Message-ID: <36804E7D.408229BE@wingmanteam.com>
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 17:59:25 -0800
From: Chris <chris@wingmanteam.com>
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Subject: Re: Wheel -- with force feedback and clutch and stick?
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USB actually wouldn't have anything to do with it.  USB is simply a type of connector - the
programming challenges behind what you're suggesting exist no matter how the device is
connected.

The problem is that the game doesn't know anything about the wheel.  All the game knows is
that it is receiving commands from DirectInput, which it translates into different actions.
There is no "universal standard" for "shift up" that the wheel's driver could send to the
game - it can only send "switch 1 open" "switch 1 closed" etc. and the game has to decide
what to do with the value "switch 1 closed."  We could keep track of the position of the
gearshift and when it is moved from 1 to 2 we could send a signal, but this would require a
set of precise actions from the user (always start the game with the wheel in first gear,
etc.) that would be very easy to for the user to forget/not do and then cause the wheel to
"break" or stop working properly.  Also, there would be great difficulty in programming the
game to accept the custom input from the user's standpoint - figuring out how to translate
"first gear" through "sixth gear" and reverse into "shift up" and "shift down" would be
difficult for most users.  Top this off with the default settings for each game using
different buttons for shifting, and you've got a nightmare.  You could do this all through
keyboard translation, but that would require the user to go into the game and program shift
up and down to keys (like Q or something) so that their shifter would work.  How many people
would be able to figure that out without reading the documentation?  :)

The upshot is that it could probably be done, but until games support individual gears on
individual buttons, it's unlikely there will be a robust, simple solution.  Even advanced
software would have a difficult time working around the inherent difficulties of the problem.

-Chris


"Michael E. Carver" mcarver@teleport.com wrote:

> <snip>
>
> With the advent of USB, I think all of this can be handled by the driver
> software for the controller and not necessarily game dependant.
>
> --
> **************************** Michael E. Carver *************************
>      Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town.
>          mcarver@teleport.com   http://www.teleport.com/~mcarver
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=<[ /./.  [-  < ]>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

