AH3 killed the throttle

[TheRapier]

Since AH3 is now in production this game is now non functioning.

I fixed the myriad of view problems only to find that at some point AH3 caused issues on my computer without throwing any errors as it does and the game was not reading the throttle position at all. Here is what is strange about that:

• ChManager shows all the axes and all the buttons working for all three CH products, the stick, the rudder and the throttle.
• ChManager calibrates all three devices. 
• Aces High 2 AND 3 show that the throttle axis slides up and down in the "Map Controllers" function. It however zeroed out ALL of the throttle buttons completely on its own. No warning, no messages.
• NOTHING on the throttle works for Aces High 3 AND 2. At all, ever. Even after rebooting. 
• I have reinstalled the Ch Drivers. I have reinstalled ChManager
• I have reinstalled the Rx 480 Drivers.
• I have reinstalled AH3.
• I have copied over all the throttle settings from my backups into the right AH2 directories. Still doesn't function.

AH2 no longer reads the throttle at all and neither does AH3.

AH2 had its issues but compared to AH3 it was bullet proof. AH3 seems to be very unstable, throwing me out of the game to the desk top on mouse clicks like selecting a field. It loses the video drivers and I can hear the plane still flying  but see nothing. I re-enter the game by alt tab and still see nothing. I have to reboot to bring it back.

I love the eye candy so bravo there, but so far I have spent the better part of 5 days and $300 for a game that seems to be slowly killing my system while it doesn't work. As soon as I can fix one problem more appear. I have just spent 7 hours just today and I'm a bit peeved.

If this is the production game then it seems like a reasonable expectation that it would function like a production game. This is a lot of time and effort going into going nowhere.

What is our next step?

Thanks!

[FLS]

Rename your settings folder "oldsettings" and let the game create a new folder. Any difference?

Have you tried a different USB port? Can you map any buttons?

When you say it no longer reads the throttle at all do you mean it stopped seeing the analog axis in map controllers?

[ImADot]

My CH gear works perfectly, and I've never been dumped to the desktop. Try what FLS suggests. You running Windows 10?

[Skuzzy]

I'd like to see a DXDIAG output for that computer.

[TheRapier]

Hi All!

Thanks for the responses!

In answer to the questions:

• I'm on Win7 not Win10.
• AH3 and AH2 both read the throttle as it plainly shows in Map Controller function where the numbers for that axis run up and down with the throttle. It just doesn't link it to the engine. I mentioned that in my post.
• I can try both renaming the folder and the USB port, however I don't understand why the USB port that has worked for 10 years would suddenly stop.

What I would REALLY like to understand is why both AH2 and AH3 stopped reading the throttle and wiped the mappings all at the same time. They are in different directories and different sub folders on the file system. The files are different with different dates. What problem would span both games?

I'm not on that machine at the moment but here is the previous dxdiag, the only change is that this has been updated to an Rx480, 8 gb card. When the game runs I get 60+ FPS, I just don't have a throttle (kinda important):
------------------
System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 9/4/2016, 18:18:19
       Machine name: RXPS630I
   Operating System: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_ldr.160408-2045)
           Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Dell Inc
       System Model: XPS 630i
               BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
          Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Extreme CPU Q6850  @ 3.00GHz (4 CPUs), ~3.0GHz
             Memory: 4096MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 4094MB RAM
          Page File: 2623MB used, 5561MB available
        Windows Dir: C:\Windows
    DirectX Version: DirectX 11
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
   User DPI Setting: Using System DPI
 System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)
    DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled
     DxDiag Version: 6.01.7601.17514 64bit Unicode

------------
DxDiag Notes
------------
      Display Tab 1: No problems found.
        Sound Tab 1: No problems found.
        Sound Tab 2: No problems found.
          Input Tab: No problems found.

