Linux Joysticks and Gamepads - Revision history

Mcarans at 22:12, 15 July 2025

2025-07-15T22:12:20Z

Mcarans: Add link

2025-07-15T22:03:18Z

Add link

Mcarans at 21:20, 14 July 2025

2025-07-14T21:20:48Z

Mcarans: Fix brackets

2025-07-14T21:16:42Z

Fix brackets

Mcarans at 05:28, 14 July 2025

2025-07-14T05:28:56Z

Mcarans at 05:28, 14 July 2025

2025-07-14T05:28:03Z

Mcarans at 05:25, 14 July 2025

2025-07-14T05:25:16Z

Mcarans: Major update for modern distros

2025-07-14T05:16:04Z

Major update for modern distros

Phkb: Updating BB links

2024-02-29T02:04:11Z

Updating BB links

Cholmondely: Added picture!

2021-07-12T23:17:33Z

Added picture!

@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 If you prefer changing the ''.bashrc'' startup script instead, you should add the above line to ''.bashrc'' in your ''Home'' folder. As the dot in front of the filename indicates, this is a hidden file, so you may need to set the view in your file browser to "Show Hidden Files" before it will become visible. Once done, save the file and log out, then back in.
-Explanation: Oolite uses [https://www.libsdl.org/ Simple DirectMedia Layer (SDL)]. for unknown reasons, it appears that sometimes SDL takes raw input from the evdev device drivers, instead of using the correct joystick device. This fix forces SDL to use the "real" joystick driver for input.
+Explanation: Oolite uses [https://www.libsdl.org/ Simple DirectMedia Layer (SDL)]. For unknown reasons, it appears that sometimes SDL takes raw input from the evdev device drivers, instead of using the correct joystick device. This fix forces SDL to use the "real" joystick driver for input.
 == Using Saved Calibration ==

@@ Line 66: / Line 66: @@
 *[[Joysticks and Gamepads]]
 *[[Joysticks: Guide to Setting Up]]
 *[[Keyboard Issues]]
 [[Category:Oolite]][[Category:Help pages]]

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 == Calibrating a Joystick or Gamepad ==
-Although Oolite provides options to set up dead zones, a full calibration within the game is not possible. The best way to calibrate game controllers on Linux is using a utility such as [https://github.com/Grumbel/jstest-gtk jstest-gtk] which will probably be present in your distribution's Software Manager. Launch the ''jstest-gtk'' gui (it will probably be located in the System Menu) and, underneath the name of your joystick, it will list the device details, such as "Device:/dev/input/js0". Keep a record of this device information.
+Although Oolite provides options to set up dead zones, a full calibration within the game is not possible. The best way to calibrate game controllers on Linux is using a utility such as [https://github.com/Grumbel/jstest-gtk jstest-gtk] which will probably be present in your distribution's Software Manager. Launch the ''jstest-gtk'' gui (it will probably be located in the System Menu) and, underneath the name of your joystick, it will list the device details, such as "Device: /dev/input/js0". Keep a record of this device information.
 After calibrating and before closing the gui, execute the following command in a shell to store the calibration information:

