Currently testing xpforce....force feedback

[spilok 1,139]

1 hour ago, Hartmut Ludwig said:

I bought it yesterday and received the license email immediately. I guess you already checked your spam folder?
Apart from that I can not say anything about the quality of support since I did not need it so far.

First impression of the product is: it's working fine so far. It gives a good feedback on my Sidewinder FF2 - at least when on ground (vibrations or gear bumps). The feedback on wind and turbulence seems to be existing but way to weak. I created some very heavy winds, but the feedback on the joystick was minimal compared to what forces actually dragged on the plane.
Propably I did not find the right place to configure it, yet.

Anyway - the product is worth the price. I finally get force feedback with my good old sidewinder FF2 and I am happy about it. Looking forward to future improvements or propably alternatives like FS Force which might come out to be more sophisticaced (once it is released) but is also quite expensive compared to XP Force.

WHERE did you put your license info?  I have my license but can't activate it.  My desktop icon just starts MSFS, and I have no configuration menu or activation screen.

Stan

[Glenn Fitzpatrick 3,799]

2 minutes ago, spilok said:

This has been extremely frustrating for me.   I got my license...and it was in my Spam folder.  No problem.  I got it....but I cannot activate it because there is no screen that comes up for activation.  When I click on my desktop icon for XPforce, all that happens is that it starts loading and has one place to click on "Quit".  It starts MSFS but I only get the 10 minute trial.  I have written to this company over and over, and I hope they are able to solve this for me.  So far, no.  Their website is anemic, and there is no place to download the full version of this program.  I am registered there but that doesn't seem to matter.

Is there a special technique to bring up the configuration menu and the place to insert my license number?  If you can help, I would be most appreciative.

Stan

XPForce minimises to the hidden icon arrow in the taskbar.

Click on the chevron to display hidden icons and then right click to bring up settings. In the very middle of the first tab is a button for teh key.

[Glenn Fitzpatrick 3,799]

Alternatively use alt tab to get to the XPForce.

[Hartmut Ludwig 0]

5 minutes ago, spilok said:

WHERE did you put your license info?  I have my license but can't activate it.  My desktop icon just starts MSFS, and I have no configuration menu or activation screen.

Stan

Stan - rightclick on the taskbar Icon of XPForce and open "Settings". There is a Button to enter the license.

[Glenn Fitzpatrick 3,799]

[spilok 1,139]

1 hour ago, Hartmut Ludwig said:

Stan - rightclick on the taskbar Icon of XPForce and open "Settings". There is a Button to enter the license.

My Icon does not give settings on right click.  It simply gives the normal choices like OPEN, Run as Administrator, etc.  It seems I have never gotten the correct desktop icon.  Mine just starts MSFS on left click.  Right click does not give me a settings choice.

Stan

[derex17 7]

@ Spilok

It's a bit awkward to activate XP Force.
After installing XP Force, you must first start XP Force.
XP Force starts MSFS2020 automatically.
When the MSFS2020 is fully loaded and the menu is displayed,
you can find the symbol for XP Force in the
Taskbar at the bottom right. Right click and now you can open the settings.

I hope you are or have been lucky and it works.

Edited September 23, 2020 by derex17

[spilok 1,139]

1 hour ago, derex17 said:

@ Spilok

It's a bit awkward to activate XP Force.
After installing XP Force, you must first start XP Force.
XP Force starts MSFS2020 automatically.
When the MSFS2020 is fully loaded and the menu is displayed,
you can find the symbol for XP Force in the
Taskbar at the bottom right. Right click and now you can open the settings.

I hope you are or have been lucky and it works.

Derex17,

Thank you...thank you.  YOU are the ONLY one who made this process clear.  YOU said to let XPForce start MSFS and only AFTER it is started to right click it THEN.  You were right!  I was able to get my license in settings.  Directing me to the "right hand" taskbar and not the taskbar over the entire bottom is a small detail...but an important one.  When I went there, voila!  There was the XPForce icon, and I was successful.  EVEN the company didn't direct me to that specifically after days of email.

