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Joystick (again?)

Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 12:53 pm
by pacrox
Hello everybody,
I'm new on this forum and a new (happy) user of OOLITE. I used to play with the original ELITE on ZX-Spectum and later with ELITE New Kind (that has disapperared from the network thanks to Dave Braben). After this short introduction let's go straight to the point.

I just bought (for OOLITE) a Trusthmaster FOX 2 Pro Joystick (an awesome one). It seems to work under Linux/Ubuntu but OOLITE can't see the axis. Buttons are OK, but no axis ergo no movements.

I know that OOLITE has nothing to do with the joystick. Is an abstraction layer provided by SDL. I see that OOLITE uses SDL version 1.2.

The questions are:
- does anybody uses the same joystick I have under LINUX?
- is someone aware if SDL supports my joystick?

Any help? Any suggestion?

Thanks in advance for you help. Thaks to everybody for the efforts in making those strongs retro-sensations come true.

Ciao
Pasquale

Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 9:57 am
by pacrox
Considering that after 4 day I havn't got any answer, I assume that nobody uses the Trusthmaster FOX2.

I read in other posts that someone use the Logitec ATK II and Saitek ST290. Thus I decided to buy the Logitec, but I still would like to use my Trustmaster which is way better than the Logitec. I hope it will be supported on future versions.

Does anybody knows if there is a list of the supported joysticks for Oolite?

Thanks
Pasquale

Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:00 am
by lucabu
Ciao Pasquale,

as far as I know there's no such list, since Oolite doesn't access hardware directly. I think you should try your stick on anoter setup (say windows or a different linux distribution).

It will probably work, I'm quite sure it depends on your specific setup.

Bye

Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:20 am
by pacrox
The Thrustmaster works perfectly. I tried it on friend's Mac with Mame and it works also perfectly under Linux with 'jsconfigurator'.

As I said the buttons are visible under Oolite while the axis are not interpreted. I know that it has nothing to do with Oolite and it's an abstraction layer provided by SDL... I was just wondering if there is a list of joysticks supported by the version of SDL that Oolite uses.

Thanks for your answer,
Pasquale

Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 12:12 pm
by ovvldc
I seem to recall OOlite on Mac doesn't have joysticks implemented..

A workaround is to use an app like USB overdrive to emulate a mouse and some keys.

Best wishes,
Oscar

Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 12:38 pm
by pacrox
Don't know about Oolite on Mac because I don't have it. Neighter I know about Windows.

I just tried the joystick to see if it works and I tested it with a game emulator called Mame. It was working perfectly without any driver or wierd configuration. Just plug and play.

Considering that Oolite uses the Joystick trough SDL you have to see if Mac SDL (if any) supports joystick. I really don't know.

Thanks,
Pasquale

Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 12:42 pm
by JensAyton
Oolite on the Mac does not support joysticks. Oolite on the Mac does not use SDL. :-)

Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 6:29 pm
by Ebi
I have the Top Gun Fox2 Pro USB. Pasquale, is that the same as yours? I use it on Windows and have no problems with Oolite (okay, the cooliehat does not work). Linux does not support my soundcard, so I've never tried Oolite there.

Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 9:10 pm
by Cmdr Wyvern
I have a Thrustmaster Afterburner USB - it's the 4 axis, 8 button HOTAS version of the Fox2.
Except for Oolite not seeing the hat and the stick wanting to drift all over the place, it works well in Oolite on Windows XP.

I use the Thrustmapper software to resolve the drifting (setting a deadzone) and the the lack of hat control (program the hat to send F1 through F4 keypresses, to switch views on-the-fly).

It's worked well on Oolite v 1.65, and works equally well on v 1.71.2, though it tends to be a bit more sensitive on 1.71.2

I've not tried it on Linux yet, and don't ask me about it on Vista. I wouldn't touch Vista with your fingers!
(And I suspect it, like damned near everything else, won't work on Vista. :evil: )

Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 9:48 am
by ClymAngus
Ahruman wrote:
Oolite on the Mac does not support joysticks. Oolite on the Mac does not use SDL. :-)
Really? What about logitech key mapping? I can get the mouse buttons to be any thing I want. That's running under leoptard. It's an assumption admittedly but wouldn't a joystick work in the same way?

came across this whilst looking for the thrustmaster drivers :
http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductP ... _Id=393402

I think I've just found the left hand rest gadget for my Captain Kirk chair.

(by the way try rooting round here, you may find a move mapper for your stick in here at the very least you can ask a nurd. http://ts.thrustmaster.com/eng/index.php

Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 10:01 am
by JensAyton
ClymAngus wrote:
Really? What about logitech key mapping? I can get the mouse buttons to be any thing I want. That's running under leoptard. It's an assumption admittedly but wouldn't a joystick work in the same way?
Joystick software can emulate a mouse or a keyboard key, but that’s not the same thing as Oolite supporting joysticks.

Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 10:25 am
by ClymAngus
Ahruman wrote:
ClymAngus wrote:
Really? What about logitech key mapping? I can get the mouse buttons to be any thing I want. That's running under leoptard. It's an assumption admittedly but wouldn't a joystick work in the same way?
Joystick software can emulate a mouse or a keyboard key, but that’s not the same thing as Oolite supporting joysticks.
Considering most people use curser keys anyway, would people really notice the fudge? I suppose they would.

Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 11:07 am
by pacrox
Ebi wrote:
I have the Top Gun Fox2 Pro USB. Pasquale, is that the same as yours? I use it on Windows and have no problems with Oolite (okay, the cooliehat does not work). Linux does not support my soundcard, so I've never tried Oolite there.
Yes, that's exactly the same, huge and heavy base, joystick with rudder control and force feedback (wich it's useless on Oolite, at least for now)...

So it works for you under Windows... humm... does Oolite Windows uses SDL? If yes wich version?

Thanks, I have a "new hope"....

Pasquale

Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 11:10 am
by pacrox
Cmdr Wyvern wrote:
I've not tried it on Linux yet, and don't ask me about it on Vista. I wouldn't touch Vista with your fingers!
(And I suspect it, like damned near everything else, won't work on Vista. :evil: )
Considering your opinion about Vista, you will try Linux sooner than you think... just try with Ubuntu...

Vista is the best friend of Mac OSX and Linux... thanks Mr.Gates, oops I mean Mr.Ballmer.

Damm joystick it so beautiful that I want desperately to use it... or may be both: the Logitec and the Trustmaster together...

Thanks,
Pasquale

Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 11:20 am
by pacrox
Ahruman wrote:
Considering most people use curser keys anyway, would people really notice the fudge? I suppose they would.
Well, I used the cursor key since the beginnig (Elite on ZX-Spectrum) but I have to say that with the joystick is another world... especially in combat...

And joysticks nowadays are not the joysticks of the '80, now they are proportional, so you have an accurate control on roll and climb velocity...

I'm currently rated Dangerous and I've more than 20000 Cr, but I don't want to buy the docking computer... docking with the joystick is a pleasure...

Pasquale