Force Feedback Joystick won't center

[Guest Spiffae]

Hi, i am trying to get my MS FFB2 Joystick to have some (any) center tension. As it is now in FS9, the joystick will just stay wherever i leave it, and won't re-center. this makes level flight, as well as takeoffs and landings very difficult. In the intro video, the instructors are using the FFB2 as their joystick, so it can't be unsupported. Is there a line i can add to the FS9.cfg to make it work?thanksBen

[JSACKS 0]

Not that I have ever found! There is NO self-centering in the FFB stick. But I enjoy it anyway. It's great for takeoffs, making them smoother and more predictable and accurate. No sudden diving down of the nose when you release the stick, and fewer trim issues as a result. Turns are great: bank left, the a/c banks, and then return the stick to upright and the bank continues.It's a matter of getting used to this stick. It works really well and is extremely accurate. It makes hand flown approaches a joy.Only thing to watch out for is "kicking" of the stick, sometimes for no apparent reason, and sometimes because you are climbing or descending (or banking) dangerously fast and the stick does not like that.It is a super stick and I really like it now. Hope this helps. regards,JS

[Guest Spiffae]

ugh! i was really hoping i'd be able to get it to work like a standard stick. that's a real drag.

[Guest Pepe]

I seem to remember reading on the Microsoft site about this happening by design in FS2002 as well as FS2004, and it does. If you have your hand on the joystick when FS2002 or FS2004 starts up you will feel the tension release before the sim is fully loaded.Others have suggested that it is more real this way, as the 'stick' on a real aircraft does not self center.Just give it a little time and you'll get used to it.Pepe

[JSACKS 0]

Spiffae:I hear ya! I hoped the same a long time ago. Now I HATE the traditional self centering stick because it feels....unreal. You need to experiment with the FFB stick to see how amazingly accurate and faithful it really is. I mean it. Take off and pull back; release the stick. Watch the baby climb and not dive down. Trim on climbout a tad to maintain v2+10 or +20. You can do it so easily.Turn left, 10, 20, 30 degrees, watch the a/c bank. At desired bank angle, push stick back to center and a/c remains in stable bank, arcing around. But it is approach and landing where this stick excels. Nothing like it before or since and I've used most of 'em. Nail the GS like nothing else and keep it. Trim a tad up and down. Get the stick to match the 3 deg GS angle and keep it.I assure you, practice a lot and you will be rewarded and you will never go back to one of those auto sticks that self-centers.Try it now!JS

[Guest Spiffae]

ok, you've convinced me...i'll give it a shot.thanks.

[Guest]

Hi all, new in here, just acquired FS2004 and a Saitek FF joystick and I have to agree with Spiffae. JS - I hear what you're saying too but the forces being put out by the stick are tiny compared with what you'd feel in even a 152.I have the settings (as far as I can tell) set to max force everywhere.Maybe my expectations were wrong but rather than just "jiggling" the stick I was expecting to feel realistic forces as I do with my FF steering wheel in (decent) racing games.Are there any general resources on FF set up with MSFS? Better get back to the cockpit!Guy

[Guest]

There is a utility in the AVSIM library stored as ffutil25.zip. I have downloaded but not tried this yet. It alters the aircraft configuration files to put in the missing ff code.

[Guest]

Tried it last night and it said that most of my aircraft already had ff set, so that's not the answer.