Master list: sims with multiple and single controller support

The question is often asked, so here is a master list of all games/sims of interest to SimHQ readers along with their ability to support multiple controllers. The list is organized by genre and then alphabetically by title. Green text indicates full support for multiple controllers. Red text indicates support for single controllers only. Purple text indicates limited multiple controller support.

Please add your findings to this list for the betterment of the community.

Flight Simulations
Aces High 2 - supports multiple controllers
DCS: Black Shark - supports multiple controllers
DCS: A-10C - supports multiple controllers
Falcon 4: Allied Force - supports multiple controllers
IL-2 series - limited multiple controller support (only 4 controllers are supported)
Jane's F-15 Simulator - supports only a single controller
Jane's F-18 Simulator - limited multiple controller support (only some axes of up to three controllers are supported)
Jane's Longbow - supports only a single controller
Jane's Longbow 2 - supports only a single controller
Lock On: Modern Air Combat - supports multiple controllers
Lock On: Flaming Cliffs - supports multiple controllers
Lock On: Flaming Cliffs 2 - supports multiple controllers
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 (FS9) - supports multiple controllers
Microsoft Flight Simulator X (FSX) - supports multiple controllers
Over Flanders Fields - supports multiple controllers
Rise of Flight - supports multiple controllers
Strike Fighters / Wings Over... series - supports multiple controllers

B-17 II: The Mighty Eighth - ?
CFS3 - ?
EAW - ?
EECH/EEAH - ?



Flight Games
Tom Clancy's HAWX - supports only a single controller
Vietnam MedEvac - supports only a single controller


Racing Simulations
ARCA Sim Racing - supports multiple controllers
F1 2010 - can use multiple controllers with "Custom" controller option, but has some limitations compared to built-in profiles
GTR - supports multiple controllers
GTR2 - supports multiple controllers
GTR Evolution - supports multiple controllers
iRacing - supports multiple controllers
RACE '06 - supports multiple controllers
RACE '07 - supports multiple controllers
rFactor - supports multiple controllers
Live For Speed - ?


Racing Games
Need for Speed: Most Wanted - supports only a single controller


Air/Land Simulations
ArmA 2 - supports multiple controllers
ArmA Armed Assault - supports only a single controller
Operation Flashpoint - supports only a single controller

You might want to reconsider the green/red for us colour challenged people... Perhaps just a list with relevant icons?

The yellow is rather hard on the eyes as well...

Good idea though!

Just to note: DInput limit is 16 controllers. But IL-2 series is limited to 4 USB controllers, so careful in added multiples MFD's.

Sokol1

I can't see it very well myself; that's why the text "supports only a single controller" or "supports multiple controllers" is there for every entry.

Yeah... changed to purple.

iRacing is a yes to multiple controllers.

I have one of Leo's USB cards that I use for the three pedals and the wheel runs off the original G25 USB board. Why do this? It gives the wheel axis a little help to keep it separate and the pedals get increased resolution. I plan to add buttons to the wheel through Leo's USB board. The G25 buttons on the shifter are kind of hard for me to use while driving.

Over Flanders Field is a yes. However, you may have to re-assign some axes when first setting it up.

Ace's High 2 sees multiple USB controllers. I have a Saitek X52 Pro HOTAS, New Warthog and Saitek USB pedals hooked up as we speak....talk about some craziness happening in relearning the controls.

Yes Joe, but for some, Green = Blue I think that's where Magic Man was going?

And for many, like me, it's easy to see green and red both as brown.

Not everyone will be happy with any three colors I pick. The human eye is too variable. That's why there is descriptive text as well.

Having no experience or knowledge about AH2, should this be put in the "sims" or "games" category?

Should go in the flight simulation category.

I understand Joe. All I was sayin' was, perhaps that's where he was headed? Anywho...

No, I just don't like red/green text because of the most common form of colour blindness. Can't differentiate them that well. Didn't the first Battlefield have red/green identification for sides? (actually, didn't it take it one step further and keep the colours for the side, irrespective of what side you were on? Really confused me that...)

If you are going to the trouble of adding the text then is there any reason to bother with the colour at all? Or just have distinct lists...

Still good though...

F1 2010 does not support multiple controllers with any of its built-in controller profiles, but can use multiple controllers if the "Custom" controller option is selected -- with the caveat that the "Custom" config has some programmibility limitations compared to the built-in profiles.

Just thought I'd recommend adding this to the list.

Air/Land Simulations
ArmA 2 - supports multiple controllers
ArmA Armed Assault - supports only a single controller
Operation Flashpoint - supports only a single controller

Jane's LB1 & LB2 only supports one controller.

EECH - supports multiple controllers
Apache Air Assault (by Gaijin) - supports multiple controllers

Hey,you left out a couple of sims: NASCAR Racing 2003 Season supports multiple controllers; Grand Prix Legends supports multiple controllers. And flight sims: Battle of Britain II supports multiple controllers.

