Written and Edited By: MarkEAW

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

JOYSTICK and CONTROLS TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS
Joystick/Controller Types Known To Work | Controller Drivers | Combining Controls | Chain-Linked Option
Assigning Device ID Option | Down Grade Stick | Gameports | Game Cable To USB | Hot Swapping Controls
Setup In Game First/Profile Software | Gaming Keyboards/Mice/Keypads | Joystick Force Feedback Issue
USB Joystick Disconnects From Windows | Error: could not set Joystick <blank> properly
Joystick Not Recognized At All | Joystick Partially Working (dinput.dll)
Joystick Grayed Out/Axis Not Responding | Controls Messed Up/Plane Drifting Sideways
The Joystick Pulls Or Acts Erratically In The Game | POV Hat Not Working | Erratic View Changing Automatically
Guns Shoot By Themselves | No Keyboard or Joystick Buttons Working
No control over the Aircraft and Can't Escape From the Game
 WinXP and Targeting Keys | WinXP and Loss of Key Response
Fast Computers and Mouse Click Selections | Unwanted Entry's In The eaw.ini
Manually Enter Settings | MicroProse Info From The User Manual

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CODEGROUP VERSION CONTENT

CODEGROUP JOYSTICK and CONTROLS TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS
Joystick Types Known To Work | Gaming Keyboards/Mice/Keypads | Erratic View Changing Automatically
Crash To Desktop, FF | WinXP and Targeting Keys | Fast Computers and Mouse Click Selections

Joystick / Controller Types Known To Work:
Gameport / Midi , PS/2, Serial, USB, any stick that Windows can recognize. Some may have a special switch on them or their software may have a selection you must enable to work with Legacy Games. Some people may find out you do not install the included software at all, especially if its not compatible with the current Windows OS your using. You then can use the Windows supplied built-in drivers. Newer Windows like Vista and 7 or later include several drivers that will install when you connect your device automatically. This is useful when there is no manufacture support available.

In EAWv1.2 you can not use two USB devices plugged into separate ports unless you have special software to combine them into one Device ID. Multiple USB control devices (Joystick, RudderPedals, Throttle etc) connected can not be used since EAW can not recognize multiple control devices. However, control pads that can emulate keycode (Saitek's "PC-Dash") and so on, will work because it connects between the PS2 keyboard and the DIN connector on the PC tower, so there is no problem with that configuration.

Its possible for a USB and Gameport set of controls (such as a USB Joystick and a Gameport Rudder Pedals or USB pedals with a gameport compatible stick) to co-exist in the stock v1.2 game...(Also note rudder pedals that use analog technology are not supposed to be compatible with digital joysticks, but I find it all really depends on the manufacture, driver and software these companies include.)

Controller Drivers:
USB devices tend to like to have the driver installed first, and then it will have you connect the USB device during or after installation. Gameport controllers usually require the controller hardware be connected before the driver/software is installed.

Combining Controls:
If you feel you need to "Combine" all your controllers (Flight controls: Secondary Throttle and/or Rudder Pedals) under ONE Joystick especially if they are detected by Windows as separate devices, you may want to see if your included Joystick software/driver will allow you to do that, some do, even controllers from different company's. For an example devices known to have this ability are the CH products with the use of the free CH Control Manager software, which makes Windows and therefore games see them as one controller, it allows EAW, where you cannot specify what axis does what in game, to see and use both stick and pedals.

If your controllers software does not support "Combining" or "Combo Drivers" try some free software that combines all your controls into one virtual controller, thus allowing EAW (especially v1.2) to easily detect your controls as being built on one Joystick (One DEVICE ID). Try; "UJR - Universal Joystick Remapper" by: evilC with "vJoy software" by: Shaul  or  "VJoy Virtual Joystick Driver" by: Headsoft.

