So, I’m wondering about that old Driver’s Education software. Now I’m thinking this through a second time. So, it’s not using the modern DirectInput APIs? Surely, then, since it’s worked with game port controllers of times past, it must be somewhat similar to the parallel port on old PCs. For Windows XP, there exists a parallel port emulator driver that you can use to get the same direct I/O functions you’d normally get from a parallel port in hardware. So, it must be similar, then, with the game port. Right?
Yeah, maybe, but you’ll have to be searching a lot harder for such a solution, keeping in mind that game port programming is a lot less popular with the technically skilled people who publish on the Internet.
Failed search.
20180909/DuckDuckGo directinput gameport usb emulation legacy
No, no, no. You’ve been misguided here. The picture is much more bleak. DirectInput you ask? Well, Microsoft basically killed off all of the sophistication and elegance that you remember from that API of times past. What happened? After the Xbox sales really took off, Microsoft basically lost interest in the diverse market of third party gaming hardware. Yep, all of it. Why should they care if they can get most of their revenue from their own Xbox hardware sales? So, the issue at hand here is that DirectInput has been “deprecated” in favor of “XInput.” Unfortunately, XInput doesn’t even technically match with DirectInput! It’s not, in fact, a real replacement. DirectInput supported controllers without limits… in terms of buttons and analog axes. XInput comes with distinctive limits that suffocate the vital air supply, the API, needed for more advanced controllers. Basically, Microsoft has unplugged themself from supporting the advanced PC gaming controllers market.
20180909/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DirectInput
20190909/https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=760956259
20190909/https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-hardware/how-can-i-run-gameport/47c08363-d2e3-4e33-a77d-9fee01e9a12a
Bummer, that’s a real bummer. The big problem here is also that given the limits, issues, lack of drivers, and lack of standardization that plagued this market on competing operating systems, Microsoft’s system was one of the best to use for that particular purpose. If Microsoft is not supporting these systems anymore, who will?
Let’s turn to the technical details of the game port on Wikipedia.
Indeed, it’s like you were saying, early software read directly from
the game port, without an operating system to perform book-keeping
tasks. It’s not clear if that was also true with some Windows
software. I thought for sure that Driver’s Education executable
linked up with DINPUT.DLL, the only problem was that somehow the old
API could not be compatible with modern USB game controllers.
20180909/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_port
Failed search.
20180909/DuckDuckGo windows legacy software gameport emulation
This one doesn’t look like it’s actually that useful.
20180909/http://www.liutilities.com/device-driver/creative-joystick-emulation/
Nope, still not getting anywhere on the software. On the other hand, I found some interesting materials on building a USB adapter for using a Nintendo 64 game controller as a PC game controller. In any case, that might be helpful for me to reverse engineer my existing USB game controllers so as to reinvent adequate drivers as needed.
20180909/https://www.zophar.net/joy.html
20180909/https://www.zophar.net/joy/usb-converter.html
20180909/DuckDuckGo Simon Nield N64 USB converter
20180909/http://arcadecontrols.com/arcade_newbie_1main.php
20180909/https://web.archive.org/web/20000111081607/http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk:80/~snandhe/usbpads.htm
Run the Windows software in DOSBOX? That might be an idea well worth taking, if only the software in question could run on Windows 3.1. I don’t think that is the case, I think it requires Windows 95 at the very least.
20180909/https://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?t=7618
Failed search.
20180909/DuckDuckGo windows virtual game port
Okay, last resort here. Let’s see what the state-of-the-art is on
Linux. Well, well, I’d be surprised. Yes, for older controllers, you
will be up for a hassle, but you could get lucky with the tools
joystick and jstest-gtk getting it to work. However, it is the
newest controllers that have the most streamlined support.
20180909/DuckDuckGo linux usb game controller
20180909/https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/get-game-controllers-running-linux/
20180909/https://web.archive.org/web/20151226195720/http://www.linux.org:80/threads/joystick-and-other-game-controllers.4120
In any case, regardless of the platform, game controllers have a long-standing problem of impending obsolescence. Unfortunately the only “long-term” solution is to keep buying new controllers when the hardware and software interfaces become obsolete. This is especially a bummer for more expensive controllers like flight simulation consoles and steering wheels.
Okay, okay, enough of that. I have to remind myself. Yep, historically driving simulation software previously was really something back in the 1990s, and even stretching into the early 2000s, but those times are over. Nowadays, if you ask anyone about computers and software coming together, they will have their mind on one thing, and only one thing: self-driving cars!!! When will cars drive themselves? You’re doing software with cars? Oh, I assume you’re running a self-driving car simulator, right?
Well, well, all that being said, what’s the best libre, open-source self-driving car simulator I can find? Well, the options so far don’t look all that convincing, but the Quora on the subject looks pretty good. Pretty well written reference source on where to go next, that seems to include everything I’ve found from my search results.
20180909/DuckDuckGo self driving car simulator open source
20180909/http://opensourceforu.com/2017/01/openai-transforms-gta-v-self-driving-car-simulator/
20180909/https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-most-active-and-complete-self-driving-car-open-source-hardware-and-software-projects
Interesting open hardware electric vehicle design here.
20180909/https://www.openmotors.co/homepage/