Hey everyone,
I’ve brought this up a couple of times in the past, but with the recent improvements to the Player Input API and Scene Graph, I figured I’d give it another shot.
I’d really like to see the /Verse.org/Input API expanded to support reading the X and Y values of both controller thumbsticks independently through Verse.
Ideally, we’d have access to four analog values (LeftStickX, LeftStickY, RightStickX, RightStickY), each ranging from -1.0 to +1.0 depending on the physical position of the sticks.
Currently, the Player Input API provides access to predefined gameplay actions, but doesn’t expose the independent analog values of both thumbsticks. It would be great to have something like input_action(vector2) available for each stick, or a way to retrieve those values directly through player_input.
I think this would open up a ton of possibilities for creators. Things like flight simulators, custom vehicles, racing games, RC cars, helicopters, cranes, robotic arms, etc. Pretty much anything that requires more precise control than a simple button press.
From what I understand, Unreal Engine already supports this functionality through its Enhanced Input system. I realize UEFN has its own limitations, but I’m curious why something similar couldn’t be brought over?
We wouldn’t necessarily need the entire Enhanced Input system. Just having access to those four independent values that we can use in our own Verse scripts would be a massive improvement.
It seems like we’re getting all these great tools for creating custom mechanics, but we’re still limited in how we can actually control them.
Is exposing raw analog thumbstick values through the Player Input API something Epic has considered? Or are there technical limitations preventing it from being implemented in UEFN?
I’d also be curious to hear if other creators have run into this limitation or what they’d use analog input support for.
Cheers!