Nudging options

[koadic]

i am more concerned with the z axis for plunger at the moment. i am trying with the default file>new table. it is not working so far. maybe vp isnt picking it up... come to think of it, i had no nudging till i set it up in xpadder. i think maybe my controller isnt being picked up... I have no problem mounting it upside down with a weight for nudging though. Not 100% sold on the sidewider. Now to get to the bottom of this...

And you clicked on the Plunger object on the table and then put a check in the 'Enable Mechanical Plunger' Box? I only ask because I didn't see it explicitly stated anywhere that you did this, not that I think you are an idiot if you already did this and it still isn't working. That and the fact that you are making sure to use the right, modified exe file (it appears as v917 in the help->about page).

[Syco54645]

I have checked 'Enable Mechanical Plunger' on the default table. I am using your compiled exe. When I downloaded it I labeled it as visualpinball_koadic.exe so I am pretty sure it is the right version. I think my only option left is to compile it and spit out a debug message to see if my controller is being picked up at all...

[blur]

check if nudge works with your xbox controller!!!

you dont have turn anything upside down - just move x y axis for test

if it doesn't work gamepad is not detected

[Syco54645]

I was thinking aloud to the future saying that I could do that rather than use the Sidewinder. Nudging doesn't work on the Xbox controller without xpadder. Xpadder doesn't work unless I launch it as admin. Not sure if that has anything to do with this issue. I have the intention to take the work of koadic and add logging of sorts so that if anyone else has this issue they could debug it. This is where github would be better than source forge as I could just pull his changes from his report and not care if they were in the main project.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

[Syco54645]

ok, started debugging it. have found that my gamepad is picked up in

}else {
		uShockDevice = e_JoyCnt;	// remember uShock
		uShockType = USHOCKTYPE_PBWIZARD; //set type 1 = PinballWizard
		myfile << "We are a generic.\n";
	}

I am now at a complete loss. The pad is seen by vp and it is being set as pbw so it should just work. What is going on here?

[blur]

do you have a check for hr==S_OK?

my code was

else if ((hr == S_OK))

{

uShockDevice = e_JoyCnt; // remember uShock

uShockType = 1; //set type 1 = PinballWizard

}

so you have a gamepad but it is none of the above...

maybe vp doesn't even detect your gamepad

[Syco54645]

I should have pasted my whole block, would have been clearer. What I did was add writing to a file at various stages. i will recreate it at work from memory. i wrote to a file because i know c++ but not vc++. I have no idea how the debugger works in .net. Figured that would tell me just as much info. I could even output variables if I really wanted to. it mostly went like this:

if (hr == S_OK){
myfile << "hr == S_OK.\n";
if (!WzSzStrCmp(dstr.wsz, "PinballWizard")){
	uShockDevice = e_JoyCnt;	// remember uShock
	uShockType = USHOCKTYPE_PBWIZARD; //set type 1 = PinballWizard
	myfile << "we are a real pbw.\n";
}else if (!WzSzStrCmp(dstr.wsz, "UltraCade Pinball")){
	uShockDevice = e_JoyCnt;	// remember uShock
	uShockType = USHOCKTYPE_ULTRACADE; //set type 2 = UltraCade Pinball
	myfile << "We are an ultracade.\n";
}else if (!WzSzStrCmp(dstr.wsz, "Microsoft SideWinder Freestyle Pro (USB)")){
	uShockDevice = e_JoyCnt;	// remember uShock
	uShockType = USHOCKTYPE_SIDEWINDER; //set type 3 = Microsoft SideWinder Freestyle Pro
	myfile << "We are a sidewinder.\n";
}else if (!WzSzStrnCmp(dstr.wsz, "UHID Gamepad Device", 19)){
	// Ultimarc's UHID-A works like sidewinder with no other buttons.
	uShockDevice = e_JoyCnt;	// remember uShock
	uShockType = USHOCKTYPE_UHIDA; // Ultimarc's U-HID-A
	myfile << "We are a uhid.\n";
}else if (!WzSzStrCmp(dstr.wsz, "Logitech Dual Action")){
	uShockDevice = e_JoyCnt;	// remember uShock
	uShockType = USHOCKTYPE_PBWIZARD; //set type 1 = PinballWizard
	myfile << "We are a logitech.\n";
}else{
	uShockDevice = e_JoyCnt;	// remember uShock
	uShockType = USHOCKTYPE_PBWIZARD; //set type 1 = PinballWizard
	myfile << "We are a generic.\n";
}
}

My output was

hr == S_OK.
We are a generic.

So I know it is getting picked up just the keypresses (or in this case thumb stick movements) are not registering.

[blur]

try to add some debugging in PinInput::ProcessKeys near the end (you have comment // Axis, Sliders and POV) which is executed when button press or axis movement is detected.

[northvibe]

WOW! you guys have made progress on the nudging good to see. So is there a new controller that is preferred?