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 == Calibrating a Joystick or Gamepad ==
-Although Oolite provides options to set up dead zones, a full calibration within the game is not possible. The best way to calibrate game controllers on Linux is using a utility such as [[https://github.com/Grumbel/jstest-gtk jstest-gtk]] which will probably be present in your distribution's Software Manager. Launch the ''jstest-gtk'' gui (it will probably be located in the System Menu) and, underneath the name of your joystick, it will list the device details, such as "Device:/dev/input/js0". Keep a record of this device information.
+Although Oolite provides options to set up dead zones, a full calibration within the game is not possible. The best way to calibrate game controllers on Linux is using a utility such as [https://github.com/Grumbel/jstest-gtk jstest-gtk] which will probably be present in your distribution's Software Manager. Launch the ''jstest-gtk'' gui (it will probably be located in the System Menu) and, underneath the name of your joystick, it will list the device details, such as "Device:/dev/input/js0". Keep a record of this device information.
-After calibrating and before closing the gui, execute the following command to store the calibration information:
+After calibrating and before closing the gui, execute the following command in a shell to store the calibration information:
   sudo jscal-store /dev/input/js0
-Ensure you use the device information you recorded earlier.
+Ensure you use the device information you recorded earlier in place of ''/dev/input/js0''.
 == Button Detection & Axis Range Problems ==
-For unknown reasons, it appears that sometimes SDL ([https://www.libsdl.org/ Simple DirectMedia Layer]) (which is used by Oolite) takes raw input from the evdev device drivers, instead of using the correct joystick device. If this happens, then the calibration will be ignored. By adding the appropriate environment variable to either the ''/etc/environment'' file, or the ''.bashrc'' startup script, you can force SDL to use the "real" joystick driver for input.
+If your calibration is ignored, then you need to do the following: add the appropriate environment variable to either the ''/etc/environment'' file, or the ''.bashrc'' startup script.
 [https://help.ubuntu.com/community/EnvironmentVariables Officially speaking], ''/etc/environment'' is the correct place for system-wide environment variables. To add the environment variable to the ''/etc/environment'' file, '''as root''', open ''/etc/environment'' in your text editor, add the following (on a new line) to the file, and save:
@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 If you prefer changing the ''.bashrc'' startup script instead, you should add the above line to ''.bashrc'' in your ''Home'' folder. As the dot in front of the filename indicates, this is a hidden file, so you may need to set the view in your file browser to "Show Hidden Files" before it will become visible. Once done, save the file and log out, then back in.
 == Using Saved Calibration ==
-The calibration will be forgotten after rebooting, so to ensure the saved calibration is used, make a bash script called for example ''run_oolite'' with:
+The calibration will be forgotten after rebooting, so to ensure the saved calibration is used, make a file called for example ''run_oolite'' with the following contents:
   #!/bin/bash
@@ Line 37: / Line 39: @@
   $1
-Again, use the device information you recorded earlier. Make that script executable and then you can run Oolite assuming ''run_oolite'' is in your path, using:
+Again, use the device information you recorded earlier. Save the file (which is a bash script) in a folder which is in your system's ''PATH'' or you can save it in the same folder as the ''oolite'' executable. The ''oolite'' executable is located in a folder like this: ''/home/USERNAME/GNUstep/Applications/Oolite/'' which hereafter we'll call ''OOLITE_FOLDER''. Make that file executable (which can usually be done in your distro's file explorer by right clicking on the file and choosing to edit Permissions). Then you can run Oolite in a shell using:
-  run_oolite PATH_TO_OOLITE
+  OOLITE_FOLDER/run_oolite OOLITE_FOLDER/oolite
-PATH_TO_OOLITE can be something like ''/home/USERNAME/GNUstep/Applications/Oolite/oolite''
+The first ''OOLITE_FOLDER'' in the command above should be removed if ''run_oolite'' is in your system's ''PATH''.
-If you are using the [[https://github.com/OoliteProject/OoliteStarter Oolite Starter]] then replace PATH_TO_OOLITE with PATH_TO_OOLITE_STARTER (which may look something like: ''/opt/oolitestarter-innocuous/bin/OoliteStarter_innocuous'')
+If you are using the [https://github.com/OoliteProject/OoliteStarter Oolite Starter] then replace ''OOLITE_FOLDER/oolite'' with the path to Oolite Starter which will look something like: ''/opt/oolitestarter-innocuous/bin/OoliteStarter_innocuous''.
 == Mapping Axes and Buttons to Keyboard Key Presses ==
-Sometimes it is desirable to have an axis act more like a keyboard key press, for example to increase and decrease speed. This can be achieved with the utility [[https://github.com/AntiMicroX/antimicrox AntiMicroX]], a graphical program used to map gamepad keys to keyboard, mouse, scripts and macros. More information on keyboard controls can be found [[https://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/Oolite_Keyboard_Controls here]]. Once you have set up AntiMicroX the way you want, you can use your configuration by modifying the ''run_oolite'' script described earlier:
+Sometimes it is desirable to have an axis act more like a keyboard key press, for example to increase and decrease speed. This can be achieved with the utility [https://github.com/AntiMicroX/antimicrox AntiMicroX], a graphical program used to map joystick and gamepad controls to keyboard, mouse, scripts and macros. More information on Oolite's default keyboard controls can be found [https://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/Oolite_Keyboard_Controls here]. Once you have set up AntiMicroX the way you want, you can use your configuration by modifying the ''run_oolite'' script described earlier:
   #!/bin/bash

