DOS Games Configuration Utility

This tool will let you assign the available game commands to buttons on your joystick. It was created to help you assign those commands to your DOS games. There are drop down menus for each of the supported buttons and each game command. It has adjustable speed settings, pitch & yaw controls along with dead zone, full zone, and rate configurations. This allows for supreme flexibility for everyone from beginner to advanced players.

To start the DOS Games Configuration Program:
Click "Start", followed by "Programs", then "FPgaming Assassin 3D" and choose "DOS Games Configuration"

If you have any problems please see Errors from the Dos Games Configuration.

From the DOS Games Configuration Screen you will see icons and text showing you the Game Settings programs that are installed. Double click on the games icon to launch the settings program.

Once you get to the individual game configuration panel you will see a few drop down menus. These menus are what allow you to configure your button settings.

Main Settings Screen

Joystick Buttons, Hat and Assassin 3D

The drop down menus for Joystick, Hat and Assassin 3D, will show you the available buttons that can be configured. If you press a button on the Joystick or select a Hat position, the drop down menu will show you the button or position that you selected. You may also use the drop down menu to select the button that you want to configure. Use the drop down menu to the right to select the action you want used for this button or position. All available actions will be listed (except for Quake which will allow you to customize just about anything using the Quake console or config files).

Forward Medium Speed, Forward Fast Speed, Sideways Medium Speed, Sideways Fast Speed

These settings will allow you to set the game depending upon your skill, As a beginner you may want to start out slower than the game allows. As you get better and for Deathmatching you will want to set these to a higher setting.

If your joystick has a throttle, pushing the throttle forward will enable the "Fast" speeds and pulling the throttle backward will enable the "Medium" speeds. Additionally, if you have a Speed Toggle button programmed, pressing this button will invert the throttle settings. So, flicking the throttle or pressing the Speed Toggle button will switch you from Medium to Fast or vice-versa.

If your joystick doesn't have a throttle, by default the "Medium" speeds are enabled. To enable the fast speeds, change FMS and SMS both to the higher setting. Alternately, if you have a Speed Toggle button, you can just press it to switch from medium to Fast speeds.

Restore Defaults - This restores all the games defaults back to a Beginner's skill level

About Program - Tells you a little information about this program

EXIT - This button will allow you to Exit the Utility, All changes are saved automatically.

Power Settings

Pitch Invert, Pitch Leveling, Pitch Speed

Pitching is the looking up and down that some games allow. These variables are here so you can set up the options that you like.

Pitch Invert will change the direction you move the trackball. Normally when you move the trackball forward you look down. Having this selected when you move the trackball forward you will look up.

Pitch Leveling is a feature that will automatically center your view when your character moves. Some people can get very disorientated and even nauseous with too much pitching. If this is you, turn on this feature by selecting the box.

Pitch Speed is the speed of movement where Pitch Leveling will take place. You can set this anywhere from a slow walk (10%) to full Speed (100%). NOTE: Some games will allow you to go higher than 100%.

Yaw Invert This will allow you to spin the Assassin 3D around and have the buttons in front of the ball instead of behind. You may need a new wrist support for comfort during those many hours of game play.

Pitch Dead Zone, Roll Dead Zone, Pitch Full Zone, Roll Full Zone

The joystick handle moves through three defined zones. The three zones are; the dead zone, the proportional zone and the full zone. The dead zone is a window located around the joystick center. When the handle is within the dead zone, no game character movement occurs. As soon as the handle exits the dead zone, the handle enters the proportional zone. In this zone, movement of the game character is proportional to where the handle is located. If the handle is near the dead zone, then the game character will move slowly. As the handle moves farther away from the center, the game character moves faster. Eventually, the handle moves within the full zone. Within the full zone, the game character moves at medium/full speed.

If you find that you have a hard time walking a straight line or standing still you will need to increase the dead zone. If you find that you are not getting to full/medium speed soon enough and want to get to full/medium speed with less joystick movement decrease the full zone. As you move through the proportional zone your character will gradually move from stopped to full/medium speed

Joystick Rate Configuration

There is an exception to the previous joystick zone operation. If the joystick handle is moving faster than a previously defined rate, the game character will begin full movement (medium or fast speed) in the direction the handle is moving. This feature allows overriding the joystick zone operation by looking at the handle speed not the handle position.

The effects of this parameter are subtle, but provide an additional level of fine-tuning for joystick control. When enabled, the game is more responsive to the user's quick-movement desires and provides quick directional changing of the game character before the joystick handle even reaches the other side. Therefore, quick handle action corresponds to quick game character action.

The reason this parameter is disabled by default is that this logic does not work well with beginner joystick users since wild movements of the joystick handle will become amplified. This can be very disturbing to the novice user. Additionally, this feature does not work well with games with slow frame rates (under 15).

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This page was last updated 06/13/04