--------------------
DirectX Debug Levels
--------------------
Direct3D:    0/4 (retail)
DirectDraw:  0/4 (retail)
DirectInput: 0/5 (retail)
DirectMusic: 0/5 (retail)
DirectPlay:  0/9 (retail)
DirectSound: 0/5 (retail)
DirectShow:  0/6 (retail)

---------------
Display Devices
---------------
          Card name: AMD Radeon HD 6900 Series
       Manufacturer: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
          Chip type: ATI display adapter (0x6719)
           DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
         Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_6719&SUBSYS_03BE1043&REV_00
     Display Memory: 3825 MB
   Dedicated Memory: 2034 MB
      Shared Memory: 1790 MB
       Current Mode: 5040 x 1050 (32 bit) (25Hz)
       Monitor Name: ACR X223W
      Monitor Model: Acer X223W
         Monitor Id: ACR0011
        Native Mode: 1680 x 1050(p) (59.954Hz)
        Output Type: DVI
       Monitor Name: Generic PnP Monitor
      Monitor Model: VX32L HDTV10A
         Monitor Id: VIZ0021
        Native Mode: 1280 x 720(p) (60.000Hz)
        Output Type: DVI
       Monitor Name: ACR X223W
      Monitor Model: Acer X223W
         Monitor Id: ACR0011
        Native Mode: 1680 x 1050(p) (59.954Hz)
        Output Type: Displayport External
        Driver Name: aticfx64.dll,aticfx64.dll,aticfx64.dll,aticfx32,aticfx32,aticfx32,atiumd64.dll,atidxx64.dll,atidxx64.dll,atiumdag,atidxx32,atidxx32,atiumdva,atiumd6a.cap,atitmm64.dll
Driver File Version: 8.17.0010.1119 (English)
     Driver Version: 8.950.0.0
        DDI Version: 11
       Driver Model: WDDM 1.1
  Driver Attributes: Final Retail
   Driver Date/Size: 2/14/2012 20:17:04, 957952 bytes
        WHQL Logo'd: Yes
    WHQL Date Stamp:
  Device Identifier: {D7B71EE2-2459-11CF-AC77-B423BEC2C535}
          Vendor ID: 0x1002
          Device ID: 0x6719
          SubSys ID: 0x03BE1043
        Revision ID: 0x0000
 Driver Strong Name: oem9.inf:ATI.Mfg.NTamd64.6.1:ati2mtag_NICayman:8.950.0.0:pci\ven_1002&dev_6719
     Rank Of Driver: 00E62001
        Video Accel: ModeMPEG2_A ModeMPEG2_C
   Deinterlace Caps: {6E8329FF-B642-418B-BCF0-BCB6591E255F}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,1) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
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       D3D9 Overlay: Not Supported
            DXVA-HD: Not Supported
       DDraw Status: Enabled
         D3D Status: Enabled
         AGP Status: Enabled

-------------
Sound Devices
-------------
            Description: Speakers (Creative SB X-Fi)
 

[FLS]

 
What I would REALLY like to understand is why both AH2 and AH3 stopped reading the throttle and wiped the mappings all at the same time. They are in different directories and different sub folders on the file system. The files are different with different dates. What problem would span both games?

A hardware problem, hence the ports question.

[ImADot]

So if the map controllers is showing movement that matches your throttle movement, make sure that the axis is actually mapped to the analog throttle; it might be mapped as "not assigned".

[Skuzzy]

If the computer assigns the USB device a new ID (which it can do), then the devices will appear as new devices to Aces High (II and III).

It is a simple mapping issue if that is the case.

[TheRapier]

Thanks for the responses folks!

Not a problem with the USB ports. Changed em, changed em back.

NOW none of the CH items work, not the stick, throttle or rudder so we have even LESS functionality than before. Only Track IR seems to be providing views.

There are some very strange things though.

If I move the stick, nothing happens with the ailerons or elevators but if I look in the cockpit the stick on the floor moves. . . but 90 degrees to the way I'm moving the CH stick. If I go left to right, it goes up and down. If I go up and down, it goes left to right but again nothing on the control surfaces themselves. So the game obviously knows about the stick inputs but it just doesn't use them.

