vJoy Personal Joystick Curves Setup FFB2 and others

[KG200_Volker]

Hello all,

 

I was trying to find a solution to the wobbling problem that I have with my FFB2 since MS doesn't support with software this excellent stick past win XP. The solution will work in every joystick. If you want to get your hands dirty keep on reading. As all side solutions there are pros and cons, its up to you to decide if its worth it.

 

We ll need 3 small programs, the 3rd one is needed ONLY if you have a force-feedback joystick.

 

1. vJoy

http://vjoystick.sourceforge.net/site/index.php/download-a-install/72-download

 

This is a virtual joystick, it will appear as a normal joystick in windows, but you can manipulate it through the next program to get input from your actual stick and transfer it to the sim.

 

 

2. Joystick Response Curves

http://www.xedocproject.com/joystickcurves.html

 

This program is the one you use to change the response curves of your joystick, it also supports profiles for different aircraft which you change on the fly by Alt-Tabbing  or by a hot key. (e.g. Aggressive Pitch for a 109 and a very smooth for a FW)

 

 

3.simFFB            Only if you have a FFB Joystick

(32 or 64bit according to your system)

http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=1628706&postcount=43

 

Unfortunately FFB is not working on vJoy (one con of the solution), so you need some kind of spring force for your stick, that's what this app do. On the bright side, you can use whatever force you like with this from 0% to 100%.

 

 

!WARNING! By installing vJoy your controllers ids will change, which means you ll have to remap them if you want to go back. Its always a good idea to keep a backup of your "input" folder. Unbound your joystick axes from the sim before setting the virtual ones, if you dont do that, IL2 will get input both from actual controller and virtual one. For FFB users, disable force feedback in game.

 

 

 

A. First of we have to install vJoy. Just run the .exe and it will do the work. After that you ll have a folder named vJoy in your "All Programs" named vjoy, run from there the "configure vjoy" one and you ll see this screen:

 

Mine is all-ready setup and it has more axis selected than my real stick but that is OK. Its straight forward, select according to your needs and your stick axis, number of buttons and hats, press apply and you are done. Now if you check in your joysticks list you have another one called vJoy witch has the buttons and axis you have already selected, you can close the app now. (you can have more than one virtual joysticks with different settings but I wont elaborate on that)

 

NOTE FOR FFB: Turn OFF the force feedback effects in vJoy setup, probably it wont work, and in my system it renders the keyboard useless in the sim. It might be different in another system so you can test if you like.

 

B. Install "Joystick Curves" and you ll see this screen when it starts:

 

Now we have to do some setup, we have to assign our physical stick axes to vJoy ones, and after that we can change the response curve to whatever we like.

 

Press on "profile" tab and create a new one with your preferable name. Select from drop-down list of the  "Source (Physical device)" the stick that you want to assign an axis to vJoy, and then right bellow the axis. (in this photo we have sidewinders roll axis)

 

Next you have to choose the axis on vJoy that will get information from your stick. Chose under "Destination (Virtual Joystick)" the "vjoy Device", after this is done we have to select the axis of vJoy in the tab right bellow.

 

Axis test now, the window on the right shows both actual and virtual sticks movement, right clik on it and select both in Virtual and Physical the appropriate axis so you can test that it works. To find the right names for you sticks axes just set them up in test window in physical yaw until you see the indicator move when you move your stick, by this, for example you ll find that the throttle in MSFFB2 is "Slider 1"

 

To add the rest of your axes press ADD NEW tab and do the settings again for the next one. The test window shows 3 axis at any given time so to check for example throttle axis change by right clicking on it, what the virtual and physical cross is representing. You ll have something like this in the end:

 

Final job is to setup your curves to your liking, the big area with the small red and grey boxes represents your axis, the top is 100% and bottom is 0%, move the boxes around to fix the curve however you like. This can be done while you fly the sim by Alt-tabbing to JC.

 

There are more settings like copy/delete if you right click in curve setting area.

 

In order for the curves to work the app must run in the background.

 

You can have multiple profiles, one for every plane, that you can change by Alt-tabbing or asighn a hotkey.

 

An example with a over-smoothed pitch curve for the 109s, see in test box the difference between actual axis (dark green) and vJoy one (light green) which will be send to the sim:

 

To set the axes in the sim, fire up IL2, go to key settings and find the axis you want to set, alt-tab to JoystickCurves and tick the box "Virtual Axis Test Loop". This will set the selected virtual axis in motion, alt-tab to sim and click the axis you want, wait until the sim accepts the input and you are done. Follow the same procedure for the next axis.

 

C.  ONLY FOR FORCE FEEDBACK Joysticks that don't work through vJoy (test yours to see).

 

simFFB utility:

 

 

 

Run it and select your Joystick, select the force of spring you want to have and then close the app. It will create a file with your settings and next time you just run the app, no need to set anything. You can make it load with windows so its always ready.

 

Oh, and an .ico to make the exe pretty

 

Joyicon.ico

 

Hope it helps ~

Edited January 15, 2016 by KG200_Volker

[Dutch2]

thanks, but for changing the force you can also read this: http://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/9700-force-feedback-improved/?p=256367

[KG200_Volker]

thanks, but for changing the force you can also read this: http://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/9700-force-feedback-improved/?p=256367

 Probably you misunderstood, this has nothing to do with forces, its for changing the way the joystick behaves.

