Keyboard presses from joystick no longer work

[scoobie]

I must be going crazy. It's impossible.

 

I like to use those "preset/fixed views", e.g. Ctrl-Num_0, then Num_6 ("view 6" pops up). This comes in handy when you want to access somewhat difficult part of the cockpit, such as radio knob on MiG-15 or CDU on A-10C. I create these preset views for most aircraft, then "save angles" (rAlt-Num_0), then I can use these views. Such views don't wobble with your Track IR, you may also set as big zoom as you like - very nice feature.

 

Now... I always use the "radio hat" on my TM Hawg throttle to automatically punch the appropriate keyboard presses into DCS for me, e.g. when I press radio hat aft on A-10C, it's remapped to "Ctrl-Num_0, Num_3", which fixes and zooms the view on the CDU.

 

It always worked in DCS, now it only works in Windows - I checked in a text editor etc. - whatever keyboard presses I map to a joystick button, Joystick Gremlin actually spits these "fake keyboard" presses out into Windows. As always.
However, around the latest patch, DCS seems to have stopped responding to such keyboard presses.
If they come from the real keyboard - DCS reacts. If they come from "fake keyboard" (joystick remapped to keyboard presses) - DSC does NOT react, nothing happens. But Windows can see those "fake keyboard" presses.

What's going on?

 

Has such a phenomenon occurred to anyone, ever?
My brain has overheated. I don't have a faintest clue where I should look, what I should check.

 

[Flappie]

Hi. Please attach your dcs.log file ( C:\Users\username\Save Games\DCS...\Logs\dcs.log ). It's supposed to show you virtual "vJoy" device.

[scoobie]

Fool of a Took! (I'm talking about myself.)

Thank you, Flappie! No need for dcs.log. vJoy is recognized properly.

I've just figured it out. I knew it couldn't be a bug in DCS, because it just didn't make any sense - that's why my brain was overheating.
But it is interesting and may happen to someone else, so... if anybody gets bitten...

 

If you use Joystick Gremlin ("JG"), make sure it is up and running at the moment when you launch DCS.
(If you comply with this, you may later kill/re-run JG as you wish - which is exactly what I need). (EDIT: Crossed-out point nonobvious, requires further investigation)
Since your vJoy device is present in Windows and visible in DCS regardless of whether JG is running or not, you (like me) may come to a wrong conclusion that it doesn't matter if you start JG before DCS or after it. It DOES matter!

 

That was my "sin". Until just recently I've used to run JG before launching DCS, both from a batch file, but I bought more planes (too many perhaps at once) and I now switch planes in DCS a lot, so... every time I had to Alt-Tab to Windows, get to JG, File/ Open Profile, Enable Profile, Alt-Tab back to DCS. (I have separate JG profiles for all planes.) That was annoying, so I came up with a new "system", where I launch JG from my Stream Deck - this time with a ready to use profile for a specific aircraft - no need to leave DCS to change JG profile.
Thing is - in this "system" I run DCS first and only then run JG. That's too late!
That was it. JG MUST be already running when you launch DCS.

Phew!

Thanks and sorry!

 

Edited February 3, 2021 by scoobie

[Flappie]

Thanks for your detailed feedback.