vJoy Axis Detection and Mapping in Il2 with Joystick Gremlin (warthog hotas) or current.actions and current.map editing

[fribnibble]

Hi all!

 

Just getting into IL2 in VR with Warthog HOTAS after doing tons of other sims, and loving it. Especially Career mode, really cool! Loving the realism. Started with simple engine stuff, 109s, but want to get deeper. To that end, I could use help mapping controls to vJoy axes.

 

I want to make it such that holding a hat on the stick temporarily makes the friction slider on the throttle control various things: mixture, water rad, oil rad, superchargers, etc. I can get all that functionality going in Joystick Gremlin and I can verify that the various axes of my second vJoy device are behaving correctly. It's sweet.

 

But I can't get IL2 to see the vJoy #2 axis movements, to assign them to the controls in the game. Starting with Axis X on vJoy #2 (eg trying for joy5_axis_x in current.actions and current.map, since vJoy2 is joy5), to be precise, that I want to be mixture. I can get it to see button presses from the same vJoy device, using Input Repeater in Joystick Gremlin, so it's not a device missing issue.

 

Here's what I have tried so far:

 

1. I wrote a macro in JG (joystick gremlin) that, on button push, waits two seconds, them moves the vJoy axix to 0, then 0.5, then 1, then 0, then -0.5, then -1, then 0, with 0.5 sec pauses in between. I watch the JG Input Viewer and see vJoy 2 axis x clearly making these movings. When i push the button, then hit "retry" in il2 mapping panel, nothing happens. It doesn't see the axis movements. If I manually use the friction slider of the warthog hotas it detects and maps it. I know it see vjoy 2 buttons, as I can map those. Maybe it doesnt use axes from high numbered devices? I have not successfully detected any axis from a vjoy device. So that is TBC.

 

2. I tried clearing my entire input folder. Restarting the game. Mapping the friction slider to mixture, so current.actions and current.map have "joy2_axis_t" or similar for mixture. Then i very carefully edit only those entires in both files to "joy5_axis_x" where i know joy5 is vjoy device #2 and verify that buttons from that device work. When i do this the game hangs on boot.

 

3. I tried the above but with deleting the current.map file. This always hangs the game. I've seen people say that current.map is generated by the game, but every time I try to edit one or the other file, and boot the game, it hangs at end of red strip bar load. Do I need to turn off Steam Cloud? Removing the whole input folder correctly generates new clean controls. Is there somewhere else i need to update to be able to manually change things in the current.actions and current.map file? This would be my preferred method to map everything.

 

Attached is the grand scheme I'm going for. Thank you so much for any help!!!!!

 

Cheers

[Hoss]

Use TARGET, no problems there................ 

 

Hoss

[fribnibble]

Yah. Good point. I guess I could. Got virpil rudder pedals, but I don't think that's a problem. I tried target, and moved to Joystick Gremlin, can't remember why. I think it was the weirdness of the TARGET GUI, and drivers, and all that. I'll take another look. Thanks Hoss.

[FlyingH]

Use the target script editor if you don´t like the GUI, as you seem to be confident with making scripts it shouldn´t be a problem. There is also an extensive pdfguide that is very helpful that you can download with lots of tips on how to write advanced scripts.

[Hoss]

If you come up with a script, I'd like to see it. I use the GUI for IL2 with "chain" and "Sequence" commands, you can't do Tempo though. I use Sedenion's 128 dx Script for DCS. It does have Tempo and S3 as a modifier (shift).

 

[fribnibble]

Hey guys - update here I got it going with Hidhide (https://github.com/ViGEm/HidHide) - works nicely actually. Just needed to hide the warthog stick and throttle so that IL2 would only see the vJoy axes when I was using the friction slider to assign it in game. Hiding the warthog stick and hotas made IL2 recognize vJoy axes nicely - and was able to get all 8 axes of vJoy2 mapped into various engine controls. E.g. so holding the joystick hat in various directions maps the grey throttle friction slider to different engine functions like mixture/oil/water rads etc., only while button held down, as per the mapping png from my earlier post.

I'll let you know whether it's practical in the game! Obviously these axes may jump depending on where the slider is when you hit the button to start mapping it in game, but I figure that doesn't matter. i'll leave the slider so it doesn't do anything unless you hold a button. so I'll think "adjust mixture to xx%" move the slider roughly there, then hold the button to map it while i dial it in, then let go.

we'll see - overly complicated seems to be the way i do things, but it structures the time nicely!

If I do end up needing to script anything in TARGET i'll post -- or I can post my JoyStick gremlin settings (XML file) at some point if there's interest. 

Thanks again @352nd_Hoss @FlyingH!!

