Arvoch Alliance SE Demo Joystick Problem *INFO*

[xsw3x]

With my bog standard usb joystick plugged in, Arvoch Alliance SE fails after clicking on training mission: invalid joystick index valid range is 1 - 8 in main.agc at line 112674. Only with joystick unplugged will it work. Tried installing with joystick unplugged and choosing mouse as controller - it works. BUT as soon as joystick plugged in again, it fails. stickdevices.sw and stickt.sw seem to be re-written when the game starts anew, so no luck there. Getting it to ignore joystick and work with mouse would be good. Being able to work with joystick as well would be even better.

[Vice]

Sounds like the 'keymap8.sw' file may have gotten corrupted or mapped device ID's lost. Did you previously have an older version of the game installed (particularly 1.X)? Or were you perhaps using more control devices earlier, then reduced the number when playing the game later?

Temporarily rename the 'keymap8.sw' file located in the \Documents\ArvochAllianceSE folder to something like 'keymap8-bak.sw', then launch and test the game again. If that sorts the problem, please e-mail me the old back up 'keymap8-bak.sw' file that you renamed.

Edit: Additionally, I've uploaded a new build that should help resolve any such errors that could be caused by devices getting mismatched or unbound from their control bindings. For example, if a controller was mapped, then unplugged before launching the game again the next time. Your issue may or may not be related to this condition, but it's an additional step to try. The demo has also been updated (main menu will show version 2.0988 in the lower right corner once the new build is installed).

[xsw3x]

Thanks
Renamed (1.47Kb) file as suggested. The program generated a new (1.57Kb) keymap8.sw but this time things worked, problem gone! Version 1 of arvoch had been installed but seemed to share no ‘obvious’ directories with the SE version. Whilst it works well with mouse, when set to joystick (regardless of deadzone settings etc) it just spins around out of control. This is not the only game to do so, also E legacy, Darkstar one.
Freespace2 (and its knossos extension) works OK though.
Have send keymap8-bak.sw to [removed] as attachment (if you need it sent elsewhere please let me know).
Hope this info is of use. Pleased that I can now have a go at the game - but with mouse
Best Regards
xsw3x

[Vice]

Got the file. Thanks for sending it, that is a big help. There were six device indexes in the file, likely well beyond an enumerated device list at some point. If there weren't actually that many devices plugged in at one time, then the issue may have surfaced when the game tried to import values from the really old V1 control template (I suspect that is the most likely reason). Either way though, it could indicate that the update I provided just a few minutes ago might help prevent that kind of thing from happening in the future, regardless of how device ID's might get jumbled or lost. So if it happens again, try redownloading the demo to install the latest build to see if it resolves any errors (even if an error is pending, so leaving the existing 'keymap8.sw' file in place).

With flight mode set to joystick, the Axis Configuration menu will likely reveal what kind of signal the game is seeing from the joystick you have plugged in. The horizontal axis indicators will move left or right from center to indicate what values they are receiving from the device. Odds are, you'll find Roll, Pitch, or Yaw control mapped to an axis channel that is returning an all-left or all-right signal. Once you locate that, you can click on the axis indicator to select 'Clear Axis Control' to unbind that axis signal from the flight control causing the spinning/turning. And from there, you can see what axis signals the device is returning and assign controls to each one you want to use for flight control specifically for the joystick you are using. Just click on the axis channel indicator that is responding to the input you want to bind, then click on the control function to bind to that input.

You can also optionally load one of the predefined control profiles from that menu ('Load Control Device Profile' button). But it's pretty easy to just to map controls directly to each axis customized to your preferences and control device.