As you may have noticed from prior teaser footage, we are in the process of doing a complete overhaul of our input system. We’re stepping away from the Unity input to use a plugin that provides native input support for each target platform (I.e. Windows, OSX, Linux).
OUR GOALS
We want to bring an end to the struggle of getting your controller to work. We’re using a system that can automatically detect when a controller is plugged in, and for well-known controllers we will provide default settings. This means remotes such as the Taranis will work out of the box, without changing settings on the remote or calibrating in game. Controllers that we do not provide default settings for can be calibrated using our new, user friendly, calibration tool.
We are also focusing on providing the ability to use all of those switches on your remotes. Eventually, you’ll be able to assign a switch to any action in game such as changing flight mode or reset.
As an added bonus we will also support hot-plugging, meaning controllers can be swapped in and out in-game.
WHAT IS THE EB AND HOW CAN I GET IT?
A dedicated blogpost about the Experimental Branch (EB), and instructions on how to get it can be found here: Experimental Branch information & instructions
CURRENT EB VERSION
We’re not quite finished, but we reached a point where your feedback is valuable.
In this first experimental branch version we’ll be focusing on the detection and calibration of remotes. We’ve provided default settings for the Taranis, Turnigy evolution, Sony Dual Shock 4 and Xbox One controller (more will follow). These should be detected automatically and you should be able to fly without calibrating anything. For other controllers, we have the new calibration tool. Just follow the streamlined instructions and you should be ready for flight in less than a minute. Saved calibrations will be loaded automatically next time the controller is plugged in.
For now we are not supporting reassigning buttons, either from keyboard or from the remote. This will be ready for testing soon.
YOUR FEEDBACK
We are happy to invite you to our subforum dedicated to the Experimental Branch. We would love your feedback on the following points:
- Is your controller detected? If not, please let us know which controller/dongle you are using.
- In case of one of the predefined controllers (Taranis, Turnigy evolution, Sony Dual Shock 4 and Xbox One): does it work out of the box? (Mind the note about Taranis)
- Are the instructions in the new calibration tool clear?
- Are there any issues when using the new calibration tool?
- After saving a calibration, does it load automatically?
- Does the game recognize plugging in/out a controller in-game? You should get a notification about this.
Note: If you use a Taranis that is setup to work with the previous version of Liftoff (meaning settings are changed to use half of the range) you should create a new profile. We’ve set it up to work with the default values so that a new Taranis will work out of the box.