Add Proper Gamepad / Joystick Support

[ZooNamedGames]

Needless to say, KSP needs better gamepad/joystick recognition and support. I have a Logitech 3D Pro sitting in the corner that's rarely used as the only game I can use it is FSX. KSP is a perfect game and would be fun to use with a joystick while flying. Gamepads are even worse as the only thing KSP does support (that I know of) is a wired Xbox 360 controller which I don't have (despite me owning a Xbox 360).

So please help Squad?

[razark]

What's the problem with joysticks in KSP?  I've used one for a while when flying planes, and I've never noticed a problem.

[ZooNamedGames]

2 minutes ago, razark said:

What's the problem with joysticks in KSP?  I've used one for a while when flying planes, and I've never noticed a problem.

It doesn't detect any input from my joystick and same for my (simply to say) generic gamepad. It accepts button presses but not movement of the joystick itself.

I've heard it is because KSP tracks movement in key presses (WASDQE) rather than normal movement of a analog stick or joystick, but this is still poor.

[razark]

I've got a Saitek ST290 Pro, and I've been using it for many versions of KSP.  It's always responded as I expected.  I do seem to recall having to set the deadzones around center, as it was a bit too sensitive.  (I've not touched the settings in a long time, I just copy it forward from older versions to the new ones.)  I'll try and remember to steal the Logitech 3D Pro from the kids at some point tomorrow and see how it works with KSP.

I don't know anything about gamepads.  The only one I have is an old NES controller for Tetris.

[ZooNamedGames]

1 minute ago, razark said:

I've got a Saitek ST290 Pro, and I've been using it for many versions of KSP.  It's always responded as I expected.  I do seem to recall having to set the deadzones around center, as it was a bit too sensitive.  (I've not touched the settings in a long time, I just copy it forward from older versions to the new ones.)  I'll try and remember to steal the Logitech 3D Pro from the kids at some point tomorrow and see how it works with KSP.

I don't know anything about gamepads.  The only one I have is an old NES controller for Tetris.

Unless I'm doing something wrong... I've got all the drivers downloaded for my joystick and still nothing.

Well I have a USB SNES controller as well.   It doesn't work either.

[Alshain]

26 minutes ago, ZooNamedGames said:

Unless I'm doing something wrong... I've got all the drivers downloaded for my joystick and still nothing.

Well I have a USB SNES controller as well.   It doesn't work either.

@ZooNamedGames Sounds like you aren't mapping it right.  In the input settings, buttons/keypresses are on the left of the screen, analogs on the right.  There are duplicates.   They are not mapped by default like some games, you have to go map them manually.

I have a Thrustmaster now, but before that I had my Dad's 10 year old Saitek that was basically an earlier model of yours and it worked fine. EDIT: oops, I meant earlier version of razarks.  I read the wrong post.

 

What OS are you on?

 

Edited September 15, 2016 by Alshain

[ZooNamedGames]

36 minutes ago, Alshain said:

@ZooNamedGames Sounds like you aren't mapping it right.  In the input settings, buttons/keypresses are on the left of the screen, analogs on the right.  There are duplicates.   They are not mapped by default like some games, you have to go map them manually.

I have a Thrustmaster now, but before that I had my Dad's 10 year old Saitek that was basically an earlier model of yours and it worked fine. EDIT: oops, I meant earlier version of razarks.  I read the wrong post.

 

What OS are you on?

 

I am aware of this, and even selecting the gamepad/joystick mapping button moving the joystick or analog stick causes no input.

Windows 10.

[Stocchinet]

I have the same joystick as you and everything is smooth as silk, sorry but i can't help you, just reporting my experience

[Dafni]

1 hour ago, ZooNamedGames said:

It doesn't detect any input from my joystick and same for my (simply to say) generic gamepad. It accepts button presses but not movement of the joystick itself.

I've heard it is because KSP tracks movement in key presses (WASDQE) rather than normal movement of a analog stick or joystick, but this is still poor.

Are you sure you select an axis (on the right side of the menu, next to the button configs) and not a button command??

All joysticks I ever tried worked flawless in KSP, to this day. I use two at the same time, actually. Never had an issue.... after I found the buttons to assign the axes

Edited September 15, 2016 by Dafni

[ZooNamedGames]

7 minutes ago, Dafni said:

Are you sure you select an axis (on the right side of the menu, next to the button configs) and not a button command??

All joysticks I ever tried worked flawless in KSP, to this day. I use two at the same time, actually. Never had an issue.... after I found the buttons to assign the axes

I'll give it a shot in the morning.

[ZooNamedGames]

Well thanks to your advice I'm making some progress but now it won't accept my input to use joy1.5 for Kerbal Translate Forwards/Back. This is bad since to control a Kerbal for Translation and Rotation I need to be able to use the hat stick as well as the primary stick, but it won't accept the input. It detects it, but when I hit accept and go back to check what axis it's set to- it shows none. What the heck?!

