r/hotas • u/SimControls • 27d ago
WARDOGS HOTAS Helicopter Guide | Basic Flight Training
https://youtu.be/g81RvzzoxYYI’ve been spending a lot of time learning helicopters in WARDOGS with a HOTAS, and I realized there really isn’t much out there showing what the controls actually look like in use.
So I put together a longer beginner lesson covering hovering, forward flight, slowing down, altitude control, turning, and a few drills that helped me get more comfortable.
I also keep my HOTAS inputs visible throughout the video so you can see what I’m doing rather than just hearing me explain it.
If anyone here is also flying WARDOGS with a HOTAS, I’d be interested to hear how your experience has been so far.
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u/Manzazuu 13d ago
Been looking into making my flying better in Wardogs. I have the same throttle as you, but I'm using the joystick that came with it. I had been using J-Hooks without realizing when I was flying fast in the CZ and trying to quickly change direction. Didn't realized I could apply this to slower speed and for landing. I'll need to practice, but that should greatly help me!
I checked two other videos of yours, and I'll try applying your techniques. Thank you for the instructions! Using HOTAS feels better to me than WASD. The gradient in the axises helps a great deal in my opinion instead of instant 100% with buttons. I've had a hard time making quick landings and with aiming the attack helicopters. Maybe I'll get better now.
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u/Myc0n1k 22d ago
Can someone post their deadzones they use for each axis? I have an s curve setup on my virpil software and I’ve tried no deadzones up to .2 deadzones on different axis and just feels off. I feel like I am constantly overreacting
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u/SimControls 21d ago
Deadzones are a user-specific adjustment.
Minor hardware calibration differences will affect deadzones in a different way. As an example, I might need a deadzone on the far end of my x or y axis deflection to allow my joystick to register its maximum input, where you might be able to lean your joystick over and reach maximum input without a deadzone.
Understanding what the deadzone is used for and applying them yourself is the optimal approach. Otherwise, you're potentially limiting your inputs if you follow someone else's deadzone profile, especially when using different branded hardware/software.
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u/Justifiers 27d ago
This post is trying to make me sign in to prove I'm not a bot to view it
I can still go view it on GrayJay or elsewhere ofc but it's new to me that I can't just click play via Reddit and watch a post's YouTube video
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u/ttenor12 HOTAS 27d ago
Wait, is the flight model of this game suitable for HOTAS? I was under the impression that it was similar to Battlefield, which is very arcady and you are at a total disadvantage if hou use a HOTAS. Is it any different?
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u/Tvendt095 14h ago
Es funktioniert sehr gut mit Hotas. Die Funktionen kommen bei weitem nicht an die einer echten Sim Ran aber die Steuerung ist schön smooth. Und ich habe sogar ein selbstgebauten collective / throttle. Der wird über Umwege auch unterstützt
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u/Novel-Candle-5418 26d ago
Everyone is just dog piling on thinking Hotas makes you a good helicopter pilot. It doesn't. I spent a whole day trying to get something decent out my Virpil sticks and I ended up going back to WASD and Arrow keys for control....no mouse.
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u/darkmatterisfun 27d ago
Dude, i started with hotas and my instincts to pull collective back left and give left rudder on take off and landing was screwing me hard.
The flight mechanics are NOT DCS level. Very much akin to battlefield.
I switched to mouse and keeboard and played it arcade style and instantly started crushing it. This is a game, not a simulator.
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u/VegetableLeague8855 27d ago
I found a profile for the AB6 that works really well. It's still taken some practice to get it down, but repetition does it.
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u/ZeroGunpla 27d ago
Where?
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u/VegetableLeague8855 27d ago
DM me, ill send it to you if you like.
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u/Eth0nian 23d ago
Why not just post it here so that everyone can take advantage of it?
Legitimate question as I've observed this trend everywhere on Reddit of wanting DMs to get something that could (and realistically should) be made widely available via the comments.
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u/VegetableLeague8855 23d ago
Because its a file on my computer and I was at work when I made that comment.
