YaDeLi - "Yet another Device Link for IL-2"

[Artist]

Hello MikkOwl,

first things first: I've been using your Multithrottle until I decided to mod my G940 with Bodnar's BU0836As and am really thankful for what you did back then.

Originally Posted by MikkOwl

Maybe this will come in handy for Cliffs of Dover, seeing as it will also continue supporting a more advanced devicelink.

Where do you know that from? I've asked and asked again and never got a repsonse...



YaDeLi wasn't planned as a new G940-"driver", but as a solution for the problem of IL-2's limitation to 4 input devices and the impossibility to set the order of game controllers addressed via DirectInput.

Originally Posted by MikkOwl

Is this program sold or free? I read the readme and manual (well, skimmed it) and I found mention that it was 'sold', but nothing on any payment or registration required.

Uups. That's what comes from blind copy and paste... No: it is and stays Freeware. I've updated the readme.txt and the download link

Originally Posted by MikkOwl

What code is it written in?

Plain C++ (using gcc and MinGw). Makes most of the stuff you had so much trouble with somewhat easier: Communication between different executables not needed, access the G940 and all the other hardware with DirectInput, sending to DeviceLink with native socket support. For accessing the G940 LEDs there would be the Logitech SDK (C++, too, and probably what the tool for BlackShark was written on). But as with you, the user interface, as usual, took up 85% of the time. It would all be so easy without all those users...

As for Autohotkey: I use it for *all* buttons (having deinstalled the Logitech Profiler). Autohotkey for the buttons and YaDeLi for axes of game controllers outside IL-2's range of 1-4 is the perfect solution for me. That is why I am very, very reluctant to start supporting buttons in YaDeLi: I would surely end up reinventing Autohotkey...

Originally Posted by MikkOwl

I don't think it is possible to run two devicelink programs at the same time (or is it?)

It is. UDP is a connectionless protocol and DeviceLink accepts commands from different senders simultaniously. Just start several netcats and start giving commands to IL-2. But you must really take care of not using the same axes in YaDeLi and MultiThrottle (and in IL-2 for that). It could have very disturbing results if you do.

Originally Posted by MikkOwl

*Ideas for features*

Well, MikkOwl, that is really good stuff to ponder about.



For the time beeing I would like to receive feedback from people using YaDeLi and some information on if CoD will have DeviceLink (or something similiar).

Artist

[MikkOwl]

I read random past friday upates since late 2009 and at some point they talked about it. The plan was to keep it, but expand upon an ddevelop it more. And to remove the restrictions for it in multiplayer. I am sure that it will technically work the same way. Just different framework version.

What is not yet known is how much of our features existing or desired for, will be satisfied by Call of Dornier. Then one will know where it all stands. And can figure out where to go from there.Wrestling the reversal bug bullshit seems to be a required past time for the upcoming year yet. This also adds ability for hooking up all kinds of strange game controllers (any, really, including a G25 force feedback steering wheel, to be used as elevator trim when mounted low left in the simpit. I did that ot rocked.

Setting things up to facilitate communication between the main app, the network relay tool, and binding the sockets to these different ips and ports. That was so ghetto. Using '¨stdout' from my AHK program piped to the stdin of the G940 led reading applet. Through UDP networking.

If devicelink is open and welcoming with several different connections at the same time, maybe the development should be best spent on specializing a focus for each of our two program efforts. That can be used together for those who ish to use the best features from both. Mostly axis solutions (with anti-bugged to hell controller illnesses as per the G940) for YaDeLi seems to be where it excels. AutoHotKey is the bomb for button and even sound effects easily added, and can be used to control the LEDs in the G940.

[Artist]

Originally Posted by MikkOwl

I read random past friday upates since late 2009 and at some point they talked about it. The plan was to keep it, but expand upon an ddevelop it more. And to remove the restrictions for it in multiplayer. I am sure that it will technically work the same way. Just different framework version.

I sincearly hope you're right...

Originally Posted by MikkOwl

Wrestling the reversal bug bullshit seems to be a required past time for the upcoming year yet.

Well, for those who will not follow the path of moddding their G940s, that might be true: I have serious doubts about Logitech on that matter. But I do not see any working way to combine a software workaround for the Reversal Bug in the rudder pedals with their spring-center-positioning (except maybe physically removing the spring). Quoting the YaDeLi manual on its handling of the Reversal Bug:

This works just fine on the „0 - 100“ axes (throttles, R1, R2), but not so well on the „100 - 0 - 100“ axes (such as trims and rudder) as the middle position of the physical stick and the 50% reported may not always coincide due to multiple „Reversal Bug“-corrections. With the trims that might be bearable - on the rudder pedals it‘s hell. Better mod your G940 with a BU0836X...