Chain-Linked Option:
The other way around "Combining" without special software if you use multiple controllers is to have a setup where the controllers physically connect (plug-in) to each other (chain-linked) and only one connection (one cable) goes to the computer tower (such as a Stick, Throttle and Rudder Pedals combo). You'll have the most luck and fastest setup with this configuration.

Some newer Hardware Control Boards that have come out in the last few years or so, also "link" all the controls into the unit as a single Device ID...

Assigning Device ID Option:
Here is a different option to assigning DEVICE ID1 to your Flight Control. Some software that may come in handy if you have multiple gaming devices attached to your computer and have the problem of getting the right "Joystick ID#s" with HOTAS setups is called JoyID's (or PJPJoyIDs) written by "Paul". It's a nice utility which allows switching of IDs so you can place them in an list order that you can use with EAW. This is because EAW is programmed in a way that it will only read input from a Joystick with a DEVICE ID of 1.

This program will only work correctly when you are using the old, so called deprecated Windows Controller API, example; You must have Windows Joystick=1 set in your eaw.ini file.

Note: The DirectInput API (when Windows Joystick=0) ignores IDs and are assigned "random" ports, by random I mean I'm unsure at this point how DirectX assigns port numbers / order)...

Down Grade Stick:
I find that most set ups have a problem with an extra set of Rudder Pedals (or Throttle) because your Joystick already has a Twist-Handle (or Throttle) Built-in, thus EAW gets confused and doesn't allow either device to function (or properly). I find this happens with EAWv1.2, but not all the time... This is because Windows/EAW supports 6Axis, if your Primary Flight Stick has Rudder and Throttle built in, Its ideal to use those, other wise if you want secondary components, down grade your stick so Windows doesn't recognize the built-in twist-handle or built-in throttle. Read on.

You may in very rare situations need to “downgrade” your primary stick to fool Windows and the game when it goes to detect your controls that you don't have a Twist Handle or Throttle axis on your Joystick (even though it really does), thus allowing your secondary components; rudder pedals or throttle to work. You do this either via your controllers software by turning off your Rudder and/or Throttle on your primary Joystick, but only if the manufacture's software allows this. This will now allow your secondary Rudder Pedals or Throttle to work in EAW if there was a problem before.

If your controllers software doesn't allow you to do this then you have to do it through Windows installed devices. You remove your stick and add in a 'Generic joystick'... configuring it as a Generic 2 or 3 axis stick, this will effectively remove either the Throttle and/or Rudder feature of your Joystick allowing your secondary Rudder Pedals or Throttle to work in EAW. Unfortunately, If your stick has Force feedback, using a 'generic driver' will disable FF support.

Gameports:
EAW works with Joysticks with 15-pin Gameport Plug ends that connects to your sound card or Motherboard. Note that the Sound Card data connection can be unreliable on older ones made before 1998. However external hardware cards are almost always the better source for sound and usually better support for your Joystick / Gameport than onboard motherboard sound.

If you have two Gameports, one on your Sound Card and one on your motherboard, you would normally disable your motherboards Gameport (or the entire On Board Sound) through your Motherboards Bios, if not there, then through Windows Devices, otherwise you will most likely have conflicts and your hardware won't work as designed.

Note: Official Windows Gameport Driver support lasted up to Windows XP, ended before Windows Vista released. However some custom drivers for specific sound cards are available for some gameports designed for WinXP and after, if you can locate them on the internet.

Game Cable to USB:
If you have an adapter on your older Joysticks 15-pin Game cable end to turn it into a USB end, It may not work. If your going to use one of these adapters, insure it's designed for your particular brand and model Joystick for best reliability rather than a universal standard adapter, which are most unreliable. Some are just straight cables which require the Joystick to have USB technology already built into the Joysticks hardware, typically these joysticks included such a cable when they where new. (they where Gameport to USB ready).

The more fancy adapters have electronic chips inside of them to enhance the old game port controller where needed and supply a USB end. Other chipped cables only allow for the Analog portion of the joystick to function. Do extensive research on the stick you intend to buy a cable converter/adapter for. To get you headed in the right direction search the internet for the "3DP-Vert" and "FFB-Vert" projects for building electronic USB adapters for Sidewinder digital and force feedback legacy gameport joysticks.

