No. of Controllers Supported

[Lupus]

So I know that for a long time the game would only support a limited number of control devices.  A number that was easily exceeded by a few of us in the community that had been flying and simming for long enough to have built up impressive rigs. I was wondering if this was still an issue or if the Dev Team at IL-2 had finally improved the situation. I don't even know how many USB devices I have connected these days, enough that I have multiple powered USB hubs.

Anyway, if the Dev team hasn't fixed this, has anyone found a work around so I don't have to unplug multiple controllers (and have windows re-assign the order) every time I want to fly IL-2?

[LukeFF]

It will be increased for Korea but not for Great Battles. The backend coding for Scaleform acts a little strangely when it goes above the limit right now.

[Lupus]

4 minutes ago, LukeFF said:

It will be increased for Korea but not for Great Battles. The backend coding for Scaleform acts a little strangely when it goes above the limit right now.

Great. And I have no interest in flying Korea. So this does me NO good it would seem. I guess that means that I need to know if there are any work arounds out there then.

Edited November 27, 2025 by Lupus

[dryheat94]

There's this ...

[Aapje]

8 hours ago, Lupus said:

Great. And I have no interest in flying Korea. So this does me NO good it would seem.

The same game engine will be used for the Pacific module(s), which you may be interested in.

But they are indeed not going to replace the entire UI middleware for the GB engine, which is what would be needed to improve this.

[Lupus]

14 hours ago, dryheat94 said:

There's this ...

Thanks. I'll take a look at this, cause yeah, I have a few more than 8 peripherals.
Um

1. Flight Stick
2. HOSAS Stick
3. Throttle for HOTAS setup
4. Flight Pedals
5. Driving Pedals
6. GA Throttle (Honeycomb Bravo)
7. Gear Shifter
8. Handbrake
9. TrackIR

That doesn't count the Stream Deck (not sure this one counts anyway since it basically works by keyboard emulation).
I've got others that aren't always connected, but sometimes are. FlyDigi Vader 4, Honeycomb Alpha Yoke or Fanatec CSL DD wheel base and steering wheel.

Edited November 27, 2025 by Lupus

[Lupus]

14 hours ago, dryheat94 said:

There's this ...

Just In Case it dissapears or the old forums stops being maintained and someone comes looking for this in the future (Like maybe me) Here are the details linked above (ALL credit goes to Charon from the Old Forums for this post):

Quote

Posted June 15, 2021 (edited)

Il-2 supports up to 8 devices. It's possible to exceed that limit, either because you have multiple vjoy devices, have racing gear attached in addition to your flight hardware, or maybe you just went a little wild building your home cockpit. This is a short guide to fixing that problem.

 

If You Only Need to Hide Devices from Il-2:

 

Download devreorder. This is a wrapper around directinput that lets you control which devices are visible to a program, and in what order. Extract it and copy the 64 bit version of dinput8.dll to ...\IL-2 Sturmovik Battle of Stalingrad\bin\game\ . Copy devreorder.ini to ...\IL-2 Sturmovik Battle of Stalingrad\data\ .

 

Open devreorder.ini in your favorite text editor. We're going to tell this dll what devices to allow.

 

Run DeviceLister.exe and copy the entire contents to underneath the [visible] header in the ini file. Now:

 

* Delete any devices you don't want Il-2 to see. Racing gear, unused controllers, vjoy devices for other games.

* Edit each line to contain either the unquoted name of the device, or the UUID (if it does not have a unique name). For example, here is mine:

 

; Vjoy #1 and #2. These devices have the same name, so I identify them by UUID, and I comment them, so I can remember what they are later.
{c5a7e3f0-18f5-11ea-8005-444553540000}
{c7ebe430-c56b-11eb-8002-444553540000}
Saitek Pro Flight Rudder Pedals
; arduino bb
{05c469d0-6851-11eb-8001-444553540000}
Logitech Dual Action
 VKB-Sim Gladiator K 
TWCS Throttle
LEFT VPC Throttle MT-50CM3

Now we're almost done, but we need to clean out the old devices.txt. I've had problems when I just deleted unwanted lines, so my current process is as follows:

 

* Make a backup of ...\IL-2 Sturmovik Battle of Stalingrad\data\input\ , then delete the original.

