BlackSpectre

That's pretty cool UA. I'm going to try to translate your binds into a XInput format for a non-keyboard emulating gamepad (I might need your help, I'll let you know). I figure I'll get that done first, and then branch out to keyboard emulators after. This has been a pretty big project. I've already worked about 2 weeks on it, so the forum posts I've run across about players wanting to use a gamepad but giving up in frustration is completely undersandable. Especially now that I'm aware of all the bugs and weird quirks. I've been scouring the forums for gamepad bind configurations, and based on the few I found, it appears the gamepad binding systems used to behave differently... even as little as 1 and a half years ago. 1) The the gamepad bind string hierarchy wasn't an issue. A Controller Modifier key did not need to come first in the bind string when using a modifier chord key/button bind, with Extra Modifiers needing to be second. Nor did modifier/chord binds need to be placed at the top of the bindfile. So a lot of my free time yesterday was spent going through those bind files and switching button names and binds around in the bindfiles. The modifer/button hierarchy can be worked around, as long as you're aware of the issue. It's a hassle compared to what little was required before. It's actually not a super painful change. Players can work with it. 2) Also since people's bind files utilized all 6 modifiers, it's not unreasonable to assume that the /Controller_modifiers command worked without issues 1 1/2 years ago or less too. Something's happened between now and then that has made working with gamepads excruciatingly difficult... if you don't know how to navigate around all the problems. One thing is becoming very clear... the more modifier buttons you have, the more binds you can have on your gamepad, and since gamepad's have so few buttons/keys compared to a keyboard and mouse, losing the second Controller Modifier to the bug is a big hit. The loss of that one controller modifier costs the gamepad user 23 different key combinations. Just consider the fact that gamepads need at least 20 binds just for 2 trays of powers, whereas a keyboard/mouse user doesn't need any for 9 trays of powers. All they have to do is click on the power slots. So, the fact that /Controller_Modifiers is bugged is a pretty bid deal. ************************************************************************************************************************************************************ I also updated the wiki with the new knowledge and undstanding that I've gained. The pages for /controller_modifiers, /Extra_modifiers, and /controller_vmouse are all updated. I'm still working on my Game Controllers Setup article, but I need to settle on what bind configuration I'm gong to use as the initial base setup for new players. I'm tempted to just leave it as is with @Telephone's bind setup as the default, but that's the lazy way out. That said, it's not as easy as it sounds. There are a lot of different ways to go. One player has in their bind configuration about 30 different button combinations that are supposed to be used for individual power binds like /powexec_name "fly." Although it's workable, using a bind setup that needs to be reworked for each character is not the best in my view. A setup that is versitile enough to be used for every character without needing to customize it is probably more useful/important. At least on this score, @Telephone did a good job. Just deciding on what button or button combination activates a travel power is a big deal because its location on the gamepad has to be considered along with all of the other requirements for gameplay. The biggest problem I'm wrestling with right now is settling on the way that powers are activated, but I have to consider combat mechanics along with it. That means taking targeting, inspiration use, and movement into consideration, in addition to button location and efficiency of use, is important. Wish me luck.

Just a quick note: The confirmation message "Key binds were reset." sent after using the /unbindall command is printed to the Error chat channel instead of the System chat channel.

Now that I've re-created @Telephone's gamepad binds, I see what you mean. Their gamepad binds can only activate power slots 1-8 and inspiration columns 1-4. It's a huge limitation not being able to use power slots 9 or 0, or inspriation column 5. I'm now gong to take a much closer look at your binds, UA. I might not recommend @Telephone's binds at the wiki afterall. I need a set of gamepad binds that work for as much of the game as possible as a starting point for players. Honestly, I think that a controller whose buttons emulate keyboard keys might be the better way to go right now. I bet there's some software that could do it. OK, I'll start looking for it... UPDATE: Wow, that was fast! I already found some apps that will turn gamepad buttons into keyboard buttons: For Xbox controllers only: Xbox Accessories app (free) For all controllers: AntiMicroX (free) DS4Windows (free) JoyToKey (paid) reWASD (paid) There's some that can supposedly be used on a Mac too: Enjoyable (free) Gamepad Mapper (paid) Joystick Mapper (paid) AntiMicroX (free) I haven't tried any of them so I can't recommend any of them. Double check whether or not the app supports your specific gamepad.