[Alshain]

1 hour ago, ZooNamedGames said:

Well thanks to your advice I'm making some progress but now it won't accept my input to use joy1.5 for Kerbal Translate Forwards/Back. This is bad since to control a Kerbal for Translation and Rotation I need to be able to use the hat stick as well as the primary stick, but it won't accept the input. It detects it, but when I hit accept and go back to check what axis it's set to- it shows none. What the heck?!

The hat stick is a button, not an axis (at least it is on my Thrustmaster).

Edited September 15, 2016 by Alshain

[ZooNamedGames]

32 minutes ago, Alshain said:

The hat stick is a button, not an axis (at least it is on my Thrustmaster).

It detects it as an axis, but won't accept it. It shows when I use it, it shows hat 3 (or whatever number). But when I come back it shows as if I never did it at all.

[Alshain]

1 minute ago, ZooNamedGames said:

It detects it as an axis, but won't accept it. It shows when I use it, it shows hat 3 (or whatever number). But when I come back it shows as if I never did it at all.

That is so strange.

Ok, forget KSP for a moment.  Do a Windows search for Setup USB Game Controllers.  Select your flight stick and click Properties.  You should have something like this (I believe Windows 10 still has this)

The question is, does it actually detect as a PoV Hat, or is it detecting as an Axis?

[ZooNamedGames]

8 minutes ago, Alshain said:

That is so strange.

Ok, forget KSP for a moment.  Do a Windows search for Setup USB Game Controllers.  Select your flight stick and click Properties.  You should have something like this (I believe Windows 10 still has this)

The question is, does it actually detect as a PoV Hat, or is it detecting as an Axis?

It shows as a hat as shown on the bottom right of the second image. You would think this means its a button but it works fine for FSX as an axis.

[Alshain]

@ZooNamedGames  I tried it, I guess it does treat it as an Axis for mine too.  I could of sworn it was a button.  However it does remember it for me once I assign it.

I don't really use the hat on mine because it is meant for Trim and KSP is too dumb to let us map that.

Edited September 15, 2016 by Alshain

[ZooNamedGames]

Just now, Alshain said:

@ZooNamedGames  I tried it, I guess it does treat it as an Axis for mine too.  I could of sworn it was a button.  However it does remember it for me once I assign it.

I was talking to TheKosmonaut on the KSPO IRC and he thought it might be mods so I'm going to test that theory out on a stock install and see how it stands.

[Alshain]

It's possible I suppose, but I don't think it is likely mods.  It's worth a shot, I'm out of ideas.

[razark]

If I remember correctly, even FSX treated the hat as a button.  I could set it to look around and it would work fine, but if I tried to set the up/down/left/right to something like trim, it treated the whole thing as a single button.

[ZooNamedGames]

4 minutes ago, razark said:

If I remember correctly, even FSX treated the hat as a button.  I could set it to look around and it would work fine, but if I tried to set the up/down/left/right to something like trim, it treated the whole thing as a single button.

Well I need two controls for rotation/translation and with a single joystick that isn't much.

So I need the hat to act as a secondary joystick.

[worir4]

17 hours ago, ZooNamedGames said:

Well I need two controls for rotation/translation and with a single joystick that isn't much.

So I need the hat to act as a secondary joystick.

I think you can bind the axis differently for normal flight and docking mode. When you go to bind an axis, you have options to disable it for staging or docking mode. You could bind your joystick to attitude control during staging mode and then bind a button to switch to docking mode which would then use the joystick for translation.

Just to clarify the option to enable it only for a certain flight mode is on the menu when you are told to move the axis you want to bind. It is a green circle thing.

[ZooNamedGames]

1 hour ago, worir4 said:

I think you can bind the axis differently for normal flight and docking mode. When you go to bind an axis, you have options to disable it for staging or docking mode. You could bind your joystick to attitude control during staging mode and then bind a button to switch to docking mode which would then use the joystick for translation.

Just to clarify the option to enable it only for a certain flight mode is on the menu when you are told to move the axis you want to bind. It is a green circle thing.

Well this is for Kerbal EVA. So there is no docking mode.

[worir4]

Oh right. I guess you could use the joystick for rotation and maybe use your other hand on the keyboard for translation. It's not ideal, i know.

[pincushionman]

I haven't yet been able to get my joystick to bind to EVA rotation. The jets fire, but the kerbal no rotates. I think there's still some residual "kerbals aren't ships" code.

[Dafni]

On 9/16/2016 at 11:56 AM, worir4 said:

I think you can bind the axis differently for normal flight and docking mode. When you go to bind an axis, you have options to disable it for staging or docking mode. You could bind your joystick to attitude control during staging mode and then bind a button to switch to docking mode which would then use the joystick for translation.

Just to clarify the option to enable it only for a certain flight mode is on the menu when you are told to move the axis you want to bind. It is a green circle thing.

I dont seem to be able to find that button. Any help would be greatly appreciated.