Seems I'm missing a trick with the "mouse as autopilot" thingy

No mouse for me. I also feel that rudder pedals are essential. I do use a Saitek X-52 joystick, and a yoke wouldn't make much difference.

FSX planes...............also don't fly on rails. That hasn't happened since FS98. It's just smooth air by default. Maules & RV's do not jerk around

on smooth air days. Just thought I'd throw that in....

 

RV6A owner builder. Pitts S2B, Maule, Stearman, Marchetti SF260, Piper Warrior, Archer, Arrow, Seminole, Cessna 152, 172, 182, gliders, and a few more.

Passenger--- P-51D Mustang, Ford Trimotor, Float planes, airliners, ballooons

 

L.Adamson

I use the mouse almost exclusively for Flight. With FSX I use the keyboard, but the keyboard controls in Flight are terrible. I used to use a stick, but had a whole issue with them and had to stop more than a decade ago.

Seems I'm missing a trick with the "mouse as autopilot" thingy

 

No real trick: the thing is that in mouse mode you get automated trimming. You just aim the mouse at the middle and after a few seconds the plane will fly straight, trimmed and all, without having to give much input or problems. After doing this you could leave the sim for a few minutes and the plane will probably (well, depending on the weather) still be on course when you get back. When you use other controllers, you have to use rudder and trim a lot more, if not all the time. So switching to mouse mode sort of works as a very simple AP.

 

I said I use mouse mode as some sort of AP, but I think I can better say I use it as some sort of auto-trim device. I never ever leave my plane/PC during a flight (and when I really have to, I pause the game).

Sorry, J van E.....gotta get more info from you. (I don't use the mouse except as an occasional AP)

if you have a side wind, lets say it's a magically consistent side wind, of around 20kts.

 

Do you point the mouse in the dead center, with the plane pointed towards your destination or

 

point the mouse dead center with the plane pointed a bit into the wind direction to compensate for the wind but travelling directly towards the destination, as I would with a joystick or

 

do you point the mouse a bit off in the direction of the wind, to compensate?

 

Basically, at dead center, does the mouse autotrim, or is the autotrimming aspect more like a "joystick lock" in that I can place the mouse pointer where I need to to trim correctly, but unlike a joystick, I can leave it there hands off?

 

sorry, this post looks confusing now that I read it back to myself.

I used the mouse exclusively when I started, and liked it most of the time. It's great for precision flying or landings, but useless for aerobatics & dogfighting.

 

I've since bought an Extreme 3D Pro joystick and like that a lot better, being much more realistic... though I'm still getting used to the feel while landing.

I also feel that rudder pedals are essential.

 

Agreed. More cash LOL

 

RV6A owner builder

 

Now I am really jealous, Larry. I would really love to build an RV6. I love it. Do you still have/fly it? Is it really like the one in FLIGHT (bar the lack of airspeed limitations) It is my fave plane in FLIGHT (but being caught by the Maule)

 

jake

I have used only a mouse since the start of beta testing feb 5th 2012 to now.

A joystick and pedals are great in Flight also but I just don't feel the need to use them because the mouse as a controller is so good.

 

Fred.

I would use my nose, if it worked well.

I have never used the mouse to fly. It has no appeal to me. My next expenditure concerning flight is to get new rudder pedals.... the twist turning joystick is only a passable alternative. Track IR is on the wish list too... the hat is a little slow.

Well, thank you all for answers posted sofar!

To ne honest I was expecting to see more of you using the mouse... :-)

 

I do believe that when I get the rudder pedals things will change because it'll be a lot more realistic for proper uncoordinated flight maneuvers, but until then I'll stick to the mouse :-) more than to the stick....

 

Regarding the Z axis on the joystick, which I have to use on my X52 while I do not own the rudder pedals, I find it more unnatural/unrealistic than using the keyboard "A" / "D" together with the joystick or even in mouse mode for non-coordinated flight...

I would lock it if it wasn't for the fact that I need the other hand to control power...

I agree with stick twist being a poor implementation of handling yaw. I tend to twist the stick without meaning too, which is why I really like the rocker on the rear of the throttle on the Thrustmaster HOTAS.

 

Oddly enough I find stick twist to be 100% natural when flying helicopters though.

Oddly enough I find stick twist to be 100% natural when flying helicopters though.

 

Makes sense... helicopters are so unnatural to handle that anything goes provided one can control it :-)

Also agree about the twist thing..I wish I had a yoke/pedals, but I don't really have the space..it's all on my home office PC, which I have to use for work a lot when I'm not at work..

 

I am going to try the mouse tonight for a bit..you can switch between easily, right? There's a mouse-mode key - is it a toggle?

No RL flying for me. I used the mouse at first and liked it. I started using an xbox controller after that to get rudder control for control in crosswinds. I found the xbox controller to be a little too sensitive, so bought a used yoke/throttle quadrant (there seems to be a LOT of second hand equipment in the flight sim world) and have taken apart the xbox controller so I could mount the triggers I used for rudder to a flat plate for my left hand.

 

I plan on making real rudder pedals using those pots someday.

 

I still go back to the mouse when I don't feel like hooking up the yoke. I'm really impressed with how well it works.

 

To ne honest I was expecting to see more of you using the mouse

 

Based on videos I saw from when Microsoft showcased Flight at industry shows, they only had mouse control available. They never seemed to show it off with joysticks. I believe this demonstrates the target market Microsoft was aiming for as well as why so many hardcore simmers hate Flight with such a passion.

 

It seems like Flight was meant to appeal to people who would run it during lunch breaks at work, and for casual gamers unwilling to invest in hundreds (or thousands) of dollars worth of hardware and software add-ons. I think the elegance (and obvious effort to obtain that elegance) of mouse control plus focus on lighting in the graphics highlights this difference well.

 

 

There's a mouse-mode key - is it a toggle?

 

Yup. The default is the space bar. Pops right in and out. Makes it easy to flip switches and such before going right back into mouse control again.