Modirators you may move this to a more appropriate location in the forum. Provided for Information Only, as MSFS has no documentation period.
MSFS-2020 Settings Expanded which covers - General – Assistance – Controls with lots of subheadings, detailed below. This forum kills all my formatting for it, so read carefully.
My Changes Right Column. Ok, everyone’s system is different, ASUS ROG Strix Scar III-Intel I-7-9750; RTX-2070, 32GB System Ram, Temps at around 84C on GPU. I have replaced the GPU Fan because oem one wobbled when I walked around with it. I fly mostly Big Iron, i.e., C-17 GM-III; 747-800; 787-10, and maybe the PMDG-737-800. Sometimes the DC Designs F-14. Base sim planes are still too buggy, and not close enough to Real World Performance. And I like X-Plane a whole lot more because it way simple to setup settings and configure devices.
General Options Graphics Default My Settings
- Display Mode Windowed Windowed
- Full Screen Resolution 1920x1080 Monitor Default
- Render Scaling-Render Res 100 100
- V-Sync-Requires Capable Monitor ON Maybe on/off
- Frame Rate Limit 60FPS 60FPS
- HDR10=Needs VSync On See #4 Setting See #4 Setting
- Direct X Version DX11 DX12 Beta*
- Global Rendering Quantity* Custom Custom
*Below Settings Affect How it’s set - Anti-Aliasing DLAA DLAA
- Terrain Level of Detail 100 100
- Off Screen Terrain PPE Catching High Medium
- Terrain Vector Data High Medium
- Buildings High Medium
- Trees High Medium
- Grass & Bushes High Medium
- Objects Level of Detail 100 100
- Volumetric Clouds High Medium
- Texture Resolution High Medium
- Anisotropic Filtering 8x 4X
- Texture Super sampling 4x4 4x4
- Texture Synthesis High Medium
- Water Waves High Medium
- Shadow Maps 2048 1024
- Terrain Shadows 2048 512
- Contact Shadows High Medium
- Windshield Effects High Medium
- Ambient Occlusion High Medium
- Cubmap Reflections High Medium
- Ray marched Reflections High Medium
- Light Shafts High Medium
- Bloom On On
- Depth of Field High High
- Motion Blur High High
- Lens Correction On On
- Lens Flair On On
- Glass Cockpit Refresh Rate High High*
*I keep this one currently on DX12, but not sure it’s working better, and for 36-high as most all A/C have lots of Computer Driven instruments, which need to be refreshed quickly.
Camera Settings – I take the defaults on all settings here
Traffic Settings – I take defaults on this setting here, except density-medium
Data: - Let Program manage
Flight Model – Modern
Misc – Take Defaults
Accessibility
- Screen Narrator Off Off
Developers Off Off
VR Mode Off Off
Aircraft Systems – All Set to Hard or assistance set to off
Failure & Damage Enabled Enabled
Crash Damage Enabled Enabled
Engine Stress Enabled Enabled
Icing Effects On On
Navigation Aides Easy Custom
Route & Waypoints Easy Off
Taxi Ribbon On On
Landing Path Easy Off
Smart Cam Mode Manual Manual
Notifications Easy Hard
All OFF with the exception of if outside plane, all critical instruments are displayed, i.e., airspeed, altitude, engine thrust, etc. I try to fly plane outside lots to see where I’m at. Close to landing, go back inside.
MSFS-2020 Default Virpil VFX-F-14 Grip and CM2 Mongoose Base/Bracket Settings – Old Button Setting was Logitech 3D Pro USB Device – Virpil TM-3 Throttle Settings are also below.
Function/Name Logitech 3D Pro Setting Virpil VFX JS Button Setting
Camera Mode Switches
Cockpit External View Joystick Button 12 No Change
Cockpit Cameras
Cockpit Quick view Right JS-POV Right No Change
Cockpit Quick View Left JS-POV Left No Change
Reset Cockpit View Joystick Button 02 Top Right Red Button
Previous Pilot Position JS-POV Down No Change
Next Pilot Position JS-POV Up No Change
Toggle Smart Camera Joystick Button 01 Trigger See Assignment Below
External Camera
Reset External View Joystick Button 02 Top Right Red Button
External Quick View Left JS-POV Right POV Hat Switch
External Quick View Rear JS-POV Down (To rear) POV Hat Switch
External Quick View Right JS-POV Right POV Hat Switch
External Quick View Top JS-POV Up (to Front) POV Hat Switch
Instrument View
Previous Instrument View JS-POV Left
Next Inst View JS-POV Right
Aircraft Controls
Brakes Joystick Button 05 JS Button 01 Trigger
Toggle Parking Brake Joystick Button 11 *TM-3 Throttle
Flight Control Surfaces-Primary
Ailerons Axis JS L-Axis-X No Change*
Elevator Axis JS L-Axis-Y No Change*
Rudder Axis JS R-Axis-Z No Change*
Secondary Control Surfaces – Controlled by Virpil TM-3 Unit
Lower “Increase” Flaps Joystick Button 09 *TM-3 Throttle
Raise “Decrease” Flaps Joystick Button 10 *TM-3 Throttle
Toggle Spoilers Joystick Button 03 *TM-3 Throttle
Have not figured how to arm Them – In FSX I did setup arm procedure
Control Trimming Surfaces
Elevator Trim Down-Nose Down Joystick Button 07 *TM-3 Throttle
Elevator Trim Up-Nose Up Joystick Button 08 *TM-3 Throttle
Landing Gear Joystick Button 06 *TM-3 Throttle
Throttle Axis Joystick Slider X *TM-3 Throttle
Thrust Reverse-Must Hold Down Joystick Button 04 *TM-3 Throttle
None of “Reverse Axis Boxes” are Checked” NOTE: This seems to change on Update Cycles, so maybe yes or no. Checked new each time per Update of MSFS-2020
Pushback Keyboard Shift-P Gray Rocker Switch-FWD
Pause Game Keyboard P Gray Rocker Switch-Rearward
DC Designs-F-14 A/B – NOTE: Some buttons need to be configured for that plane, should match real assignment in real plane, they may be setup by default as they did great job.
