Dual analog support in Bleemcast with ps-dc adapter!

Captain Skyhawk · Post by **Captain Skyhawk** » Mon Sep 29, 2003 3:06 pm

Today I finally received my Link-Sang order including the Total Control Plus. My first suprise was that it looked exactly like the Bleem!pod proto types (see here). Obvious the maker of this device (EMS Production Ltd.) is also the producer of the prototype Bleem!pods. Something Rand never told us.

As a Gran Turismo 2 addict I really missed out the dual analog support in GT2. I want to have analog steering and analog gassing and braking. The exact reasons why this wasn't possible on the Dreamcast is answered the Bleemcast! FAQ:

Is it possible to use analog accelerating and braking?
No, because the Dreamcast controller has only 1 analog stick as the Playstation Dual Shock controllers has 2. The only possibility was using the Dreamcast left and right trigger to act as the second analog stick only supporting up and down, but Bleem! decided to program those triggers as L1 and R1 wich are on the Playstation controller digital. Also a Playstion to Dreamcast controller (like the total control) won't work, because those adapters don't support the second analog stick of the Playstation controller. That's also logical because no other game on the Dreamcast supports 2 analog sticks. The only way left to be able to use analog accelerating and braking with Bleemcast! is the use of Bleempods. Wich are the only Playstation controller to Dreamcast controller adapters that's support both analog sticks. Unfortantly the Bleempods have never been produced, expect for a few prototypes.

But... when you put the switch on the total control plus to the steering wheel and connect just a dual shock controller, both sticks are working analog!!! You don't have to adjust anything, but if you will you can even adjust "the steeringwheel" sentivity etc. in the analog settings screen of GT2. I'm still very thrilled about this, but I think any GT2 fan will be to.

I don't know how it can work, maybe the total control mixes the analog left and right triggers with the up and down of stick. But fact is that the signal of the second analog stick is send to Dreamcast (many people including Rand Linden said that such adapaters didn't support the second stick in ANY way). So maybe it's possible to adjust the total control to a Bleem!pod prototype using both sticks with just the normal settings.

Rand Linden · Post by **Rand Linden** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 12:30 pm

I spent the time to get the steering wheel support emulation working before release...

You can also connect Dreamcast steering wheels for the same effect.

The only thing I'm not sure of is whether or not they pass the <select> and <L3>, <R3> buttons through.

And, I'm not sure that they'll detect switching between analog and standard -- bleemPods could detect the change and notified the software when you pressed the analog button on the PSX joystick.

Rand.

Captain Skyhawk · Post by **Captain Skyhawk** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 5:17 pm

Thanks for you feedback! I think I now fully understand it. You programmed the left and right trigger as R1 and R2. I never got that because those are digital on the Playstation and on the Dreamcast analog. But I now understand you did it that way to keep full analog support for Playstation and Dreamcast steering wheels. I think connecting a steeringwheel to a real Playstation turns the R1 and R2 to I (gaspedal) and II (brakepedal) analog.

Somehow the total control assigns the dual stick up and down as R1 (I) and R2 (II) when you put it in the steeringwheel mode. You are simulating a steeringwheel with your Dual Shock controller, because of the switch. GT2 thinks a steeirngwheel is connected and the Dual Shock controller acts like that.

I played B!GT2 with the total control for many hours and indeed it is still not a real Bleem!pod. First it still doesn't send the select, L3 and R3 trough. And the following disadvantages you get when you are using the PSX controller as a steeringwheel:

- No vibration support
- You can't save in the steeringwheel mode, but you can easily use the switch on the total control to switch it back for saving
- Less buttons to assign, manual shifting is not possible with normal hands

Anyway, again it proves how well Bleem is programmed and how many time there was put in to support all the perhipals. I gonna pur all this info in the Bleemcast FAQ soon.

Rand Linden · Post by **Rand Linden** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 7:09 pm

Thanks again...

Yup, a lot of time was spent making as many peripherals and as many output modes and other options work as possible.

Why? I've always liked having a lot of those little icons on the back of the package - seriously!

Rand.

bizzle · Post by **bizzle** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 8:13 pm

I've always wanted to play the Bleem!cast or bleem! for Dreamcast, or whatever you want to call it, GT2 pack. To bad I never got around to it.. I did get to enjoy Tekken 3 though! Anyway, nice job, Captain Skyhawk, for your hard work on the DCEmu Knowledge Base.

MetaFox · Post by **MetaFox** » Thu Oct 02, 2003 10:32 pm

Rand Linden wrote:Why? I've always liked having a lot of those little icons on the back of the package - seriously!

Who wouldn't? They are really cute.

I like the bleem-only icons that you made for the packaging too. They really look like the official peripheral icons. Whoever made the icon for the bleempod has my thumbs up. It looks really classy. It makes the bleem packages even more one of a kind.

it290 · Post by **it290** » Fri Oct 03, 2003 6:31 pm

That's sweet. It is making me wonder something though... do you have Virtual On? It would be great if someone came up with a way to use the dual shock to emulate twin sticks for VOOT. That would make my day!

Rand Linden · Post by **Rand Linden** » Sat Oct 04, 2003 3:30 pm

All the packaging was David's work -- he came up with all the icons, graphics, text, etc.

He also did all the in-game graphics like the title screen, menu gfx, buttons, etc. etc.

Rand.

Post by **|darc|** » Sat Oct 04, 2003 10:08 pm

I always did enjoy bleem!'s graphics, from the web sites to the packaging.

BaldMonk · Post by **BaldMonk** » Sun Oct 05, 2003 7:58 am

Yeah, everything about Bleem was sooooo professional. *goes to play Tekken3*

lol, love your avatar ldarcl... "The sad thing is, he wasn't always angry"

dcemuler · Post by **dcemuler** » Fri Oct 10, 2003 8:35 am

Can I use Saturn steering wheel with that other liksang adapter ?

sappel · Post by **sappel** » Fri Oct 10, 2003 12:36 pm

I got a little question

How is it possible that Bleemcast Beta plays a lot of games at perfect speed with only a few bugs?

mankrip · Post by **mankrip** » Fri Oct 10, 2003 1:13 pm

Do you really want Rand to answer that? Wake up.

sappel · Post by **sappel** » Fri Oct 10, 2003 1:39 pm

I am sorry for being not a smart ass and i am n00b here