Achieving full XBOX 360 Controller support in Vice City

This guide will let you know how to add full XInput support to GTA Vice City! All you need to do is to download a modification for the game...

About GInput

Hey, what's going on? You plugged in your PlayStation or XBOX pad in hopes that you'll be able to play GTA on your PC just like you used to play on the console, and for some reason you can't make the controls work properly? You can't use full possibilities of your brand new, XInput-compatible pad? Maybe you want to refresh your childhood memories after ages of playing IV and you're sick of the old-fashioned controls?

If any of these apply to you, GInput is the mod you've been looking for! This modification completely rewrites Vice City controls handling and ditches DirectInput in favour of XInput. This way, your PlayStation 3 and XBOX 360 pads will be handled by the game just perfectly, taking advantage of all their features, including analog triggers.

Features

• Complete XInput support, so pads are mapped to match console versions perfectly (including Start button, which can't be mapped on PC version without this modification).
  
• Proper vibration support - something that was cut from all PC versions of the game!
  
• FIVE different control mappings - four setups matching PS2 selectable setups and fifth one being a recreation of GTA IV controls!
  
• Pad buttons in In-Game helps, replacing PC key names (depending on user's choice, either PlayStation or XBOX buttons are shown).
  
• An INI file with tons of options - including toggleable vibration, selecting controls setup, Invert Look option from console versions, axis inversion options from San Andreas and more!
  
• Automatic switching between keyboard & mouse and pad controls, basing on last device input.
  
• Support for Guide/PS button. The button is fully functional and can show your Steam Overlay menu if you launched the game via Steam!
  
• Cheats input from the pad. Use classic PS2 cheats on PC!
  
• Increased support for DualShock 3 controllers and SCP Driver Package - including pressure sensitive buttons and SIXAXIS accelerometers.

Downloading, Installation & Configuration

The modification can be downloaded from my blog:
https://cookieplmonster.github.io/mods/

Alternately, all downloads are still mirrored on GTAGarage:
https://www.gtagarage.com/mods/show.php?id=24272

When downloaded, the package contains:

• models directory - contains two TXD files with PS3/XBOX styled pad buttons
  
• docs directory - contains a text file with all five button mappings (useful if you never played the game on PS2 or never tried playing IV with a pad) and two HTML files with cheats for the pad
  
• GInputVC.asi - core of the modification
  
• GInputVC.ini - configuration file - its possibilities will be discussed later (although they're described in the file too)
  
• ReadMe.txt - just a ReadMe file - if you'll read this guide carefully, you don't need to open it ;)

Installation

Easy as pie! You don't need to do anything fancy, just extract the archive content (except ReadMe.txt and docs directory, which, obviously, aren't required by the game to work) to your game directory (if you don't know where your game is, open Steam -> Right click on GTA: Vice City -> Properties -> Local Files -> Browse Local Files to locate your game directory).

If your pad doesn't support XInput, you should try downloading any X360 controller emulator (x360ce recommended) and put it in the game folder (GInput makes use of xinput1_3.dll).

INI configuration

The modification is highly configurable. These are all the options available in GInputVC.ini:

• Enable - Well... you shouldn't ever really need this option, but if you're too lazy to drag GInput out of your VC directory, you may disable it completely here.
  
• DisableOnFocusLost - Setting this to 0 won't stop the game from registering pad input when not in focus. Best to leave it enabled.
  
• Vibration - This option will toggle vibration on/off.
  
• ControlsSet - This option will determine what controls set game will be using. See docs/GAME CONTROLS FULL LIST.txt for available modes and their setups.
  
• SAStyleSniperZoom - This option will allow SA style sniper zoom (R2/RT to zoom in, L2/LT to zoom out) This option is ignored when IV style controls are enabled (ControlsSet=5).
  
• Southpaw - This swaps all actions bound to analog sticks, similarly to Max Payne 3/GTA V Southpaw option, so everything bound to left analog stick will be controlled by right analog stick and vice versa.
  
