Game Control (LL 26.5) part 2: send controller + keyboard input to scripts (GameControlData via SDL3 gamepads) #1203

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opened 2026-10-28 16:16:49 +00:00 by sky_line · 1 comment

sky_line commented

2026-10-28 16:16:49 +00:00

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Builds on part 1. This is the minimal path that makes game_control scripts work with a controller (or the keyboard) in Slipstream.

Scope

SDL3 gamepad support: SDL_INIT_GAMEPAD after window creation (indra/llwindow/llsdl.cpp only inits VIDEO today), plus gamepad add/remove/axis/button events.
- A leftover //LLGameControl::handleEvent(...) hook sits in indra/llwindow/llwindowsdl.cpp.
- Deadzones; the SDL controller mapping database (gamecontrollerdb.txt, zlib).
- Check that the Windows 3p-sdl3 package has the gamepad backends, and the Linux udev/evdev permissions.
Keyboard to semantic translation: movement keys become ModeAxes / ModeButtons, matching LL's mapping, so scripts get input without a controller.
Packing GameControlData, with LL's send scheme:
- full state in every packet;
- resend at 100 ms, then x4 backoff;
- paced to the region's frame rate.
Gating: only on regions with GameControlEnabled, and only with the preference on.
One preference checkbox (send controller input to scripts), off by default until LL's own default is clear.
Our own implementation (about 1,000 lines), using LL's template comments and PR as the spec, rather than their roughly 4,500-line llgamecontrol.cpp.

Not in scope

Driving the avatar, camera or flycam locally from the pad: part 3.

Research (local): research/GAME_CONTROL_2026-10-28.md. Upstream: LL viewer PR secondlife/viewer#6202 ("Game Control Alpha", merged to release/26.5 on 2026-10-17); wiki https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/LSL_Game_Control_Beta and https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Game_control.

Builds on part 1. This is the minimal path that makes `game_control` scripts work with a controller (or the keyboard) in Slipstream. ## Scope - **SDL3 gamepad support:** `SDL_INIT_GAMEPAD` after window creation (`indra/llwindow/llsdl.cpp` only inits VIDEO today), plus gamepad add/remove/axis/button events. - A leftover `//LLGameControl::handleEvent(...)` hook sits in `indra/llwindow/llwindowsdl.cpp`. - Deadzones; the SDL controller mapping database (gamecontrollerdb.txt, zlib). - Check that the Windows 3p-sdl3 package has the gamepad backends, and the Linux udev/evdev permissions. - **Keyboard to semantic translation:** movement keys become ModeAxes / ModeButtons, matching LL's mapping, so scripts get input without a controller. - **Packing GameControlData**, with LL's send scheme: - full state in every packet; - resend at 100 ms, then x4 backoff; - paced to the region's frame rate. - **Gating:** only on regions with `GameControlEnabled`, and only with the preference on. - **One preference checkbox** (send controller input to scripts), off by default until LL's own default is clear. - Our own implementation (about 1,000 lines), using LL's template comments and PR as the spec, rather than their roughly 4,500-line llgamecontrol.cpp. ## Not in scope Driving the avatar, camera or flycam locally from the pad: part 3. Research (local): research/GAME_CONTROL_2026-10-28.md. Upstream: LL viewer PR secondlife/viewer#6202 ("Game Control Alpha", merged to release/26.5 on 2026-10-17); wiki https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/LSL_Game_Control_Beta and https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Game_control.

sky_line added this to the Slipstream project

2026-10-28 16:16:49 +00:00

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2026-10-28 16:33:53 +00:00

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