Low maximum number of controlers? Really?

Discussion in 'Technical & Support' started by Bernhard Gehberger, Jan 16, 2020.

Tags:
  1. Bernhard Gehberger

    Bernhard Gehberger Registered

    Joined:
    Jan 14, 2020
    Messages:
    14
    Likes Received:
    1
    Hi,

    I just spend many hours trying to get my sim rig configured in rFactor 2. Initial problem was that I could not configure my Simucube 2 Ultimate wheel axis - it simply would not be recognized. Discussing this issue in lenght in Granite Device's forum for rFactor2 and Simucube 2 someone pointed out that I might be running in a maximum number of supported controls?!

    And indeed, when I unplug one USB-Hub and a bunch of controlers along with it, I am able to configure the Wheel axis of Simucube 2 Ultimate as well as pedals and wheel buttons. But if I re-attache the other controlers NOTHING is working any more!

    Can this be really true?! Just yesterday I installed Drive Isle - a 2,50 EUR !!!! title and BeamNG.drive, both showing a complete list of recognized controllers (11) AND being able to use every single one of them. And rFactor2 - which I considered to be one of the 2 best simulations out there is not able to support a reasonable number of controlers?!

    Disconnecting half of my controlers to able to use rFactor2 is not an option, as it will mess up all the other simulations I am running. For some reasone it did work until now (maybe something got added, I don't understand completely at this point, why it stopped working and made me re-configer everything) and I bought a bunch of addons to rFactor 2 which I can not use now any more... : (

    Please give me details about the way controlers are supported in rFactor2 and if there is a way to get things working again!

    The controlers being connected on my rig:

    - Simucube 2 Ultimate
    - SRM Fanatec wheel base conversion kit (for steering wheels)
    - Heusinkveld Ultimate pedals
    - Heusinkveld handbrake
    - Heusinkveld sequencial shifter
    - Fanatec H-shifter
    - SRS Sequencial shifter
    - 2x DSD button boxes

    I don't consider that over the top for a well equiped sim rig.. So I do expect rFactor2 to handle those without issues..
     
  2. ADSTA

    ADSTA Registered

    Joined:
    Nov 19, 2011
    Messages:
    2,013
    Likes Received:
    1,369
    When rF2 was available (Jan 2012) the limit was 4 controllers.
    It took 11 months until they changed the limit to 6.
    I don't know when the limit was changed to 8.
    Any reason given for why the limit changes were only 2 extra controllers each time might have been explained somewhere and if so, I missed seeing it.

    Windows doesn't help the situation either with the user not being able to edit the order the controllers are seen by the game.
     
  3. Bernhard

    Bernhard Registered

    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2019
    Messages:
    5
    Likes Received:
    1
    Hm, that's really disappointing and a shame for an otherwise high end simulation. : (

    And I fully agree that the USB controller system/concept in its entity is a big mess. The basically random way USB controllers are listed, no possibility to understand which device is recognized under which ID number and things changing if you un-/plug one device, messing up all the others and the countless unreliable connections... It's just topped by the USB port design itself. Something you don't see which way to plug in and even fits into a LAN port - it's unbelievable how such a poor design got supported for so long and made it the most used connection.. My guess is whoever came up with this must have paid a shitload of lobying money to push this design.. Ranting stops now.

    So there is now reasonable way to get this fixed?! : (
     
    ADSTA likes this.
  4. RaceNut

    RaceNut Registered

    Joined:
    May 21, 2013
    Messages:
    659
    Likes Received:
    539
    Have you tried using USBDeview to check connections and test results?

    My previous PC had many issues related to USB devices and it seems that model of MB was prone to having more than most. I spent entire days trying to troubleshoot constant problems only to read about some issues within the core USB design architecture itself (Admitted by one developer).

    With that PC, I found some solutions by rearranging my devices according to USB root hubs to spread the data load more effectively, upgrading to better USB hubs, etc. My current PC is so much better that I rarely have USB issues and even then, it's usually a very simple fix.
     
    EsxPaul likes this.
  5. Bernhard Gehberger

    Bernhard Gehberger Registered

    Joined:
    Jan 14, 2020
    Messages:
    14
    Likes Received:
    1
    Hi,
    I am going to check out the USBDeview as I thinkg it's always good to have an idea of what's going on.

    BUT, my MB, USB and controllers work perfectly fine - all of them - in plenty of other titles, so I don't see the problem being that, the limited number of supported controllers by rFactor2. (Unless rFactor2 devs can confirm that any number of controlers are supposed to be working..). So far I have not seen an official reply/number of supported controlers?!
     
