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Steam News23 February 20264mo ago

Devlog #3: HOTAS

Missing HOTAS support was the biggest issue at launch. We’ve made major improvements – if your joystick didn’t work before, it’s worth another try now! What to do?

In this update4

Full notes

Full F-22: Air Dominance Fighter update

Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.

What changed

1 fix1 addition3 changes0 removals
  • Gameplay
  • Maps
  • Compatibility
changedMissing HOTAS support was the biggest issue at launch. We’ve made major improvements – if your joystick didn’t work before, it’s worth another try now!
changedWhat to do?Start the game and open the controls mapping dialog via Options > Map Controls …
changedWhat happened?On Wednesday night, we had drafted out multi-controller support and axis mapping. We provided selected players with a tool to test this out.
fixedWhat happened?When the big update landed on Saturday morning, 15 % of players were on the hotfix branch . You can now come back to the main branch. We wish that every HOTAS owner can now enjoy the game!
addedA note on buttonsYou can now map axes and POV freely , but there are still only four buttons to map. It’s the original four functions the 1997 release supported. We would like to extend support to more functions, but we can’t do it all at once. So we kindly ask: Which functions would you like to see mapped first? Let us know here !

F-22: Air Dominance Fighter changes

changedMissing HOTAS support was the biggest issue at launch. We’ve made major improvements – if your joystick didn’t work before, it’s worth another try now!
changedStart the game and open the controls mapping dialog via Options > Map Controls …
changedOn Wednesday night, we had drafted out multi-controller support and axis mapping. We provided selected players with a tool to test this out.
fixedWhen the big update landed on Saturday morning, 15 % of players were on the hotfix branch . You can now come back to the main branch. We wish that every HOTAS owner can now enjoy the game!
addedYou can now map axes and POV freely , but there are still only four buttons to map. It’s the original four functions the 1997 release supported. We would like to extend support to more functions, but we can’t do it all at once. So we kindly ask: Which functions would you like to see mapped first? Let us know here !

Missing HOTAS support was the biggest issue at launch. We’ve made major improvements – if your joystick didn’t work before, it’s worth another try now!

What to do?

  1. Disable additional software like vJoy, Joystick Gremlin, or HID Hide.

  2. Start the game and open the controls mapping dialog via Options > Map Controls …

  3. Assign axes and buttons.

  4. Click OK to save your settings.

Which devices are supported?

All DirectInput-compatible HOTAS devices should now work. From our forums, we heard:

  • HOTAS Warthog

  • Logitech G X56

  • Logitech Extreme 3D / Extreme 3D Pro

  • Microsoft SideWinder Precison 2 / ForceFeedback Pro

  • Rawcore Javelin

  • Saitek Pro Flight Combat Rudder Pedals

  • Saitek X52 Flight Control System

  • Saitek Pro Flight X-56 Rhino

  • Thrustmaster T.Eng

  • Thrustmaster T.Flight Hotas One

  • Thrustmaster T.16000M

  • VKB Gladiator

  • Winwing Ursa Minor Fighter Joystick

Playing with separate devices for stick, throttle, and rudder should be no issue now. We also see devices with up to 114 buttons work flawlessly.

What happened?

In the gaming world, “HOTAS” has two meanings:

  1. A device with stick and throttle in different places.

  2. Multiple devices where each one takes over a specific function (stick, throttle, pedals).

When ADF released, we supported HOTAS of the first kind – like the Saitek X52, which connects to the computer via a single USB port. This was obviously not enough.

On Wednesday night, we had drafted out multi-controller support and axis mapping. We provided selected players with a tool to test this out.

On Thursday night, we provided users with an experimental game branch for arbitrary axis mapping. To very positive feedback, this was extended and integrated.

When the big update landed on Saturday morning, 15 % of players were on the hotfix branch. You can now come back to the main branch. We wish that every HOTAS owner can now enjoy the game!

A note on buttons

You can now map axes and POV freely, but there are still only four buttons to map. It’s the original four functions the 1997 release supported. We would like to extend support to more functions, but we can’t do it all at once. So we kindly ask: Which functions would you like to see mapped first? Let us know here!

Thank you to all the users who tested and contributed with their feedback!

Source

Steam News / 23 February 2026

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