Xbox 360 Controller Deadzone

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F-35 Pilot

Xbox 360 Controller Deadzone

Post by F-35 Pilot »

I'm using v5.3 of Xpadder and got some questions about the deadzones-

I am using it for Battlefield 2 (jets) and have the left analog stick to turn left/right and nose up/down, and the right analog stick to spin left/right.

I have tried different settings for the analog sticks (normal, 8-way etc) I currently have it set to none (standard) and the left stick veers to the right slowly, and if I gently press up on it it will make the jet veer down, and if I gently press down it slowly veers up making the controls unpredictable. It does this with all the analog stick settings, I've tried all the deadzone settings from 1% to 100% and it doesn't change anything at all (deadzone of 99% is still really responsive)
I have tried XBCD drivers when I had Windows XP and they worked by setting deadzone, but I can't use them now as I'm on Windows 7 64-bit and you need to use test mode to get it working (not practical).
The thing I don't understand is, in Xpadder if I map the analog stick to mouse, and make the movement in game set to mouse, the deadzone in Xpadder works (doesn't veer in a direction) why is this?
Is it because it's emulated through Xpadder therefore Xpadder basically acts as a driver for it when using mouse movement?
When it's mapped to mouse it's nowhere near as precise as true joystick of course so mapping to mouse is not an option- is there anything at all I can do to set a deadzone on Windows 7 64-bit?

I know I'm like the millionth person to ask but WHY can't Microsoft include software for the controller lol

Terra Branford
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Re: Xbox 360 Controller Deadzone

Post by Terra Branford »

Wow... I'm actually surprised that 5.3 even ~works~ in Win7... I mean, right now, we're at "Xpadder v2010.06.03", which is eight versions above that. Is that the free one?

Either way... I'm not actually sure why your deadzones are acting this way... it could be a driver issue... or it could just be that Xpadder 5.3 wasn't really meant to be used beyond Windows Vista (the last "officially supported" OS for 5.2, and 5.3... and maybe 5.4). The new commercial version supports XP, Vista, and Win7, and has a ton of features that you'll never see on the old versions.

F-35 Pilot

Re: Xbox 360 Controller Deadzone

Post by F-35 Pilot »

I read a lot of people wanting Windows 7 support ages ago and it confused me a bit because all I had to do is run in in compatibility mode for XP SP3 and it worked fine, otherwise it would say OS not supported.
I figured out what the problem is, apparently it's because where BF2 has it's own joypad support Xpadder can't control it, so mapping it to mouse (or anything other than analog stick) is the only way to set deadzone.
While I haven't sorted it I've been playing with the stick settings and chose the prioritize horizontal for the right stick (and set the diagonal size to 89% max) and it's made it a lot more responsive so the deadzone doesn't seem as apparent.
It's not a driver issue as I've re-installed the controller a few times- I wonder if Microsoft will ever release software for the pad in the future?
Also about 5.3 working on Windows 7- I recently downloaded it (again) and it doesn't work nomatter what settings I choose. The old 5.3 I have (currently using) works, but I had it saved on a flash drive with all my settings from when I had it on XP (SP3) and transferred it over when I installed 7- could this have anything to do with it working?
By the sounds of it I need to upgrade anyway lol

Terra Branford
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Re: Xbox 360 Controller Deadzone

Post by Terra Branford »

Wow... see, THAT is what has had me confused... that with the .ini file saved over to a flash drive, and loaded up in Vista/XP compatibility mode, 5.3 works... but not standard as a fresh "install" (hence my: "Wait... Xpadder 5.3 NEVER worked in Win7 correctly, if at all!" comment). At least (for now) it seems you've managed to get it working... kind of... sort of... with your trick.

Truth is... I never game(d) with Xpadder... I use it for really insane projects that it shouldn't be used for (such as subtitle editing on my video projects, controlling my HTPC from a PS2 remote... etc), and nothing else. A lot of my suggestions tend to be from the rest of our staff who actually game. :D Though, you might want to try a trick that is as old as Xpadder itself... unplug your joypad prior to running the game... run your game, and plug the controller back in. In 80% of older games, the controller will no longer be found by the game (these games only do a simple flag check for the controller at startup, and assume you'd not plug one back in at a later point) and Xpadder will have 100% control. Worth a shot.

And yeah... some of Xpadder's current features are really impressive. "Hold Zones" and "Distance Zones" have been added to the advanced settings, allowing you to do things like "If the analog stick is moved half-way in a direction, one button is held (ie: "w"), but if you go the rest of the way, a different button is pressed (ie: "Shift+w"), to simulate actual analog movement in games that required multiple combinations of keys to get the same effects as in a proper console game. And neat little add-ons like "If you tap a button, you get this action... if you hold the button for a few moments, you get THIS action... hold it LONGER still and you get an entirely different action!".

I tell you, these new features have made a lot of my older macros and sequences I used to use completely useless. :D

Primal Fear
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Re: Xbox 360 Controller Deadzone

Post by Primal Fear »

TBD was faster, but here my opinion.
F-35 Pilot wrote:Also about 5.3 working on Windows 7- I recently downloaded it (again) and it doesn't work nomatter what settings I choose. The old 5.3 I have (currently using) works, but I had it saved on a flash drive with all my settings from when I had it on XP (SP3) and transferred it over when I installed 7- could this have anything to do with it working?
I think that it's possible, that the Xpadder.exe on your flash drive works, because there is the Xpadder.ini made under Windows XP too.
The second Xpadder.exe, you have downloaded again, comes without the Xpadder.ini. Xpadder has to create it, and there is the problem under Windows Seven, I think. But if this is right, it would be plausible that you cannot save any changes you made in the Xpadder settings under Windows Seven.

This doesn't help you with your problem. It's only my assessment, why it should work for you under Windows Seven.

Terra Branford
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Re: Xbox 360 Controller Deadzone

Post by Terra Branford »

I think your opinion on it is correct. As this was the only way I could get Photoshop 6 (my only copy, bought almost eight years ago) to work in Vista 64x. I had to copy over all the system and configuration files (I migrated the entire folder) to get it to work... and even still, it requires me to elevate it to administrator ~everytime~ I want to use it.

I could just go buy the latest one... but there's a big difference between 10$USD for a program I use nearly daily, versus a software for over 400$USD that I use... maybe monthly... at best.

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