Question Multi-Joystick

Moach

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there are no multi-joystick modules working, right?


i ask because, i ran impatient and started cooking up my own, which is based on directinput, and therefore, it supports up to 16 joysticks (windows max, apparently)

i'm wondering how much it would be worth it if i made this as a real addon - working for others, not just a quick-fix for me, that is...

so far, it can only enumerate devices... so, before i proceed, i wanna know if i should add an UI to choose which ones to use for input or just go on hardcoding what works on my rig...
am i making an addon here, or just a McGuyver-style hookup?

any takers?
 
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Krys

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Have a look at [ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=3223"]Fly-by-Wire[/ame].
 

Moach

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doesn't support multiples - i tried :(

i was wondering if ppl were generaly happy with it, or there are folks still waiting for something more versatile...

cuz if not, i'll just rig it up so it works here and let that be that :rolleyes:
 

Hielor

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doesn't support multiples - i tried :(
You sure? What exactly were you trying to do?

I have it working for me using two separate joysticks--I'm using the throttle from a Saitek X45 and the stick from a Logitech Extreme 3D pro.

That said, FBW does have a few issues--for example, it doesn't respect the RCS mode toggles or the aerodynamic control switch (although I think the latter is ship-specific).
 
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Moach

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im using an X52pro with rudder pedals...
it doesn't read the pedal axes... i can select the device, but i get no movement from it :shrug:

is there a fix for that? - it would kinda solve my problem...:huh:
 

Hielor

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im using an X52pro with rudder pedals...
it doesn't read the pedal axes... i can select the device, but i get no movement from it :shrug:

is there a fix for that? - it would kinda solve my problem...:huh:
What pedals are you using? It may be that your pedals are just incompatible with whatever system it's using...
 

Moach

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its the saitek pro flight rudder pedals... they work with everything else just fine....

with the 2006 version, i was using JoyRide, and it worked... FBW doesn't seem to like it much, tho
 

Hielor

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Ah, http://www.orbiter-forum.com/showthread.php?t=10010 (the search function is your friend).

Apparently the issue is with the SDL library itself, so there's nothing that can be done from the FBW side :(

FBW includes the source, but I don't think it's in C++, so I don't know how useful it would be if you were going to try rewriting it with DirectInput. Could be worth referencing, though.
 

Moach

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yeah, i remember reading that or something similar...
the underlying library doesn't go with the axis configuration used by the pedals... too bad...

good thing i know* programming then :thumbup:

*perhaps too strong a word - read "...get by with...":lol:
 

James.Denholm

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FBW includes the source, but I don't think it's in C++, so I don't know how useful it would be if you were going to try rewriting it with DirectInput. Could be worth referencing, though.

There is a small C++ wrapped DLL thingymabob, but the main guts of the program is written in Delphi 6, sadly. And that's even more painful when you realise that there is no free Delphi compiler any more...

I'm actually trying at the moment to work out a way of compiling it in Lazarus, which is a IDE related to the Free Pascal Compiler, because I desperately want to tweak a few little things in FBW.

So, yeah. Might have some overlappery, depending on what you decide to do.
 

Moach

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yeah, i really don't go for the way FBW ruthlessly overrides RCS settings and all...
i had it disconnected up till now, and was using joyride and a custom-made hookup for RCS control...

none of that works now...:huh:


well... when i had directinput enumerate my devices and print them to my debug console, i found something most cool - my 3dConnexion 6dof device is recognized!:woohoo:

i've tried another module to make it work in obriter, but i found it incompatible with the rest of my setup...

so i guess i'm gonna write me up a direct input module anyways... i reckon some ppl have been longing for a "unified" joystick solution... i might as well do it, being one of them :hmm:

and releasing it sources-included helps too, no?
 

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Keep going, this would be a much-appreciated add-on. Outside of the RCS/AF override issues, the ability to define axes for user-defined thrusters/thrust groups is sorely missed by me. This would work for RCS but mainly allow us to configure a throttle for XR scram engines.
 

Hielor

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well... when i had directinput enumerate my devices and print them to my debug console, i found something most cool - my 3dConnexion 6dof device is recognized!:woohoo:
Nice, I've always thought that would make a fun RCS controller, a combined THC/RHC.

The other bug with FBW that I wouldn't miss is the way that some axes start at 50% when the sim starts, rather than where the axis is in reality.
 

Moach

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yeah, im gonna take all that into consideration... i'm making this into an addon then - thats what i wanted to know:thumbup:
 

Hielor

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There's already an addon to get 3dconnexion hardware working in Orbiter:
[ame="http://orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=1332"]SixDegrees[/ame]

It's currently being discussed in this thread. Might be worth checking out.
 

Moach

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yeah, i've seen it... but it seems to clash with some other stuff, making the ship impossible to control:uhh:

i'm thinking i just might make a one-size-fits-all directinput module to solve these joystick problems altogether (hopefully)
 

Moach

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yay! happy!

i just managed to succesfully integrate directinput into orbiter!
now my rudder pedals are working! woohoo! :yes::woohoo::hotcool:

and as it turned out... building it up to make it into a proper addon isn't too much of a stretch... just need some interface and the ability to save a config file :rolleyes:



it already respects vessel settings for RCS and ControlSurfaces! i just haven't found where is it that one controls the nosewheel...

i figure the best, and simplest way to map axes and controls, is to use a "listen for change" method, in which any axis that moves who knows how much during scan gets picked for that input mapping... it's quick, easy and i don't have to create an over-the-top graphical control-panel interface thing :p

of course, i'd allow for axis redundancy, as well as RCS-overriding commands


but for now, it just finds my devices, then arbitrarily picks number 2 (my pedals) and updates the focused vessel thrusters and surfaces accordingly

to celebrate, i flew my trusty DG all the way up to the moon... then ran out of fuel on the way back and crashed against it... :sweet:
 

Hielor

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it already respects vessel settings for RCS and ControlSurfaces! i just haven't found where is it that one controls the nosewheel...
I don't think it's possible to control the built-in nosewheel at all, and FlyByWire currently doesn't. If the user has [ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=4012"]NoseWheelTurn[/ame] installed, though, the nosewheel becomes an extension of the rudder, so it works with FlyByWire (and presumably, yours as well). You could set up another axis for nosewheel and allow that to be mapped to the same thing as rudder, and just use the code out of NoseWheelTurn, but it would probably be easier to just bundle NoseWheelTurn with your package, and that would be perfectly fine with me.
 

Moach

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ah! thanks! thats very nice - i'll probably do that!

cheerz:thumbup:
 

Moach

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just thought i'd let y'all know, i got it working with my 6DoF device! :)
i rigged it to work directly with the linear RCS - leaving the stick and pedals for rotation...

quite an enjoyable setup! i did a fully manual docking without even looking at the MFD, and best of all - no LIN/ROT switching :thumbup:


anyways, but so you don't HAVE to have a setup like mine, i'll still create a config utility, so you can define which axes (and buttons) work for you :yes:

also, i won't fully override the default axis setup... this way, you don't have to disable joystick support in the launchpad and i don't have to program for the view-hat :p


cheerz!
 
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