Become familiar with the various Buttons and Sticks on the joystick and the controller you will be emulating by creating a configuration/mapping. Creating a paper list can be helpful. Illustrations show Buttons/Sticks for the joystick and controller used in this document. The default type in Steam is an XBOX style dual-stick controller.

This is the first Controller configuration screen. Click on your controller at the bottom. In this example it is Generic Gamepad.

Open Steam and connect only the joystick you wish to map/configure. Click Steam-> Settings-> Controller-> General Controller Settings. Click on the Detected Controller-> Preferences. Now name the Layout/Configuration and click submit.

Click Define Layout and bring up the Controller Settings screen where Stick Buttons and Axes will be assigned. Double-click in the right-hand column of the Axes or Button you wish to assign. The Button or Axis being assigned will be indicated in the Controller Diagram on the left. The joystick may not have the same number of buttons or axes as the default controller. It is best to assign the most commonly used buttons and axes. Buttons unable to be assigned can be assigned to keyboard keys after these steps are completed in another area in Steam. After assigning all buttons and axes, click Save.

Once you have created and save a controller layout you will be able to assign the buttons and stick axes inside your game using the common device terms such as A Button, Left Stick, etc. The generic layout in this guide works perfectly with Dogfight 1942 and I suspect it will work in other games expecting a generic layout. Games such as Star Wars Squadrons and Flight Simulator allow you to customize the in-game controls.

Steam allows for per-game customization of controllers. This feature is a bit buggy and many times not recognized by the game. After configuring the Controller settings for the game, clicking on Library screen will not open the Library page leaving you stuck on the game page. Restart Steam to fix this problem. This issue has been reported to Steam. Only check the controller support you need. This issue only occurs when you access the configuration.

The configuration in this document leaves five buttons unassigned. They are Left Stick Click, Right Stick Click, Left Trigger, Left Bumper/Shoulder and Guide. With the exception of the Guide button, these can be mapped in the per game controller settings. To assign keyboard keys to the remaining buttons, click on a game that will be used with the Layout or configuration/mapping and select Manage-> Controller, then Edit Layout. Four controller groups are shown on the left. Choose the group that contains the unmapped button and then select the button on the right. Keys were assigned as follows in this guide:

Left Stick Click: F1
Right Stick Click: F2
Left Bumper Button: Left Control
Left Trigger: Left Shift

Click on the Button to be assigned then choose the keyboard group and key to be assigned to the button.

Continue until all unassigned buttons have been assigned, then close the box.

Complete Mapping example:

Primary Action Button 2
Go back Button 3
Tertiary Action Button 5
Secondary Action Button 4
Start Button 6
Guide ---
Back Button 7
Left Stick click F1
Right Stick click F2
Left Shoulder Control
Right Shoulder Button 1
DPAD Up Hat 0.1
DPAD Left Hat 0.8
DPAD Down Hat 0.4
DPAD Right Hat 0.2
Left Stick X Axis 0
Left Stick Y Axis 1
Right Stick X Axis 3
Right Stick Y Axis 2
Left Trigger Shift
Right Trigger Button 0

The steps in this section should be taken at your own risk. The author assumes no liability for problems incurred.

One issue in Steam involves incorrect controller configurations. The config file tends to keep the original configuration for a controller regardless of changes. Subsequent changes to a given controller configuration tend to revert back to the original configuration made. At this time, the only fix for this issue is to manually edit the config file. The structure of this file makes editing it difficult. It is easier to allow Steam to create a new config.vdf file. This does not seem to cause any issues but be warned.

• Close Steam completely. You will need to login again.
  
• Navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\config
  
• Rename config.vdf. Do not delete it at this time in case it is necessary to revert back.
  
• Start Steam and login.
  
• Re-create the controller layout as shown above.

If errors are encountered, exit Steam, delete config.vfd and rename the saved version back. If there are no errors after controller layout has been created and has been confirmed to be working correctly, the renamed config.vfd can be deleted.

Some games, such as Microsoft Flight Simulator, allow a keyboard, mouse and Flight Stick all to be used at the same time. In these cases, using the Steam controller settings to map buttons that could not be directly mapped to the flight/joystick will not work and are unnecessary as these can be directly mapped to keys inside the game controls settings. When creating a new controller mapping in games like Flight Simulator, it is easiest if you first make a list of the controls you want map to the joystick, then delete the game defaults before starting to configure.

The Microsoft SideWinder 3D Pro came out in 1996 and was revolutionary at the time for several reasons. To start, instead of using potentiometers like typical joysticks of the day, it used a digital/optical tracking mechanism that eliminated issues such as calibration drifting and wear that plagued joysticks using potentiometers. It featured an 8-way HAT, 8 buttons, a sliding control (typically used as a throttle,) a stick for basic X/Y axes and twisted (typically used as a rudder.) Unique to the stick was its ability to be used in analog modes (switchable between CH Flightstick or Thrustmaster protocols) or in its own Digital mode which required driver and software support. Its compact design enabled it to be controlled with a flick of the wrist and made it a favorite among fans of the Wing Commander and Descent series of games.

It was later superseded by the SideWinder Precision Pro in 1997. While the new design resolved some minor issues of the 3D Pro and was later available in Gameport/USB versions, the more larger size and shape of it was never quite the same. The 3D Pro became obsolete when Windows XP and USB ports became the norm as the 3D Pro software no longer functioned and DB15 ports were no longer supported.

A Retro Gamer in Germany that goes by the name Scorp decided the 3D Pro and other abandoned joysticks deserved a second life and created a GitHub project called the Necroware Gameport Adapter. Unlike the common DB15 gameport to USB adapters, his design uses a ATmega32U4 powered programmable board and firmware written in pure simple C++. A small DIP switch on the board allows it to be used with all kinds of analog and digital joysticks including the 3D Pro. A similar project was started years earlier by a gamer that goes by the name of Grendel, but that design only supported the 3D Pro and not analog or other digital sticks. If you have an interest, just search for Necroware Gameport Adapter. There are even a few folks out there that build them and sell them online. I bought mine from a guy named RetroFletch in Sweden.

If you have shopped for joysticks recently then you know that they range from merely OK to so elaborate and expensive that you need to be very, very dedicated in order to justify their price. The new Turtle Beach VelocityOne Flightstick is very interesting in the $120 plus range.

In case you are wondering, yes, I loved Wing Commander and Descent and now I can play them again like I did back then. The little box with the LEDs on the left is the Necroware gameport adapter.