Concerning YaDeLi and Autohotkey:

Originally Posted by MikkOwl

If devicelink is open and welcoming with several different connections at the same time , maybe the development should be best spent on specializing a focus for each of our two program efforts. [...] Mostly axis solutions [...] for YaDeLi [...] AutoHotKey is the bomb for button and even sound effects easily added, and can be used to control the LEDs in the G940.

I totally agree. And we should work closely together on who integrates what...

... which brings me to the request robtek voiced earlier in this thread: Differential braking. The concept seems clear to me: Provided the tailwheel is not locked, you probably compare the two brake-forces (left and right) applied and put the rudder to the side of the smaller force. If they are the same you don't move the rudder at all. Before I start a lot of experimenting: Am I correct? And what ratio do you use between force-differential and rudder?

Artist.

[Tailspin45]

This little app is just what I need. It's elegantly simple and very nicely designed. But I have a weird problem when I use it.

With both my joystick (Warthog) and driver (win7) calibrated, IL2 aircraft fly straight and level. Until I use YaDeLi to add rudder pedals. Then they have a left rolling tendency so severe that full opposite aileron trim doesn't prevent it.

I also find that the aircraft are very twitchy, for lack of a better term, despite assigning curves to all the axis. In fact, it seems as if there's some kind of crosstalk between the axes.

Now, this all may not be a problem with YaDeLi and it's only revealing some other issue I didn't know I had. But I can't fly without rudders (I'm a taildragger kinda guy) and I can't install them without YaDeLi.

Anyone have any idea what the problem may be?

[Artist]

Hi Tailspin45,

at first guess it seems to me that you've assigned joystick axes both in IL-2 and YaDeLi...

Please describe your hardware setup in detail: Number of usb game controllers, their respective IDs (use JoyIDs), settings.ini (from the ..\Users\pilotname folder), Screenshots from YaDeLi.

Artist

[Tailspin45]

I've paid hundreds of dollars for software that doesn't work as well as yours, and have endured, sometimes, waiting days only to get a response to a technical question. And then only to received a canned reply that's unrelated to my problem.

You? Forty-two minutes and spot on! Yeah, I -- dumbshit that I am -- do have axis defined in Il2 and YaDeLi.

In the unlikely event that doesn't solve the problem I'll reply again with the set-up. But I'd say thats definitely the issue.

A huge thank you for your great software and great support.

[Tailspin45]

I couldn't figure out how to remove the axis assignments in the HOTAS section, so I just deleted them from the config file.

However, all controls go full nose down, full left wing down, full left rudder, almost like runaway trim. I can center them using ALT + LEFT, + RIGHT, and + Z, but after any movement of the axis they go back to full throw.

The files you requested are at
http://teleworkresearchnetwork.com/w...IL2_YaDeLi.zip

Thanks in advance for your efforts to solve this problem. Very much appreciated.

[Artist]

Mhm.

Originally Posted by Tailspin45

I couldn't figure out how to remove the axis assignments in the HOTAS section, so I just deleted them from the config file.

Good.

Originally Posted by Tailspin45

However, all controls go full nose down, full left wing down, full left rudder, almost like runaway trim. I can center them using ALT + LEFT, + RIGHT, and + Z, but after any movement of the axis they go back to full throw.

Strange, because:

Originally Posted by Tailspin45

The files [...]

... show nothing unusual.

Could you please let me have a look at the number of usb game controllers and their respective IDs (use JoyIDs)?

Artist

[Artist]

Hi Tailspin45,

one thing is unusual (no offence meant ): There's a "__MACOSX" folder in the archive - do you run IL-2 within MacOS (with Wine)?

In any case, the symptoms you describe may result from
- Your hardware is sending funny stuff (test with "usb game controllers", properties)
- YaDeLi is receiving funny stuff (it uses DirectInput, DirectX)
- YaDeLi is sending funny stuff (however unlikely that is )
- IL-2 is receiving funny stuff (network garbled, proxied, )
- IL-2 has some inner conflict (controller shizophrenia - but you've solved that apparently)

We would have to check that step by step.
Artist

[Tailspin45]

I sent the screenshots via Gmail to my Mac, where I needed to do something unrelated. Zipped them there, and that's where it picked up the OS X artifact.

In any case, I solved the problem. Seems I'd forgotten to configure the flight control axes, and they were all linear instead of centered. So, of course, the rest value was the extreme end of the range and thus full control throw.

Never underestimate how dumb a user can be. Half the people in the world are dumber than the other half, but I may be proof that it actually is more than that.

Thank you for wasting your time figuring out the stupid things I did.

Everything is working great now, with your help. I'm grateful, as I've said, both for a very useful program and your prompt help.