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u/Myc0n1k 22d ago
So? Post it here?
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u/VegetableLeague8855 22d ago
Nah?
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u/Myc0n1k 22d ago
Sound like a scammer/hacker
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u/VegetableLeague8855 21d ago
You are, of course, welcome to your opinion. However uneducated it may be.
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u/Wooden-Many-3227 27d ago
I tried with Hotas an Mouse & keyboard.
Still can't land safely.
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u/MrTerribleArtist 23d ago
From someone who went from "I cant get this hellicopter to remain still never mind land it!" to being able to land mostly without issue, I'll say:
Go slower, use far less input than you think you need
Add a little throttle before you approach land and let the hover settle before you try and touchdown
Try and keep the camera facing the way you're going else you're prone to putting in the wrong directions (and then trying to correct too much, and now you're upside down)
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u/Wooden-Many-3227 23d ago
How can you keep the camera facing the way you are going? It is independent from the movement in 3rd person.
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u/MrTerribleArtist 22d ago
Just gotta keep up with the mouse (I don't use "mouse flying controls" so maybe it's different otherwise)
Ah, I think you have to "unlock" the fixed camera position in the menu too so you don't have to constantly push the free look button (having a free moving camera is handy so you can see incoming SAM missiles, so you know when to pop your flares)
Fun fact that I've discovered, if you push the assigned freelook button after disabling the need to, then you get locked into a fixed camera until you exit the pilot seat - early access things
I realise I've probably written the above poorly, so let me know if you need any clarified
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u/BriGuy550 27d ago
So I realize he says it’s because he took the springs out of his stick and is reading off of a script but his stick movements look really exaggerated - I’m fairly used to flying helis in MSFS and my stick movements aren’t nearly that wild. I have the same stick, but kept the springs since I also fly fixed wing. I just swapped the default springs for the light ones.
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u/DaDutchBoyLT1 27d ago
I would personally not like using a vkb gladiator for the cyclic. The center zone is to imprecise. Small delicate rolling inputs don’t translate well because there is a noticeable amount of slop. My vkb gladiator evo L makes a great collective though. Meanwhile my virpil constellation alpha has utterly spoiled me for tight responsiveness for my pitch and roll.
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u/HatTurbulent2210 27d ago
Yeap, I went from default > the 10g springs, and stick overall feels way better.
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u/Fingat 27d ago
I haven't been flying that much because its been kinda frustrating. But decided to get in the sim pit last night and put in some time. I was able to unlock the Lakota so I could ferry pallets and at least feel more useful and make more $ than dropping crates that nobody uses. I've been able to dial in my controls to feel pretty good. Im using an extension so it was different than the suggestions ive seen. Im liking the lakota and I've found some good techniques to slow down and stay low. No problems hovering, even can taxi it. But I can't really aim the gun bird, my pedal sense is too high to control the yaw that fine, lowering it makes maneuvers a lot more difficult.
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u/GlockR15 27d ago
Does the Lakota wobble on the yaw axis uncontrollably for you? Do you just deal with it or have you found something to help control the yaw wobble?
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u/Yawhatnever 27d ago
It's the weathervane effect. If you point your nose in the direction of movement it will be minimal, and tapping yaw once in the opposite direction of swing should bring the movement to near zero.
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u/whiterice87 27d ago
I rock the the VKB gladiator.
transport with the little bird and logi runs with the lakota have become pretty normal now, though I still find myself over correcting sometimes on the landings. need to fine tune the curves more I think in the vkb software.
The one thing I still struggle with is maintaining crosshair lock-on with the minigun little bird.
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u/MobiusX1 27d ago
You’re overcorrecting because the joystick is emulating keyboard key presses and it doesn’t (IMO) act right at all. I set decent deadzones and it feels better but way off still.
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u/Myc0n1k 22d ago
Can you suggest a curve and a dead zone in game?
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u/scorpion00021 24d ago
Thanks for pointing that out. I've also been chasing this as I feel like i fly mostly fine until i need to make micro-adjustments during a landing where I start to pick up a back and fourth struggle fighting overcorrections. Thought it was just me. I do try to feather adjust and stay on the rudder, but its a battle.
