Gamepad Emulator why not? « on: August 15, 2003, 05:56:39 PM »

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I mentioned this in the Sports games with IPac  http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=10652 thread, but I'm afraid it won't get seen as well there. 
I've written some VB programs before, but nothing complicated.  Is there a program (or would it be hard to write one?) that will create some "virtual" gamepads?  Like, When you go into the Windows Control Panel, the joystick section would show X number of controllers.  You could configure these "virtual" controllers to be keys on the keyboard. That would mean you COULD use all your 4 player CPs to play stuff like EA sports games and my (age old) virtua Tennis question. 

Wouldn't it?
It doesn't seem like it should be too hard to write it.  If it doesn't exist. 
Has anyone seen anything like this?

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Re:Gamepad Emulator why not? « Reply #2 on: August 15, 2003, 10:43:42 PM »

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well, seeing as how you're anti-4-Player CP, there wouldn't be MUCH point for you. 

The point for people like me who have a 4 Player CP, would be to be able to play Doubles in Virtua Tennis (on the PC version, without having to build another cab or CP with the Dreamcast in it) where the game only allows 1 player to be controlled by Keyboard.  The rest have to be joysticks.  Same goes for EA Sports games...didn't I put that in the orignal post?  Or are you just looking for another oportunity to rip us who have 4 player CPs? 

I know this makes sense to those of us who have 4 player CPs and although we don't regret our decision to go 4P, we're always looking to add games we can play with our friends.

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Re:Gamepad Emulator why not? « Reply #4 on: August 16, 2003, 12:43:44 AM »

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Many current windows games, especially sports games and games already ported to/from consoles, assign player inputs by device, with the keyboard one device.  Each gamepad, joystick, ect, OTOH is it's own device.  These games let control panels with ipac, keywhiz, hagstom,  MK64 (such as xarcade, hotrodse, and slikstik) only able to control one player.  (more info in the thread linked by allroy1975)

Howard, allroy1975 is asking if a key2joy prog could get around this limit by making virtual joysticks from keyboard inputs, or is he stuck with either hacking gamepads or only playing one player from a 2 player CP.


Allroy1975, I agree with howard that it would be very hard, especially with the keyboard inputs.  The keyboard and mouse are pretty much "protected" in windows so that they "always" ( ) work.  Getting at the keyboard inputs and converting to joysticks' inputs will be hampered, to say the least.

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Re:Gamepad Emulator why not? « Reply #6 on: August 16, 2003, 01:26:00 AM »

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Too bad you're not trying to get a joystick to emulate a keyboard...way easier! I know I'm no help... 

Re:Gamepad Emulator why not? « Reply #8 on: August 18, 2003, 12:54:19 PM »

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Off the top of my head, I don't think this would be too hard.  I've never tried to futz with input from the USB stream, but taking data from the serial or gameport is simple.  It would also be fairly trivial to translate keyboard input into the joypad buffer(s).

If USB is even remotely similar, it wouldn't be hard to write a program to do what you want it to do.  What WOULD be a potential stumbling block is if the program bypasses the Windows API's for the joypad buffers and reads them directly... then any hook/translator you have in the stream would be bypassed as well.  It may work on a game by game basis.

Basically, in short, you'd have to write a joypad driver (simple) that takes input from the keyboard and shoves it into the USB joypad stream. 

Alternately, you could write an IPAC specific driver and have all it' inputs mapped to the joypad stream instead of the keyboard stream.  I wish I was more familiar with USB programming.  Hmm, might be something to look into over the next few months.

Re:Gamepad Emulator why not? « Reply #10 on: August 18, 2003, 01:05:42 PM »

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I'd be super interested, mainly for 2 player Virtua Tennis (and I don't even have a 4 player panel).  I'd just like to play two player on the control panel rather than having one person on the panel and one standing there with a gamepad.

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Re:Gamepad Emulator why not? « Reply #12 on: August 18, 2003, 01:13:18 PM »

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Right, that's why I suggested a seperate executable.  That way you could load it, THEN load the PC game...ie Virtua Tennis and close it when you go back into MAME.

I'm in love with this idea, and if it's possible I REALLY want to do it! 

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Re:Gamepad Emulator why not? « Reply #14 on: August 18, 2003, 06:42:56 PM »

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why not just hack a few USB gamepads, and do what I did with my CP and its standard molex connectors?  i.e. Molex connector pin 7 is "up" for any joystick plugged into it.

Unplug the molex from the ipac, plug it into the gamepad.  Or just leave it in the gamepad, if that still works for mame.

At least, it's probably less effort than writing the program. 

Re:Gamepad Emulator why not? « Reply #16 on: August 18, 2003, 08:00:01 PM »

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and that's a lot of extra time and $$.  I know the joypad hack could be done, but it'd save a lot of people a lot of time and money if something like my imaginary porogram existed.  I'm thinking about trying to write it, but I'm really not a programmer.  we need to find someone who works for a software development company! 
but I think I'm gonna try it because I'm fairly certain such a program does not exist and I think it should. 

if anyone else wants to do it, or has something like it, or wants to help...let me know.

Matt

« Last Edit: August 18, 2003, 09:12:31 PM by allroy1975 »

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Re:Gamepad Emulator why not? « Reply #18 on: August 20, 2003, 09:24:12 PM »

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I'm a C / C++ developer but haven't done any low level Windows keyboard coding.  Have thought about doing some to manipulate keystrokes before they get to Mame but eventually shelled out the bucks for a hardware solution instead.

With proper documentation, preferably some example code that shows how to intercept the keystrokes, etc., I could do some coding.

I'll see if I can look around in the many libraries that are available for Dev-C++ (freeware from Bloodshed Software) and see if I notice anything that would help.