Descent II via DosBOX 0.74 supports 2 controllers. (combined TM Warthog as one controller)

However my "2nd" controller is the Simped-F16/USB and according to JoyToKey (Ver3.7.4 still latest see link below) the "rudder" axis is seen as Axis6 and therefore is not seen by the game. This was only found through trial-and-error only after switching to "other" tab and checking "Use Axes other than X and Y" the I have not looked any deeper than to discover Axis6 instead of the 4th DOS Axis. ie: DosBOX can see 4 axis only. The Warthog combo uses 3 axis (stick's X&Y and Thr's Y) leaving the 4th for something else. BTW, In TARGET, I disabled all axis except these including disabling the left thr.

So, I'm using JoyToKey.exe (as suggested (in general not to solve Descent's issue) from DosBOX's web site) to map the left and right bracket keys to be bank left and bank right respectively and set these keys as same in Decent II's keyboard settings. Works but not subtle at all. Always banking too much too fast. Using the CPU settings to slow it down is not the right way cause it causes the graphics to be choppy as in too many frames being skipped.

http://www.electracode.com/4/joy2key/JoyToKey%20English%20Version.htm

As per my testing: SimPED-F16/USB X=Right Brake; Y=Left Brake; Axis6=rudder

Falcon 4 BMS works with multiple Controllers and even recognizes the Toe-brakes on the Rudder pedals.
Tested with a Saitek X-52 and the Saitek Pro Flight rudder pedals. Win 7 64 bits.

Sadly better add battlefield 3 as supporting only Joystick #1. Needs some hacks to get pedals working.

Thanks for this list... but I actually found this thread because I was looking for a utility/application that specifically allowed you to combine multiple controller inputs into a single virtual controller. I used to have it, never could get it working correctly (was pretty buggy/difficult to setup), and now I've forgotten the name of it. I'm looking now in the hopes that it has improved, as I'm about to toss the flightstick portion of my Saitek x52 Pro in the garbage and replace it with a simple Logitech 3D Extreme Pro and keep the Saitek Throttle.

Anyone know the app I'm referring to? My google-foo is failing this evening.

Essobie,
You are probably thinking of PPJoy.
It was updated somewhat recently to support 64-bit and newest Win systems, but still requires special steps to work.
And yes, it's still a bit buggy and difficult to set up. Not much changed except the new OS support. And, unfortunately, the developer has shelved the project, claiming he will no longer continue development on it. He said he would release the code if anyone wants to continue where he left off, but doesn't look like anyone has or will at this time.
You can see about it here: http://ppjoy.blogspot.com/

That is exactly what I was thinking of. And now I remember reading that previous blog post where he said you had to be in "test mode" to get it to work. Yeah.... I don't think I need to play some of these games/sims THAT bad. Thanks for the reminder!

Update.

IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover different that IL-2 "classic" support more than four controllers.

Sokol1

So, am I correct in saying that if I use 2 TM MFD's that would be 2 controllers? USB touchscreen monitor behind each MFD another 2 controllers? Not to mention that the Warthog HOTAS and pedals would be 2 more controllers as well. How do I know just how many controllers a game can handle? Is that a DirectX standard? My overall goal is to be playing DCS A10, Flacon BMS, and DCS Blackshark using 2 MFD's w/ touch screens, a 20 some inch touch screen monitor, and maybe the GP40 whiz controller for switches and such. I've seen it done on youtube so maybe there is hope for me. Any thoughts on setups would be appreciated. Maybe a thread re-direction is what I need.

Uncle

F-22 ADF/TAW supports only one controller.

EECH (patched to latest) supports multiple controllers.

unclemiller

To know how many controls you have attached, look at Windows Control Panel > Game controllers.
Ie. Logitech G-940 system put 3 divices there.

I think that Direct Imput (DirectX) limit is 16 controllers.

Probable your touchpads is not see as contoller in game device, but as keyboard, so no count.

Sokol1

I think a useful sub-list would be controllers that recognize Windows Preferred Joystick and those that do not. Because even a sim that only recognizes one joystick can still have axes doubled-up (say for trim knobs + main axis) and reassigned or combined from multiple joysticks/HOTAS/pedals using PPJoy and GlovePIE. This is the primary limitation because if they do not recognize this setting, such as I see in Janes Longbow Anthology, Search & Rescue 4, and Eidos Joint Strike Fighter, you seem to be out of luck. Comanche Gold, Gunship!, EECH, and most newer sims recognize the Windows Preferred Joystick setting just fine, even if many only support one full DirectX device full of axiis. If anyone ever learns a way to mitigate this on the older sims that have this issue, please post a solution. Also, some sims don't like joysticks with too many axes, like JSF.