The patch notes for Issue 27 Page 1 (November 2020) state: This does not appear to be the case. The above seems to be saying that a bind such as EXTRAMOD1+EXTRAMOD3 would not work... but it does. What it should state is button names assigned as Controller Modifiers (JOYMOD) must come before buttons assigned as Extra Modifiers (EXTRAMOD) in the bind string for the bind to execute as intended. And Extra Modifiers (EXTRAMOD must come before single Key/Button names. So EXTRAMOD2+JOYMOD1 will not work, but JOYMOD1+EXTRAMOD2 will work. Looks like the XInput API was added to Homecoming in 2020. The new GameInput API was released in 2021. Just throwing it out there, but this might be the cause of some of the problems. That said, the whole gamepad system seems to be a bit unstable, necessitating restarting the game when it goes awry. Things like the mouse cursor dissapearing or zooming in and out not working while in virtual mouse mode, extra modifier buttons not working until the left analog stick is moved, etc.

Next I tried putting the Right Trigger AFTER any other button names in the binds, but then none of them appeared in keybinds.txt except for JOY5+JOY8 "Prev_Tray_Alt" and JOY6+JOY8 "Next_Tray_Alt" . I also tried swapping the modifier buttons around with /controller_modifiers 8 7, and although the Right Trigger now worked, the Left Trigger stopped functioning. So it seems like a problem with the /controller_modifiers command. Ok. The Left Trigger is simply not working as a modifier key. DPadLeft+Rtrigger behaves as if only Rtrigger was bound. I tried these settings: /controller_modifiers 7 7 /extra_modifiers joy5 joy6 joy8 to see if I could get the Right Trigger to work as an Extra Modifier button, but that didn't work either. So then I tried a different combination. /controller_modifiers 5 7 /extra_modifiers joy6 joy8 This allowed both triggers to work, but now the Left Bumper didn't work. Ok. The problem is definitely the /controller_modifiers command. What if we got rid of /controller_modifiers completely, and just used /extra_modifiers for both triggers and bumpers? So I tried: /controller_modifiers 21 22 /extra_modifiers joy5 joy6 joy7 joy8 IT WORKED!!!!!! ALL BINDS AND BUTTONS ARE WORKING CORRECTLY!!!!! EUREKA!!! Holy crud, this was a real headache! I set the /controller_modifiers to JOY21 and JOY22 because I've never seen any weird key or button name for those pop up when testing in the game's Options--> Keymapping tab, and it's best to get the controller modifiers out of the way just in case they cause trouble in the future. Additionally, the buttons on an XBox Wireless Controller only go up to JOY12. However, I have seen JOY24 and JOY25 pop up in the Keymapping tab over the years. Just FYI. ******************************************************************************************************************************************************** So to sum up how I got the gamepad binds to work on my Xbox Wireless Controller... 1) Reset all keybinds (/unbindall). Then use /bindsave to overwrite keybinds.txt. This is to clear keybinds.txt of any button names that have been previously tagged as modifier buttons (i.e., JOYMOD or EXTRAMOD). We don't want those loading in from somewhere to accidentally mess things up. Alternately, you can go through keybinds.txt yourself (located in C:\Games\Homecoming\Setup\Live\ ) and delete all modifier binds you find, then save the file. 2) Set /control_modifiers to use buttons that will actually never be pressed/used (such as Joy21 and Joy22). For example, /controller_modifiers 21 22. 3) Use /extra_modifiers to assign all triggers and bumpers as modifier buttons. For example, /extra_modifiers joy5 joy6 joy7 joy8. 4) When using modifier/chord binds, Controller Modifiers (JOYMOD) must be written first, at the beginning of a bind string. Extra Modifiers (EXTRAMOD) come second, and all other key/button names come third. The following sequences work fine: JOYMOD+EXTRAMOD, JOYMOD+ButtonName, EXTRAMOD+EXTRAMOD, and EXTRAMOD+ButtonName. Note: Whether JOYMOD+JOYMOD works is unknown at this time since JOYMOD2 is currently inoperable. 5) Place all modifier/chord binds at the top of any bindfile being loaded into the game (before any single button binds).

UPDATE#3 So... thinking about bind string conflicts and how the strings can be truncated when 2 binds are executed very quickly, it occured to me that maybe if a single modifier button is bound first, it might come into conflict with a modifier/chord button. In my gamepad.txt file, I have all of the modifier/chord buttons at the bottom of the file. Assuming they load in after the binds at the top of the file, I decided to test that and put all of the modifier/chord binds at the top. THAT WORKED! Kinda. Now all the binds show up correctly in keybinds.txt (although JOY8 "nop" oddly shows up in the middle of the text instead of with the other modifier NOP binds, which indicates to me that something is still wrong). The only problem now is that modifier/chord binds that include the Right Trigger (JOY8) and the D-Pad or Face buttons don't work at all! None of my modifier/chord binds using JOY8 work except for the 2 that use the Extra modifier buttons (i.e., bumpers). KEYBINDS.TXT

