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ChaozLabs JoyBoard

Content

1. Download and news
2. What is JoyBoard
3. How to use JoyBoard
4. How to report Bugs and request Features

Download and news

Here you may download the current version of JoyBoard.

News

2009-10-15: Bugfix release (1.0.36.0)

• Some exceptions on 64 Bit platforms fixed (finally works now!)
• Known Bug: Mouse buttons on Joystick axes behave bad (JoyBoard won't release the buttons!)
• Known Bug: "Key press" repeats on Joystick axes

2009-10-04: Bugfix release (1.0.35.0)

• Mouse speed slider has now wider Range
• Mapping of Keys to Axes improved, should now work at least for "Keyboard Input"
• Fixed an exception if loading a file was canceled by the user
• Untested: Exception on startup and refresh button hit on Windows 7 x64 should be fixed
• Known Bug: Mouse buttons on Joystick axes behave bad (JoyBoard won't release the buttons!)
• Known Bug: "Key press" repeats on Joystick axes

2009-10-01: First release (1.0.34.0)

• 4 Presets (Playstation, Flightstick, XBox 360 and Arcade Stick) complete with graphics and button hilighting.
• 6 Action Types (Do Nothing, Keyboard Input, Keypress, Mouse Move, Mouse Click and Load Config)
• Tested with Flightstick and Playstation Controller

What is JoyBoard

Joyboard is a small program for your Windows computer that translates Joystick or other game controller movement into keyboard and mouse input. This is meant to be useful for people who like to play computer games with a Joystick or Gamepad when the game originally doesn't support such a device for input.
For example if you like to play old DOS games in DosBox you won't have the possibility to use your prefered Gamepad or your Joystick to play them. Here comes JoyBoard to the game, by translating Joystick input into keystrokes even those old games can profit from the extended possibilities.

How to use JoyBoard

Presets

The startup screen:

As you can see the interface is very simple, it throws you right into the configuration of your Joystick. All things you change have an effect immediately, so be careful if you map mouse input to your joystick, as the mouse begins to move as you set it up!

Playstation Controllers

There are some presets for common Joysticks and Gamepads. The first that is visible is the Playstation 2/3 controller. You may map all buttons and Joystick axes to keyboard and mouse events. Be careful if you change from analog mode to digital mode as that means perhaps that the zeropoint of some of the axes may be different and thus the mouse may start to move into one direction. If that happens hit the refresh button on top or disconnect and reconnect your controller. As you may notice if you move the mouse above some of the settings boxes the corresponding axis or button will be hilighted in the image.

Basic Flightsticks

The next preset is a more or less generic Flightstick. It has 8 buttons, a POV head and 4 axes (X, Y, Z rotation and thrust) as in the previous example just move the mouse cursor over one of the settings boxes to get a hilight for what detail the box is.

XBox controllers

Now for another gamepad. This is the XBox 360 Gamepad, but this works for the original XBox and XBox S controllers too. The original XBox controller does not have the two buttons labeled "Analog" and the two "Digital" buttons are the black and white ones near the X/Y/A/B cross.
Attention: Bugs likely ahead for this controller as I don't own one for myself, this preset has been created on information from the web only and was not tested at all. Please report a bug if something is wrong with it.

Nostalgia

You all know this good old thing, don't you? The simplest of all Joysticks, 2 axes, 2 buttons. It is there only for the nostalgia (but of course works fine).

Generic Joystick/Gamepad

This is the generic preset, no fancy images here, just plain boring data tables :)
But this page is powerful too, as you can see which button is which one if you just press a button on your controller the checkbox in front of the button setup will lighten up. Furthermore you can see axis movement in the textboxes in front of the axis setup. You may configure up to 12 buttons, 6 axes and one POV head on this page. If your controller has less buttons/axes/POV heads just ignore the superfluous setup boxes.

Possible Actions

Do nothing

This basically disables the current button/axis on the controller, all buttons and all axes will default to this one

Keyboard Input

This one allows you to map a button or axis of the controller to keyboard input. It's simple if you press the button on the controller the corresponding key is held down until you release the button. You may use the standard modifier keys Ctrl, Alt and Shift to be held down at the same time. If you just want to press one of the modifier keys let the "Press this key" field on it's default "(no key)" setting.

Key press

This one allows you to map a button or axis of the controller to keyboard input like the one before but this one releases the key at once and doesn't repeat until the controller gets into zero position again. But there is more, if you check the "Double Tap" checkbox the key is pressed two times in rapid progression, something like a double click just with keys.

Mouse Move

This is mapped best to a controller axis rather than a button (who wants to get one pixel into one direction at a time ever?). It allows you to move the mouse pointer and it works in DirectInput games too (would be useless if it won't, right?). It also allows you to use the mouse wheel. Move the slider on the bottom to modify how fast the mousepointer moves. Be careful, this happens to be influenced by the Update interval on the main window. This slider defines how many pixels the mouse is moved in one update interval. If you turn down the update interval and put this slider to the max you will get very "blocky" mouse movement.

Mouse Click

As it says, allows you to fake mouse clicks. Best bound to a button.

Load config

This is a very powerful function as it allows you to change a configuration on the fly. Just define the preset file which to load and it will be loaded if this is activated. If you want to return to this configuration later on you will have to save it and recall it on the same way you did with the other configuration. This is basically some sort of "Shift" key for your controller if you don't have enough buttons for all these functions or if a game has "multiple modes" like a complex Menu and some other ingame action (The X series comes to mind, or likely any role playing game).

How to report Bugs and request Features

As I have no bugtracker currrently just contact me directly:

• ICQ: 154259851
• Jabber: dunkelstern@jabber.org
• Skype:
• Twitter: @Dunkelstern
• eMail: jschriewer@gmail.com

Don't be shy, I speak english and german, just drop me a line if you have any comment for me.

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