[EM 2.708] 3 controllers, 2 problems (1 bug?) *FIXED 2.728*

[MaxiM]

OK, so I was using only 2 controllers until now - joystick (device 1) for flying and a keypad (device 3) with one analog stick, which I uses for horizontal and vertical strafing.

Today I plugged my steering wheel, which seats under my desk all the time, so I figures I'm gonna use it's pedals for inertial forward/reverse. I could bind the pedal axis just fine (device 3)and they sure work, but not exactly in a way I would expect.

First of all, the pedals are set to "invert" by default and the game won't let me untick that box - unless I unbind the analog stick that I use for strafing on device 3. That's why it looks like a bug to me, because those are completely separate controllers and shouldn't affect each other like that. This makes using the pedals counter-intuitive, as I have to push the left one for "forward" and right one for "reverse", which is a total opposite of what a typical human is being used to.

Can I somehow force the game to turn off reverse on that axis?

My other problem might be more of a design decision, but at least it would be cool to have an option to change that. When I pick up speed using inertial fwd/rev and release the pedal, the velocity stays the same. Now I know we're flying in space and it basically works the same as afterburner/reverse thrust, but it would be great to have an option to make the ship slow down and stop after releasing the pedal. It only bugs be because it's kinda hard to bring the ship to a complete halt using inertial fwd/rev without turning IDS back on. It's not a big deal, but may be and idea for a future update/next game

[Edited on 9-6-2013 by MaxiM]

[Edited on 10-8-2013 by Vice]

[Vice]

Yes, you should be able to manually edit the config file to force the invert option on or off. We can go over that if needed, but you should be able to select the option in the menu. So there may indeed be some kind of crossover problem where the invert setting for one is incorrectly effecting the invert setting of another (which shouldn't be the case, since the inverse options are bound to the control function itself, not the device). Maybe the game is incorrectly seeing the -same- control function for two separate controllers. Please e-mail me (starwraith.com > contact) your stickt.sw file from the save data folder and a screenshot of how your axis configuration menu looks (print screen key > paste into an image editor > save as a JPG).

My other problem might be more of a design decision, but at least it would be cool to have an option to change that. When I pick up speed using inertial fwd/rev and release the pedal, the velocity stays the same. Now I know we're flying in space and it basically works the same as afterburner/reverse thrust, but it would be great to have an option to make the ship slow down and stop after releasing the pedal. It only bugs be because it's kinda hard to bring the ship to a complete halt using inertial fwd/rev without turning IDS back on. It's not a big deal, but may be and idea for a future update/next game

That is indeed an intentional control function. When you turn off the IDS, you are entering a manual control mode where you activate and deactivate certain maneuvering thrusters manually. Under automatic computer control, the IDS does the work of setting the ship's course and velocity to whatever values you select by how you point the nose of your ship and what speed setting you select with the throttle. It does the work of accelerating and decelerating to match the settings you choose. When the IDS is off, it's up to you to manually control the thrusters to apply forward or reverse velocity, they don't reverse their action on their own just because you reduce the amount of thrust nor if you turn off the thruster entirely. You have to apply the reverse thrust yourself under those 'free drift' manual control conditions. That's true of the lateral, vertical, and forward/reverse thrusters.

[Edited on 9-6-2013 by Vice]

[MaxiM]

Yeah, if you could tell me which value to change I would greatly appreciate it. Since there are no function names in config files it's kinda hard blindly guess which one is it

[Vice]

Thanks for sending the files. This is going to require some investigation on my part. It appears there are some links between certain axis channels and the invert function, namely to try and align whatever setting the player selects for throttle control to match inertial forward/reverse in the case they are both set to the same axis channel. I'll need to re-familiarize myself with why this was originally set up this way, but I should be able to make the necessary changes to unbind the two for individual assignment as well as continuing to support common settings on the same device for both control functions. I'll likely send you a test build soon to try out and make sure it works the way it needs to for your set up.

[MaxiM]

Thanks, I'll test it extensively today.

[MaxiM]

OK, tested the beta build and now it works. I had to clear the axis first, then assign them again and now I can tick/untick the [ ] Reverse option.

Another fun fact while we're at it. Ever since I used my Logitech Extreme 3D Pro joystick with EM, the twist stick I use for rolling is reporting as both axis 4 and 7 at the same time (synced). Might be another thing worth checking

Btw, what other changes were implemented in that build, if I may ask?

[Vice]

Another fun fact while we're at it. Ever since I used my Logitech Extreme 3D Pro joystick with EM, the twist stick I use for rolling is reporting as both axis 4 and 7 at the same time (synced). Might be another thing worth checking

That's actually intended behavior. There are two dedicated control input systems that the game uses, one for the first set of axis inputs, another set for the other system. It's not uncommon to have a control device return signals on more than one axis input system. It's there in case the device can't send back a signal on one or the other, or if one input system provides a more desired behavior on one axis channel versus another.

Btw, what other changes were implemented in that build, if I may ask?

Currently, this is what else is available in the test build:

- Gun turret hull armor indicator now changes color based on damage level.
- When zooming in on the nav map in rear view mode, maplog waypoints could block left click nav point selection, now fixed.
- When transitioning from terrain walker back to spaceship, engine sounds might not restart properly, now fixed.
- Custom music files above group level 3 may not load correctly under certain folder conditions, now fixed.
- Several minor bug fixes.

Once the build finishes its testing cycle and becomes an official update, details will be posted in the announcement section of the forum and on the game's website.

Glad this is working for you, thanks for the follow up.

[MaxiM]

- Custom music files above group level 3 may not load correctly under certain folder conditions, now fixed

No problem man, thanks for addressing this so quickly. One question about this particular fix - does that mean that now I don't have to copy custom music to both \\music and \\sounds folders to prevent crashes?

[Vice]

Yes, that's exactly right. The split folder dependency has been removed, so you'd only need to put songs in the \\music folder.