Hot Swapping Controls:
Unplugging and changing Joysticks around to other ports is relatively speaking, not a good idea since Windows looses track of the proper settings for a controller once its disconnected; such as list order and sometimes calibrations. Detection may have been improved in more modern Windows versions (above XP), however I recommend once you get the controllers working that you leave them plugged in, unless of course a malfunction requires you to unplug and replug in the controller while the computer is on, usually this is instructed by Windows errors. Further, although USB type controllers are suppose to be more reliable in hot swapping, I still find it best to leave the controllers connected based on everything I have learned about Joysticks and their ID. Caution should be made to have your controllers correctly 'in-place' before running EAW again. Otherwise you run the risk of EAW defaulting your key assignments.

Setup In Game First/Profile Software:
You can remap virtually any function from with-in EAW. Bare in mind that EAW "doesn't like" some stick profile software, so if you are using special profile software, it might work, or then again it might not! Some people have great success with no problems, others find it better to just go ahead and use EAW's remapping directly.

So remember to setup your controllers buttons first in game or through the eaw.ini file without running the special controller profile software, only resort to the sticks software if the stick has functions that won't work from within the game itself, but this is no guarantee EAW with continue to recognize your controller in flight once the profile software is used.

Gaming Keyboards/Mice/Keypads:
These are special keyboards or mice with many additional keys or buttons, beyond that of a normal device. Extra Keypads fall in this area too. In stock EAW, these USB Gaming devices tend to cause problems with EAW detecting your primary Joystick. Make sure again that your Joystick is listed as Device ID1 in Windows. If the Gaming Keyboard/Mouse or extra Keypad insists on being ID1, then you'll have to either uninstall/disconnect them so EAW can detect your flight Joystick controller.

Joystick Force Feedback Issue:
The problem is that during the game, the Forces are no longer working correctly, they maybe non-existent or weak. You might get Gun fire FF response but the Force centering maybe weak, and the same thing generally with all other Forces.

CAUSE1:
This could be caused by USB 3.0 ports existing on your motherboard or on an added card. The stick does not have to be plugged into that port, it could be in a separate USB 2.0 port to still have these FF issues. So even though you maybe using a USB 2.0 port ( that also supports 1.x USB devices) on your computer for the Joystick, xHCI device is effecting your stick. My case its a MS Sidewinder Force Feedback 2 Joystick.

To correct this you can disable the USB 3.0 in your BIOS by turning off 'xHCI' if you have it in there, or if you have a separate added 'PCIe 1x USB 3.0' Card you may have to go to the Windows Device Manager and turn off my USB 3.0 ports and driver by disabling the "eXtensible Host Controller" under 'Universal Serial Bus controllers'. This also disables "USB Root Hub (USB 3.0)" automatically because the chips controlling the ports where disabled. This procedure should restore most of the Forces and they should also be back Strong again. You don't need to reset the computer. After playing your game you can re-enable the USB 3.0 Controller Device again to regain use of those high-speed ports.

 

USB Joystick Disconnects From Windows:
If Windows looses connection with your Joystick once in a while; In Windows XP go to Windows Device Manager and in turn click on the "Root USB Hub" that your Joystick is plugged into and click properties. Choose the "Power Management Tab" and uncheck "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power". In Windows 10 go to Control panel>Devices and Printers>Right Click on your Controller>Select Properties>Move to the Hardware Tab>USB Input Device>Properties>Change Settings>Power Management>Uncheck; Allow the computer to turn off this device. Another option is to move the stick to use a USB PCI Slot Card if you have one rather than the motherboards ports, these are usually better hardware than some MB USB port chips sets.

