FORWARD_DIR=9, 0.0, O.0Best regards,Henrihttp://hifi.avsim.net/activesky/images/wxrebeta.jpg

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Guest Douglas K

>You are probably describing what Barry is looking for, but lets make sure that we all understand that what you are adjusting is the viewing direction and not the seat height.< I assume Barry was referring to the 2D cockpit view and the coarse adjustment available with the keyboard commands where shift + enter (or backspace) results in a large change of what you very accurately describe as the viewing direction.The VIEW_FORWARD_EYE panel CFG entry changes only the percieved height above ground or runway level, the position of the horizon in flight remains the same so that won't help at all when the runway disappears from view on final approach!The same view change can be made in the aircraft CFG file where the eyepoint vertical distance from reference datum can be raised or lowered. I find that what looks about right to me heightwise from the 2D view (the default height always seems too low above the runway) has the unfortunate effect of raising the eyepoint in the virtual cockpit (should the aircraft have one) to a ridiculous height, allowing you to look waaay down into the virtual cockpit from what would be a very windblown perch - proving yet again that you can't have your cake and eat it too!!>I personally never use the "seat adjustment" with 2D panels. It just looks as though it moves the scenery around, and seems un-natural.For manevers such as pattern work, or landing, I usually switch to the virtual cockpit. With "active camera" the seat & eye view can easily be moved back & forth. The hat switch will roll side to side, & up & down. Just about every view is possible.

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Hmm- It seems that nobody knows how to "fine tune" the seat height adjustment in the 2d views :( I have moaned and asked about this for some time now and unfortunately have never received a satisfactory answer :)A good example is this -- if you want to "zoom" your forward view , you can use the + or - keys. Unfortunately this produces a rather large increase or decrease in the Zoom factor -- so you can then use Shift+ or Shift- and you get a "finetuned " zoom factor -- you can fine tune the view through the windscreen to whatever you want. But with the standard seat height adjustment, it is all or nothing!. There just HAS to be some way to finetune it!! :)Barry

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Guest

Doesnt Shift and enter do the same, i raise your view point?

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Guest

Hmm, another question...... I prefer using the lowest possible zoom, so I always have to press "-" several times before beginning a flight. Is there any possibility to save this zoom setting, so that I do not have to press it that often?

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Both Shooter and Barry might be helped by using the advanced keys section of FSUIPC. I haven't looked at it from the point of view (sic) of adjustng the seat height in smaller increments, but the zoom can certainly be allocated to a hotkey combination - I use `Ctrl` + `+` to set 1.25 zoom, and `Ctrl` + `-` to pre-set 0.68x. This does NOT affect the standard key presses for zoom setting so Backspace still restores 1.0x, `+` by itself still 2.0x and `-` still 0.50x and the Shift increments are still available.It might be possible to affect the seat height the same way.ChasW

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Guest Douglas K

BarryWell as usual, it takes a while for my dim little reptile brain to comprehend the question at hand and what other people want. I don't use the following tweak because I like a faster pan rate in the VC, but if you can live with it at a really slower rate then the following is for you. You will want to adjust the panning rate in FS2002's CFG file, open it up and scroll down to the section headed CONTROLS:[CONTROLS]KBDAIL=0KBDELEV=0KBDRUD=0PAN_RATE=400<-------- reduce this number, I suggest 100 to startLower the default rate of 400 to around 100 and then test it. This will give you a much finer eyepoint adjustment in 2D cockpit, but also a much slower pan rate in the virtual cockpit mode. just tweak this entry until you are satisfied.>Hmm, another question...... I prefer using the lowest possible zoom, so I always have to press "-" several times before beginning a flight. Is there any possibility to save this zoom setting, so that I do not have to press it that often?

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>Well as usual, it takes a while for my dim little reptile >brain to comprehend the question at hand and what other >people want. I don't use the following tweak because I like >a faster pan rate in the VC, but if you can live with it at >a really slower rate then the following is for you. >You will want to adjust the panning rate in FS2002's CFG >file, open it up and scroll down to the section headed >CONTROLS: >>[CONTROLS] >KBDAIL=0 >KBDELEV=0 >KBDRUD=0 >PAN_RATE=400<-------- reduce this number, I suggest 100 to >start >>Lower the default rate of 400 to around 100 and then test >it. This will give you a much finer eyepoint adjustment in >2D cockpit, but also a much slower pan rate in the virtual >cockpit mode. just tweak this entry until you are satisfied. Well Douglas, your "dim little reptilean mind" is the only one that has come up with a solution to my problem!! :)My Pan Rate setting was set at 900 for some reason -- I have now set it to 100 and have the fine adjustment of the seat height that I desire !! YIPPEE :) Your warning about the effect this has on the Pan rate in the VC is appropriate though -- it slows it down immensely. Not that I care - because I don't fly the VC.So my next question to you is -- how did you know this? I have read most /all? of the SDKs and understand most of what is contained in the Aircraft.cfg and air files and the panel.cfg files -- so where do I find out what all the entries in the FS2002 .cfg mean. Obviously some of them are recognisable as being a result of the settings made within the Sim settings page -- but what about the lines that you advised me on?Thanks for any help Barry