Also, if these binds are loaded in they will NOT function at all (but at least they show up in keybinds.txt): JOY8+JOY5 "Prev_Tray_Alt" JOY8+JOY6 "Next_Tray_Alt" but if you switch the key names around, then they work. Like so: JOY5+JOY8 "Prev_Tray_Alt" JOY6+JOY8 "Next_Tray_Alt" You might think that the rule of thumb is that modifier buttons must come first in the bind string before any other key names, but the above contratdicts that notion. We can't even infer this rule: "Modifier button names must come first in the bind string. However, if a trigger (joymod) and bumper (extramod2) are used together, the bumper (extramod) must come first in the bind string." Why? Because these binds contradict that rule and yet work just fine: JOY7+JOY5 "Prev_Tray" JOY8+JOY6 "Next_Tray" Maybe there's another rule that might work? Maybe.

UPDATE#2 I switched the order of the modifer button and the regular button in the bindfile so that the modifier button comes first. So instead of "JOY3+JOY8 ", I loaded in "JOY8+JOY3", and most of those binds showed up in keybinds.txt. However, JOY8+JOYPAD_DOWN "powexec_altslot 4" is missing. Or rather its equivalent, JOYMOD2+JOYPAD_DOWN "powexec_altslot 4" is missing. In addition, now this bind showed up out of nowhere in keybinds.txt: JOY8 "4"" Note: The 3 quotation marks are not a typo. It's in keybinds.txt just as you see it. It looks like, for some weird reason, +JOYPAD_DOWN "powexec_altslot was deleted by the system from JOY8+JOYPAD_DOWN "powexec_altslot 4", and the 2 parts that were not removed where put together to form JOY8 "4"". That would be my guess anyway. And this is now CONSISTENT.

UPDATE: Today I reset all of my binds using /unbindall. Then I used /bindsave and after the only thing left in keybinds.txt was "KeyProfile Classic" and "UnbindAll". Then I used /bindloadfile to load in the gamepad.txt file below. Then I used /bindsave to save the new binds to keybinds.txt. Now when I press the Right Trigger (JOY8), it executes the 8th power slot in the Alt tray slot (i.e., powexec_altslot 8 ) whenever I press the button. I did NOT bind that command to JOY8. I bound "NOP" to that button. However, looking at keybinds.txt, I find the following bind: JOY8 "powexec_altslot 8" I did NOT create that bind, the system did all by itself. In addition, all of the binds using Powexec_AltSlot are MISSING from keybinds.txt and do not function in game. The system deleted them. JOYPAD_LEFT+JOY8 "powexec_altslot 1" JOYPAD_UP+JOY8 "powexec_altslot 2" JOYPAD_DOWN+JOY8 "powexec_altslot 3" JOYPAD_RIGHT+JOY8 "powexec_altslot 4" JOY3+JOY8 "powexec_altslot 5" JOY4+JOY8 "powexec_altslot 6" JOY1+JOY8 "powexec_altslot 7" JOY2+JOY8 "powexec_altslot 8" This behavior is CONSISTENT. I've now reset my character's binds and reloaded in my gamepad.txt several times... same result. GAMEPAD.txt KEYBINDS.TXT

That shouldn’t happen if the game was coded correctly for XInput. Looks like the Xbox 360 was not a supported device back in 2012. If the Wiki is correct, the right stick didn't even work. So it looks like Homecoming did make some improvements. The right stick now works at least, and homecoming introduced modifier keys as well. The thing is... the way Homecoming has introduced modifier keys looks like a bit of a hack to me. I noticed that a bind like this <code>JOY3+JOY8 "powexec_altslot 5"</code> is translated into <code>JOYMOD1+JOY3 "powexec_slot 5"</code> in keybinds.txt. So with the help of the modifier key slash commands, the game is translating the key names of the buttons into different key names depending on if they were defined as modifier keys or not. I'm not sure if the translation is being done on the fly every time a button is pressed, or if the keys were translated at the time of binding and that's it. I hope the latter. Honestly, I think the standard keys used for modifiers (left and right triggers and left and right bumpers) should be considered modifiers at the start, using the buttons' memory addresses, rather than a key name. Then if a player wishes to bind only the single modifier button, that can be done with a key name... but I don't want to go on talking about things I know very little about. I understand this suggestion would prevent players from using any other buttons as modifier keys, but I'd rather deal with that limitation than having the system be unstable. Other weird things I noticed... one time Joy7 appeared twice in keybinds.txt. One bound with the "NOP" command that I created, and the other with a command that I had been used in a modifier/chord bind. When I used /unbind on Joy7, it removed the extra command, but kept the bind with "NOP" on it in keybinds.txt At one time, JOY12 would not appear in keybinds.txt using /bindloadfile, but it did appear when using /showbindallfile. I reset all binds, loaded in the gamepad binds again, and then it showed up in keybinds.txt. So intermittent signs of instability. It's weird.

