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xpost: I made a dedicated controller for Endless Sky (FOSS overhead space shooter/trader) (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 months ago by to c/mechanical_keyboards@programming.dev
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/51637498

Okay, so by “controller” I just mean a specialized mechanical keyboard. Endless Sky is a spiritual successor to the Escape Velocity games.

  • Gateron Black for most of the keyboard switches
  • Also got momentary toggle switches and a light duty aluminum push button, because Millennium Falcon and Top Gun.
  • “DSA” and “F10” profile keycaps
  • laser cut (painted Masonite) and 3D printed (PLA)enclosure
  • Layout built around the in-cockpit control mapping
  • Hand-wired (aka “Dead Bug”) keyboard matrix
  • QMK/VIAL programmable firmware on my last Promicro with a Micro-USB cable.
  • Dymo-style embossing tape labels!!!
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[–] 3 points 2 months ago* (1 child)

Nice! What do the toggles on top do in the game? Did you create any particular logic for the key presses and toggle switches, or is it bound 1:1 to in-game hotkeys? Do you have a key to refuel/repair other ships in Wah Ki in a loop hahaha?

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  • [–] [S] 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

    Here's my current VIAL keymap. For now, it's just the default game mappings, plus one or two extra and the Enter key, because I've found it occasionally useful. The toggles are just more buttons, though except for a couple of fun ones (cloak and arming missles) I left those to more administrative keybinds.

    I did up the firmware properly, (although cramming VIAL into an old-school Pro-Micro is interesting) so I could change it around if I need to. There's still room for one more layer, but I haven't implemented it yet. I am using "POS" keycaps instead of proper stabs, so I was able to tweak the left thumb in to a mini-cluster. I could eventually do the same for the main Fire button, although the orange Afterburner is wired as a single key (kept me at 40 exactly and made my matrix math tidy).

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