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Active Forums => Programs => Topic started by: dbox on January 11, 2022, 01:02:54 am

Title: Simple, Consolidated Game Device Input
Post by: dbox on January 11, 2022, 01:02:54 am
Hi All,

I put a good deal of work into a simple, consolidated game input API that allows for simple detection and testing of input from keyboard, mouse or game controller devices and thought I would share as there have been recent discussions on this topic.

With this approach device input can be detected with the following:

Code: QB64: [Select]
  1. Dim Shared diMoveLeft As GXDeviceInput
  2. GXDeviceInputDetect diMoveLeft
  3.  

The program will wait until a keyboard key, mouse button, or game controller button or axis movement has been detected.  Then later in your code when you want to test for that device input, simply do this:

Code: QB64: [Select]
  1. If GXDeviceInputTest(diMoveLeft) Then
  2.    ' Do your move left logic here
  4.  

I've added specific logic for linux and maxos to handle the fact that keyboard button presses are not returned by the _DEVICEINPUT method on those environments so that the behavior can be consistent cross-platform.  This is actually related to my very first post on the forum: https://qb64forum.alephc.xyz/index.php?topic=4448.msg138691#msg138691.

I've included a few demonstration programs in the attached zip.

1) The detect.bas program will display the last detected input and print information about the device input:
Code: QB64: [Select]
  2. '$Include:'gx/gx.bi'
  3. _Title "Detect Device Input"
  4.  
  5. Print "Waiting for input..."
  7.     Dim di As GXDeviceInput
  8.     GXDeviceInputDetect di
  9.     Cls
  10.     Print "Device #:    " + Str$(di.deviceId)
  11.     Print "Device Name: " + GXDeviceName(di.deviceId)
  12.     Print "Device Type: " + GXDeviceTypeName(di.deviceType)
  13.     Print "Input Type:  " + GXInputTypeName(di.inputType)
  14.     Print "Input Id:    " + Str$(di.inputId)
  15.     If di.deviceType = GXDEVICE_KEYBOARD Then
  16.         Print "Key Name: " + GXKeyButtonName(di.inputId)
  17.     End If
  18.     Print "Input Value: " + Str$(di.inputValue)
  19.     Print
  21.  
  22. Sub GXOnGameEvent (e As GXEvent): End Sub
  23. '$Include:'gx/gx.bm'
  24.  



2) The input.bas demonstrates detecting input for certain actions and then testing for those inputs in a game loop:
Code: QB64: [Select]
  2. '$Include:'gx/gx.bi'
  3. _Title "Test Device Input"
  4.  
  5. GXSceneCreate 500, 300
  6. GXFrameRate 10
  7.  
  8. Dim Shared dleft As GXDeviceInput
  9. Print "Press Left... ";
  10. GXDeviceInputDetect dleft
  11. PrintDeviceInput dleft
  12.  
  13. Dim Shared dright As GXDeviceInput
  14. Print "Press Right...";
  15. GXDeviceInputDetect dright
  16. PrintDeviceInput dright
  17.  
  18. Dim Shared djump As GXDeviceInput
  19. Print "Press Jump...";
  20. GXDeviceInputDetect djump
  21. PrintDeviceInput djump
  22.  
  24.  
  25. GXSceneStart
  27.  
  28. Sub GXOnGameEvent (e As GXEvent)
  29.     Dim ldown As Integer
  30.     Select Case e.event
  31.         Case GXEVENT_UPDATE
  32.             If GXKeyDown(GXKEY_ESC) Then GXSceneStop
  33.  
  34.         Case GXEVENT_DRAWSCREEN
  35.             GXDrawText GXFONT_DEFAULT, 10, 10, "Press one or more mapped inputs:"
  36.             If GXDeviceInputTest(dleft) Then
  37.                 GXDrawText GXFONT_DEFAULT, 100, 100, "Left"
  38.             End If
  39.             If GXDeviceInputTest(dright) Then
  40.                 GXDrawText GXFONT_DEFAULT, 150, 100, "Right"
  41.             End If
  42.             If GXDeviceInputTest(djump) Then
  43.                 GXDrawText GXFONT_DEFAULT, 125, 125, "Jump"
  44.             End If
  45.     End Select
  47.  
  48.  
  49. Sub PrintDeviceInput (di As GXDeviceInput)
  50.     Print GXDeviceName(di.deviceId) + " : ";
  51.     Print GXInputTypeName(di.inputType) + " : ";
  52.     Print Str$(di.inputId) + " : ";
  53.     If di.deviceType = GXDEVICE_KEYBOARD Then
  54.         Print " [ "; GXKeyButtonName(di.inputId); " ]";
  55.     Else
  56.         Print ;
  57.     End If
  58.     Print " : "; di.inputValue
  59.     Print
  61.  
  62. '$Include:'gx/gx.bm'
  63.  

3) The nes-config.bas program is an example of using the API in a device setup screen with the ability to save the config:
Code: QB64: [Select]
  2. '$INCLUDE:'gx/gx.bi'
  3. '$INCLUDE:'control-config.bi'
  4.  
  5. GXSceneCreate 256, 240
  6. GXSceneScale 2
  7.  
  8. ControlConfigInit
  9. ControlConfigShow
  10.  
  11. GXSceneStart
  12.  
  13. Sub GXOnGameEvent (e As GXEvent)
  14.     OnControlConfigEvent e
  16.  
  17. '$INCLUDE:'gx/gx.bm'
  18. '$INCLUDE:'control-config.bm'
  19.  



Feel free to use any of the examples in your own projects.  I would be very interested in any feedback you have.
Title: Re: Simple, Consolidated Game Device Input
Post by: madscijr on January 14, 2022, 01:49:33 pm
Quote from: dbox on January 11, 2022, 01:02:54 am
I put a good deal of work into a simple, consolidated game input API that allows for simple detection and testing of input from keyboard, mouse or game controller devices and thought I would share as there have been recent discussions on this topic.
...
Feel free to use any of the examples in your own projects.  I would be very interested in any feedback you have.

Thanks for sharing.
One question - is this cross-platform (ie will it work on QB64 for Linux & Mac)?
Title: Re: Simple, Consolidated Game Device Input
Post by: dbox on January 14, 2022, 02:50:02 pm
Yes!  In fact, there is additional logic in the library to handle the fact that keyboard DeviceInput support is different between windows and the other supported platforms.
Title: Re: Simple, Consolidated Game Device Input
Post by: madscijr on January 15, 2022, 02:46:28 pm
Quote from: dbox on January 14, 2022, 02:50:02 pm
Yes!  In fact, there is additional logic in the library to handle the fact that keyboard DeviceInput support is different between windows and the other supported platforms.

Great, thanks. I'll give it a look...
Title: Re: Simple, Consolidated Game Device Input
Post by: dbox on January 15, 2022, 07:57:44 pm
Great, I’d be interested to hear any feedback you have.
Title: Re: Simple, Consolidated Game Device Input
Post by: SpriggsySpriggs on January 15, 2022, 08:06:48 pm
I need to send you code that I did for Xinput using Windows API
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