Error: could not set Joystick <blank> properly:
If upon loading up the game, before it even gets to the main screen, you may get a similar error. Delete your eaw.ini in the games main root folder and unplug your controller, wait, plug it back in and inspect your controller configuration, see your control device help readme.

Joystick Not Recognized At All:
First of all if your joystick is not being recognized at all here's a little tidbit from Microprose: Please note that in version 1.1 , in the EAW.INI file there's a parameter for Windows Joystick=0 Change that to =1 and many joystick problems will go away. 0 says to use EAW's built-in routines, 1 says to use Windows API routines. Both use Direct Input.

Joystick Partially Working (dinput.dll):
There may be a Direct Input Wrapper dll present. This wrapper allows more modern Control Pads to be used with EAW, and perhaps improves modern Joystick support at the same time (more devices?). (However, If your device doesn't work, try removing this dll to see if that helps EAW to detect your Joystick properly). Note: GoG-EAW game installs one automatically.

Joystick Grayed Out (Axis Not Responding):
Possible cause - 1)
If your running EAW using the shortcuts Compatibility Tab Settings by selecting any of the options, for an example Win95 or Win98/ME, your Joystick will loose all it's axis functions and only the buttons may work or the Joystick will no longer be recognized by the game at all (Grayed out). EAW does NOT require the Compatibility Tab to run properly, Windows has its own compatibility fixes built in for the eaw.exe. See my Windows ACT Help Document for more information.

You'll have to remove those check marks from the Compatibility Tab if you want EAW to recognize your controller. Do these TWO things even if it seems pointless: Right click into properties on your SHORTCUT to the game and see if they are set. Now right click the eaw.exe file directly and see if your using any Compatibility settings there...
 
Note: Only Win2000 requires the Tab Compatibility Layer to run the game...with extra special manual settings for the Joystick to work correctly. See my Windows ACT Help Document for Win2000 configuration for EAW.
 

Possible Cause - 2)
Perhaps in the in-game configuration at the Controller Setup menu screen, your FLIGHT CONTROL has moved to the default KEYBOARD setting rather than STICK. This could happen if your joystick wasn't plugged in / installed or wasn't listed as ID1 at the time the game last loaded up. This can happen if you removed/swapped out your controls for another one at some point and you never reassigned the ID back to 1 in the Windows Game Controller settings. Note: You will have lost all your eaw.ini assigned controls as well if you ran the game under these conditions.

Otherwise, for older analog Joysticks, you may simply need to re-Calibrate.

Controls Messed Up/Plane Drifting Sideways:
Check to make sure that the setting for Windows Joystick=1 and not zero, this turns off the use of EAW's self joystick routine's and the game will use the Windows API Joystick routine. To enable this mode, go edit the eaw.ini, and find the section [CONTROLS], and change the line from "Windows Joystick=0" to "Windows Joystick=1".

The Joystick Pulls Or Acts Erratically In The Game:
If you have a joystick (especially an older Logitech), make sure that you get the latest drivers for it. Also make sure that the drivers for your sound card are up to date, especially if the gameport is used on it by your joystick.

Then adjust the sensitivity and dead zone for your joystick/flight control by editing the EAW.INI file. Try setting "Flight Sensitivity=0.90000" (the ideal will vary between 0.8 and 1.0) and "Dead Zone=2". These are extreme values and are mentioned here to help troubleshoot, if after you find these settings improve your issue, you may want to keep experimenting.

See my 'Joystick and Controls Help Document' in the sections titled Intro 'Stalls/Spins and Wobble' , 'Dead Zone' and 'Flight Sensitivity' for more detailed instructions.

POV Hat Not Working Properly:
If you have problem with your POV hat not working properly with your joystick (for example: it fires guns when a POV hat direction is pressed. This has happened with a CH Flightstick), you can use the non EAW joystick routines (by using Windows API Joystick routine). To enable this mode, go edit the eaw.ini, and find the section [CONTROLS], and change the line from "Windows Joystick=0" to "Windows Joystick=1"

Erratic View Changing Automatically:
This is fast changing views in the Flight Screen, incorrectly sometimes called 'flicker'. If you have "Windows Joystick=1" entered in your eaw.ini file and no controller connected, Insure you have your controller plugged in before loading the game. (always have your controller plugged in and ready before loading the game).

