homepage Forums Air Combat & Civil Aviation EECH / EEAH EECH ForceFeedback support 0.6 [TEST]

For everyone who use joystick with ForceFeedback support (not vibration). This EXE just for testing new features, not for usual playing. Place COHOKUM_FF_0.6.EXE and FORCEFEEDBACK folder into [game_folder]/COHOKUM/. Before start it, please make copy of your "eech.ini". Now launch EXE. New strings in eech.ini will appear in section [Joysticks and TrackIR]. You can leave the game and set "forcefeedback_effects" to "1" or leave it "0.5" - it's half of max force.What have I done:

1. [0.1] Constant force associated with helicopter pitch and roll velocity. It works in maneuvers and overloads - like hard landing or falling.
2. [0.2] Hokum an Comanche weapon effects. Cannon rate of fire loads from GWUT file so it's synchronized with current weapon.
3. [0.2] Landing gears raising / lowering vibration effect.
4. [0.2] Trim support. When you press T key joystick will stay in this position. Shift + T will reset trim. Fine trim doesn't work, will do it last.
5. [0.3] Sideway and wheel brake resistance. Depends on current speed and effectiveness of brakes.
6. [0.3] Water resistance. If you touch water surface be ready to dive. Depends on current speed.
7. [0.3] Rotor / blade damage. Shake frequency depends on rotor rpm.
8. [0.4] Shake while taxiing. Depends on current speed and surface type (grass, sand, snow etc.). Unfortunately only landscape is considering, landing pads or runways does not recognizing like Asphalt.
9. [0.5] Cannon fire effects for all helis. Depends on rate of fire and caliber/quantity. Hind's UPK-23 wins.
10. [0.5] Trim respects non-linear control for cyclics. Fine trim buttons works. While hovering trim is disabled.
11. [0.5] All dynamic forces affects force feedback. [0.5.2] Forces increased twice.
12. [0.6] External FFE files support for weapons and some dynamic forces. In "forcefeedback" folder you will find some samples, utility for editing effects and list of possible filenames.
13. [0.6] Fixed game crash when disconnecting joystick while force feedback is active. But, were is still possibility of BSOD (telling for Saitek Cyborg Evo Force) due to poor USB device support by directinput7 OR bug in Saitek drivers. I tried to prevent critical error, but it works not always. After disconnecting you will lose FFB so you need to restart game.

FFE file is pack of standard effects with different timing ang configuration. You can use any effects but were is some rules:

1. Every effect is starting and playing until it ends. So do not make too long effects - when you will try to activate some effect that is already playing, nothing will happens.
2. After enumeration all effects are separated so you need to make them end all in same time, otherwise will be unsynchronization - shorter effects will go forward. But you still can use start delay.
3. Force feedback gain doesn't affect effects from file.


http://rapidshare.com/files/4003818048/COHOKUM_FF_0.6.rar

Unfortunately I don't have a FFB joystick to help with you test.

But it sounds interesting. Can you tell us more about it?

Thanks

Where's the .EXE at?

ColJamesD, [game_folder]\COHOKUM\ if you mean that.

LazerPotatoe, I'm kind a fan of such things like forcefeedback, surround sound and 3d, so I just was curious what can do old good directx7. And I was surprised that directinput have full support of force feedback. Started searching and found unused script in EECH, it just wasn't correctly configured. Made link to heli dynamics - and it works. My plan is simple - make effects on several events (like cannon fire, damage or landing) and trim support (when you trim cyclic joystick's center changes as well). It's not hard, I will do it. But one thing I can't do right now - it's support of external ffe files. In this case users can change effects by they own. I spent all day trying to get eech read ffe files, but I'm failed =) May be someday or someone.

ColJamesD: the link to the EXE is in his first post. It is kinda hidden in the text, where he says "this exe".


thealx,

sounds like a very cool and useful project.

Let me just get clear on exactly what the problem is:

are you working in the C source code, and are trying to open an .ffe file from the local filesystem? Maybe there is a way to include the .ffe data in the application itself.

Please don't give up, I'm sure someone around here can help you.

Cheers,

DUUUUUUHHHHH!!

are you working in the C source code, and are trying to open an .ffe

exactly. technically much better make effects by functions - you always can change amplitude and direction of force, no need to make special ffe files for that. but in this case it's not possible to change without editing sourcecode, for example, cannon effect - maybe someone want to have hard shake like you firing gatling gun in your hands =)

Link requires registration...no thanks. Keep up the great work.

Ahh.. never noticed that. uploaded on another service.

wow - sounds like an impressive list of changes. Thanks for updating your first post with more details.

I hope you can get some help with reading external files in the source code.

Cheers

I just hope someone will notice some bugs, I have not much time for testing.

After finishing effects and trim I will return to my first problem. But I'm afraid no one will able to help me - in Directinput part of code was only minor changes and long time ago. So I'm on my own.

Sorry cant help no have ffb .

It's ok. I will make other things, you can help me in future.

I have an MS Sidewinder FFB2, will take a look on this when I am at home, sounds great!

Just turned up the effects...the gun effect actually throws the stick pretty good! have not seen much to report on.Is retreating blade stall in as an effect?

Ok issues...had a crash. Throttle collective does not work...Helo spins on take off rudder. jumped into cockpit of inflight Apache and the air craft stopped ..no forward flight but altitude holds.

The gun force effect seems to be qued to bullet impact rather than bullet from the barrel..effect slows down the farther the bullet travels.

Is retreating blade stall in as an effect?

Yes, but it create Y force that mostly ignored by ffb. You can feel only small vibration if it will appear. Of course it's easy to make effect by hands.

had a crash. Throttle collective does not work

You mean game crash and collective doesn't work at all? Or heli crash and damaged avionics. And apache stopped like freezes? Never saw things like this before. I hope you have installed 1.15 ver?

Gun shake appear only when you push the trigger. But I have notice too - sometime frequency changes, will look close to it. Thank you for your help.


One more thing about cannon effects. Rate of fire is about 600-1000, it's 10-16 per second. So for stable effect you need to have 20-30 fps minimum (two moves of stick per 1 round). If less - it will be random vibration, not synchronized feedback.

Yes, my game crashed after discovering I had no collective control. When I tried to jump to another Apache on route, the helo simply slowly stopped in mid air. I could still control the axis, but could not fly any direction...stuck in mid air.

I have 1.15 and do compare between FF05 and 1.15 .exe. I'm using Saitek Evo force

I found that when game loose the joystick while force feedback is active game freezes or crashes and even gives BSOD. Trying to prevent it, but maybe saitek drivers (I have evo force too) causing this. Will continue to kill my system by making bsods.

Finally I had a chance to play several hours. Actually I really like it, so not planning any huge changes, only debugging and maybe adjusting. Without enough confirmations that everything works I will not push it forward because I had to make many changes in joystick initialization process and new bugs can appear.

Just started looking at .06...

I have no sound on this one.