How to make your controls more responsive: A Tweak

[CodyValkyrie]

This is a tweak that I HIGHLY recommend to everyone and also happens to work in FS9 as well as FSX.

Locate your fsx.cfg file (search it or go to /documents and settings/(username)/application data/microsoft/fsx). Open the file with notepad.

http://www.jaggyroadfilms.com/misc/pictures/filelocation.JPG

Under the [controls] section, add the following:
stick_sensitivity_mode=0

It should look like this if done properly:
[CONTROLS]
stick_sensitivity_mode=0

NOTE! Don't remove any other settings. Just add the line in directly below the [controls] section.

http://www.jaggyroadfilms.com/misc/pictures/cfg.JPG

Now, you are NOT done!

Go back into the simulator and open up your control settings. For your joystick (and rudder if applicable), set your sensitivity for all axes to HIGH. Set your Null Zones for 1, or close to one. Alternatively, you can manually adjust all the axes.

If you find it a little too sensitive when the stick is centered (it moves ever so slightly on its own), raise the null zone. Make sure the sensitivity of the control is at it's highest to give the FULL range of motion. Not doing so will limit the effect of your aileron, rudder and elevator. The sensitivity acts as a slider which adjusts the full range of motion. If set to 50%, then the aileron for example will only move within 50% of its full motion with full deflection of your joystick.

http://www.jaggyroadfilms.com/misc/pictures/Settings.JPG

You will now find your controls more responsive to smaller inputs. Making turns should be easier, especially slight inputs to adjust for course or otherwise.

Enjoy!

-Cody

[navychief]

Nice tweak. I'll give it a try. Thanks. NC

[bazzar]

Yes null zones are important little things. They can cure joystick "wander" and put realism back into flying heavies. I's all a matter of toying with the sliders (in advanced mode) to get the effect you want.

There is an incredible amount of adjustment possible in this simulator. It always amazes me how many people keep persevering with the stock setup which could be entirely wrong for their particular system.

Providing you make note of each stage, you can have a lot of fun mucking about with these settings.

Nice tip.:ernae:

[rcbarend]

Good post on this (FS2002-) feature, that still works in FSX !
Although you probably know this yourself, maybe some additions for other people reading this thread, who perceive controller calibration/sensitivity problems.
Moreover, adding this stick_sensitivity_mode=0 doesn't always do what you might expect (there are side-effects).

First and foremost: make sure you have calibrated your controller(s) axis properly under Windows, either using the Windows GameController setup or a "ControlManager" program supplied with your controller (yoke/joystick/rudderpedals/throttles or whatever). Because that's the basis of a good fine-tweak in FS.

The term "Sensitivity" of a controller axis is a bit ambiguous in FS; it can mean two things, depending on the type of axis:
1. The range of an axis, in terms of percentage swing, like -100% to +100% for axis with a logical center (e.g. elevator, ailerons, rudder) or 0% to 100% for axis without a center (e.g. toebrakes)
2. The speed at which the axis reacts to changes in movement.

By default, 2. applies to centered-axis (like elevator). Meaning that whatever Sensitivity or Nullzone you apply to that axis, the swing is always from -100% to +100% (provided the axis is calibrated correctly).
Where a low setting of the Sensitivity slider, makes the aircraft react more "slugglish" to changes of the axis.
What the stick_sensitivity_mode=0 addition changes: it makes axis-with-a-logical-center" behave like "axis-without-a-logical-center"
I.o.w.: the Sensitivity slider now affects range, not speed.
As you can see in Cody's examples.

An (unexpected ?) side-effect of adding stick_sensitivity_mode=0 is, that if you increase the Null-zone slider (to create a "dead-zone" around the center), you also reduce the range of the axis (so you need to increase the Sensitivity slider to get the same range).

So it depends a bit on what you are trying to change on your controller axis "sensitivity", if the stick_sensitivity_mode=0 addition is usefull or not.
(depending how well you calibrated your controllers, and what type of "sensitivity" you are trying to change).

And to be complete :icon_lol: :
- You can even manually increase the range of an axis above the max Sensitivity slider setting, by editing the fs9.cfg (FS9) or Standard.xml (FSX) scale settings.
- The speed at which centered-axis react to controller changes:
--- Is always maximum (i.e. instantaneous), when you apply the stick_sensitivity_mode=0.
--- Is the same as setting the Sensitivity slider to Max without using stick_sensitivity_mode=0.
- The registered version of FSUIPC even adds the option to make the axis response on controller changes non-lineair.

Personally (I use a yoke, joystick, and several other home-build controllers like thottle quadrant and rudder pedals), I don't use the stick_sensitivity_mode=0 addition anymore. IMO, when your controllers are working properly and are well-calibrated, the only reason for using it is to compensate for imperfections of an aircraft's flightdynamics (like too sensitive groundsteering).
And have all my controller axis set with a max. "Sensitivity" slider and a very small "nullzone" (to overcome "jitter" on the physical axis).

But again, it's a feature that might help to correct some imperfections on controllers / controller calibrations / Flight Dynamics design.

:ernae: Rob Barendregt

[RCAF_Gunner]

Cody, Rob,

Thanks for the tweak info. I was trying in vain to find out what the default (or =1 behavior) of the setting meant in the SDK. Maybe it's in there but I couldn't find it in a search. I use a non-FFB joystick as well as a yoke depending on which aircraft I'm flying. For either, the combination of the sprung centering point and what always seems to be way too much elevator sensitivity initially after the center point (even after calibrating) has always been a challenge to get dialed in. A larger null zone just seems to delay the effect but I've had some success by reducing sensitivity ~ it still doesn't seem quite right though. I like the idea of a graduated curve (something I use to use in RC helicopter flying) so I may have to check out the registered version of FSUIPC.

Cheers,
Rick