PGP - Pinnacle Game Controller - Win10

[scottb613]

Hi Folks,

Question - anyone else use PGP and found a solution to the Win10 crash issue ?

I’ve used PGP for many years - it allows you to setup your joystick/controller to emulate keystrokes - which allows you to use any joystick/controller with ORTS... For those that still use a keyboard - it massively improves the immersion level when you can actually move a real lever or press a real button to drive trains... After being spoiled for so many years - I am finding it impossible to go back to using the keyboard as it just sucks all the enjoyment out of the sim for me...

Loss of my joystick/throttle is truly forcing me away from ORTS...

PGP - did work with previous versions of Win10 without issue - relatively recently - one of the big MS patch clusters killed it... The sole developer of PGP died a few years back so the product is unsupported... I’ve scoured the Internet - tried some suggested fixes - tried ALL the Win10 compatibility settings - and have spent the last couple months in search of a fix... There doesn’t appear to be many products in this niche - and the few others that are available - pale in comparison...

Would anyone have a fix that actually worked for this ?

Thanks...

Regards,
Scott


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[hminky]

Haven't used PGP for a while. Fired up today.

Asked for an update. Ran fine in OpenRails with my TS2020 profile.

Here is their new site.

http://pinnaclegameprofiler.com/

Harold

[=FI=Ghost]

Maybe you could try an alternative? I've been using this little piece of software for quite some time now. It's free (you can use it even without making a donation), it's easy to setup, you can make several profiles and it enables you to program a combination of keystrokes into one press of a joystick button:

https://joytokey.net/en/

[scottb613]

Maybe you could try an alternative? I've been using this little piece of software for quite some time now. It's free (you can use it even without making a donation), it's easy to setup, you can make several profiles and it enables you to program a combination of keystrokes into one press of a joystick button:

https://joytokey.net/en/

Hi Borislav,

Winner winner chicken dinner !!!

I think I found a viable solution - in the past few weeks I've tried GlovePIE and Padstarr - both weren't very intuitive, awkward, and I'm not even sure I could get them to do what I want...

"JoyToKey" - - - seems to be just what the doctor ordered... A simple - intuitive - interface - that seems to do everything I need it to do - control trains in ORTS...

I'm still building out my profile but it's going fast and works surprisingly well... I'm back to being a happy camper...

If you're still using a keyboard and have an old joystick or throttle lying around - I would highly recommend trying something that will let you use them - it vastly improves the sim experience for me.

JoyToKey is good enough - might be even better than PGP in some regards - I already sent them my $7.00 admission fee to thank them...

Thanks for the suggestion...

Regards,
Scott

[=FI=Ghost]

I am glad I could help!

[R. Steele]

Reading this thread I wondered .... what keystrokes do you program for the joystick itself? I have an old game controller, if I can find it...any recommends for a new one? Gerry

[scottb613]

Reading this thread I wondered .... what keystrokes do you program for the joystick itself? I have an old game controller, if I can find it...any recommends for a new one? Gerry

Hi Gerry,

The beauty of a keystroke emulator - is you can use anything you want...

I use a CH Products HOTAS setup as that's what I've had for years to use with Flight Sim - it's a middle of the road price point setup...

I've used all three of the devices below over the years but you can get a far less expensive setup to do the same thing...

As you may have guessed - my time is mostly with steam locomotives... So I have every control I need mapped to the tons of levers and buttons I have available - including the multitude of various views available... Works the same for diesels though and you can create different profiles for each if desired... I never have to press a key on the keyboard while driving a train which is the way I like it... Buttons on the controllers act just like keystrokes on your keyboard - press a button that you've assigned the [spacebar] keystroke to - and the horn/whistle sounds... The analog lever/joystick axis work good for things like your brakes, throttle, reverser - - - when setup - you move the lever/joystick into the range for the assigned keystroke - and it's just like holding a key on your keyboard down... Typically the lever/axis would be setup so if you move it in one direction it increases - move the other it decreased... It might not sound like much but getting your hands off the keyboard is a serious game changer for me... If you have an old controller - give it a shot - you don't have to purchase the software until you're happy with it...

I'm currently using the X axis on the joystick for throttle control and the Y axis on the joystick for reverser control [image 1]... I use the single big throttle lever for the train brake [image 2]...

[image 3] is nice for controlling steam locomotives due to all the levers...











Regards,
Scott

[cn bala]

Scott -- Very interesting to see your joystick here in screenshot.

John

[=FI=Ghost]

I have two Thrustmaster joypads that I use for this purpose. Analog sticks' up and down movement are used for automatic and independent brakes. The stick used for independent brakes when moved right bails off independent brakes.

Front buttons are used for Throttle and Dynamics. Upper buttons are used for horn, bell and alerter reset. Start and select buttons are used for Headlights control and POV hat on the left is used for Reverser and change camera.

[R. Steele]

Thanks guys, interesting...I've never been totally satisfied with RailDriver...more to do with the actual mechanical controls, than the layout...wish they would build a new one with up to date controllers ( don't even know if that is possible). Your info presents another path to explore. Thanks for the pics Scott...nice setup. ---recently ran a steam activity in the new PRR (vince's recent release ) and loved it...it is fun and challenging to get everything fine tuned.

[=FI=Ghost]

I've thought about buying the Raildriver, but eventually gave up on the idea.

Using my joypad instead of a keyboard is good enough for me.

Some time ago I did see a video on YT. Some Russian guy created a realistic control stand of a Soviet diesel locomotive and used it for playing MSTS. These days you van make anything with a 3D printer and good electronics skills (both of which I lack, unfortunately).

[scottb613]

Hi Folks,

Happy to help...

Yeah - not a fan of Rail Driver - think it had something to do with - when originally released - it was screen scraping the appropriate values off the displayed text values on the screen... That and I use numerous sims - so it wouldn’t really work for me...

I’ve been trying to champion a cause for full Direct-X support for joysticks in ORTS... Then - instead of emulating keystrokes - the Sim is aware of the actual positions of the joysticks... So if you open a throttle 20% - the sim knows it’s open 20% and can react accordingly - which is what our flight sims have been doing since day one... A much better way of doing things and we would no longer need the intermediate software...

Regards,
Scott




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[UP_4848_Thunder]

This may be old topic but what's worse new topic people telling you search forums or asking on a existing topic?

On topic I have tried JoytoKey 2 years ago an am trying at it again an am tired of searching google for solutions an ask... How does one calibrate the Throttle, Independent-Train Brakes for this like raildriver where it plays along with volts an percentages to the exact gradual or notch state you want instead of by the clicks via maybe potentiometer type? I want to be able to calibrate by percentage but not by the keystroke. Windows calibrates it well but no way to assign the key in windows for ORTS.

I have bought tried 5 different joystick emulator chips.

Maybe ORTS like what I hear TS20xx an other sims can do is calibrate what lever is what instead of searching for raildriver in order to show calibration options?

[Vince]

Did you look in (search) the Open Rails Manual?

regards,

[UP_4848_Thunder]

Did you look in (search) the Open Rails Manual?

regards,

No Sir never found it in there.