Thanks again for your clarity.

Stan

Now....how to get to the configuration menu???

Edited September 23, 2020 by spilok

[Glenn Fitzpatrick 3,799]

4 hours ago, spilok said:

Derex17,

Thank you...thank you.  YOU are the ONLY one who made this process clear.  YOU said to let XPForce start MSFS and only AFTER it is started to right click it THEN.  You were right!  I was able to get my license in settings.  Directing me to the "right hand" taskbar and not the taskbar over the entire bottom is a small detail...but an important one.  When I went there, voila!  There was the XPForce icon, and I was successful.  EVEN the company didn't direct me to that specifically after days of email.

Thanks again for your clarity.

Stan

Now....how to get to the configuration menu???

The configuration menus are just more tabs (main controls, effects, feedback)  in the same pop up window where you entered the licence details.

Quick mini - review:

PROs
- allows you to adjust the resistance on the stick rather than being stuck with defaults
- ground effects like bumps and wheel shimmy works well
- means the force feedback actually servers a purpose

CONs
- in air effects like turbulence etc do not seem to be implemented in the FS2020 version yet
- it is probable the functionality will eventually be enabled in the default sim so this is may be more of a stop gap fix

CONCLUSION
Even without the in air effects being fully implemented, this addon is well worth getting

 

 

[spilok 1,139]

5 minutes ago, Glenn Fitzpatrick said:

The configuration menus are just more tabs (main controls, effects, feedback)  in the same pop up window where you entered the licence details.

Quick mini - review:

PROs
- allows you to adjust the resistance on the stick rather than being stuck with defaults
- ground effects like bumps and wheel shimmy works well
- means the force feedback actually servers a purpose

CONs
- in air effects like turbulence etc do not seem to be implemented in the FS2020 version yet
- it is probable the functionality will eventually be enabled in the default sim so this is may be more of a stop gap fix

CONCLUSION
Even without the in air effects being fully implemented, this addon is well worth getting

 

 

Got it. Thanks. 
Stan

[Manny 1,293]

I am not clear what it does, Does it provide for headshake when you fly and you hit turbulence or you turn? Like EZDOK?

[DylanM 1,069]

Nope, this is real force-feedback for joysticks / motion controllers that actively simulate forces.

Boy do we need a new crop of new hardware! Just had to clean off the rubber coating on my G940 as that was finally giving up the ghost...

 

[HUSSAR 272]

Hi Stan,

I never received a reply from Jim.  I have since moved on to a Brunner yoke that is better supported.  I just checked and I have 2 open tickets at https://www.lightroom-plugins.com/support/index.php?/Lightroom/Troubleshooter/List 

One ticket was opened in May 2019 and the other July 2019 and both have gone unanswered.

Rob

[Glenn Fitzpatrick 3,799]

6 hours ago, Manny said:

I am not clear what it does, Does it provide for headshake when you fly and you hit turbulence or you turn? Like EZDOK?

In sims that support it your stick bucks and shimmies when you taxi over a rough surface, vibrates near stall, goes dead in a spin, in combat sims the stick kicks if you fire a gun with recoil, turbulence will throw your stick about and stick force gets progressively stiffer as your air speed increases.  In theory you could also have the stick or yoke move to a new position with trim (the way it moves with real trim tabs) but I know of no sim that actually emulates that.

If your interested in trying it without investing big money, see if you can pick up a second hand MS FFB2 on ebay. They are getting on to 20 years old but most still work fine, they were well made,  but the rubber on the handle may have gone sticky with age. That is not actually an issue as the tacky rubber feel fixes itself after a day or so of use.

[omszz 1]

Does anyone know if this uses forces being calculated by the sim, or calculates forces based on some other external logic? The Xplane version uses the forces directly from the sim but only from planes that have that defined in the models. For most planes, it applies some kind of generic formula to estimate forces.