Nosewheel Steering Joystick L-Axis-Z Twist Left JS L-Axis-Z – Twist Right
Validate after each set, apply and save.
*-Virpil TM-3 Throttle has levers and buttons assigned for functions that used to be done on JS. Elevator Trim is handled by a button on the TM-3 Unit, Forward - trim down – rearward trim is up.
CONFIGURING THE Virpil TM-3 THROTTLE UNIT IN MSFS
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MSFS has/does create a default profile for all attached devices. Create the most complex profile FIRST, why? simple, it’s way easier to “delete a button/lever out of game” than add one. I show the most difficult settings first. After saving that one, you can then copy it, and rename it for i.e., “BA 787-10 – 2-Engine Jet”. All the hard settings will carry over to it.
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First profile, name call it “BA 747 & C-17 - 4 Engine Jet”. I am going to describe assignment by either physical number on device, or the button number on the unit. If you have this unit, these numbers will mean something to you, if not, find a picture and follow along. NOTE: Virpil has two button numbers, the physical number used in device, and the number it sends to windows. I am only reporting the Physical number on the device. If you do not know how to create a new or copy profile, Mark at the Sim Hanger on YouTube has excellent video showing how it’s done, about year old.
Physical Throttle 01 is bound to Throttle axis 01 and 02.
Physical Throttle 02 is bound to Throttle axis 03 and 04.
So, if modifying a 2-engine jet profile, you would only bind one lever to one engine.
The flaps lever is bound to the Extend/Retract Flaps option.
Switch T3 – Is bound to parking brake - forward parking is off, backward parking brake is on. Why this switch and why location, it’s right next to the throttle levers in a real 747, C-17, 787, and some others. Regardless, it also works the parking brake in the F-14.
Switch Numbers T5 – T7 are two position switches, forward is one switch, backward is another switch. Switch Number T5 – Bound to “Master battery on-Forward” - “Master Battery off-rearward”
Switch Number T6 – Bound to “Master Avionics on-Forward” – “Master Avionics off-rearward”
Switch Number T7 – Bound to “Landing gear Extend-Forward” – “Landing Gear Retract-Rearward”
Knobs E1 & E2 still WIP, they are switches Push down, and rotary dials, might try to get them to work HDG HOLD and then change numbers, same for E2 ALT HLD and increase/decrease altitude number.
T1-T2 – Have not assigned to anything in any game.
The 5 position Rotary Dial is enabled in Virpil Software, so 30 additional switch options depending on configuration.
Reverse Thrust for me is a button on the TM-3 easy to get to when landing, HOLD DOWN and move levers forward. You can also pick a button on the VFX (any grip) and then right hand is holding button, and left hand can move levers, lots of options.
I cannot figure out how to set detents positions so as to just pull levers over detents to rear to activate reverse thrust. Button assignment is going to do it till I figure out how.
Some comments – MSFS is now two years old. Upon Release, no, not one piece of documentation on what all the settings do, and how they should be configured. MS/Asobo is relying on the aftermarket to produce information and videos on this game. IMHO this is a very poor way for new users to learn how this game works on an infinity of PC configurations. I have taken all the Setting Screens and written down the settings at default and mine. I will add it to this document at the top. Again, MSFS might be very complex, but documentation should be done by the developers, so all users have a manual. Aftermarket only “sees final product” but developers know what function is supposed to do out of the gate. This in my opinion is the worst created game MS has ever done. It was off my PC for several months simply because I want to fly more than be software engineer. FWIW-Am I “setting the brakes” or am I toggling the brakes”? Am I “Master Battery On” or toggling Master battery on? You see my point hopefully. There are at least 200 choices in the general settings menu alone. VR stuff, drone camera stuff, so much stuff, we need in-depth manual explaining each and every one of those choices, and therein lies MSFS largest failing in my opinion, aside from its arcane download update method.
I also fly FSX and X-Plane. I again have bound physical throttles 01 & 02 to 4 engine jet presently, and switches T5 – T7 are setup the exact same way. I just use mouse to enable Autopilot and knobs on dashboard instead of assigning switches to all of them, easier, better and quicker presently than the TM-3 unit or any other TQ I can think of. Eventually, I will figure out how to bind those functions in MSFS.
For X-Plane:
- Setting up X-Plane is way easier once you do it one time.
- The TM-03/VFX Grip settings are the same but different verbiage in their control software, I will make a similar post on XP forum and post that information there. If you use it, that is where it will be located.
- All in all, X-Plane is more user friendly, has over a 120-page manual outlining how it installs, and mostly works, and their customer support is TOP OF THE LINE, I usually get response in less than day. One Time Austin Meyers responded directly to me.
Created: 07-31-2022
Revised as needed, because Virpil in MHO is the best equipment, I have not adjusted the null settings for any reason, as the program defaults work fine, for ME.