Guns Shoot By Themselves:
This problem happens when the game looses connection to the joystick either by physically disconnected or Windows looses the Device ID, then the next time you start up eaw.exe without it connected, the game clears the configuration in the EAW.INI. You have to go through setting up your game control preferences again or use a backup INI with the appropriate working entries.

No Keyboard or Joystick Buttons Working:
There seems there is a bug in EAW when sometimes the game will loose Keyboard and Stick Button input during Flight temporally. Entering the pilots map usually with the [M] Key and then escaping from there will return functions. This bug seems to occur very rarely and during online gaming most often. Another thing to remember to do is if your chatting in game, to remember to finally hit send, because your controls are ignored during the time you type.

No control over the Aircraft and can't escape from the game:
When you go to "Configure Game" - then "Control"; Flight Control, The Throttle Control, Rudder Control, and Camera Position settings are all locked in the Keyboard position meaning you can't change any of the above controls to any of the other options, then check your eaw.ini file; If you notice that all of the values for the assignable keys are blank, something got corrupt and you should delete your eaw.in and start over. A new default .ini file will be generated next time you run the game.

WinXP and TARGETING Keys:
Under WinXP (Win2K, and possibly all WinNT) Target Control Assignment Reset may occur. There are actually 6 keys that appear to be affected by this and the culprits are: TARGET NEXT ENEMY, TARGET PREVIOUS ENEMY, TARGET CLOSEST ENEMY, TARGET NEXT FRIENDLY, TARGET PREVIOUS FRIENDLY, TARGET NEXT GROUND....they reset to default once you leave the game...one workaround solution is to assign only those Target commands with your stick software...another is to use any of the specific custom modified versions of EAW that support WinXP corrections, such as the unofficial v1.26e patch (which is considered a hacked v1.2)...

WinXP and Loss of Key Response:
Under WinXP (Win2K, and possibly all WinNT) Does not handle some of the text errors in the official "Text_eng.CDF" file well, there are some corrupted characters in one of the internal text files...Certain lines of the eaw.ini file may become mis-stated and this results in the loss of joystick settings, programmed button assignments and keyboard assignments as well as repetition of these lines at the end of the eaw.ini file, after the ScreenCapture= line. A quick workaround is to delete those new repetive lines at the end of your ini file. This will work for awhile.

Fast Computers and Mouse Click Selections:
If you run the stock EAW 1.2 version or anything based on it (Including v1.26e) you will find that Vista and newer Windows are too fast for the Multi and Single Player Mission Parameter selections menu line. By this I mean when clicking your mouse to make a selection change on those parameter screens, the selection with jump erratically / fast. There has been a workaround found (on EAWPRO by disabling the key repeat/loop). If your using a version or type of game that does not have a workaround (like the stock game versions), you could try to enable Vsync in your video control panel to slow those selections down, however this may effect your overall performance of the game. For those un fixed or no workaround, you'll have to keep clicking more often until you get what you want from the fast display of the selection that can pass by.

Unwanted Entry's In The EAW.INI:
If your Controllers where working and suddenly stop one day; in WinXP,Vista,Win7/8/10 there is an issue with these Windows versions that sometimes there are duplicate control entry's listed at the end of your eaw.ini file. (This is possibly caused by Windows writing its own registry entry's for file locations...) Check your eaw.ini to see if it has duplicate functions listed after the last entry of ScreenCapture= Anything below that should be erased.

Manually Enter Controllers Entry's In The EAW.INI:
Remember you can open and edit the eaw.ini file to set your controllers up manually to make things easier. It won't work if you have to by-pass the grayed out Flight Control Options on the in game menu, you may be able to get your buttons to work but the axis part won't. Read this help document to gain further knowledge of what you can assign.

