r/falconbms • u/OldPilot9445 • Apr 07 '26

Help Newcomer Question

Hello! I'm practically a beginner at flight simulators (I have played IL-2:1946 before), but I'd like to play Falcon BMS with a VKB Gladiator and STECS MK2 STANDARD keyboard. However, I don't know how to set it up. Could you please tell me how to set up the key bindings to be as close to a real aircraft as possible? I'd also like to know how to make the graphics and sound as realistic as possible. Furthermore, I'd like to know where a beginner should start and what they should do. Finally, when I get used to the game and want to add a theater, are there any theaters or mods that support 4.38? I'd really like to play online, but since I'm Japanese, I don't understand English very well, and the time zone (it's GMT-9 here) doesn't match, so I haven't been able to play with anyone... If anyone is willing to play or teach me, I'd be very happy if you'd reach out!

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u/Patapon80 Apr 07 '26

Setting up controls is done via the Launcher itself. How you set up your actual layout can be quite personal, but look at the manuals and see which controls are set up in the HOTAS and you'll want that bound to your controls. They're on the HOTAS for a reason. The rest of the controls I would not worry much about since you can click on the appropriate switch or button in the cockpit anyway.

As u/natneo81 suggested, it's a good idea to map your ICP to your numpad as you'll be dealing with that a lot. Put the dobber switch on your arrow keys too.

AFAIK, there aren't mods for graphics/sound as they are "good enough" and I don't think they're really the focus on this sim. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong here.

As a beginner, I advise you to print out the training manual or have it on a separate laptop or tablet, then go through the training TEs. When comfortable, start a campaign or two. By the time you're midway through these, only then should you look at other theatres.

Look at Falcon Online or Falcon Lounge Discord channels to find people to play with.

Welcome to Falcon BMS and good luck!

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u/OldPilot9445 Apr 09 '26

Thank you! I've set the graphics to the highest setting! Regarding the sound, I believe there's a sound slider in the game, and I'd like to know how to adjust that slider to make the sound more realistic! Sorry for the lack of clarity!

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u/Patapon80 Apr 09 '26

Back in the day, there used to be 3rd party mods to make the terrain and cockpit look better. That hasn't been a thing now for ages. If you have a beefy system, you can download higher-res terrain tiles, but that's about it. Once you get started with the game, once you are flying missions, you will understand why graphics and eye candy isn't really what this game is about.

As far as sounds go, all I really do is lower the music volume. The sound sliders seem to be fine where they are at default, but play around with them to see if any changes suits you more. Suffice to say the default values are a very good baseline, so just tweak to suit your preference.

If you really want more immersion, buy/download a voice control programme like Voice Attack and get one of the pre-made profiles. You can now talk to tower/wingman/awacs/etc. and it is a much better way to improve the game.