Joysticks With Catalyst 2012

[Flimsor]

The new simulator for this year's game is great. It gives us an idea of how games will run for the most part. That said, I would like to use it to get some early driver practice this year, but it is made to work with only keyboards, and Xbox 360 controllers. That's ok, but no one uses those to control their robots. I'd like to hook up some joystick and get it to run, but the game doesn't allow that at the moment. I know that there are ways to make games think something else is an Xbox controller by running it through a controller emulator, but I have yet to find one that would work with this game. This may be a dead end unless Diamond Bullet Studios adds in joystick support themselves, but if anyone else knows of a way to do this, that would be great.

[ApollosAnarchy]

I would advice caution in using the simulator for solid driving practice. It is a simulator and I don't think getting drivers used to the amazing shots you can make in the game would be a good idea. I also am pretty sure that the robotics we all build will not control like the ones in the simulator.
I honestly don't seem the point in the simulator when most teams will not be able to make anything close to the perfection that the simulator makes. I know my team will not (first years).

[Flimsor]

I didn't mean for full use because it's simulated, and obviously wouldn't be very accurate. It would be useful though to get used to how a robot would react to a certain amount of force on the joystick. It wouldn't be complete usage, so it may not actually be worth it to find a way to do this.

Also, there most likely will be teams doing almost as good, and probably even better than the simulator. There are many teams that know very well, not how to just play the game well and win, but to win the championships. This will involve thinking about things that the game may not exactly require. The key is to make a robot that is not only good, but has something that will make other teams want to pick it.

[ApollosAnarchy]

I can't wait to see the robots that beat of the simulation!
Its hard for me to imagine that but I don't know how amazing these top teams can be.

[Flimsor]

If you look at some of past years games at championships (after you've seen what the game is for that year) you'll see some of what i'm talking about. We'll be seeing teams there that can balance 3 robots with little problems, and shoot into the top basket from the center of the field.

[nickdog8891]

Originally Posted by Flimsor

The new simulator for this year's game is great. It gives us an idea of how games will run for the most part. That said, I would like to use it to get some early driver practice this year, but it is made to work with only keyboards, and Xbox 360 controllers. That's ok, but no one uses those to control their robots. I'd like to hook up some joystick and get it to run, but the game doesn't allow that at the moment. I know that there are ways to make games think something else is an Xbox controller by running it through a controller emulator, but I have yet to find one that would work with this game. This may be a dead end unless Diamond Bullet Studios adds in joystick support themselves, but if anyone else knows of a way to do this, that would be great.

When my team used the Catalyst simulation, we didn't need a driver for the 360 controllers. We just plugged them into the USB port on the laptop, and they were recognized by the program. I think one of the greatest benefits of having Catalyst will be the ability to teach drivers how to recognize and deal with in-match issues, "Reading the defense" so to speak

[Curtis Todd]

Sorry for not posting here sooner. I didn't see this thread until I did a search.

Originally Posted by Flimsor

That's ok, but no one uses those to control their robots.

Actually, lots of teams use the Xbox 360 controllers to control their robots. They work the exact same way the KOP joysticks do in code. Just plug them in and start using them.

Still, your point is very valid. Every team gets the same Joysticks in their KOP, so it only makes sense to support it in the game. Unfortunately, it is very unlikely that we would be able to adequately integrate the joysticks this year. This will absolutely be on our wish list for future developments.