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Guest Douglas K

BarryI didn't find the pan rate info in any of the Microsoft SDK's. While I have certainly not read them all, some of the contents of the SDK's that I have read seem hastily assembled and badly written, and although I have gleaned some useful information from them, most of the insights I've had into the workings of Flight Simulator have been the result of trial and error type experimentation, or simple accidental discoveries rather than any deductive process of reverse engineering or inside information.I didn't discover the pan rate tweak either, I learned about it from my wife who happened to notice the effect on the 2D cockpit and spot plane view modes after she altered the virtual cockpit panning rate. And I sincerely doubt that she was the first person to notice it as the purpose of the pan rate CFG entry has been well known since shortly after FS2002 was released. In the Read Me file that was included with his Canuck 80 aircraft package developer Bill Lyons advised increasing the pan rate from 400 to 900 (perhaps this explains why your setting was so high) to allow for a faster, more realistic view change as you panned with the hat switch. So I'm certain the effects on the other viewing modes of changing the pan rate in the CFG have been noticed by many people since then, and this information is probably available somewhere on the internet if you have the time to look for it.While talking last night with my better half about this subject, she told me about another FS2002 CFG view mod that she read about some time ago. I think it has only a curiosity value (just my opinion) but if you add the entry - pan_in_cockpit_mode=1 - to the Controls section of the FS2002 CFG as below:&l;CONTROLS&r;KBDAIL=0KBDELEV=0KBDRUD=0PAN_RATE=400pan_in_cockpit_mode=1 //<-------- add this entryyou will be able to pan with the hat swich in the 2D cockpit. But - the ENTIRE panel moves with your viewpoint in a surreal fashion - placing this mod firmly in the category of stupid viewpoint tricks (I suppose it might have some utility for people who fly with just the mini-panel or with no panel at all).As far as finding out the purpose of every CFG entry I know of no single document regarding this subject, which of course is not to say that one doesn't exist. As you've observed, the purpose of most of the entries are pretty obvious or even self-explanatory. From reading the many and varied forum threads posted since FS2002's release I would say that nearly everything about the CFG sections and the effects of their entries has been discovered and is well known, but probably not by any one person. At least no one that has bothered to put pen to paper and share with the rest of us. As far as the aircraft and simulator control mapping/assignments are concerned, Pete Dowson has some excellent information on FS2002 available for download at his website.And as I mentioned before, the trial and error method isn't too bad if you really want to dope out how something works, as long as you don't mind frustration and failure and if you don't have anything better to do!

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>In the Read Me file that was included with his Canuck 80 >aircraft package developer Bill Lyons advised increasing the >pan rate from 400 to 900 (perhaps this explains why your >setting was so high) to allow for a faster, more realistic >view change as you panned with the hat switch.yes - I have previously installed that aircraft , so that is probably where mi setting of 900 came from.>While talking last night with my better half about this >subject, she told me about another FS2002 CFG view mod that >she read about some time ago. I think it has only a >curiosity value (just my opinion) but if you add the entry - >pan_in_cockpit_mode=1 - to the Controls section of the >FS2002 CFG as below: >>&l;CONTROLS&r; >KBDAIL=0 >KBDELEV=0 >KBDRUD=0 >PAN_RATE=400 >pan_in_cockpit_mode=1 //<-------- add this entry >>you will be able to pan with the hat swich in the 2D >cockpit. But - the ENTIRE panel moves with your viewpoint in >a surreal fashion - placing this mod firmly in the category >of stupid viewpoint tricks (I suppose it might have some >utility for people who fly with just the mini-panel or with >no panel at all). I also have this entry already -- but it does not pan the actual panel itself. It leaves the 2d panel on the screen but pans the through the windscreen view. So, yes , it is still somewhat "surreal" and I seldom use it . It feels strange panning around to look rearwards while still having the panel facing you!! :)Barry

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*I think the problem lies with the main panel being on {windowxx} and not a {fixedwindowxx} which by default {I have not found a way around this} has the outside world view comming down only 3/4 of the way. If you try the Wilco A320's virtual cockpit, pushing SHIFT ENTER/BACKSPACE will "finetune" the seat height and not the outside precieved view. With my PIC landing panel I had to deal with this issue and had to adjust the outside world height, not the panel height. So seat height should work in these windows= VC, minipanel and {fixedwindows}, although you won't have rain on your windscreen or lights showing from inside the cockpit on a {fixedxxwindow}. Best Wishes, Randy J. Smith [h3]" A little learning is a dangerous thing"[/h3]AMD XP 2100 |MUNCHKIN 512 DDR RAM |ECS[/b ][i] K7S5A MB[/i] |GF3 64 MEG |WIN XP PRO |MITSUBISHI DIAMOND PLUS 91 19"

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