Tactical Advantage is an application designed to help users of ThrustMaster products quickly and easily exchange maps of their favorite keystroke sequences.
While the application is easy to use, this file explains some of the functions you’ll find in Tactical Advantage.
Purpose
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The idea for Tactical Advantage came about while I was beta testing the exciting new ThrustMaster hardware for the Macintosh. This hardware provides a vast array of button combinations which can be applied to flight simulators and games so that you virtually never have to take your eyes off the action to find a vital function in the heat of battle. Indeed, that was one of the primary reasons the US military developed the HOTAS (Hands On Throttle And Stick), which was first applied to the F-4 Phantom. Pilots could fly most of the mission using a group of buttons located in fingertip positions on both the control stick and the throttle. By changing the tactical “state” of the mission--such as Ingress, Weapons Deployment and Egress--those same buttons could serve different yet related functions.
Before I continue, let me explain to those who don’t yet have ThrustMaster equipment that the software to create your strokes files is outstanding. It allows you to enter notes for each button, to remind you why you set it up as you did. However, it is not designed to show you all your button layouts at once, and neither should it be. It does what it should do very well, but can’t be expected to do everything.
As the beta testers began to share their ideas for strokes files for various Macintosh applications, two needs arose. First, there was the problem of visualizing your button combinations ahead of time so that your choices made sense. Debates began over how to arrange the three “tactical states” provided by a three-position rocker switch on the Weapons Control System (WCS)--the ThrustMaster throttle. Yet despite the debates, it was awkward to share the logic behind your ideas, because there was no easy way to map out the arrangement.
That led to the second need. As new strokes files were created, the testers had to resort to cumbersome word processing files describing their choice of button arrangements. This was time consuming and lacked a “visual” element. There would be lots of descriptive text, but it was hard to pick out the logic which the set creator had put into his choices. Clearly it was time to take a new approach.
My solution was to create an attractive application which would allow ThrustMaster users to quickly design intuitive stroke sets for their favorite applications, and easily share those layouts by exchanging small ASCII text files along with the stroke set file itself. All users are encouraged to share this freeware application with as many people as possible. The text files it creates are 2K-6K in size, but may be larger depending on how long the comments are.
Tactical Advantage will NOT actually create your strokes set for you. Instead, it helps you plan out the button layout ahead of time, and saves a handy reference mapping file to send along with your completed strokes set when sharing it with others.
Hardware Requirements
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Tactical Advantage requires color QuickDraw. It should run fine on PowerBooks 160 through 180c and on Duos. However, the main screens will not fit properly onto some monitors, such as the Color Classic and some PowerBooks. Because of the full-screen color images, RAM required is 2400K. The application was created using SuperCard due to time constraints, which makes it somewhat bulky at 550K of disk space and quite slow compared to typical applications. But it runs at acceptable speeds on 68030 and faster machines. Some time in the future it will probably be rewritten in a standard language, which will dramatically speed it up and bring the size down to about 100K.
Using Tactical Advantage
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The first time you open Tactical Advantage, the fields will all be blank. Take a moment to get familiar with the layouts. Click the “WCS View” button to see the second of the two main screens. Note that it changes to “FCS View” to take you back to the first screen. The first screen also differs by adding a “Comments...” button, and a small “Set...” button next to the Rocker Switch Tactical Position field. While there are menu items for “Open...” and “Save As...” these functions are also available through handy buttons, as you are likely to use them quite frequently. Clicking the “Hat Views” area will cycle the number of views assigned to the Hat Switch from 8 to 4.
The Apple Menu
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“About Tactical Advantage...” opens the splash screen. Click on the screen to put it away.
The File Menu
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“New” clears all the fields so that you can start a brand new Tactical Advantage Strokes Reference file from scratch.
“Open...” opens an existing reference file. These files have a suggested three character extension of “.ref” to differentiate them from the actual strokes file itself. Many people will name their strokes set after specific applications to enable ThrustMaster’s application-aware feature. Using the “.ref” extension for the mapping file will keep everything orderly on your hard drive.