  6. stonec

    stonec Registered

    Joined:
    Jun 19, 2012
    Messages:
    3,399
    Likes Received:
    1,488
    Devs rarely reply here, you might have better luck on the official discord. But as @ADSTA pointed out, the controller limit was originally 4, later amended to 6 and 8 and most likely it would have been explicitly stated in release notes if it had been further increased. There are obviously reasons why they have chosen to limit this number. I'm pretty sure it's not programmatically hard to support more controllers, but for every controller you add, the simulation has to do more polling in the background every millisecond or so and all this will at some point start affecting performance.
     
    The Iron Wolf likes this.
  7. Bernhard Gehberger

    Bernhard Gehberger Registered

    Joined:
    Jan 14, 2020
    Messages:
    14
    Likes Received:
    1
    I see. That makes sense. But I am then wondering how plenty of other titles are manageing to support any connected controller.

    It would help to be able to choose which of the attached controllers should be used. I can live with a total number of 8 if I can choose which are the most important ones to be used. But sadly, when everything is connected, it simply does not work any more.

    Could you let me know details about the official Discord you were mentioning? I didn't find that..
     
  8. ADSTA

    ADSTA Registered

    Joined:
    Nov 19, 2011
    Messages:
    2,013
    Likes Received:
    1,369
    I don't think rF2 supports analogue handbrake so I would disconnect the HE handbrake. That puts you at 8. :cool:
     
  9. Goanna

    Goanna Registered

    Joined:
    Jan 19, 2012
    Messages:
    1,405
    Likes Received:
    953
  10. Bernhard Gehberger

    Bernhard Gehberger Registered

    Joined:
    Jan 14, 2020
    Messages:
    14
    Likes Received:
    1
    -
    Won't work. The titles listing the devices find 10 or 11 controllers - I just don't know all of them by heart and which exactly the find as controllers..
    Theoretically I could disconnect the USB-hub which I tested and found rFactor2 working with it. But first of all I don't consider that a real solution to the issue - to unplug hardwar each time, second, I probably would forget 90% of the time I want to hop into rFactor2 and third, chances are it messes up the controllers within other simulations..
     
  11. Bernhard Gehberger

    Bernhard Gehberger Registered

    Joined:
    Jan 14, 2020
    Messages:
    14
    Likes Received:
    1
    Goanna likes this.
  12. ADSTA

    ADSTA Registered

    Joined:
    Nov 19, 2011
    Messages:
    2,013
    Likes Received:
    1,369
    I bet it's those DSD button boxes.
    I had one of them and it would be listed twice.
    DSD didn't seem to care so I ended up throwing the DSD board and replacing it with a Bodnar board.
    The good thing with the Bodnar board is you can have two exact same boards but he has a program you use that gives each board a unique name.
     
  13. Bernhard Gehberger

    Bernhard Gehberger Registered

    Joined:
    Jan 14, 2020
    Messages:
    14
    Likes Received:
    1
    The problem is not related to the DSD boxes. If the total number is low enough everything works including the DSD boxes. Also they used to work perfectly fine as long as I did not have too many controllers..
     
  14. ADSTA

    ADSTA Registered

    Joined:
    Nov 19, 2011
    Messages:
    2,013
    Likes Received:
    1,369
    I'm confused.
    You listed 9 controllers in your first post. That's why I said remove the handbrake and you will have 8.
    Then you said 10 or 11 controllers get found.

    I would do as Racenut suggested and get USBDeview https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/usb_devices_view.html
    Make sure you get this list of usb device id's http://www.linux-usb.org/usb.ids to go with usbdeview. It is explained on the usbdeview page.

    No arguments from me about that.
     
  15. Bernhard Gehberger

    Bernhard Gehberger Registered

    Joined:
    Jan 14, 2020
    Messages:
    14
    Likes Received:
    1
    Well, I just added the most important controllers which came to my mind when I wrote the post. But I also remember that some titles list 10 or 11 controllers. I never checked in detail how they come to that number. Maybe some also lists keyboard and mouse or not (connected to USB as well and are treated like controllers as well...?!) and therefore numbers vary a bit..
     
  16. Bernhard

    Bernhard Registered

    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2019
    Messages:
    5
    Likes Received:
    1
    Kind of solved this issue using a tool someon pointed out to me. I am re-ordering the connected USB-devices using a programm called Devreorder which lets me choose in which order games see the connected controllers. So I can make sure that the most important ones are within the first 8 controllers rFactor2 sees. Well, I'd still prefer rFactor2 to see and support all connected devices, but at least I can get a good part of my sim rig up and running with it..
     

Share This Page