Camera Movement in external view

[photomankc]

Is there any good way to be able to move the camera from dead behind or ahead in external view for a guy without:

-middle mouse button
-numeric keypad

The default is numeric keypad but my wireless KB doesn’t have one. My touchpad has no function for a middle mouse button press and hold. The hat on my joystick is assigned to thrusters for strafe and I want to keep that.

Remapping the keys seems to do little. I’ve tried shif+ combos with the direction keys as well as Ctrl+ keys with the WASD keys and neither seems to work. I’d love to be able to see things from other angles.

Also, is there an external view that keeps you in center with target in view? That’s always a handy view to have. Target view seems to track with my ship in relation to the target in center frame but I can’t find one that does the opposite.

[photomankc]

I don't get it...

The remapped controls work in the cockpit. I can look left/right and up/down and recenter. I can't do that in the external views. I'm stuck with tail-pipe or front chase views or a random fixed view

[Horux]

Press one time F2 and you get a fixed view from behind which can not be changed. As far as I know.
Press a second time F2 you get this random(?) vie in a fixed dircection space, so ship movement will not change the dircetion in space. But here you can use numpad for changing this direction. So in your case the remapped buttons.

As this topic is open. I hate the new external view mechanic. Why am I not allowed to change the view, after pressing one time F2? Sometime I want to enjoy the show, but I see to much of the back of the ship.
My suggestion would be:
First time F2: View from behind the ship which is moving with the ship. Use Num Pad for changing the view at you ship. Num5 Switched between baack and front view.
Second time F2: More or less as know view is fixed to one direction in space and using he num pad for chaning this direction.

[adeine]

Absolutely need better external camera controls, especially for capship control. External view should also have a way of aiming main guns/destroyer main batteries.

[photomankc]

Press one time F2 and you get a fixed view from behind which can not be changed. As far as I know.
Press a second time F2 you get this random(?) vie in a fixed dircection space, so ship movement will not change the dircetion in space. But here you can use numpad for changing this direction. So in your case the remapped buttons.

I think I tried that and the view wouldn't move, but let me try that again and double-check.

Thanks!

[EmperorDragon]

When flying large ships, I usually go into external free view (F2 twice), use mouselook to control the camera (mouselook remapped to Alt in my case) and then steer the ship using arrow keys. Works well for carriers.

[photomankc]

When flying large ships, I usually go into external free view (F2 twice), use mouselook to control the camera (mouselook remapped to Alt in my case) and then steer the ship using arrow keys. Works well for carriers.

I'll give that a try. It's definitely not working to remap the movement keys, even in the free view mode. Perhaps the mouselook remap will offer a solution.

This seems like a bug that those keys don't work in just the external view.

[Reactivist]

I used to like to be able to look around in the cockpit in X2(the last X game I enjoyed till this one) using the joystick hat, also moving the outside camera with the hat, is there any way to do this in x4?

[photomankc]

@EmperorDragon - That worked! Remapping the mouse-look key works to allow me to change perspective. It's a little tough to get used to the mechanics of how it moves but at least I can now get the view to a target that I want. Thanks!