@@ Line 43: / Line 43: @@
 PATH_TO_OOLITE can be something like ''/home/USERNAME/GNUstep/Applications/Oolite/oolite''
-If you are using the [[https://github.com/OoliteProject/OoliteStarter Oolite Starter]] then replace PATH_TO_OOLITE with PATH_TO_OOLITE_STARTER (which may look something like: /opt/oolitestarter-innocuous/bin/OoliteStarter_innocuous)
+If you are using the [[https://github.com/OoliteProject/OoliteStarter Oolite Starter]] then replace PATH_TO_OOLITE with PATH_TO_OOLITE_STARTER (which may look something like: ''/opt/oolitestarter-innocuous/bin/OoliteStarter_innocuous'')
 == Mapping Axes and Buttons to Keyboard Key Presses ==

@@ Line 37: / Line 37: @@
   $1
-Make that script executable and then you can run Oolite assuming ''run_oolite"" is in your path, using:
+Again, use the device information you recorded earlier. Make that script executable and then you can run Oolite assuming ''run_oolite'' is in your path, using:
   run_oolite PATH_TO_OOLITE
@@ Line 54: / Line 54: @@
   cd ${1%/*}
   $1
 == Other problems ==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[File:PS3 Controller.jpeg|right|320px]]
-== Setting up a Joystick or Gamepad in Oolite ==
+== Overview ==
-The instructions below describe how to set up XBoxDrv for use with an XBox 360 controller on Ubuntu Lucid, nevertheless, the XBoxDrv author has extended it to also work with non-XBox controllers. If anyone gets it to work with a non-XBox controller, feel free to expand this wiki page with any information helpful to others trying to do the same.<br>
+Generally speaking, Linux is quite good with joystick and gamepad detection and support, but sometimes things can go wrong. Failing to detect a joystick at all is fairly uncommon, and most reported problems revolve around button detection/assignment, and/or axis range. This article provides information on setting up game controllers so that they work well in Oolite Linux.
-. Install [[http://pingus.seul.org/~grumbel/xboxdrv/ XBoxDrv]] - for Ubuntu there is a binary package. Installation instructions are [[http://github.com/Grumbel/xboxdrv/blob/master/README here]].<br><br>
+== Calibrating a Joystick or Gamepad ==
-If you have any problems, post on the [[https://bb.oolite.space/viewforum.php?f=9 Oolite Linux Forum]].
+Although Oolite provides options to set up dead zones, a full calibration within the game is not possible. The best way to calibrate game controllers on Linux is using a utility such as [[https://github.com/Grumbel/jstest-gtk jstest-gtk]] which will probably be present in your distribution's Software Manager. Launch the ''jstest-gtk'' gui (it will probably be located in the System Menu) and, underneath the name of your joystick, it will list the device details, such as "Device:/dev/input/js0". Keep a record of this device information.
 == Links ==
 *[[Joysticks and Gamepads]]
 *[[Joysticks: Guide to Setting Up]]

@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 . The left shoulder button acts like a shift key and effectively almost doubles the number of buttons.<br><br>
-If you have any problems, post on the [[http://www.aegidian.org/bb/viewforum.php?f=9 Oolite Linux Forum]].
+If you have any problems, post on the [[https://bb.oolite.space/viewforum.php?f=9 Oolite Linux Forum]].
 == Links ==
-*[http://www.aegidian.org/bb/viewtopic.php?p=218983#p218983 Original discussion]
+*[https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?p=218983#p218983 Original discussion]
 *[[Joystick problems (Linux)]]
 *[[Joysticks and Gamepads]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:17, 12 July 2021
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		+	[[File:PS3 Controller.jpeg\|right\|320px]]
	== Setting up a Joystick or Gamepad in Oolite ==		== Setting up a Joystick or Gamepad in Oolite ==
	<br>		<br>