Oolite Bulletins

Just thought I'd log my feature request. Hopefully this is the right place to do it.

Please add a configurable joystick axis deadzone to either the configuration file or some sort of in game configuration option.

I like many others with XBOX controllers, have terrible trouble keeping the thing centred. There is just a little bit of play in the axis' on these controllers (and I'm sure plenty of other ones) thus making it very difficult to fly straight. The standard microsoft drivers for most control pads do not seem to allow this option so a small config in OOlite would help massively.

A simple percentage dead zone in the middle of the axis would be fine. Either one setting that works for all axis' probably easiest.

Another possibility that I have seen on other games is to have a live view of the stick in a box, showing the current X Y position, and a box that you can expand and contract with a slider to set the deadzone.

I seem to remember not having this problem with my old BBC Voltmace joystick, so I wonder if either the joystick itself or the original Elite had some sort of deadzone within it.

!m!

It may be more something about Xbox (and similar type) controllers. I've used a few different "standard" joysticks (meaning ones that take a whole hand to run rather than the little ones on an Xbox style controller), and never had much trouble with Oolite. Once in a great while, one of the older ones will continue to roll a little when I take my hand away, but just tapping it lightly stops that. The keyword there is "old" (springs need replaced eventually), so I doubt it's related to the problem you're having. I've used some that I'll admit are really cheap old junk with no problem too, so I'm not saying it's a quality issue either.

I have to admit I know next to nothing about the Xbox style controllers, but I know some of my joysticks that work fine on Oolite definitely have nothing like a deadzone, and I don't usually have trouble. Maybe Xbox style joysticks are much more sensitive or something?

I think it's just that the analogue sticks on the xbox controller are really sensitive.
If I watch the levels on the windows configuration they twitch a little.
I know that the play in the sticks is normal as this is a brand new controller fresh from the package. I suspect that the xbox controller has a different method of doing the sticks compared to standard joysticks. My old stick had some play in it but the center point movement didn't make the levels change.

I'm considering cracking the controller open to see what it's made of.

!m!

There's gold in them there controllers!

I was hoping to find some of that spare cash I've give to M$ over the years.
They must have stashed it somewhere.

!m!

On Linux, if you use XBoxDrv, you can set a deadzone. I describe my setup here: http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/Linux_ ... d_Gamepads

Maybe on Windows or Mac the joystick driver or a utility may allow configuration of a dead zone.

The windows driver has less options than the Linux one.

I've got around it by compiling oolite myself. 0.13 is about a perfect deadzone for the xbox controller.

!m!

I would like to be able to set a deadzone in Oolite without needing to compile it myself (Mostly because right now I'm afraid to touch code in case I break something horribly). If it could be included in a config file somewhere, that'd be neat. My Saitek Cyborg Evo joystick seems to only want to drift to the left in Oolite, in every other game it's fine.