[Syco54645]

try to add some debugging in PinInput::ProcessKeys near the end (you have comment // Axis, Sliders and POV) which is executed when button press or axis movement is detected.

thanks, will do. i was too tired last night by the time i go around to it to dig through the code very much. hopefully we can get to the bottom of this.

[blur]

WOW! you guys have made progress on the nudging good to see. So is there a new controller that is preferred?

any one with two sticks

if you want nudging only you can go with gamepad some that has accelerometer on xy axis like sidewinder, but for nudge AND plunger you need some with x, y and z axis

[Syco54645]

any one with two sticks

if you want nudging only you can go with gamepad some that has accelerometer on xy axis like sidewinder, but for nudge AND plunger you need some with x, y and z axis

I would hold off on the xbox controllers for now unless someone else has gotten them to work.

blur, you said that you use a ps2 controller. What drivers and usb adapter did you use? I have a usb adapter on my ps2 controller right now. I may just use that if it works better. I can get a ps2 controller for $10.

[blur]

i have some combo usb/ps2 gamepad from smartbox (no name). it has usb and ps2 connector on the end of the cable

no driver is needed in windows xp or win7

[Syco54645]

i have some combo usb/ps2 gamepad from smartbox (no name). it has usb and ps2 connector on the end of the cable

no driver is needed in windows xp or win7

So I plugged in my ps2 controller and it just works. I still intend to find out why the xbox controller isnt working. Maybe it can help someone in the future. At any rate I am pleased. If you dont mine my asking blur, what did you use as a weight on your x/y axis? I saw that you used a length of lead pipe but it didnt stay connected to the thumbstick. Did you ever find a better weight?

Also from what I read you suggest removing the right thumb stick and locating that under the plunger, that was my intention as well. So relieved I got this working.

I was thinking an option would be to get washer and a bolt and thread the bolt into the thumb stick. would hold it in and you could add washes to add weight to it. Thoughts?

[Spektre99]

So I plugged in my ps2 controller and it just works. I still intend to find out why the xbox controller isnt working. Maybe it can help someone in the future. At any rate I am pleased. If you dont mine my asking blur, what did you use as a weight on your x/y axis? I saw that you used a length of lead pipe but it didnt stay connected to the thumbstick. Did you ever find a better weight?

Also from what I read you suggest removing the right thumb stick and locating that under the plunger, that was my intention as well. So relieved I got this working.

I was thinking an option would be to get washer and a bolt and thread the bolt into the thumb stick. would hold it in and you could add washes to add weight to it. Thoughts?

Send me your compile .EXE and I can test it with my 360 controller?

[koadic]

if you want nudging only you can go with gamepad some that has accelerometer on xy axis like sidewinder, but for nudge AND plunger you need some with x, y and z axis

A SixAxis PS3 controller fits the bill great for this, it has analog sticks and an accelerometer (don't need to attach weights to one of the sticks). I already have a nanotech unit in the cab I am building, but if a friend of mine ever gets around to building one for himself, we are probably gonna try going the PS3 controller route. I currently have one torn apart (case was already damaged) and gonna see if I can interface it with some other buttons and utilize it as a PBW replacement, as it has a total of 17 inputs along with the analog sticks.

To use a PS3 controller via usb cable (bluetooth works too, but not necessary in a cab), you just need to go to motioninjoy.com and download the drivers for it there.

[blur]

So I plugged in my ps2 controller and it just works. I still intend to find out why the xbox controller isnt working. Maybe it can help someone in the future. At any rate I am pleased. If you dont mine my asking blur, what did you use as a weight on your x/y axis? I saw that you used a length of lead pipe but it didnt stay connected to the thumbstick. Did you ever find a better weight?

Also from what I read you suggest removing the right thumb stick and locating that under the plunger, that was my intention as well. So relieved I got this working.

I was thinking an option would be to get washer and a bolt and thread the bolt into the thumb stick. would hold it in and you could add washes to add weight to it. Thoughts?

I used a 20 cm long and about 4 cm in diameter lead pipe, hanging from the stick

i could detect every movement of a cab with great precision, but weight was to much for springs on stick so it would continue swinging for too long, stick would not come to resting position

i didn't test it much with smaller weight but you need something heavy enough to swing the stick and light enough so that stick spring can still bring it to center after the bump

for positioning - you can even test it without opening ps2 gamepad - you position gamepad under the plunger and connect right stick to plunger like rascal did

you have to rotate gamepad for 90 degrees cause z axis goes left-right on stick

then you glue some weight on first stick, fix it together and you can start testing, eventhough stick is going up it should detect bumps with big enough weight

for nudging directions you have to play with settings - but since you have rotation and inverting option (called normal mount) - you can put stick any way you want and still be able to configure nudging right

koadic ps3 driver gives you the ability to assign accelerometer to x and y? that could be great also!

by the way some ibm/lenovo laptops have shock detector which is also accelerometer and can be used to detect nudging, you only have to find driver for it to make it look like gamepad

[Syco54645]

Well ps3 controller could be an option too then. Btw, thanks for all the help. Really appreciate it.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

[koadic]

ps3 driver gives you the ability to assign accelerometer to x and y? that could be great also!