I'm pretty sure that's true. I mean, after binding 2 buttons using this bind JOY3+JOY8 "powexec_altslot 5", why would "powexec_altslot 5" activate when only JOY8 is pressed??? Why would "nop" have to be bound to the other modifier keys to stop them from doing similar things? Why would we have to Alt-Tab out of the game and then back in to stop the gamepad from running amok? There's definitely something wrong. I'm not sure which Microsoft API Homecoming is using, but if it's not the newer GameInput API (instead of XInput), that might have something to do with it? The new (2021) GameInput has a lot more features and capabilities than XInput had, and according to Microsoft it's also 30% less input latency and resource usage. They've had 4 years to iron out the bugs, so it might be time to take the plunge if Homecoming hasn't yet.

I followed @telephone's keybind setup for a gamepad as closely as I could. Most of them seem to work, but I had a lot of trouble with the Right Trigger as a modifer button. Many times it simply would not execute the desired bind and did nothing. Sometimes switching the key name's order in the bind string helped, but now JOY8 (Right Trigger) appears to be stuck executing only "powexec_altslot 5", and it will not do anything else. It will even execute that command by only pressing JOY8 by itelf, and this is after I bound it with "nop". I bounds all 4 modifer buttons with "nop" beacuse they would start executing a command I used for a chord/modifier bind. It's wacky. I've tried unbinding and rebinding, resetting all keybinds, reloading in the keybinds, typing the keybinds manually, restarting the game... and no dice. I can remove the bind, but when I re-bind it the same thing happens. The whole gamepad binding system seems prone to conflicts with itself. I have been writing up a page on game controllers at the wiki, and here are the binds I'm using User:BlackSpectre/Testthis3 - Unofficial Homecoming Wiki . The page isn't finsihed because I've had to stop after I ran into this problem.

I'm finally getting around to updating the HC wiki with more in-depth game controller info. Are there any more "convenience aliases" other than the ones I have below? Also, there is no alias for the Back button (i.e., Joy12) or the Share button on an Xbox Wireless Controller, correct? Convenience Aliases LTrigger - Joy7 RTrigger - Joy8 LeftTrigger - Joy7 RightTrigger - Joy8 RightBumper - Joy6 LeftBumper - Joy5 StartButton - Joy11 AButton - Joy3 BButton - Joy2 XButton - Joy 1 YButton - Joy4 DPadDown - JoyPad_Down DPadLeft - JoyPad_Left DPadRight - JoyPad_Right DPadUp - JoyPad_Up Thanks a bunch! P.S. Please forward this to a Dev.

Yep. Except for the Freebies popmenu, they're all available at level 0 on Live. It's the macro that is awarded. LOL So maybe "Macro Accolades" isn't a terrible name, even if there is some overlap. "Badge Accolades" concern themselves which what is needed to acquire the accolade. "Power Accolades" concern themselves with the powers that come as a result of the badges. Since the popmenus are active without the player doing anything, the only portion that is "awarded" is the macro. In my opinion, the top 3 names that have arisen are: Macro Accolades Menu Accolades Popmenu Accolades All of them work I think, but I'm leaning toward "Macro Accolades". So unless anyone objects, I'll go ahead and name them that.

Ah ha! I knew if I asked someone would have a good idea! 🙂 Is "Server-side" good enough as a name? In truth, they're all part of the game client (in the bins/piggs)... not really on the server side. There's also editbaseoptions.mnu and freebies.mnu, in addition to the other 2 you mentioned, ATC... for a total of 5. You're right, UA, the Fast Travel and Hologram Matrix popmenus are the only ones awarded to players rather than just automatically part of the game (like the other 3). A couple days ago I created a page for the popmenus called "Official Game Popmenus", but I didn't intend for it to be anything other than a jumping off point for the popmenus' code. https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Official_Game_Popmenus Hmmmmmm. You guys are jogging my memory. In the patch notes I27P1, the devs refer to the "Fast Travel Menu" as a "Macro Accolade", probably because it comes in the form of a macro in the power trays. There are other macro accolades, the Hologram Matrix and the Architect Comlink (but that last one is awarded by a badge). "Macro Accolades" will have overlap into the badge accolade category. So maybe a good name would be "Menu Accolades"?