“Close” closes the Reports or About window if one of these is the frontmost window. It will have no effect if the main screen is the only one open.
“Save” saves the current settings to the previously opened file. If you have not yet opened a file, you will be prompted to create and name one.
“Save As...” allows you to save using a different name. This is handy if you want to make very small modifications to several files and name them in slightly different ways.
“Print...” prints the current screen, or if the report window is open, will print an attractive comprehensive report.
“Report...” opens the Report window. This shows you a complete overview of your keystroke mapping at a glance, including any comments you made. There is limited room for comments, so extremely long comments may be cut off. Each button shows three fields, which correspond to the Tactical Rocker Switch on the WCS being in the “Up,” “Center,” and “Down” positions.
“Quit” quits the application. If you have made changes that have not yet been saved, you will be asked if you want to save them first. Clicking the Cancel button will abort the quit.
The Options Menu
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“Comments...” opens the Comments dialog box. This box allows you to change the name of the stroke set author, set the application which the set is designed for, and enter your comments about why you chose a specific approach to your button arrangements.
“Rocker Names...” opens a dialog which allows you to name the three tactical “states” which the rocker switch provides. For example, “Ingress,” “Deploy Weapons,” and “Egress” or whatever you prefer. Experiment as much as you like. To make the best use of this feature, keep your rocker switch names clear and descriptive.
“Next Card” this menu item provides a handly keyboard shortcut for cycling back and forth between the FCS joystick and WCS throttle layouts.
The Comments Dialog
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The first time you use this application, or any time you select “New” from the file menu, the “Author Name” field will default to the name shown in your Chooser setup.
Enter an application name, or click on the “Select...” button to find the appropriate application and select it in a list dialog. This avoids the possibility of making a spelling error, so the strokes reference file will closely match the application aware strokes file itself.
Comments may be up to 32K in length, although comments that long may give you the callsign “windbag.” Try to keep comments short enough to fit in the space provided on the report.
The Report Window
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Open this window to examine your button arrangement in context. You may also print a report by selecting Print... from the file menu when this window in the frontmost window. The reports use common Helvetica and Times Roman fonts, and print exceptionally well to laser printers. To change information on the report, you must make your changes to the main screen, then re-select or re-open the report window.
The Report window may be moved around to a more convenient location on your screeen, or even moved to a secondary monitor. The next time it is opened, it will open to the same position it was last placed. You may also resize the window, to the maximum width of the report itself.
The Tactical Rocker Switch Positions
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The Tactical Rocker Switch, as described earlier, can be used to set logical “states” to help you organize your button arrangements around related events. The top three radio buttons represent the position of the rocker switch. The fourth one, named “No Effect” can be used when your button assignments are not modified by the rocker switch. When you click this button, it will assign your current settings to all three rocker switch positions.
Above the buttons a field shows you the name which has been assigned to the currently selected position. Clicking on the radio buttons will update the information in all the fields to reflect the settings for the new tactical position. This may take up to five or six seconds, depending on the speed of your Macintosh. The slowness is a factor of the SuperCard engine, and can’t be avoided without rewriting the application from scratch.
The FCS screen also shows a button called “Set...” Use this to set or change the names you want assigned to the three rocker switch positions.
Conclusion
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Well, that’s about it. Enjoy using Tactical Advantage. The new ThrustMaster hardware and software usher in a new era for Macintosh Flight Simulator enthusiasts. The wealth of options this new gear provides and the “real-life” feel of the HOTAS joystick, throttle and rudder system makes a world of difference--truly giving you a “Tactical Advantage!” Check Six!
George “Spy” Pytlik
March 4, 1994
E-Mail: 76304.3252@CompuServe.com
PS: Mac flight enthusiasts should check out the exciting Macintosh Flight Simulator forum on CompuServe. The VFA-13 Shadow Riders squadron is a lively group of people from around the world--including several real-life fighter pilots--whose antics are bound to keep you smiling and whose wealth of information and experience will help you keep the wind in your face and the sun at your back. To visit the Shadow Riders, type “GO MACFUN” at any “!” prompt, then enter discussion section 13.