[I/JG7_Jack*]

Very nice post, I also use this Vjoy & JoyCurves and it works fine.

 

I am wondering, how do you set up your sensitivity, dead zones and the joystick noise in the game itself?

I have a T16000. 

[KG200_Volker]

Since I use vJoy I don't change anything in game. I don't have any noise problems with MS stick but I do have with CH quadrant, software based cleaning for noise was not good, so after searching the solution that worked for my controller was not to directly connect it to the PC USB port, but pass it through an external powered USB hub.

[I/JG7_Jack*]

Since I use vJoy I don't change anything in game. I don't have any noise problems with MS stick but I do have with CH quadrant, software based cleaning for noise was not good, so after searching the solution that worked for my controller was not to directly connect it to the PC USB port, but pass it through an external powered USB hub.

 

Interesting, so you have all the options what I wrote at 0 setting? 

I put the noise a little bit up to "feel" the weight of the plane

[HR_Mosca]

_Thanks!

[LLv34_Vellu]

Hello

 

I tried to install these progrmas but when I installed simFFB I got warning that I missing one dll file.

Volker which OS do you use ?

[KG200_Volker]

Win7 64, which dll?

[[TWB]Pand]

Not in regards to FFB (Force Feedback):

 

Does vjoy/Joystick Curves allow control to create a damping/delay input effect?

 

Note: I'm not referring to Axis "Linearity" with an S or J curve.  Curves and Linearity are essentially the same thing, where with a standard S curve you have less movement logically (more physically) near the center but exponential movement near the edge (but less movement physically).

 

I'm referring to creating an "Input Lag" on the Axis. Damping is the "delay" in input movement. So if I were to move from 0 to 50% pitch on my stick, instead of moving the elevators immediately to 50% in real time physically and in game, it would take maybe 500-1000ms to get there logically, delaying the input and keeping the in-game movement smooth.

 

Some people/games describe the damping effect as "Sensitivity"--- for example in Warthunder:

This affects how your pilot's on-screen flight stick and control surfaces respond to your own controller movements. At 100% your on-screen flight stick is synchronized to your own controller's movement and speed. If sensitivity is set to anything less than 100%, the pilot's flight stick will still respond to your movements in time but the overall speed of the in-game flight stick (and control surfaces) will become slower. Set sensitivity to the lowest value and move your controller to see. On screen the flight stick is very slow and lags behind your own controller's speed of movement, like it is moving through treacle. It even re-centers slowly. Set to 100% and it is synchronized, matching the speed and movement of your own controller. Reduction in sensitivity here could prevent unnecessarily fast control surface movement.

 

Many games have this input modification built in, and some software with other sticks have this included--- but IL2  does not, so I'm looking for a solution to help reduce oscillation without having to deal with exponential linearity that an S curve causes.

 

Is this possible with virtual joystick setups like vJoy? Has anyone done this?

 

Thanks in advance for any help that can be provided. 

[KG200_Volker]

Unfortunately no time lag on movement.

 

Just curious, isn't the lagging response more problematic? I mean let's say :

1sec : pull stick up

2sec : nothing happens, contact appears low, moving stick forward

3sec : planes pitch up reacting to 1sec input

4sec : nothing happens

5sec : plane pitches down reacting to sec3 input

 

(Times just to set steps) Wouldn't this give a sence of unresponsive or lagging plane? I ve never tried something similar so I don't know the "feeling"

Edited April 5, 2016 by KG200_Volker

[[TWB]Pand]

The lag in your example would be extreme as that would be very problematic; however, with a slight lag, especially with nose oscillation, it helps smooth out the nose bobbing. 

 

I rarely recommend anyone go play war thunder, but if you have an interest in what I'm referencing ... with your in game settings, adjust the stick sensitivity from 100% to say 10%... just to see how the lag works --- then bump it to 90% for functional.  Not sure what the ms delay is at 90% but is a good setting (imagine it would also depend on your stick) to reduce the over correcting nose up and down problems.

 

Would be nice to have a similar setting in BOS.

[LLv34_Vellu]

Hello

 

I tried to reinstall these system and again I have same problem.

When I tried to install simFFB I got message "MSVCR100.dll" is miss.

My OS is WIN10 64 bit and probably it is a reason to this problem.

Edited April 10, 2016 by SFF_Vellu

[KG200_Volker]

Hello

 

I tried to reinstall these system and again I have same problem.

When I tried to install simFFB I got message "MSVCR100.dll" is miss.

My OS is WIN10 64 bit and probably it is a reason to this problem.

Try any of these:

 

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/windows/how-fix-msvcr100dll-is-missing-error-image-3589464/

 

http://www.tenforums.com/general-support/9969-help-dll-files-missing.html

 

http://answers.ea.com/t5/Origin/MSVCP100-dll-missing-in-windows-10/td-p/4702068

 

Seems easy to solve. (AVOID fix4dll site)

Edited April 11, 2016 by KG200_Volker