Using a joystick?

[Chugster]

So i bought a cheap speedlink joystick as I wanted something a bit simpler than my Warthog for games like this but I cant get the game to recognise it.

Anyone have any success getting non-Thrustmaster or Logitech joysticks to work with this

[Kappatalism]

Any Xinput peripherals *should* work with the game after you bind everything in the settings menu. The most common issue is Steam's controller compatibility ruining everything.

Step 1: Make sure Steam detects your joystick correctly and not as generic or xbox controller. If yes, go to step 2.
If not:
• Disable all Controller Support Options
• Exit Steam and unplug the joystick
• Open the config.vdf file stored on your computer
• • Default location - 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 joystick
Step 2: Right click the game in the Steam Games library and go to Properties. Then set the Steam Input Per Game setting to Forced OFF.
Step 3: Go to the game directory ...steam/steamapps/common/Project Wingman and open files LAUNCH WITH NO HMD in notepad. add to end of line -SDL2.dll and save the file.(ProjectWingman.exe -nohmd -SDL2.dll) .If you have VR do it in next LAUCH WITH .. files.
Step 4: Run the game, go to setting/control and set up all axis and buttons as you want.

[Chugster]

Aah, should have said its the Game Pass version, but they dont have a good forum

Oh and its not the joystick, Windows sees it as does MSFS 2020.

[bingbean]

Did you try bind the buttons and axes in setting/control? If you click into box next to pitch axes and pull the joystick back nothing happens for you?

[Chugster]

Originally posted by bingbean:

Did you try bind the buttons and axes in setting/control? If you click into box next to pitch axes and pull the joystick back nothing happens for you?

Yeah tried binding, cant bind anything, axis or buttons

Just tried it in SW Squadrons and aside from some odd default bindings it does work. So it must be an incompatability between this game and this joystick

[Chugster]

Well i am just glad i got this on game pass instead of buying it

[Det.Bullock]

Originally posted by Chugster:

Originally posted by bingbean:

Did you try bind the buttons and axes in setting/control? If you click into box next to pitch axes and pull the joystick back nothing happens for you?

Yeah tried binding, cant bind anything, axis or buttons

Just tried it in SW Squadrons and aside from some odd default bindings it does work. So it must be an incompatability between this game and this joystick

The speedlink stick is the one with vibration?
Because that one has weird compatibility issues.

My old CH Combatstick worked so does my current VKB Gladiator NXT.

Though really I can't fathom why you bought another stick for this when you had the Warthog.

It might also be because Windows doesn't give it high priority, go to settings>devices>devices and printers, right-click on the icon of the joystick and select the first entry, a dialog with a list of game devices should appear. Click on "advanced" and choose the stick as the primary device.

[Chugster]

Originally posted by Det.Bullock:

Though really I can't fathom why you bought another stick for this when you had the Warthog.

To be fair the Warthog is very heavy and quite stiff so its not perfect for every game. Plus with the desk mounts it does get in the way if I am not using it...the Speedlink just sits at the end of my desk out the way.

Many reviews said the Warthog was great for realistic flight sims but not so great for arcade and space sims

Plus i tried your suggestions and it still didnt work, even with only the joystick plugged in

[Det.Bullock]

Originally posted by Chugster:

Originally posted by Det.Bullock:

Though really I can't fathom why you bought another stick for this when you had the Warthog.

To be fair the Warthog is very heavy and quite stiff so its not perfect for every game. Plus with the desk mounts it does get in the way if I am not using it...the Speedlink just sits at the end of my desk out the way.

Many reviews said the Warthog was great for realistic flight sims but not so great for arcade and space sims

Plus i tried your suggestions and it still didnt work, even with only the joystick plugged in

Personally I don't find PJ that hectic of a game, but to each their own.
[but then again I use the lighter springs on my Gladiator NXT because of my weak nerd arms and I never used a Warthog so I'm probably the least qualified person in this regard]

Is the stick a Speedlink Phantom Hawk?

It's very possible that whatever hack Speedlink uses to have vibration in DirectInput (which does not have vibration as a function unlike Xinput which is gamepad-specific) makes the stick incompatible with several games, a quick googling and I've found issues with Microsoft Flight Simulator too (which apparently doesn't even boot with it).

I'd suggest getting one of the cheaper thrustmaster like the non-HOTAS T-flight (which should have twist rudder, there is an even cheaper thrustmaster that doesn't have it) which should be less problematic on the compatibility front.

https://www.amazon.it/Thrustmaster-Joystick-Flight-Stick-PS3/dp/B000V6HFZQ/

EDIT

If you are using it plug&play you might have some luck using the drivers from the speedlink website (which seems to have solved detection issue for some people):
https://www.speedlink.com/en/PHANTOM-HAWK-Flightstick-black/SL-6638-BK

[Chugster]

I dont think mine has vibration, i think there are 2 versions of this stick

And if its the stick why does Windows see it no problems and why does it work in other games?

[Det.Bullock]

Originally posted by Chugster:

I dont think mine has vibration, i think there are 2 versions of this stick

Apparently vibration only works (and IIRC can be disabled) with the drivers or something like that. Have you tried them?
Unless it's the old Sidewinder clone, in that case I can't think of a reason other than some hardware issue that might get caught up only in some games.

[Chugster]

Actually it does have vibration, i was checking the calibration and there is a vibration test.

Not sure how to disable it though, i have the drivers installed from the site

[Det.Bullock]

Originally posted by Chugster:

Actually it does have vibration, i was checking the calibration and there is a vibration test.

Not sure how to disable it though, i have the drivers installed from the site

Had you had any version other than the game pass version I'd have said to use x360ce at this point. They still don't allow messing with the game files, correct?

[Chugster]

I did find some threads on here last year and early this year complaining about joystick compatibility.

I will try it with my Warthog at some point, probably this particular game just doesnt like this particular joystick...should really happen these days but there you go

[Det.Bullock]

Originally posted by Chugster:

I did find some threads on here last year and early this year complaining about joystick compatibility.

I will try it with my Warthog at some point, probably this particular game just doesnt like this particular joystick...should really happen these days but there you go

The vibration is probably the culprit because I've read of similar problems with other games, Dinput doesn't have it so whatever hack they use it for enabling it messes with some games.
There's a reason why premium sticks now tend to do as much as possible in-hardware when it comes to basic functions like calibration or input filtering (and even tell you NOT to use the windows calibration utility, my current stick doesn't even need software: you just press a few buttons in the ten seconds after you plug it in to activate calibration mode), if you do anything more than "here are some axes and some buttons" you are bound to have compatibility issues.

[Chugster]

Originally posted by Det.Bullock:

Originally posted by Chugster:

I did find some threads on here last year and early this year complaining about joystick compatibility.

I will try it with my Warthog at some point, probably this particular game just doesnt like this particular joystick...should really happen these days but there you go

The vibration is probably the culprit because I've read of similar problems with other games, Dinput doesn't have it so whatever hack they use it for enabling it messes with some games.
There's a reason why premium sticks now tend to do as much as possible in-hardware when it comes to basic functions like calibration or input filtering (and even tell you NOT to use the windows calibration utility, my current stick doesn't even need software: you just press a few buttons in the ten seconds after you plug it in to activate calibration mode), if you do anything more than "here are some axes and some buttons" you are bound to have compatibility issues.

It is bad programming by the devs though, MSFS, DCS, Falcon BMS, Strike Fighters 2, SW Squadrons, Rebel Galaxy Outlaw, AC Assault Horizon, HAWX 2 dont have issues so it must be what the PW devs are doing if both older and newer games are fine with this stick.