Today's update corrupted my bindings

Helmut Grokenberger · 2025-07-22T11:28:48+0100

Anyone else have that issue? Today's update messed with my bindings file. I have followed all the rules having a custom named binds file and yadda yadda, but the game actually changed my bindings - a lot of bindings were deleted, often leaving just the modifier in place. So the game used the correct binds file, but decided to delete a lot of my bindings.

Of course I didn't back up, but I could go back from version 4.2 of the file to 4.1, and nothing had changed since, but it's still annoying.

Anyone else?

Edit to add: That's the keyboard bindings, everything concerning my sticks was fine. I noticed it when my HCS voice pack wasn't working properly anymore.

Cmdr Snuffler · 2025-07-22T16:16:51+0100

So annoying...I thought this was all resolved yonks ago. Haven't run into this issue for years and years and years.

aRJay · 2025-07-22T16:51:45+0100

While I forgot to test everything, none of the controls I needed to use to engineer, conduct minor outfitting, navigate to two different systems and return, and buy and sell to the markets plus check progress in the CG where affected in anyway.

Rat Catcher · 2025-07-22T18:47:59+0100

Helmut Grokenberger said:
Anyone else have that issue?

Only thing I noticed earlier was that the external camera worked 'normally' (for me) in pancake, but a couple of the controls were not working in VR, which is very odd!

Alec Turner · 2025-07-22T19:01:50+0100

I’ve just backed up my binds file prior to running the update. Will report back any diff's between the two files after the update.

Neilski · 2025-07-22T19:21:26+0100

Helmut Grokenberger said:
Anyone else have that issue? Today's update messed with my bindings file. I have followed all the rules having a custom named binds file and yadda yadda, but the game actually changed my bindings - a lot of bindings were deleted, often leaving just the modifier in place. So the game used the correct binds file, but decided to delete a lot of my bindings.

Of course I didn't back up, but I could go back from version 4.2 of the file to 4.1, and nothing had changed since, but it's still annoying.

Anyone else?

Edit to add: That's the keyboard bindings, everything concerning my sticks was fine. I noticed it when my HCS voice pack wasn't working properly anymore.

omfg, they broke it again? Actually I don't know how I keep letting this kind of crap surprise me, cos you'd think I'd be expecting it at this point... :-S

One of the best bits of advice I have ever been given about ED (several years ago) was to make sure the Bindings folder is permanently synced with a cloud backup system (I use Google Drive), so that you can go back to previous versions as needed.

Helmut Grokenberger · 2025-07-22T19:24:17+0100

Neilski said:
omfg, they broke it again? Actually I don't know how I keep letting this kind of crap surprise me, cos you'd think I'd be expecting it at this point... :-S

Well I never had this particular issue. Apparently the "custom" bind file breaks regularly, but I've kept a renamed binds file since forever and NEVER had an issue.

Neilski said:
One of the best bits of advice I have ever been given about ED (several years ago) was to make sure the Bindings folder is permanently synced with a cloud backup system (I use Google Drive), so that you can go back to previous versions as needed.

Yeah I should probably just sync it with my owncloud that's... a few meters from my desk

. But for some reason I don't. As I said, the main issue seems to be to just edit your keybinds and keep the "custom" file, which is prone to breaking.

Alec Turner · 2025-07-22T22:58:17+0100

Alec Turner said:
I’ve just backed up my binds file prior to running the update. Will report back any diff's between the two files after the update.

My bindings files were untouched by the update.

BDelacroix · 2025-07-23T00:23:11+0100

Hadn't had the issue myself.
I did once have odd behavior when I had files in the directory with the wrong extension. Something like .bak or whatever. Once I tossed those it was all good again. That was a long time ago, though.

Helmut Grokenberger · 2025-07-23T07:15:00+0100

I always knew I was special

varonica · 2025-07-23T07:18:06+0100

I have never had an update, major or minor, mess with my bindings, curious that it happens to some players regularly and some not at all.

Helmut Grokenberger · 2025-07-23T07:21:25+0100

I never had an issue before either. As I understand, the main problem is when people just change the binds but leave the preset on "custom" instead of renaming both the file and the name inside. I didn't do that, I always take good care of my binds.

rootsrat · 2025-07-23T07:22:30+0100

varonica said:
I have never had an update, major or minor, mess with my bindings, curious that it happens to some players regularly and some not at all.

Ditto, not had this problem ever and I play since beta.

PilotB · 2025-07-23T07:28:40+0100

The bindings have quirks where it tries to be helpful and give you the bindings for the input devices it detects. Starting the game without your controller or HOTAS connected will give the impression your bindings were lost. Starting the game with a controller connected you don't usually use for ED same thing. They're often not gone they're just not enabled because the game ties bindings to device IDs. Anything that messes with device IDs can mess with the bindings which is likely where many problems come from.

Before rebinding anything it's always worth stopping going to check the bindings folder and seeing if the file is there before you overwrite it. It doesn't tend to overwrite it automagically but it'll make you think you lost your bindings and then you'll overwrite it trying to restore it.

Helmut Grokenberger · 2025-07-23T07:38:00+0100

PilotB said:
The bindings have quirks where it tries to be helpful and give you the bindings for the input devices it detects. Starting the game without your controller or HOTAS connected will give the impression your bindings were lost. Starting the game with a controller connected you don't usually use for ED same thing. They're often not gone they're just not enabled because the game ties bindings to device IDs. Anything that messes with device IDs can mess with the bindings which is likely where many problems come from.

Before rebinding anything it's always worth stopping going to check the bindings folder and seeing if the file is there before you overwrite it. It doesn't tend to overwrite it automagically but it'll make you think you lost your bindings and then you'll overwrite it trying to restore it.

That wasn't the issue. My HOSAS was connected and working fine, the binds file was loaded alright and working. The game just decided to erase the bulk of my secondary keyboard binds for VA.

After the update the game was in a weird state too. When I noticed that VA didn't work properly (explorer mode in that case) I checked for the binds and they were gone. When I tried tobrebind then the game was stuck in a weird caps lock mode - the game, not my keyboard! It was weird.

After a restart I could properly bind keys again, but then noticed the bulk of them were gone, and those with modifiers like shift and alt had only the modifier left. At that point I went back to a previous version of my binds file with no further issue.

It was really weird.