My (fictional) BoS Control layout.

[Robotic Pope]

Bucketman aka Hurricane asked me a few days ago what would be my perfect gamepad layout for BoS. It was a difficult question to answer at the time, So Ive thought about it and designed a setup for a advanced sim mode which I think is perfect for both PS3 and 360 gamepads.

The main points I wanted to cover was to have one analog stick dedicated to freelook (without the need to hold down the stick and to be able to control throttle and rudder at the same time as freelooking).
Secondly I wanted to get as many functions as posible on the pad without having to access the menu, and to have every control that requires analog to have analog and not waste an analog control on something that can be done digitaly (Original BoP control layout was very bad for this, wasted analog buttons on zoom, fire button and throttle).

I decided quickly that I wanted a shift key to double the functions of each button (LB or RB is ideal as every other button acessable at the same time), then I realised this could also greatly enhance the ability of the freelook stick and go some way to make up for lack of head tracking. Imagine you are looking around with the right stick like normal, then you hold LB and your view heading locks in place and the right stick now controls the position of your head in the cockpit. So if you were facing forward then held LB and moved the stick left you could look down the left side of the nose of your plane to aid taxiing, the reverse being very useful for checking your 6.

For the rest of the controls I had to make them all useable without conficting each other while stil having elements familier from BoP. Only problem I had was If you wanted to use WEP at the same time as firing all guns you would change view instead of WEP, but this could be easily solved by having LB+RB disable all other shifts. I had a bit of fun with the bailout, Anyone remember the old PS1 Final Fantasy games reset button combo?

So what do you think? Have I missed anything? can it be bettered?
Anyone else want to share their ideal control setup for BoS?

Ok Bucket now you have to do one for your Ace Edge

Edit: Just got an extra function! Independent wheel brakes! hold click on left stick = left brake. Hold A button = right brake. Now you can taxi on a dime I will edit my picture later.
Edit 2: scratch the independant brakes. I remembered why I didn't want a brake on the down throttle, so you can throttle up the plane on the ground and hold it on the brakes.

[CrashLanding]

Seems like a pretty common sense layout. I still don't like having to push in the right stick to look around.

[hurricane]

-re in agreement about one thing pope.one free stick for looking around.it might be hard to push it down to zoom and keep your vision steady.with just a quick look at your layout i am trying to compare it to what is simiar to a flight stick.to me the advantage in a flight stick is using your right thumb to look around so it might be more natural for most guys to have the right stick to look around.that you have covered by reversing your layout(lefties might like it the way you have it).

[The M00ps]

If they would simply adopt the Over G control scheme (or allow independent button customization like Flight Adventure 2 does), I'd be ecstatic.

[Robotic Pope]

Originally Posted by hurricane

-re in agreement about one thing pope.one free stick for looking around.it might be hard to push it down to zoom and keep your vision steady.with just a quick look at your layout i am trying to compare it to what is simiar to a flight stick.to me the advantage in a flight stick is using your right thumb to look around so it might be more natural for most guys to have the right stick to look around.that you have covered by reversing your layout(lefties might like it the way you have it).

I think the right stick click is the best place for zoom Bucket. I wanted to use every button. Generaly you don't look around much while zoomed anyway, Usually I look around, stop when I think I see something then zoom in to get a closer look then zoom out again. The ability to use LB to hold the direction of looking would make this very easy.

It is a bit odd that on a gamepad the left thumb takes the place of the right hand. It goes back to the very first pads. control on the left, fire on the right. Everyone who comes from a video games playing background is used to that whether left or right handed. Maybe it is different for people coming from only ever using a PC mouse and keyboard or Joystick. I know people who fly RC planes have problems too because RC controls have the alierons and elevator on the right and throttle on the left.

Anyway my control layout could have the sticks switched round if you wanted but you would probably want to switch all the functions of the face buttons onto the Dpad and the dpad ones onto the face buttons.

[1.JaVA_LGorrit]

One of the reasons why BoP was not the success it could have been on consoles:
Option to remap the buttons to a custom setting:

My button lay out would be:
LS left and right : Ailerons
LS up and down : Elevator
RS for looking around
LB : Alternative fire (Rocket or Bombs)
RB : Fire (Guns and Cannons)
LT : Rudder Left
RT : Rudder Right
Y : Throttle Up (Hold for WEP)
X : Throttle Down (Hold for Flaps)

For the rest of the buttons I dont care, but I need this to have control over my plane...