There is no deadzone in dosbox actually (at this moment), but you could try boosting the maximum values. You will need to recompile dosbox though to do that.
Switching between timed and non-timed might help as well, as the resistance values are calculated in a different way.

Qbix wrote:

There is no deadzone in dosbox actually (at this moment), but you could try boosting the maximum values. You will need to recompile dosbox though to do that.
Switching between timed and non-timed might help as well, as the resistance values are calculated in a different way.

I see, thanks. In my case, switching between timed and non-timed doesn't do anything, unlike in, say, Wing Commander Armada, where switching between timed and non-timed really makes big difference.

Hmmm... I hope it's not difficult to compile in Windows. Compiling in Linux is something I've already experienced with, but I've never compiled anything in Windows.

Just wonder, am I the only one experiencing such sluggishness in Dynamix games?

I have no idea if that makes a difference, but have you tried fixed cycles with either timed or not timed? Seems fixed cycles helps joystick stuff at times.

Why did younpost in Milliways?

I've had similar problems getting Descent's joystick support working. Sometimes these games have a joystick sensitivity setting, if not in-game then sometimes as a command line argument.

You may also try selecting different joystick modes in the game itself and setting different joysticktype values as well in DOSBox. Sometimes, the best solution is to set DOSBox into 2axis or 4axis mode and run the game using FCS or CH joystick mode, or sometimes the total opposite, running DOSBox with an FCS or CH joysticktype and the game with standard joystick support.

Basically, fiddle with EVERY setting when getting the joystick going with a game in DOSBox. Don't assume that just because a setting should be correct it'll work as intended. This is a big reason why I include joystick configuration details when I do DOSBox settings on ADG now, as it can be a pain to configure the joystick properly in some games. :P

Dominus wrote:

I have no idea if that makes a difference, but have you tried fixed cycles with either timed or not timed? Seems fixed cycles helps joystick stuff at times.

I always use fixed cycles with my games, except those DOS games with built-in DOSBOX bought from gog.com

Dominus wrote:

Why did younpost in Milliways?

Because I'm not sure if the problem is related to DOSBOX or the games themselves. I also play Wing Commander Armada from DOSBOX, but I don't experience such sluggishness. The problem seems related to the games themselves, but probably there is a way to work around the problem using DOSBOX -by decreasing the dead zone.

Gemini000 wrote:

I've had similar problems getting Descent's joystick support working. Sometimes these games have a joystick sensitivity setting, if not in-game then sometimes as a command line argument.

You may also try selecting different joystick modes in the game itself and setting different joysticktype values as well in DOSBox. Sometimes, the best solution is to set DOSBox into 2axis or 4axis mode and run the game using FCS or CH joystick mode, or sometimes the total opposite, running DOSBox with an FCS or CH joysticktype and the game with standard joystick support.

It works in Falcon 3.0, but it doesn't in Battledrome. For example, selecting Thrustmaster WCS as throttle controller in Battledrome doesn't work, despite I have mapped my CH Pro Throttle as second joystick's Y axis.

Gemini000 wrote:

Basically, fiddle with EVERY setting when getting the joystick going with a game in DOSBox. Don't assume that just because a setting should be correct it'll work as intended. This is a big reason why I include joystick configuration details when I do DOSBox settings on ADG now, as it can be a pain to configure the joystick properly in some games. 😜

Well, joystick setting in both games are pretty much limited. The only joystick setting available in A-10 Tank Killer, for example, is limited to ALT+C and ALT+J.

There are a couple of issues with A-10. There is an odd behavior with the mouse, at least in DOSBox. Ripsaw made a patch for this. There is also an official patch (A10PATCH ) which includes a new joystick driver, though this is meant for version 1.5. http://sierrahelp.com/Patches-Updates/Patches … lerUpdates.html

The new installer includes all relevant patches, including Ripsaw's. It works with both version 1.0 and 1.5. http://sierrahelp.com/Patches-Updates/NewSier … stallers.html#A

collector wrote:

There are a couple of issues with A-10. There is an odd behavior with the mouse, at least in DOSBox. Ripsaw made a patch for this. There is also an official patch (A10PATCH ) which includes a new joystick driver, though this is meant for version 1.5. http://sierrahelp.com/Patches-Updates/Patches … lerUpdates.html

The new installer includes all relevant patches, including Ripsaw's. It works with both version 1.0 and 1.5. http://sierrahelp.com/Patches-Updates/NewSier … stallers.html#A

Thanks! Will give it a shot.

Anyway, yes, my version is 1.5.

Ah, so I've tried the joystick driver patch. The joystick dead zone is noticeably reduced - still too large for my liking, but reduced to reasonable level. Now at least the controls become more manageable. It should be noted that the control in overall is still sluggish, though not the particular sluggishness (ie, very large dead zone) I've described in this thread.

So, thanks. 😀

Anyway, with better controls, I started re-playing this game again. Unfortunately, I met the same gameplay-related problem I've encountered years ago the first time I'm playing A-10; the same problem that eventually made me dump this game and played Gunship 2000 instead.

Lousy targeting system, that is.

You see, I just played (and failed) the mission Mother Hen again some minutes ago. This game is apparently designed with rudder pedals in mind (alright, second joystick), and I played this game using CH Fighterstick, CH Pro Throttle, and CH Pro Pedals. Using the pedals to 'spread cannon fire', I've become a very deadly mother hen, wiping out every single tank and IFV solely using my Avenger cannon. I successfully cleared the path for every single friendly tank platoon using cannon alone - not a single Maverick being fired. In turn, the friendly platoons made "SAM holes" everywhere while thanking me for providing such proficient air support.

So it's time for me to go through and destroy the enemy supply dump, which was protected by a pair of SA-3 Gopher Infrared SAM launchers.

And then came the problem.

I have selected the Gophers on the map, I have selected Mavericks accordingly, then I went to the targets. As I was closing in, the Gophers refused to appear on my targeting system until I was SAM-hammered at least twice. And yes, the SAMs hit me despite I was frantically dropping flares like there's no tomorrow.

Eventually, the one of the Gophers appeared on my targeting system. I swiftly launched a single Maverick, and the Gopher was gone. Unfortunately, there was still another Gopher, and that little shit kept firing SAMs at me while my targeting system was apparently in love with a bunker.

Yes, the automatic "next target selection" feature in this game is very annoying. Right after I destroyed the first Gopher, the targeting system automatically switched to a harmless bunker instead of locking to the second Gopher. I frantically push the 'next target' button, only to find harmless targets like 'bunker', 'enemy HQ', 'tent', etc. The second Gopher just refused to appear until I flew past the area - which made everything disappear from the target list. And of course, it was still hammering me with SAMs.

I don't know why the targeting system routine is written in such way, that it refused to lock to the second Gopher after I destroyed the first. Or maybe targets in a particular area are treated as 'target list' - that you must press the 'next target' button repeatedly to walk through the 'target list' until you find what you want. Fine. But if it was the case, I wonder why the game designer did not include a 'previous target' button.

I don't know either if such targeting difficulty is an oversight, or it is actually intentional to add artificial difficulty to the game. Which is too bad because A-10 is built on very nice concepts; the importance of rudder when using the Avenger cannon, the importance to work in concert with friendly ground forces, and the excitement of flying CAS.