MicroProse Info From The User Manual:
To fly well, MPS recommend you use a joystick. They encourage the use of throttle controls and foot pedals (for the rudder). You cannot play if you use only keyboard controls. Use of a mouse is absolutely necessary, and a joystick comes in handy, too. In fact, we strongly recommend that you use both.

Calibration settings for joysticks and other hardware is taken from Windows data; if you installed the hardware correctly, you should have no need to recalibrate just for this game. (There is no in game calibration screen for this reason).

The Flight Control Setting in the Control Menu is the important one; it’s the main device for flying your aircraft. Selections for the other options might change or be limited depending on what you select here. In general, for instance, you cannot use the same device as both Flight Control and for controlling the external camera—the exception being that if your joystick is your flight control, you can use the joystick “hat” to maneuver the camera.

To customize (or completely reconfigure) the controls for the game, select Advanced. This option gives you control over all four groups of controls—View controls, Flight controls, Weapon controls, and general Game controls. When you’re done, click OK to save your changes or Cancel to undo them.

CODEGROUP VERSION CONTENT

Reminder:
This particular section of this help document only addresses the CodeGroup's source changes, you'll have to read the standard stock Joystick and Controls Troubleshooting Tips for more information.

Joystick Types Known To Work:
Even though EAW is not fully controller modernized, the CodeGroup's source modified EAWv1.28c/d/e and versions above them now include two and three controllers maximum support. Also some USB issues where resolved when using separate Gaming devices (read the next paragraph). So modern day controllers should work, flawlessly, when configured correctly.

Gaming Keyboards/Mice/Keypads:
In v1.28d and above, there where some code changes to help work around other USB Gaming Devices causing problems, like special Gaming Mice or Gaming Keyboards. However not all issues with these devices where resolved...

Erratic View Changing Automatically:
If your using the newer eaw.exe's such as v1.28e and above, those versions force a default value of 1 in the eaw.ini file under "Windows Joystick=1" automatically. If you happen to have no controller connected when trying to fly, you may experience views changing erratically. Insure you have your controller plugged in before loading the game. (As noted by one of the programmers: There is also some evidence that the problem maybe due to the new USB controller code in these newer exe's)...

Crash To Desktop, Force Feedback:
When you go to fly and get a CTD, Its a possibility that the Force Feedback= setting in your eaw.ini is set to 1 (ON). If this is true when you don't have a joystick plugged in and/or if the stick is not detected by eaw properly or your stick is not even Force Feedback capable, you will get that CTD. Solution is to change that setting to 0 to fix this.

(EAWv1.28c/d wrongfully and automatically sets this to 1 when those exe's create a new eaw.ini file, it should be set to 0 if you don't have a FF stick or you get a CTD). ??From what I recall in past recent years (perhaps in Feb of 2016 when Glide3 was added) Jel apparently corrected this, but I'm unsure if he issued a replacement exe to the masses??

Win2K/WinXP and TARGETING Keys:
Under WinXP, EAW may loose the Targeting Key assignments, target closest and target next buttons on your Joystick....they reset to default once you leave the game...There are actually 6 keys that appear to be affected by this and the culprits are: TARGET NEXT ENEMY, TARGET PREVIOUS ENEMY, TARGET CLOSEST ENEMY, TARGET NEXT FRIENDLY, TARGET PREVIOUS FRIENDLY, TARGET NEXT GROUND...one workaround solution is to map only those commands with the software that comes with your stick...another is to use specific custom versions of EAW, such as the v1.26e patch (which is considered a v1.2)...or use 1.28, which I think have corrections for these issues built in...

Fast Computers and Mouse Click Selections:
If in stock versions you experienced fast changes with mouse clicks on selections screens, you will find EAWv1.28 and above have a slow down delay routine added to the source code that allows normal mouse click selecting now. Faster computers may need this workaround altered again.

[END]