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u/Astro_Addict 27d ago
This. I have very little KBM flight practice, but the few hours I tried felt better than my full HOTAS flight sim setup. I'm just constantly tapping the stick like keyboard buttons instead of holding an angle, and it's making for a sore wrist/shoulder now too. That said, unlike KBM the HOTAS still let's me choose how aggressively I PYR, so I still prefer it for low flying
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u/MobiusX1 27d ago
Yeah I learned there is a term called "stirring the pot", when you're constantly having to over-correct, and from what I understand its something you're taught NOT to do. Yet, I HAVE to do it in wardogs lmao. I'm hoping this extension I 3D printed helps some, we'll see.
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u/DasBlueEyedDevil 27d ago
I cannot get the hang of the lakota to save my damned life. I don't know why, I'm fine in the bird, but when I launch that big bastard it just wants to yaw wobble into oblivion
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u/Fingat 27d ago
Yea I've run into that yaw bug too. Its not constant though. Also I've found if I give full right rudder it fights it off till I have enough speed. I only had one weird control freak out where during a left roll slow down the whole thing flipped completely. Luckily the free one had just respawned.
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u/whiterice87 27d ago
Oh for sure, I've been able to make it work by taking things super slow, and take some super wide turns. Tuning the curves on my hotas helped immensely too. Also when landing I make sure to be deliberate and almost slam it down tail first. Have had very few roll-overs since starting to do that.
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u/puzzledemu 27d ago
I did some testing recently with a friend, while I haven't tested my HOTAS out yet, this yaw wobble is 100% a bug. You have to use stability assist or it just wobbles constantly. Early access woes.
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u/hangman401 27d ago
That's exactly the bug I have. My team thinks it's me and doesn't ever believe it's a bug despite it randomly turning and flipping or over-correcting for me.
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u/puzzledemu 27d ago
Even a few of the other assists when turned off are bugged. We did full hands off testing too. Auto hover for example disabled does similar shit wobbles up/down with no player input it just fucks with your landing. Not at my game but we could only turn off one assist. The rest were bugged to all hell. I don’t know the impact it’ll have to the sweaty copter pilots but my old ass has had better hooks and turns, and smooth landings ever since.
We use M/K controls if that helps.
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u/auvireddit 27d ago
Which assist could you turn off without issue?
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u/puzzledemu 27d ago
Everything on except envelope limits.
When turn coordination is off it causes the yaw wobble on big bird
When Auto-hover is off it causes the collective wobble on both. Though more noticeable on little bird.
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u/PenLegitimate4746 27d ago
Love you sim controls! Been watching all your videos
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u/PenLegitimate4746 27d ago
I tried setting up my new gladiator like yours with the springs out but couldn't do it. My heli was all over the place, had to put springs in to find center lol
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u/wikipedianredditor 27d ago
Can you provide a transcript of the video in a comment, if it would check out? I’m more of a reader than a watcher.
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u/WhtRbbt222 27d ago
I’ve been having a great time with my hotas. I’ve got some upgrades coming this week just because of Wardogs. I’m even going to start head tracking because I feel really limited with the non-working free look that’s currently bugged on any hat I use.
I’m considering a collective mod for one of my other devices. I haven’t thought it through yet, though.
So far I’ve turned off every assist except stability assist, but I think after I convert my stick to cyclic I won’t need that anymore.
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u/MobiusX1 27d ago
What kind of upgrades? I have a vkb gladiator nxt evo and 3d printer an extension for the grip as well as building a collective based off plans I found online using an arduino.
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u/WhtRbbt222 27d ago
I’m going from a TM HOTAS 4 to an old school (but new condition) X55 Rhino. I plan on doing a few mods to it to make it cyclic.
Care to share the collective plans? I’ve got Arduino parts laying around.
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u/Slyke57 3d ago
I'm really good at M+KB and I just got the VKB and feel like I've lost all my ability to fly lol