TrackIR is being deactivated upon joining Multi-player games, and only reactivated when entering the Configure Controller menu. This problem just occurred as of the last stable release during May 2015.
This bug occurs both within Windows 7 and Windows 8.1
TrackIR seems to work fine within Single player or Editor missions. {F26302} {F26303}
2015.06.04 Corrected bug info from deactivating during startup, to more accurately state the TrackIR device is being uninitialized just prior to entering multiplayer 3D world, or during multiplayer sessions only.
2015.06.07 Using the ARMA3 Launcher, avoids this bug as well. This bug is only seen when executing first Steam.exe and then arma3.exe.
Hello, we are unable to reproduce the issue. Could you please provide more info? Thanks!
Such as?
About the only other odd thing, I did go to Windows Update for Windows 7 several times after the latest update.
It is sad game isn't available within Linux, else I would be happy to provide an strace and GDB log of the problem.
The only other idea, I could switch USB ports, as I am using USB ports and not the a hub. Also, the TrackIR software does show the device properly working prior to the game loading.
Obviously and based on my experience with proprietary software, the ball is obviously within your ball park here.
I could also turn on logging or debugging within the game and maybe provide the log. But I speculate this is going to provide little useful information when compared to strace and GDB.
I didn't get much with the logging of ARMA 3, but I think I have something. The following is reported when going into the Configure > Controller menu.
I'll try disconnecting other joysticks before assuming this is a TrackIR axis issue. Also attached arma3_2015-05-25_13-20-05.rpt in case there's prior input initialization failures or lack of initialization.
13:20:22 Attempt to override final function - rscunitinfo_script
13:20:22 Attempt to override final function - rscunitinfo_script
13:20:23 SimulWeather - Cloud Renderer - noise texture file is not specified!
13:20:25 SimulWeather - Cloud Renderer - noise texture file is not specified!
13:20:29 EPE manager release (0|0|0)
13:20:29 EPE manager release (0|0|0)
13:21:25 Invalid Joystick Axis!
13:21:25 type=702 (7), dwOfs=32, name=Move Up/Down
13:21:25 GUID = a36d02f3, c9f3, 11cf, ...
13:21:25 wUsagePage = 5, wUsage = 26
13:21:25 Invalid Joystick Axis!
13:21:25 type=802 (8), dwOfs=36, name=Move Right/Left
13:21:25 GUID = a36d02f3, c9f3, 11cf, ...
13:21:25 wUsagePage = 5, wUsage = 24
13:21:25 Detected Joystick: Saitek X52 Pro Flight Controller
13:21:25 0 ... STR_INPUT_DEVICE_STICK_AXIS_X [1,30]
13:21:25 1 ... STR_INPUT_DEVICE_STICK_AXIS_Y [1,31]
13:21:25 2 ... STR_INPUT_DEVICE_STICK_AXIS_Z [1,32]
13:21:25 3 ... STR_INPUT_DEVICE_STICK_ROT_X [1,33]
13:21:25 4 ... STR_INPUT_DEVICE_STICK_ROT_Y [1,34]
13:21:25 5 ... STR_INPUT_DEVICE_STICK_ROT_Z [1,35]
13:21:25 6 ... STR_INPUT_DEVICE_STICK_SLIDER_1 [1,36]
Further removing the Saitek joystick and restarting, only shows this within the logs when going into the Configure > Controllers menu:
13:27:56 SimulWeather - Cloud Renderer - noise texture file is not specified!
13:27:58 SimulWeather - Cloud Renderer - noise texture file is not specified!
13:28:01 EPE manager release (0|0|0)
13:28:01 EPE manager release (0|0|0)
Without the use of strace (or at least GDB even though compiled without flags), I cannot further pinpoint this issue as it's likely your code causing problems.
The ports this device is plugged into, has always been used in the past without issues under Windows 7, and even in Windows 8/8.1 for which there are more joystick problems.
Give me two seconds with the abilities of strace or GDB, and I'll have this problem targeted. Keep giving me only proprietary code, and all I can give you are the prior comments.
