Joystix Pro Update: Price Permanently Drops to $20 (or FREE!)

I just wanted to let you guys know I've been following up with Joystix Pro, and was extremely excited to discover that they've dropped the price to $20!  If you read my previous review of the software, my biggest complaint was the hefty price tag.  Well, they've solved that problem.

Furthermore, they're offering a pretty awesome referral program that will not only get you a refund on your purchase, but will score you some free games if you convince enough people to give Joystix Pro a try.

If you're unsure if Joystix is for you, they still offer free stix for several popular games, including SWTOR.  Give it a shot if you're looking for a more straightforward controller program.

Not Just for SWTOR Anymore!

Hey, folks!  So if you've been to this blog before, you know it started out exclusively as a tutorial for Star Wars: The Old Republic players interested in playing their new favorite MMO with a controller.  Since then, my interest in that particular game has waned, and several people have pointed out the usefulness of this blog for other PC games.  Thus I've decided to change the title to make it more easily searchable for folks interested in PC controller use beyond SWTOR.  More details after the jump.

No More Free Game Booster After June 30th!

Hey, folks! I wanted to give you a heads up and let you know the awesome performance-enhancing program Game Booster is only free for 10 more days! If your system is in need of a performance boost, try out this utility while it's still free.  It helped me a lot with my non-gaming laptop that I've drafted into service.  Check it out!

My Crazy Summer Project

So now that I have an abundance of free time, I've decided that my big summer project is going to be making SWTOR fully interactive, using GlovePIE, a WiiMote, Wii Balanceboard, a Kinect sensor...and whatever other devices I decided to cobble together.

Before the rage, this isn't even remotely meant as a viable means of playing SWTOR...I just want to see if I can do it!

Update: Well, I've already got my Kinect working, and successfully, tested mouse and keyboard inputs using both gestures and voice commands.  It was a lot easier to set up than I expected...timewise, anyway. I had to uninstall and reinstall some drivers before it worked.  My next step is to get the Wiimote and Wii Balance Board working...which will require me to wait a couple of days for my bluetooth dongle to arrive, since my built-in one is being controlled by MotioninJoy.

Last Update: This project's been dead in the water for a while, but not for a lack of trying.  For some reason that damned Wii Balance Board will not stay connected to my computer, no matter which bluetooth dongle or bluetooth configuration stack I use.  If I get inspired or find a new solution at some point, I may try again.  Someday.

Guess Who's Back? (Back Again) Peeps is Back! (Tell a friend!)

Alternate cheesy cliché titles: Peeps Dun Graduated, I'm Baaaaaaaack, and Heeeeeere's Peepsy!

Well folks, after three very painful, grueling years of idiotically trying to pursue a Theoretical Math degree with a wife and two kids, I've finally graduated.  And now I'm back in the game.  You've got questions?  I've got answers.  Let's play!

Also, I'm on Twitter now. Tweet me @PeepsMcJuggs for tech support questions, or follow me @SW_Dad for random celebrity harassment and tales of raising the next generation of Star Wars kids.

Joystix Pro on sale for $20

Hey, folks! No, I'm not back yet...but I wanted to drop a quick line and let you know the Joystix Pro folks have temporarily knocked down the price of their Elite Membership to $20, and are in the process of adding some new features.  That makes Joystix a well-priced, good solution for those of you looking for a straightforward, albeit less robust, plug-and-play option.  Details after the jump.

Peeps is AFK

Folks, I've been delaying this one, but I'm formally dropping off the grid for the next couple of months.  It's my last semester of college, and I've got too much to do with studying and trying to find time for the family to make any time for SWTOR.

In the meantime, if you need any controller assistance, I highly recommend you hit up the forums for your respective programs: there's a lot of folks there that are more than willing to assist with this stuff.  Also, feel free to keep dropping questions in the SWTOR thread: I'm sure other players will be able to help you troubleshoot.

See you guys in a few months!  And happy gaming!

Joystix Pro - an Easy-to-Use (albeit less robust) Controller Option

As this blog has grown, so has the complexity of my configurations.  While I prefer the versatility that XPadder and PGP offer, the bottom line is a lot of you guys just want to be able to just plug in your damn controller and play.

To that end, Joystix Pro's developers recently contacted me to get my impressions on their product as an alternative to XPadder or PGP (with my caveat that I'm not going to hold anything back).   The bottom line is while this is the most expensive and least robust program of the three, it is also by far the easiest, most user-friendly option of the lot.  Details after the jump.

REMEMBER: Joystix Pro must be set to run as an administrator to work with SWTOR.

UPDATE: As of May 2013, Joystix Pro has dropped their price for a full subscription to $20, making it a MUCH more affordable option than previously (and as you'll read below, the price was really my only major complaint).  

Peeps Fixes Your Camera (and other tweaks)

Holy crap.  I did it.  I finally cracked the code on smooth camera controls (with a major shoutout to Errol for helping me troubleshoot my mistakes along the way)!

Folks, using Pinnacle Gamer Profiler, I've figured out a way to give you fully adjustable camera control without sacrificing the speed of your mouse pointer's free movement.  Furthermore, these controls allow you to independently adjust how fast the camera rotates vertically vs. horizontal rotation.

Update: I've come up with a couple of XPadder solutions as well, though they're not as robust (details after the jump).

These are extremely advanced settings in PGP, so I advise you to export your current setup to your desktop before attempting this stuff.  That being said, I highly recommend you take the time to explore this profile, as it will make your life so much easier in the long run.  The profile I'm providing after the jump is highly experimental, and is intended as a testbed similar to my XPadder one, so it incorporates a lot of other ideas you might want to look at...I just wouldn't advise that you try to use them all at once.

In my next post, I'll be providing amended details on how to get a PS3 controller to function properly using MotioninJoy and PGP (to include configuring L2 and R2 as axes instead of just buttons), as PGP has proven very finicky when it comes to talking to MiJ.

How much would it suck if free-to-use sites like Blogger no longer existed?

This isn't hyperbole.  US Congress is considering anti-piracy acts that would hold sites with millions - and in some cases billions - of users accountable for the actions of their users.  This can be as simple as a bot posting a link to an illegal download in the comments of somebody's blog.  Websites would either have to employ full-time moderators and security specialists to constantly monitor their users' activities or risk frivolous copyright lawsuits by major media corporations.

You think it's hard to find a job now?  Imagine what it's like when major websites who depend entirely upon user traffic to sustain their business are forced to shut down due to rising operating costs.  Freedom of Information isn't the only thing at risk: can we really afford to increase global unemployment in the name of anti-piracy?

Americans, call and write your congressmen to tell them how you feel.  Then sign Google's petition.  Make the government refocus on the unemployment issue, and stop wasting time on this idiotic legislation.

(Need more info on what this is all about?  Click here.)