Wow - Joy2key No Longer Works For Joystick > Keyboard Emulation

Discussion in 'TSW General Discussion' started by DROGE, Aug 23, 2020.

  1. DROGE

    DROGE Active Member

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    Hi guys,

    I come to you flabergasted and seriously disappointed tonight.

    Yesterday I bought TSW along with Schnellfahrstrecke, Duisburg, Peninsula Corridor and East Coastway.

    I excitedly launched TSW2 for the first time today and was stunned to find that Joy2Key no longer works with TSW2 (it worked perfectly with TSW2020). Although Joy2key is working normally, TSW2 (or the updated Unreal engine) now somehow "blocks" keypresses, other than those that come directly from the keyboard. No amount of fudging or messing with Joy2key would result in the 'A' and 'D' keyboard emulations coming from my joystick to reach the game.

    DTG - Were you even aware that this was the case with TSW2?

    It renders the game a 'keyboard or game controller' only sim; which is just no good for me.

    Everything else about TSW2 is just fantastic, but sadly because Joy2Key (nor any other keyboard emulator - I tried three) no longe works, I've just put a STEAM refund in for all 4 products bought from you yesterday.
     
  2. FeralKitty

    FeralKitty Well-Known Member

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    Sorry you're seriously disappointed.

    DTG is aware of the issue and is working on it.

    Raildriver and external hardware support is in production (actively being developed). It won't be out in the next update, but see the roadmap to track its progress.

    This snippet from the Frequently Asked Questions might also be helpful:

    - Does work on Raildriver come with any other controller options?
    Raildriver is just one option. We will work to implement all forms of DirectInput devices. It is likely an API will be released for more customized controllers.
     
    Last edited: Aug 24, 2020
  3. DROGE

    DROGE Active Member

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    A DirectInput API would be fantastic of course. But the main point I was raising in not that it doesn't have an API for "proper" joystick use, it's that it's removed functionality that was available and used by a lot of people, in TSW. In that regard, it's definitely a backwards step.

    Joy2Key isn't an API or anything complex - it just takes a joystick axis movement and converts it to a keypress, that can be read by almost anything on your PC. Eg.. If you open MS Word and then move your joystick, you can see the keyboard letters appearing. :)

    I've actually never come across a piece of software that somehow 'blocks' the keypresses that Joy2key produces. I don't even know how they configured the sim to accept keyboard presses, eg 'A' for throttle, but to somehow know when a joystick emulator program is generating that same 'A' keyboard press and block it. It just seems so odd / off to have seemingly blocked that functionality.

    I could understand them perhaps doing that once there is a proper controller API in place. But by blocking it now they've exluded all those users (including a lot of youtubers who feature TSW and use Joy2key, like Alan Thomson) who had found an external solution for joystick use, that did not in anyway interfere or require modifications to TSW.

    Just another odd DTG move I guess.
     
  4. Redbus

    Redbus Well-Known Member

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    We will hopefully soon have an interface that can bind a button or axis to any appropriate command is all that's required, DTG do not need any specific peripheral support. I hope they don't overthink it and start locking stuff down to "approved" peripherals.
     

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