• SwapSticksDuringAiming - This option will switch analog sticks when aiming with a sniper. Takes effect only with IV style controls enabled (ControlsSet=5).
  
• HotkeyToDriveby - Enabling this option will modify right analog stick actions - Look Left, Look Right and Look Behind will require holding R1/RB, whilst turret/hydraulics won't. With this option disabled, you need to hold R1/RB to control turret and hydraulics but not to look around. Takes effect only with IV style controls enabled (ControlsSet=5) and with pre-1.03 looking around (DrivebyWithAnalog=1).
  
• InvertLook - This option will invert view controls (1st person aiming and looking around).
  
• CheatsFromPad - Enables cheat input from the pad - see docs/cheat_list_*.html for more info.
  
• GuideLaunchesOverlay - This option will make the mod launch Steam Overlay menu by pressing Home/Guide. Has no effect at all if game is not launched by Steam.
  
• ApplyMissionSpecificFixes - This option alters some of the SCM scripts so they work properly with all GInput sets. It fixes Pizzaboy submissions, Martha's Mug Shot and also some helps not appearing in IV controls mode. You should disable this option only when using SCM without stock Vice City missions.
  
• PlayStationButtons - This option will replace XBOX pad buttons with PlayStation pad buttons.
  
• InvertLeftXAxis - This option will invert left thumbstick X axis
  
• InvertLeftYAxis - This option will invert left thumbstick Y axis
  
• SwapLeftAxes - This option will swap left thumbstick axes (so X axis becomes Y and Y becomes X)
  
• InvertRightXAxis - This option will invert right thumbstick X axis
  
• InvertRightYAxis - This option will invert right thumbstick Y axis
  
• SwapRightAxes - This option will swap right thumbstick axes (so X axis becomes Y and Y becomes X)

Screenshots & Video

Playing Demolition Man with Dualshock 3 pad - people usually hate that mission, but GInput makes it easy!

[cyberjunk]

Well, with an XBox 360 controller it sort of works except I can't actually turn right or left. I can strafe okay, but as the right analogue stick just doesn't work it's a bit of a non starter! : (

[ScrumptiousCookie]

copied all files as shown in videos however i cant use right analogue stick to turn b is run x is jump ect any help ?

[Psi❌opat]

Rated & Faved

[CoRL]

look at what they have to do to mimmick a fraction of our power

[Gravy]

i messed up somewhere now my game crashes after intro finishes :/

[nibbler]

Works a treat for an xbox360 controller input, but now audio plays on the host pc instead of the remote pc when using steam remote play. Any way to fix up the audio?

[Pain]

Is there a way to change the sens for controller my right analong stick on my xbox controller in this game is very very very slow

[abs]

Also if you're having issues with two controllers appearing at the same time you need to do this:

• Disable all Controller Support Options (IE PS4 Support etc)
• Exit Steam and unplug the controller
• Open the config.vdf file stored on your computer
• • By default it is located in - C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\config\config.vdf
• Search for "SDL_GamepadBind" and delete everything underneath it
• Save the file
• Start Steam and plug in the controller [/quote]

[abs]

As is the theme for these comments, I may have just solved my own problem by writing it down previously and thinking through it in a new way.
To get Steam to recognize my controller as an Xbox controller (which is what Ginput requires), I need to run the program DS4Windows. Otherwise using the stock default Steam controller settings the controller will be identified as a PS4 controller with PS4 controller templates shown in the Controller Configuration screen.
Now I am successfully using the analog sticks (and they feel good!) to drive and walk around. The camera is a little weird because that's how it was in 2003, no easy way to just look around while in the car.

[abs]

I've been able to get this to somewhat work.
My question is on the Steam game page for VC there is a "Controller Configuration" setting that opens up the awful Big Picture controller set up.
Which is of these thousands of user created profiles should we set as our "default" to get this Ginput to work correctly?
Should I select one of the default templates?
And then there is the question of the actual Steam controller settings that let's you enable or disable support for controllers on the fly.
I have a DS4 controller, should I use the 360 setting of the DS4 setting?