UPDATED 2015.05.25 21:30 - I've just added a Windows Process Monitor file (Windows' equivalent of strace). You may need to add a filter for "arma3.exe". I simply had Windows Process Monitor open in the background and started arma3.exe, went directly to the controller menu and you can see TrackIR being only initialized until this point. I then immediately stopped Process Monitor to avoid any arma3.exe exit system calls prior to exiting. Your answer lies within this tracing, and to why TrackIR is not being initialized upon the start of arma3.exe.
UPDATED 2015.05.25 21:50 - Within the Windows Process Monitor I likely just posted, set a filter for Process is "arma3.exe" and (likely not needed) "TrackIR5.exe" Click apply and you'll only see arma3.exe and TrackIR5.exe process, if not already as my file likely only contains arma3.exe processes. Set another filter for "contains" "track". You'll notice call "CreateFileMapping" (related to TrackIR) fails initially with "File Locks with Only Readers" error. And then you'll notice near the end of the log, CreateFileMapping (likely when going into the configure/controller menu), you'll finally see success. (I also noticed the Buffer Overflow errors, of which most of the Buffer Overflows appear to occur within the TCP/IP or network stack.)
The only way I've been able to reproduce this problem is:
1)Launch ArmA 3.
2)Launch TrackIR software.
3)Notice the TrackIR is enabled, but not synced with the game.
One of the solutions is:
1)In ArmA 3, go to the controls menu.
2)Go to peripherals (where the Joystick usually is).
3)Stop and start TrackIR.
The other solution is:
1)In ArmA 3, go to the controls menu.
2)TrackIR should sync with the game at that point.
On Windows 7; TrackIR 5 software is already started.
ARMA 3 is started long after TrackIR software has started.
Start ARMA 3 (arma3.exe) separately from the Steam menu.
Prior to the last month's release, I had no problems. After last month's release, I now always have this problem.
And the quickest and easiest method is just to go into the ARMA 3 Controls Menu as you stated. To me, this is obviously an ARMA 3 issue. If I were on Linux, I could easily run things through gdb or strace, for which I pretty much already use the Windows equivalent and you can see within the log the TrackIR is not being picked-up upon arma3.exe execution.
UPDATED 2015.06.04 12:41 UTC Looks like I am getting TrackIR initialization upon startup by watching the LED lights on the TrackIR 5 device. However upon entering a multiplayer game, the TrackIR 5 light deactivates. The light then reactivates upon going into the Game Controller settings.
UPDATED 2015.06.04 03:06 UTC Further research shows this bug is only occurring when only joining a multiplayer server. Seems to be working when only using the Editor or single player mode. Would appear I need to perform further tracing using the Process Manager noted above.
UPDATED 2015.06.04 20:50 UTC Tested Arma3Update146RC, and there are no multiplayer servers available to join! I have tested creating my own multiplayer LAN session, and TrackIR works there. So back to stable 1.44 to see if multiplayer LAN is effected. (Just wish Steam would cache these extensive downloads for testing bugs against other versions as I only have DSL! One hour download times!)
UPDATED 2015.06.05 01:26 UTC Just tested current 1.44 stable and find even the local LAN multiplayer has no apparent problems either. So just when connecting to remote servers as a client, is there then problems with TrackIR 5 devices disconnecting requiring the workaround mentioned above. Unknown if this affects Arma3Update146RC, as there were no remote test servers available to test on but is very likely as this bug has yet to be verified by in-house developers.
UPDATED 2015.06.07 01:18 UTC Using the ARMA3 Launcher, avoids this bug as well. This bug is only seen when executing first Steam.exe and then arma3.exe.
Similar problem with disconnecting joystick after joining MP
http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=24463
I avoid using the launcher because of this and run the game directly after starting Steam on Windows. Nor have I tested using the launcher with version 1.50.
I'll try to remember to test later on.
Yes this looks fixed when starting the Launcher (without Steam already running in the background) and then joining a multi-player game.
I did accidentally initially start Steam, but should have stopped all instances prior to testing only using the Launcher.
So looks like version 1.50 somehow fixed this bug. I have also not tested further on Windows 10. (Windows 8.1 partition was used for upgrading to Windows 10.) Other operating system ports, such as Linux, were not tested as the Linux port does not apparently support any detection of input devices. (It maybe qjoypad or other applications can adequately handle such tasks or functions, and with far better reliability versus Saitek's applications.)
Just tried to mark Fixed in version 1.50, but was denied. God how I enjoy open source bug trackers versus corporate! ;-)