Lewis Gun reload tosses drums overboard

[epower]

Loving the new Lewis gun reload feature.  I won't say that it nerfs the SE5a but it will definitely bring kill numbers more into alignment with historical CRs mentioning "drew away to change drum.'   Very cool.

FYI, the reload feature is NOT a discreet key press but a key repeat.  Very Awkward and I hope the Devs will consider changing this feature.  Holding down  the Lewis reload Key combo 'CTRL SHIFT + G' will effectively toss your spare drums overboard.  One discreet key press is the way to go otherwise you will see the "Drums remaining" spin down to zero.  I have kept the key combo at the admittedly awkward 3 finger stretch press in order to simulate the difficulty of changing out a Lewis drum for purposes of immersion but this feature will be frustrating and off-putting to a new player.

 

 

 

Edited April 11, 2021 by epower

[Trotski]

yeah I agree, its a bit fiddly maybe asign the reload to a joystick button, if you have any spare ones ?

[KJakker]

 

[BuckeyeBob]

I sort of like this feature, although I haven't yet given it a go, yet. Can't you hold down CTRL and SHIFT and then tap G with the other finger?

[TROOPER117]

Got my Lewis controls mapped to my joystick... seems to work ok  

[+Polovski]

Reload you press once like most other functions.  The lower and raise are continuous because you are physically interacting with those and it takes effort (something we are trying to represent).

[epower]

Pol, thanks for the reply.  I agree that moving the Lewis up and down the Foster mount should take some work and the Ctrl Shift G seems a good way to address that.  My error was likely trying to use one hand for the 3-key reload combo and not realizing that holding down the G key would exhaust the reloads. 

I've remapped the reload to 'G' and now make sure I give it one quick tap.  "one ping only, Vasily." 

While this works, I rather liked the way Ctrl Shift G made it impossible for me to do anything else with the aircraft, kinda like real life.

I have a magnifying work lamp above my monitor so maybe I'll reach up, open and close the lid, then hit the G key.

 

[Mfair621]

Ok, can someone help with this. I would think that the you first “lower” then “reload” then “raise”. Once lowered and pressing the combo for reload, I get “Lewis is not in reload position. I’ve tried every combo and even mapped “reload” to a button. After lowering, raising, or reloading first I get “Lewis is not in reload position”. I’m sure I’m doing something wrong, just can’t figure what. Any help apprecieated. 

[epower]

Keep holding CTRL+G until the Lewis gun is in the fully lowered position.  If you let off the keyboard too soon the gun won't go all the way down.

 

Edited April 11, 2021 by epower
Added pics

[Mfair621]

WOW! That is way too cool! I didn’t realize it was animated. What other goodies will I find as time goes own. Thanks Epower!

[epower]

Gotta love it.  I added some pics in case they would be helpful to someone struggling with the same issue.

Cecil Lewis in his BBC great war interview said it was quite a job controlling the wallowing plane and getting another drum on. 

[epower]

KJakker - Thanks for posting those vids.  I'd seen the balloon busting gun video he did but not those two on the Lewis.  Interesting detail about the latching mechanism and the vane sight.

[BuckeyeBob]

Previously, I had remapped several keyboard commands that required you to press a three key combination, but I like this one the way it is, for realism. One hand for CTRL+G and SHIFT+G to lower and raise the mount, and two hands for CTRL+SHIFT+G to reload. As long as you are careful to hold CTRL+SHIFT with one hand and tap G with the other, you shouldn't accidentally toss any drums overboard. In fact, it might be cool to build in a random % chance that this happens anyway, because, you know, stuff happens!

Great stuff!

[Mfair621]

7 hours ago, BuckeyeBob said:

Previously, I had remapped several keyboard commands that required you to press a three key combination, but I like this one the way it is, for realism. One hand for CTRL+G and SHIFT+G to lower and raise the mount, and two hands for CTRL+SHIFT+G to reload. As long as you are careful to hold CTRL+SHIFT with one hand and tap G with the other, you shouldn't accidentally toss any drums overboard. In fact, it might be cool to build in a random % chance that this happens anyway, because, you know, stuff happens!

Great stuff!

Now that would bring a little bit of immersion!

[Bagpipe]

Hello, I see folks talking about holding the lower/raise keybinds to continuously move the lewis gun through all of it's "notches" per se.

However, I have these binds mapped to my hotas throttle buttons and I have to spam the button to move it in either direction as holding the button only registers a move of one "notch".

Is there a way to make the sim read the hotas button press and hold as it would a keyboard or is this a limitation of the hardware itself?

[VFC_Baxter]

What a dreadful weapon that Lewis gun was! Limited ammunition and the very real chance of going out of control whilst wrestling with the thing! 

[+Polovski]

On 08/05/2021 at 9:01 PM, Bagpipe said:

Hello, I see folks talking about holding the lower/raise keybinds to continuously move the lewis gun through all of it's "notches" per se.

However, I have these binds mapped to my hotas throttle buttons and I have to spam the button to move it in either direction as holding the button only registers a move of one "notch".

Is there a way to make the sim read the hotas button press and hold as it would a keyboard or is this a limitation of the hardware itself?

Probably need to use joystick software to have the button "repeat" like a normal keyboard key.  It's meant to be difficult too BTW as in real life it was difficult to do of course, fumbling around with that whilst trying to stay in a fight would be very tricky.
 

Edited May 13, 2021 by Polovski

[TROOPER117]

Several accounts I've read in the past stated that individual pilots would try to leave the fight, sort out the Lewis gun, then after reloading return to it if it was still going on... my feeling would be to break contact and leg it. If I managed to do that without some Hun following, I'd reload and get myself home!

[Bagpipe]

5 hours ago, Polovski said:

Probably need to use joystick software to have the button "repeat" like a normal keyboard key.  It's meant to be difficult too BTW as in real life it was difficult to do of course, fumbling around with that whilst trying to stay in a fight would be very tricky.
 

Yeah no I get that it should be tricky I am just concerned about my joystick button being rattled repeatedly every time I gotta reload... I will just work out a keyboard bind and use a press and hold on that, no biggy

[+Polovski]

Just use the ctrl+G , shift+G?  i.e take your hands OFF the joystick as you would in real life.

Edited May 14, 2021 by Polovski

[TROOPER117]

Ooh... what about in real life when pilots had to stand up in some aeroplanes to change the Lewis magazine... when some of these machines had to be flown hands on constantly, that must have been some feat!

[Bagpipe]

15 hours ago, Polovski said:

Just use the ctrl+G , shift+G?  i.e take your hands OFF the joystick as you would in real life.

Yeah will just use those, prefer to map as much to my hotas as poss but that's a fair one and not too big a stretch

[+Polovski]

Yes Trooper so for the Nieuport 10, 11 etc with the fixed mount maybe one should also stand up and then press the keys using only thumb and little fingers or better still a thumb on one hand little finger on the other, and a big toe to represent the difficulty ;)

[TROOPER117]

I'm not even going to try and replicate that  

I'd wake up in the field hospital!