Jumpgate Gamepad & Steam Deck Guide

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Jumpgate: The Reconstruction Initative Gamepad & Steam Deck Layout
Requires: Windows 10/11 or a Modern Linux Distribution

Steam Approach: Steam (steampowered.com)
JoyShockMapper Approach: JoyShockMapper (https://github.com/Electronicks/JoyShockMapper/releases)
Steam Deck: A Steam Deck

This is a relatively simple, usable configuration for playing Jumpgate using a gamepad-style input device such as a Dualshock 4, Dualsense, Switch Pro, or Xbox 360/Xbox One controller. Being a DirectInput 8 game, Jumpgate doesn't offer too much flexibility in it's control schema. To get the game working well on a gamepad, a combination of Keyboard and Joystick input is used to overcome a number of internal limitations that make input problematic. This layout will require some adjustment of the game's control settings since not every control is able to map cleanly to the game's internal control scheme.

This control scheme attempts to avoid the face buttons for non-essential commands at all costs, allowing you to keep your thumbs on the analog sticks at all times. 

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Steam Approach

Step 1: Obtain Required Programs

You will need the Steam client installed and running. It is possible to do this with another input mapper such as JoyShockMapper but Steam offers the easiest and most comprehensive input mapping utility in a product.

You will then need to add Jumpgate as a Non-Steam game. This will allow you to use the Steam Overlay and Steam Input. To do this, Open up the Main Steam Window, make sure you are in the Library section. Click on "ADD A GAME" in the lower left corner, then click on "Add a Non-Steam Game". In the window that pops up, click on BROWSE... then navigate to where you have your Jumpgate client installed. Select Jumpgate.exe then OK or OPEN. In the program list, make sure that Jumpgate.exe is checked, then click "ADD SELECTED PROGRAMS". Jumpgate will now be in your Games list.

You may want to right click on it, select "Properties", and give the entry in Steam a better name, since it uses the Filename by default.

If you are using Linux, go into the Properties menu, then click on "COMPATIBILITY". Check "Force the user of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool", then make sure "Proton Experimental" is selected. 

Step 2: 

Steam Side (Controller Configuration)

Once you have Jumpgate added, it is time to configure the gamepad. Make sure that your gamepad is connected. I recommend doing this in Big Picture Mode since it makes it easier to manage and edit your configuration if there is something you don't like about it.

Start Jumpgate in Big Picture mode. (to access Big Picture mode, click on the icon between your username and the three window controls at the top of the Steam window).

Go to the Gear icon at the top, then select "Controller Settings". On this screen, make sure that you have Configuration Support for whatever controller you are using. This will enable SIAPI configuration on that style of controller, which is necessary for this to work.

When Jumpgate is started, I recommend from this point sticking to the Offline Sim to make sure everything works properly.

Hit the Home button on your controller to open the Big Picture overlay. This is the Playstation button on a Dualshock 4/Dualsense, the Xbox Button on a 360 or XBox One controller, or the Home button on a Switch controller. Most modern gamepads have a home button of some kind, but if yours doesn't, Shift + Tab on your keyboard will also open the overlay. From there, select "Controller Configuration" to open up the Controller Editor.

I will not be going into the specifics of the Steam Editor except where necessary. I would recommend looking up a tutorial such as this one (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD_ZkgK7A2w) to learn the specifics.

This layout uses one Action Layer.

Default:

Start: Escape Key [Menu]
Select: Unchanged [Map]

Left Joystick: Set Stick Response Curve to "Wide" or customize how you want it. [Roll]
Right Joystick: Set Stick Response Curve to "Wide" or customize how you want it. [Pitch/Yaw]
L3: Unchanged [Flashfire]
R3: Unchanged [Gyroscope Toggle (Optional)] NOTE: I will explain the Gyroscope later. It is optional, so you don't need to do anything (or can assign something else to this binding) if you don't want to.


L1: B (keyboard key) [Brake] (Make sure to set Analog Trigger to OFF under Advanced Settings) - NOTE: The Brake is set to the keyboard to take advantage of a game quirk where hitting the Brake will set your throttle to 0. You can leave this unchanged if you don't want this behavior.  
L2: Start [Afterburner]

R1: Right Bumper 
R2: Left Mouse Click (Make sure to set Analog Trigger to OFF under Advanced Settings)

Face Buttons (ABXY):
Y (North): Up (Keyboard) [Throttle Up]
X (West): Down (Keyboard) [Throttle Down]

NOTE ABOUT THROTTLE CONTROLS: This may be awkward to use, and you may want to consider using the Bumpers for your throttle instead of the Face Buttons. 

A (South): A Button (Unchanged)
B (East): Hold Action Set Layer (Subcommands)

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Default Sublayer - Subcommands (A Sublayer or Action Layer will allow you to map new commands to buttons without overriding older ones. This will trigger when you hold the B or EAST button on your gamepad.)

D-Pad
Up: Home [Increase Radar Range] 
Left: Delete [Radar Group Back]
Down: End [Decrease Radar Range]
Right: Insert [Radar Group Forward]
(This controls the Radar settings, with Up and Down adjusting the range and Left and Right adjusting the Targeting Rules)

R2: ; (Keyboard) [Scan]
R1: P [Picture]

NOTE: If you are using a Dualshock 4 or Dualsense, you can also map the Trackpad to the mouse, allowing station control with the gamepad.

Some controllers may have additional features or buttons that you can map to. This guide does not take advantage of any of those, so feel free to adjust your scheme accordingly.

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Gyroscopic Control - OPTIONAL

Requires: Dualshock 4, Dualsense, & Switch Pro controllers, or a pair of Joycons. Certain Third Party controllers may also have one.

Gyroscopes are a relatively recent addition to game controllers and work by translating controller motion into input. This means that rotating the controller counts as an output source. Before you scoff at the idea of using motion controls, I recommend watching this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=binPB4YbWmM

In this scenario, we are taking advantage of the gyroscope to perform fine aiming. While this doesn't work for every situation nor does it operate perfectly with Jumpgate's archaic input scheme, gyro aim can still be used to perform fine shots and in my testing has worked reasonably well for combat.

I wouldn't PvP this way, but for basic fluxing it works amazingly well.

Gyroscope (The strange circle icon in the UI, positionally it will appear below the controller image): Mouse Joystick
Gyro Enable Button: Right Stick Click
Gyro Button Behaviour: Toggle
Haptics Intensity: Off

(This setup turns the gyro on and off when you click the right stick. If you do this, leave the R3 button unmapped in game!)

If you want to tweak the sensitivity, you either do it by adjusting the in-game sensitivity setting, or by adjusting the Vertical and Camera scales. You can also play with the Minimum X and Y output values, Small Movement Precision, and Response Curve settings to change the feel. I am currently using the default settings.

Control Note: The gyroscope in this scenario works by emulating the right analog stick. If you use this, you will not be able to use an Elite Dangerous style input scheme (Roll + Pitch on one stick, Yaw on the other). Additionally, if you want to use the left stick for pitch/yaw and the right stick to roll, you must flip the sticks in SIAPI (Change Stick Output for each stick to the opposite joystick) for the gyroscope to work properly.

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Step 3: Change In-Game settings and test.

In the Controls menu, make sure your input scheme is set to Keyboard and Joystick.

Go through each control and make sure it matches the command listed above.

Make any other adjustments as you see fit. You can always open up the controller configuration menu by hitting Home/PS/Xbox and returning to the configuration utility.

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Steam Deck Instruction

The Steam Deck is similar to the Steam setup since it uses SIAPI for input mapping.

This will be completed soon.

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Changelog:

v1:
Initial version, probably needs tweaks and changes.