Mechwarrior 2 for DOS v1.1 Sidewinder 3D Pro Issues

[raekwonchef]

Gang,

Thanks, so much, for helping me to get my Sidewinder 3D Pro working in Descent. All is well now, but on to the next issue!

I am using the same joystick that I know works (all buttons and axis from the work I did to get Descent working properly). I try to setup the joystick in digital mode, which I believe is when the switch is in position II, using the Sidewinder 3D Pro setting in the Mechwarrior 2 config instead of the CH Pro Mode option. I then bind some controls to the sidewndr throttle, sidewndr twist, etc. I save the config as a custom config, it says the custom config is currently loaded, but when I get into the games, nothing works right or at all. The hat buttons seems to fire all weapons. The X1, Y1, X2 and X2 axis don't respond at all.

I then tried to set it up in position I using the Sidewinder 3D Pro (CH Mode) setting in the games. This seems to make all of the buttons, aside from the 4 on the base, work just fine. I expected that to happen because this is analog mode (those 4 base buttons are disabled). However, when I assign up/down to turret movement and left/right to chasis movement, neither work! All other buttons are fine. I can calibrate the joystick in game and the X1, Y1, X2 and Y2 axis do respond!

Any ideas what's going on here, or if I might be doing something stupid wrong? Can I edit the .map files for the different input controls to manually specify them? Why won't digital mode work in DOS!?

Again, I am running a P3 733MHz underclocked to 66MHz FSB @ 366MHz CPU, 384MB PC100 RAM underclocked to 66MHz as well, a SB16 CT2260 (CT2230) soundcard (I5, D1, 5, P300, A220) and DOS 6.22. Any ideas?

[Grendel]

Just to clarify this -- the stick is in analog mode by default (after powering up) and has to be set explicitly into digital overdrive mode via software. The switch in the back will select betw. CH and TM emulation in analog mode and becomes useless in DODM (well, almost. Switching it als resets the stick, ie. switches it back to analog emulation mode.)

No further input on the MW2 issue tho, never really used it :/

[raekwonchef]

Just to clarify this -- the stick is in analog mode by default (after powering up) and has to be set explicitly into digital overdrive mode via software. The switch in the back will select betw. CH and TM emulation in analog mode and becomes useless in DODM (well, almost. Switching it als resets the stick, ie. switches it back to analog emulation mode.)

No further input on the MW2 issue tho, never really used it :/

Thanks, at least, for that clarification. Then I wonder exactly when the Sidewinder switches to digital mode when entering MW2. Hmmm... I also wonder why my joystick itself doesn't respond in analog mode yet all of the buttons do! Sheesh! Does anyone else have a suggestion? Thanks, again.

[Duper]

try the MekTek forums? Those guys are pros when it comes to Mechwarrior.
I USED to play Mech 2, but it's been so long, that I've forgotten a lot of config tweaking I did .. and I had to do a LOT of it. The game was quite buggy when it came to controllers.

[raekwonchef]

try the MekTek forums? Those guys are pros when it comes to Mechwarrior.
I USED to play Mech 2, but it's been so long, that I've forgotten a lot of config tweaking I did .. and I had to do a LOT of it. The game was quite buggy when it came to controllers.

Hey, thanks for the advice! I'll go post this over there and will let you know. If anyone has anything they want to add, please, feel free! Thanks again.

[Sapphire Wolf]

Or you could go to mech2.org to find help. Just an option, though

[raekwonchef]

Or you could go to mech2.org to find help. Just an option, though

Thanks, buddy! Any other suggestions, anyone?

[raekwonchef]

Just now, I was able to get my joystick working in analog mode on all axis! I am using the CH Pro mode in DOS MW2 with my sidewinder in position 1. The trick to getting the axis to respond was to calibrate the joystick real quick. If I fly through the axis calibration, all the axis respond! If I take my time calibrating, they don't respond at all! I can at least get that mode to work now! YAY!

I thought I heard that CH Pro mode wouldn't allow simultaneous button to be pressed. Does anyone know if that's true? Could I set it up as a TM to allow multiple buttons? I don't think digital mode will ever work as there's no calibration there. I think I'd need to edit some driver/input config files to make that happen. Any ideas?

Thanks, everyone, for at least responding to me!

[Grendel]

[game] can be controlled by your 3DP in 'analog mode' only (ie. you can't use the 4 base buttons and the hat-switch operates 4-way only), emulating a CH Flighthstick Pro series stick or a Thrustmaster stick depending of the position of the little switch on the bottom of the 3DP (pos I => CH, pos II => TM).

Because CH and TM use different methods of passing hat positions to games, there're differences how the slider, hat and buttons are handled during gameplay:

- in CH mode you can't press more than 1 button simultanousely, eg. if you press the hat up, the trigger won't react until you release the hat

- in TM mode the slider will be disabled, 'cause the hat positions are mapped to fixed Y2 values

[raekwonchef]

...Because CH and TM use different methods of passing hat positions to games, there're differences how the slider, hat and buttons are handled during gameplay:

- in CH mode you can't press more than 1 button simultanousely, eg. if you press the hat up, the trigger won't react until you release the hat

- in TM mode the slider will be disabled, 'cause the hat positions are mapped to fixed Y2 values

Sorry to make you repeat yourself. Thanks. I checked out the ThrustMaster option in the game and the slider is definitely not around!

I am able to press more than one button at a time using the Sidewinder 3D Pro CH Pro Mode! WOOHOO! Thanks for your help!!