I'm a funny person, I keep back ups of back up of back ups of settings on the machine. Updating to AH3 seems to have wiped ALL of them out. I can't even go back to see how I mapped them. They are all zeroed out when in the game, whether it is AH2 or AH3. How can that even be?!!!! It's like it found anything with that name and now it doesn't work. The file dates haven't changed but they still don't work.

The only thing I can see is that the game itself does not recognize the control devices completely. It obviously sees them partially or the cartoon stick would not move. Is there a way to force the game to recognize the control devices?

Thanks ImaDot! I checked and oddly the stick and rudder were both assigned to analog but the throttle wasn't. Still doesn't explain the stick behavior though.

I'm really working from keeping my temper from exploding. These are things that really, just shouldn't be happening. I haven't even mentioned that it killed my login settings as well. Its like starting from below ground on a game that I've been using for over 10 years and honestly I don't have these problems with other games. I feel like a monkey in an experiment. This is like diabolical.

Thanks!

[FLS]

Did you reassign them in the game and recalibrate them?

[Skuzzy]

AH3 really had nothing to do with the stick changing USB ID's.  AH2/3 are both at the mercy of Windows.  We do not mess with any hardware.  We just use what Windows will give us.

Sounds like they sticks need to be calibrated and then reassigned in the game.

Make sure you have the USB bus set to never power down.  That can cause problems.

If you do Windows updates, Microsoft will reset things you change, so always be sure to check those power settings after an update.

[TheRapier]

Hi folks!

I appreciate the responses. I don't want to win an argument, I want this game to work. These answers focus on what HTC can't ever be responsible for, which is how USB ports are assigned by Windows. AH3 IS responsible for how it reads them and nothing is said on that? I have fixed this by a method that doesn't make any sense. I left AH3 running over night and rebooted the next day. Now it sees the controllers. Do we have an explanation? Windows did no updates.

Skuzzy I hear what you are saying about Window updates but quite honestly, I don't know how anyone would keep their computer safe without using it. What you seem to be saying is you don't know what update will change the settings so? I can't see any way you can do it without it but I'd love to hear from you how to maintain the computer without Windows updates. Or how you identify that it changed something without telling you. It doesn't seem practical to NEVER update the computer. Please let me know because if it will fix this issue I'll do it.

The other issue that is not answered is how every single mapping is wiped out by AH3 in both AH2 and AH3. That IS something that is handled by the program. How does it accomplish wiping EVERY SINGLE MAPPING? How do I recover this? I have plenty of back ups, why don't they take effect? I still have AH2. If I can make them work there, can I transfer them to AH3 without killing and restarting the program?

Thanks!

[Skuzzy]

AH 2 or 3 gets the USB ID from Windows.  If the stick is recognized by Windows, AH 2 or 3 will see it.  If the ID's have changed, then they will look like new sticks.

The USB ID is used so a person can have multiple instances of the same stick.  The mappings are not "wiped out".  The game does not have the ability to remove any settings file.  It can only create them.  The uninstaller can remove all the files, but if that is not run, and the files are physically missing, something else removed them.

I never said not to use Windows updates.  I was passing on information about how Windows updates can change the settings back to the Microsoft defaults without telling you.  If you change a default in Windows, it could revert.

[Bizman]

As for what can cause data disappearing, one possible explanation is hard disk failure caused by aging. Everyone should know that a HDD can take serious damage if it's moved during a read or write cycle. A less known fact is that the magnetic quality of an often visited spot can wear out. No physical damage, a certain spot just loses its magnetism. No more reading or writing there. Even sunspots can be the culprit.

I'm not saying that your HDD is failing, but that's a plausible option especially if you're still using the original one.

[Chalenge]

The signs of a failing power supply are audio anomalies, followed by data loss, followed by hardware failures and even catastrophic loss.