AntiMicro under Wine

[jsbackus]

The Windows version of AntiMicro more or less works under wine with one exception: due to a bug? deficiency? in how Wine handles controllers, each controller will get listed twice - once with (js) inserted into the name and once with (event) inserted into the name. More information can be found here (see comments section)

Also, Wine doesn't appear to properly handle USB controller insertion at the moment nor does the installer work.

As these are issues with Wine itself, we won't be addressing them. I'm creating this issue for documentation purposes.

The recommended way around this is to use the native version for your platform (i.e. Linux).

[notklaatu]

To be clear / to confirm:

1. start antimicro on Linux
2. start the game you want to play in WINE
3. use the game controller as usual

(i.e., the controls get passed through Linux into Wine; no need to run antimicro IN Wine)

[jsbackus]

Yep!

[ssokolow]

due to a bug? deficiency? in how Wine handles controllers, each controller will get listed twice - once with (js) inserted into the name and once with (event) inserted into the name.

Neither bug nor deficiency. The Linux kernel exposes each joystick through two APIs:

1. The joydev /dev/input/jsX API, which has calibration but is being phased out.
2. The evdev /dev/input/eventX API, which was invented for keyboards and mice, then generalized to all input devices. It has no calibration.

The sad thing is, because games assume the OS will provide calibration, like Windows does, and older joysticks assume the OS will provide calibration, like Windows does, and evdev abdicates responsibility for calibration, and newer games like Strike Suit Zero don't support joydev because it's deprecated, I'm going to have to hack together some kind of input proxy to re-add calibration so I don't have to pay $40 for a new flightstick. (This sort of abdication of responsibility is characteristic of Linux. See also: Linux Audio)

[jsbackus]

@ssokolow Interesting! Yes, that makes sense. Hmm.. Sounds like we should probably add a calibration feature, at least on Linux. Do you know if OSX or the BSDs have the same issue? And specifically, you're referring to the "push stick left and click, now push right and click, etc" type of calibration?

And yes, I've had to go a few rounds with Pulse... Argh...

[ssokolow]

Unfortunately, I've never used OSX and my only experience with BSD-family OSes is for putting together DIY network hardware.

As for the calibration, "push stick left..." would be the bare minimum. (As-is, for example, my Saitek Cyborg 3D USB Gold can't be used in Strike Suit Zero because it mis-positions the center point on various axes. (The worst case being the rudder/"twist the stick" axis, which must be twisted fully rightward to fly straight.))

Ideally, I'd like to also give evdev an analogue to Antimicro's Game Controller Mapping dialog so I can correct mistakes in the USB HID metadata (or how it's interpreted) without constraining it to the limits of a 360 controller. (ie. things like "No, this axis is a throttle dial. That axis is half of the first analog stick.")

[jsbackus]

Interesting! Yes, I can see how that would be helpful. Shouldn't be too hard, from a technical perspective. The tricky part is getting a dialog that covers all of the bases. 😃

[pktiuk]

AntiMicro is no longer maintained. There were no bigger fixes since 2017.
There is a new recommended version of this app called AntiMicroX.

As a part of cleanup, this issue will be closed and repository will be archived.
If you find this issue relevant also for that new version of application you can create a new issue (or discussion) there (but firstly check it, because many issues of the old app are fixed and there are some new functionalities implemented)
If you will decide to create a new issue for AntiMicroX remember to mention this issue for reference.