How do I configure controllers (PC/Steam)

Soron Silin

Soron Silin
I'm really new here. Just out of PF space, never been in combat. Wet behind the ears, etc.
I managed to get my new cheapo Thrustmaster configured but it works through Steam, which doesn't seem to recognise the existence of anything but a simple game-pad. I had to define the hat as A, B, X and Y in order to navigate the Steam configuration. It's all working now though.

There are other controllers available such as foot pedals. It would be nice to use a game-pad and a joystick and have more analogue controls. I think I've seen people on here talking about such things.

Does Steam limit the options? If not, how would I get ED to detect other controllers? If Steam is the problem, how possible is it to run a Steam-purchased copy of ED without Steam? How?

I've searched on here and on Google and the official manual but not found anything.

All instructions, links, and RTFMs gratefully received.
 

Para Handy

Para Handy
Soron Silin said:
....., how possible is it to run a Steam-purchased copy of ED without Steam? How?
.........
Click to expand...

You can launch the game without having Steam loaded. Search for "EDLaunch.exe" and run that - that is the launcher.

I have several accounts including a Steam-bought one (a present) - I don't have Elite Dangerous installed in Steam (it is greyed-out in the Steam Library). You can download the installer from your Frontier Store "My Account" - on the "My Downloadable Products" page. Of course that means uninstalling from Steam first so you have to decide if you really want to do that.
 

Soron Silin

Soron Silin
Running the EDLaunch.exe allowed me to start the launcher, enter email & password, sent me a validation code and then told me to purchase or redeem Elite Dangerous.

I assume that Client-Installer would do the same thing? Or should I try that?
 

Para Handy

Para Handy
Soron Silin said:
Running the EDLaunch.exe allowed me to start the launcher, enter email & password, sent me a validation code and then told me to purchase or redeem Elite Dangerous.

I assume that Client-Installer would do the same thing? Or should I try that?
Click to expand...

Ah you have to register your game-code ? CD key in the Frontier Store so they know you bought the game. We had a thread about that the other day. https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/this-has-had-me-puzzled-for-a-while-now.516179/

support.frontier.co.uk

I can't get past the verification code when trying to log in to Elite Dangerous.

The error message "You do not have access to Elite Dangerous" will appear at the bottom of the log-in screen if your Frontier Account does not yet contain the Elite Dangerous base game. ...
support.frontier.co.uk support.frontier.co.uk

136493
 
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Soron Silin

Soron Silin
I don't see that option, but I've asked on the other thread, since I see exactly what the OP there was seeing.

But on this thread, just to check it's worth pursuing, if I do launch ED without Steam, can I have multiple controllers configured? In what sort of combinations?

Firstly, do rudder pedals and button panels work with ED? If so...

For example could I have a joystick for most operations and an unrelated gamepad for yaw? Or does the extra controller need to send a different set of buttons/axii? For example, do rudder pedals and button panels work because they implement axis 3 and buttons 10-20 rather than left-stick and A, B, X, Y?

One way to test this would be to have two controllers plugged in and see if the right stick is bindable on them separately or if moving either stick has the same effect in-game.

Back in the 1980s I built my own accelerator pedal from two bits of wood and an elastic band. It was very useful for out-maneouvering a thargoid on my tail. Now I know just about enough to consider a similar project even though I'll need to implement a USB device.
 

Para Handy

Para Handy
Soron Silin said:
...........
Firstly, do rudder pedals and button panels work with ED? If so...

YES

For example could I have a joystick for most operations and an unrelated gamepad for yaw? Or does the extra controller need to send a different set of buttons/axii? For example, do rudder pedals and button panels work because they implement axis 3 and buttons 10-20 rather than left-stick and A, B, X, Y?

EACH DEVICE SEEN SEPARATELY
........
Click to expand...

I use CHPro Fighterstick and Throttle for HOTAS plus two Thrustmaster Cougar MFDs (basically loads of buttons) - I also use CHPro Rudder Pedals in flight sims but I don't map them in Elite - though I did for a while but found that using pedals in space felt daft. I also have an XBox controller plugged-in but not mapped in Elite - many people do and use it for SRV and / or camera (and FSS?) - I have not bothered to try doing this (I only have it plugged in as GolfClub needs it, even though I don't use ito_O). As far as I am aware, your only constraint is the limit in DirectX to the number of buttons per device (flash gits lucky people with expensive throttles suffer from this limitation) - I don't know the max number of controllers that Elite will accommodate.

One thing - having set up your controls using a set of controllers fitted, if you start the game without all of them being connected the game rejects your bindings file (bindings load error) and loads a default instead. Wireless controllers seem to be an issue with this? Many people, having left their setup as "custom" find that their settings are lost when "custom" gets overwritten by this happening. Look on here for threads about renaming your binds files.
 
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Soron Silin

Soron Silin
Thanks. That's very interesting then. I could build my pedal, use an Arduino to implement a USB interface and have my accelerator pedal back... or a pretty cockpit with buttons and switches... or.... All without interfering with the difficult-to-build joystick itself.
 

Factabulous

Factabulous
Just to check - when you hit ESC in the game you don't get an option to set controls under steam, like you do from the Fdev launcher?

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and a similar one when you enter the game - under Options. Surprising....
 

Soron Silin

Soron Silin
ED itself only appears to detect the controller I configured in Stream Big Picture mode (a pain in the A* to have to start that each time, but without it ED detects no controllers.)

When I configured it there I had to make the hat A, B, X, and Y because it's a cheap joystick with too few buttons and Steam needs to see certain buttons.

ED sees the mapping I did in Steam. It sees the hat as A, B, X, and Y.

I can then bind it however I want in ED, in that Options panel you show above.
 

Soron Silin

Soron Silin
Here is how to get the Steam version of Elite Dangerous to recognise a joystick or other controller without mapping it as a gamepad in Steam

  1. Go to C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Frontier Developments\Elite Dangerous\Options\Bindings
    Copy Custom.binds to some obvious name (I called mine "Joystick Steam.binds")
    This ensures that whatever you do, you can get back to the bindings you have now
  2. Exit ED, exit the ED Launcher, and Exit Big Picture
  3. Go to your Steam library (in Steam) and right click on Elite Dangerous. Select the "Properties" option
  4. On the General tab, under Steam Input Per-Game Setting, Select "Forced Off"
  5. Click Close
  6. Play ED either by clicking the Play button on the Steam page or by double-clicking the desktop icon.
  7. Select Options and then Controls.
  8. The first field in the list is a drop-down list of profiles. Select either the model of joystick you have or Generic Joystick
  9. Configure your favourite bindings (again).
  10. These will now be saved as Custom.binds. Copy and rename that file again if you want added safety.

    Edit: If you haven't yet got as far as configuring a controller in ED, or you don't mind losing it, then you can ignore the first step.




 
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