XBOX 360 controller not working properly

[Saavedra 5]

After several months without playing SF2, and having upgraded my PC and gotten a new XBOX 360 controller, I decided to get back into the action. However, something weird is going on with the gamepad (yes, I know, but no, I´m not buying a joystick).

When I install the game and the window pops up allowing me to play the game immediately, I can go in, configure the buttons, sticks and triggers, and everything works properly. However, when I start the game normally using the exes, the whole thing goes to hell. The sticks don´t work properly (in fact, I lose sensitivity, meaning the plane will only do extremely gentle or extremely hard turns) and the buttons configuration is all sorts of messed up. Just to give you an example: I use the shoulder buttons (L1 and R1) to reduce and increase thrust respectively. Normally, when I press those buttons in the controls configuration, it will name then Button 4 and Button 5. However, with this strange error, it will call them ALT+Button 4 and CTRL+Button 5. Other controller buttons will be named AV PAG and RE PAG (so, keyboard keys... for no reason I can discern), and so on and so forth.

I´ve experimented with this a bit already: I have deleted both the game and the folders in /users/ several times and then checked if it was a specific update somehow hurting the original installation. So far, the error is being consistent, and the only exception I can replicate is entering the game through the prompt right after installation. Note that while entering the game through that prompt will let me play properly, every single other time I enter the game (through the exes, as normal), the controller will stop working as it did before, and the buttons will have returned to what they were before I configured anything.

Now here is the kicker: the old Trust GTX 28 controller I played the game with all those months ago... it works perfectly fine! In fact, I can plug in both controllers at the same time and the GTX will work while the 360 doesn´t. And bear in mind that my 360 controller has never given me trouble with any other game.

I´ve noticed this in the files section: https://combatace.com/files/file/12963-360-controls-for-strike-fighters-2/

So, I assume this is a problem inherent to the 360 controller, and that it can only be fixed through that? Because in that case, I think I´ll be returning to my old GTX. It´s positively old and the control surfaces are not quite as smooth, but hey, if it works...

Edited December 12, 2017 by Saavedra

[Heck 496]

Would it be possible that there is some background app running in windows that controls your 360? I often use an XBox One controller and have no problems. The only time I have a problem is if winblows does an update (I'm on winblows 10), which seems to reset things to default. If you get your controller working one time, you can set your controls.ini to read only and the game won't be able to overwrite it.

[Saavedra 5]

I haven´t tried it out yet and probably won´t because it would be a pain in the ass to uninstall and install again to test it, but I´ll keep it in mind for next time. Thanks a lot for your reply.

[Viggen 644]

Make sure the drivers for the controller are up to date. Also, download the Microsoft Xbox 360 Accessories program.