Yup, can even specify which direction to assign to which axis, so you can have the orientation any way you want; upside down, right side up, 90° rotation left or right. Pretty elaborate options, and no need to use an additional piece of software, as it can be completely configured without the use of xpadder or joy2key. You can always download and install the driver/config tool and look at it without having to hook up a PS3 controller.

[Syco54645]

Yup, can even specify which direction to assign to which axis, so you can have the orientation any way you want; upside down, right side up, 90° rotation left or right. Pretty elaborate options, and no need to use an additional piece of software, as it can be completely configured without the use of xpadder or joy2key. You can always download and install the driver/config tool and look at it without having to hook up a PS3 controller.

Friend at work is bringing in his on monday and I will bring in my laptop to test with. Wonder if the cheap chinese knockoffs on ebay would work. I have no problem using a ps2 controller with a weight attached but 11 inches of pipe hanging down into the cab would take up alot of vital space. much nicer just to have a board.

[koadic]

Friend at work is bringing in his on monday and I will bring in my laptop to test with. Wonder if the cheap chinese knockoffs on ebay would work. I have no problem using a ps2 controller with a weight attached but 11 inches of pipe hanging down into the cab would take up alot of vital space. much nicer just to have a board.

I don't believe the motioninjoy drivers will work with anything other than a genuine ps3 controller, whether it be a dualshock or sixaxis (both have accelerometer).

EDIT: Here is a look at the configuration screen and my setup...

[Syco54645]

I don't believe the motioninjoy drivers will work with anything other than a genuine ps3 controller, whether it be a dualshock or sixaxis, although I believe only the sixaxis has the accelerometer in it (but then again, maybe the dualshock3 controllers do have an accelerometer, not sure).

crap... will have to investigate that then.

[mostlydecaf]

I seem to be having a similar problem to Syco54645. I have an old microsoft sidewinder joystick. When I run the modified visual pinball, I can roll the ball all over the table, using x + y. But Z does absolutely nothing. It shows that it is working fine in control panel. It works fine in future pinball. But I get no response from visual pinball on the plunger. I have tried several tables that I have been assured work with pbw, including the default new table. Yes I have turned on the mechanical plunger. Any suggestions?

Mostly Decaf

PS. The funny thing is, I have no interest in nudging, but that works perfectly. The only thing I was looking for was an analog plunger, since I already have an ipac unit, and don't like the idea of tossing that away, in favor of the PBW.

[koadic]

I seem to be having a similar problem to Syco54645. I have an old microsoft sidewinder joystick. When I run the modified visual pinball, I can roll the ball all over the table, using x + y. But Z does absolutely nothing. It shows that it is working fine in control panel. It works fine in future pinball. But I get no response from visual pinball on the plunger. I have tried several tables that I have been assured work with pbw, including the default new table. Yes I have turned on the mechanical plunger. Any suggestions?

Mostly Decaf

PS. The funny thing is, I have no interest in nudging, but that works perfectly. The only thing I was looking for was an analog plunger, since I already have an ipac unit, and don't like the idea of tossing that away, in favor of the PBW.

I think the issue you're having is that unlike other gamepads, the sidewinder does have a profile in visual pinball, while the other 'unrecognized' gampads are set to the pbw profile. I should just do another compile of the exe with the other gamepad options removed...

EDIT: Here, try this exe... VPinball allPBW.exe... it removes all the other gamepad profiles and uses the PBW profile for all. Tested it with my PS3 controller and everything seems to work just like the previous version, hopefully it will work for you with the sidewinder and the z axis stick.

[mostlydecaf]

I think the issue you're having is that unlike other gamepads, the sidewinder does have a profile in visual pinball, while the other 'unrecognized' gampads are set to the pbw profile. I should just do another compile of the exe with the other gamepad options removed...

EDIT: Here, try this exe... . it removes all the other gamepad profiles and uses the PBW profile for all. Tested it with my PS3 controller and everything seems to work just like the previous version, hopefully it will work for you with the sidewinder and the z axis stick.

Thanks for trying. It still does not work. I tried both a blank table, and JPs Pirates. Made sure the mechanical plunger was enabled. The tables respond fine to x & y. But the z axis slider tab does nothing.

BTW. I don't know if this means anything, but I was playing with the program called rbjoy.exe. It is for connecting up joysticks as mice etc. I noticed that on my joystick, it does not refer to the third axis as +/-Z but rather as +/-S1. I do not know what the difference is. In future pinball, I just connect the plunger to Z, and move that control, and it moves the plunger.

Thanks again.

Mostly Decaf