Multiple Installs Of DCS (Steam/Stand-Alone)

[incryptx]

Hello

I have two installed instances of DCS World, as the title states, one on Steam and one Stand-Alone on a separate drive (beta version)

The JoyPro App seems to want to operate on the one in Steam but I want it to operate on the Stand-Alone version, but setting the path for the install instance seems to do no good.

As well, I would like the dialog to be "more clear" on the install instance for which it operates. Since the merging requires the game to open and be in the main game menu, it tries to run the Steam version, but gets hung up when Steam opens and despite my efforts, I cannot get JoyPro to do it's mouse clicks on the game menu in Steam. It does seem to work when I change the internal instance path to operate on the Stans-Alone version, but then it hangs on my "third party installed aircraft" and cannot seem to get past it. It does the mouse click and make HTML over and over for the "third party aircraft" over and over until I cancel it.

As a suggestion, the JoyPro software does a few other games as well, but embedded check-marks for other games which I do not own are always checked and JoyPro seems to want to do those games as well. It may be wise to have a "Start-UP" option where you can specifically set JoyPro's MODE, to DCS, or StarCitizen or IL2, instead of having checkmarks embedded everywhere in the JoyPro application. It saves bandwidth when those games are not included.

This is fantastic software, but beyond most users knowledge and capacity to understand. I am still confused as the versions grow and the application increases in complexity. A more simple user interface would help, with paths and game selection clearly defined.

Thanks for this software. DCS may buy it once it matures.

Be well. And thanks for the Grim Reaper relations template.

[Holdi601]

With merging you mean refresh DCS ID Database and cleandatabase I suppose?

For the steam version have you checked/tried selecting in the dropdown the Nonsteam version or manually put in Settings an override path to your DCS Install you want to base it off?

The checkmarks remember your last selection and you have quick checkmarks to turn off all other games other than DCS or IL2 So if you always just want to operate one way and you never delete the meta file, it should remember your selection.

How do you suggest the UI to Improve? Im open for concepts and so on, but i need concepts for it and then time to rework it :)

[incryptx]

1. Yes, both the DCS ID DB and DCS Clean DB.

2. Yes, there are checkmarks for not including those games, but why do I have to uncheck them as opposed to checking them? They are always checked.

3. Frankly, there are many options and buttons on the screen, but no dialog to “lead” you through what to do to make it GO?

In other words, I can add/remove relations, import profiles, tweak other settings, but when I am done with all of that, what BUTTON or dialog do I press to make Joypro update or change DCS input profile settings?

It’s great what you are trying to do to make all the planes in DCS use the same control axis and buttons, but the software itself does not “lead” you through the process and for us ignorant users, we have no ideal what to do or how a proper joypro configuration works.

Let me stop and say it is apparent we are from different countries and have different ways of looking at software. You are the designer. Your audience and 75%/85% of your customers/users do not understand how to use what you have built. We look at the software and to us, most of it makes no sense. We watch YouTube videos and even those are confusing.

Most developers use a software design that leads users through the process, or stops a user when the settings would break something. Once all the settings are done, most ignorant users what to see a “Go” button or an “Update” button. To be honest, for the ignorant user, this software is confusing at best, and will break things in the worst case.

I have been playing with this since your first versions and I still have a vague understanding of what it does, even though I understand the basic principle that it will set all DCS aircraft input to the same settings for keyboard and controller, and I worked for Microsoft for ten years as a software development engineer for Windows NT through Windows XP.

So, if I have trouble figuring it out, what would most average users be faced with?

Joypro does have promise and DCS does not make that process easy. Without Joypro, users have to do each aircraft input one at a time, and ignorant users cannot even do that effectively.

Most users of DCS want one thing to solve this. Just give me a software utility that “imports” one profile and then makes that profile effective of all aircraft and a GO button to implement it. They really don’t want to spend hours trying to figure out what all those buttons do. If you’re a smart and educated user of DCS, then you want to have access to those buttons, because you’re an advanced user not a novice user.

So, for novices and ignorant folks, hide advanced controls and give them a simple import profile and a GO button. For the advanced user, expose those controls and give them choices, then a GO button.

This software has great promise, it just needs a user friendly UI for novice folks.

From: Holdi601 @.> Sent: Sunday, April 24, 2022 6:47 AM To: Holdi601/JoystickProfiler @.> Cc: Incryptx @.>; Author @.> Subject: Re: [Holdi601/JoystickProfiler] Multiple Installs Of DCS (Steam/Stand-Alone) (Issue #44)

With merging you mean refresh DCS ID Database and cleandatabase I suppose?

For the steam version have you checked/tried selecting in the dropdown the Nonsteam version or manually put in Settings an override path to your DCS Install you want to base it off?

The checkmarks remember your last selection and you have quick checkmarks to turn off all other games other than DCS or IL2 So if you always just want to operate one way and you never delete the meta file, it should remember your selection.

How do you suggest the UI to Improve? Im open for concepts and so on, but i need concepts for it and then time to rework it :)

— Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub https://github.com/Holdi601/JoystickProfiler/issues/44#issuecomment-1107845191 , or unsubscribe https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AEFF5EBACIGU2QH5EENY3TLVGVGERANCNFSM5T4ZVSSA . You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: @.***>

[incryptx]

Suggestions:

1. When JoyPro opens, there is no way to tell what profile or relationship is currently loaded on the screen.

2. JoyPro does not uninstall/remove from the system well after being run for the first time. It makes folders which are not removed. This takes a bit of experience with Joypro to know what directories it creates. It’s helpful for troubleshooting JoyPro to remove it from the system and then run it cleanly again. I found myself removing it and re-running it with bad results, because previous folders and directories still existed from the previous running of Joypro. A dedicated installer/uninstaller solves this.

3. I assume the four buttons at the bottom mean that I am “Exporting/Merging/Adding” what is currently listed/changed in the Joypro main window (as changes) to the current “DCS Binds” for the game? Above the four GO buttons, a dialog would be nice, stating “Selecting ONE of these four buttons below will change/export the changes above, to the “Bindings” for All Aircraft in DCS, with the changes you have made in JoyPro”. This tells folks what to do to make it GO.

4. Most of the buttons at the top of JoyPro are useful to top level players of DCS, who know what they are, what they do. For the Novice User, they confuse folks. A “Beginners” and “Advanced Mode” button, which hides most of the buttons a novice player would not need. The Advanced User could change the mode, but it’s default look and feel should be for a novice and new user, not having seen JoyPro before, or for the first time.

5. A YouTube video by you, the developer, explaining the use of JoyPro and what the buttons do. You’re going to need to educate the novice and new user, at least for the “Beginner” mode.

6. Colors for things would help greatly. Say “Blue” for Relations or “Red” for Profiles, “Green” for what assignments have been made on keys and axis on the same controller. “Yellow” for modifiers, ect., ect…What ever you think colors would help explain or associate.

Hope this helps....