[Hoss]

Just make sure you have it running before you start IL2 or the IL2/data/input/devices.txt file will write the stick, throttle, pedals in again.  You can delete this file and start JSG/Vj/Hh and it will rewrite itself and you should only see the vjoy virtual stick. I always start TARGET before I start IL2 for whatever reason, and it still sees the joystick, throttle, pedals and TARGET/combined all in that devices.txt file.  If your pedals don't work, remove them from Hidhide so the device file sees em. Looking at your map you could use a BlackHog b-explorer, I have six axis' and eitght buttons, four 3-way switches. That's where I put the eject, stores jettison/fuel tank jettison (Tempo) the four sliders are for Output/Input cowls, and Coolant/water, and Oil radiators, the two rotary axis I use for volume knobs, the four red buttons B2, 4-6 I use for SRS Radio 1, 2 and channel up/down. When fuel tanks are incorperated the three ways set up as sequence presses will be used to switch tanks. It's a godsend in DCS............... the UFC has 20 channels each on Radio 1 and two, can't remember how many I can get out of the Black Hog, I'd have to get it running and listen to them. 

 

Cheers

Hoss

Edited December 12, 2021 by 352nd_Hoss

[VBF-12_Stick-95]

@fribnibbleaspence  I use Joystick Gremlin with my HOTAS.  I wasn't sure if you were aware of the use of shift mode in JG.  This allows you to assign another layer of key bindings to the buttons.  I set a button on both my throttle and joystick as a Shift key.  If press and hold the "Shift" button and then press another button JG will send the key characters from the shifted assignment, in my case Shift 1.

 

First screen is Default key bindings, second screen is the Shift mode assignments.

 

I do find that that JG can have issues with certain key bindings using Map to Keyboard.  For example, binding B with a control key, etc. will still release the bombs.  The work around is to use the Macro mode.  I my case, for simplicity, I bind axes directly into the game but you got me thinking.

 

[fribnibble]

Thank you both! @352nd_Hoss that blackhog box looks sweet - could be a go to in the future. separate buttons way nicer than bringing up the mapping sheet in VR all the time. and @VBF-12_Stick-95thanks for the tip/reminder! I use the boat switch to toggle two modes; but i was thinking it's overkill for IL2, as you see from my png there's only like 5 commands in the separate modes, so really just have a single shift layer would do the job, and doing a shift layer is a lot less clicking that moving boat switch forward and back etc. so that's a good tip. and yeah i agree modifier keys don't work great from JG, i end up making macros for tons of things. even then it's dicey - i never got windows screen shot to work for exampel in FS2020. thanks guys.

hey while i've got you here - can you do a continuous zoom with an axis in VR? i'm finding i can only use quickzoom level binds, but mapping an axis to pilot head zoom doesn't work in VR, whereas if i leave the mapping all the same and reboot in pancake it works fine. maybe a limit of VR, with convergence issues etc? 

[VBF-12_Stick-95]

26 minutes ago, fribnibbleaspence said:

can you do a continuous zoom with an axis in VR?

 

I may be wrong but Pilot Head: Zoom In/Zoom Out controls do not work in VR, just the Quick Zoom.

[fribnibble]

Agreed! Yes that has been my findings. Thanks for confirming @VBF-12_Stick-95

[VBF-12_Stick-95]

@fribnibbleaspenceCheck this thread.  I have only used it on buttons.  Maybe on an axis?

 

 

Edited December 15, 2021 by VBF-12_Stick-95

[Piekarz]

On 12/11/2021 at 11:51 PM, fribnibbleaspence said:

But I can't get IL2 to see the vJoy #2 axis movements,

There is an option in JoyGrem to exagurate virtual axis sensitivity? That helps sturmovik to see and bind them, also start binding form center helps (50% in DIView)

 

Using vJoy, Virtual Controller app and DIView  I do it for  mouse emulating axis. Maybye it will work for JoyGrem...

 

-in virtual controller settings set your axes % to very high value like 3000% to exagurate virtual axis sensitivity   (for all axes You want to bind ind sturmovik)
-run DIView (You shuold see your emulated vJoy axis working here if not check Edit/settings MARK on VJoy device
-run sturmovik in windowed mode and small resolution (DIView window axis position must be visible under sturmovik window)
-when setting up the binding in sturmovik You must start from 50% (center position) axis position in DIView visible under
(so sturmovik detect Your mouse emulated axis instead of mouse itself)
-close sturmovik
-in virtual controller settings set your axes % to desirable

[BladeMeister]

Say what Willis???

 

S!Blade<><?

[Ojeda]

I have an old Logitech 3d pro, which I want to use to control the trim axes. Could you help me to configure through this application?

[Roland_HUNter]

On 1/25/2022 at 7:50 AM, Ojeda said:

I have an old Logitech 3d pro, which I want to use to control the trim axes. Could you help me to configure through this application?

This wil happen quite often as Joystick Gremlin cannot hide the physical devices inputs. To circumvent this issue the Input Repeater tool was implemented. You can activate it via Tools > Input Repeater. Once activated go into the game's input remaping screen, use the input you want to map by either pressing or moving it. Then, activate the remapping dialog of the game and it should recognize the virtual joystick's input. The input repeater will repeat your input for a duration of five seconds.