 

* Launch Il-2, then exit. This will re-create the entire input\ directory. Open devices.txt and verify that only the expected devices are present.

 

* Copy current.actions, current.responses, and current.map (Edit: and, as of late 2022, also global.actions, global.pitch, and custom\) from your backup to the new input directory.

 

* Open both the old and the new devices.txt in your favorite text editor. In the new version, rearrange and renumber lines so that devices keep their old numbers. For example, if my throttle was previously number 5, I would move that line to the 6th position in the file, and adjust the device number accordingly.

 

* Make sure every nonempty line in the new file is terminated by |, except for the last line, which has no terminator.

 

* Don't forget when you buy a new device that you'll need to add it to devreorder.ini, too.

 

Now save and relaunch. If you've done everything right, Il-2 should see only the devices you specifically enumerated, and your existing devices should have retained their numbers, meaning that you won't even need to rebind everything.

 

If You Want to Use More Than Eight Devices With Il-2:

 

This is trickier. Basically, you want to use vjoy and joystick gremlin to pack multiple physical devices into one virtual device. For example, if your throttle has four axes, and your rudder pedals have three, you can use Joystick Gremlin's remap functionality to map all seven of those axes to the axes of a single virtual device, and also map the buttons to this device. You can then follow the instructions above to hide both physical devices, letting Il-2 see only the vjoy device.

 

I haven't actually used this technique with Great Battles, but I've found it invaluable for 1946 and CloD, which have four and six device limits, respectively.

 

 

(@Brizzly, I believe this is relevant to you).

Edited December 3, 2022 by Charon
Updated for per-plane profiles

[Lupus]

9 hours ago, Aapje said:

The same game engine will be used for the Pacific module(s), which you may be interested in.

But they are indeed not going to replace the entire UI middleware for the GB engine, which is what would be needed to improve this.

I will DEFINETLY want to get those. I would LOVE some Pacific Theater. ESPECIALLY carrier ops. I used to love flying the Corsair in IL-2 1946.

[BlitzPig_EL]

At some point we will have the Corsair and an Essex class carrier in Korea.  Also the F9F Panther and possibly the Skyraider at some point.

Plus an outside chance of a Sea Fury and hopefully a Fairey Firefly.

[Panzerkatze]

2 hours ago, Lupus said:

Thanks. I'll take a look at this, cause yeah, I have a few more than 8 peripherals.
Um

1. Flight Stick
2. HOSAS Stick
3. Throttle for HOTAS setup
4. Flight Pedals
5. Driving Pedals
6. GA Throttle (Honeycomb Bravo)
7. Gear Shifter
8. Handbrake
9. TrackIR

That doesn't count the Stream Deck (not sure this one counts anyway since it basically works by keyboard emulation).
I've got others that aren't always connected, but sometimes are. FlyDigi Vader 4, Honeycomb Alpha Yoke or Fanatec CSL DD wheel base and steering wheel.

 

Using all those simultaneously while flying would be worth of a video!    

 

 

[Lupus]

6 hours ago, BlitzPig_EL said:

At some point we will have the Corsair and an Essex class carrier in Korea.  Also the F9F Panther and possibly the Skyraider at some point.

Plus an outside chance of a Sea Fury and hopefully a Fairey Firefly.

I have no interest in flying at the dawn of the Jet Age though. In Korea, the Corsair was used as a ground pounder, not a fighter. It was the Saber Jet and the Mig that ruled the sky's in Korea. Not my thing.

 

 

5 hours ago, Panzerkatze said:

 

Using all those simultaneously while flying would be worth of a video!    

 

 

LOL, thanks, but (I'm sure you already know this, but...) I don't use them ALL in the same game AT the same time. However, keeping them ALL plugged in At the same time makes it MUCH easier to switch from one game to the next when the mood strikes me.

[Shinobimono]

3 часа назад, Lupus сказал:

keeping them ALL plugged in At the same time

I have four devices with numerous axis and switches (and I don't like how it behaves in Il-2: GB, but it's another topic). All of them are plugged in the USB hub with power supply and individual On/Off switches, so I'm able to turn off some devices like collective lever when needed. I recommend to try this.

[GiftGruen]

You can use e.g. Joystick Gremlin to group your stuff to virtual devices.  That's what I did.

Also using active USB Hubs - one for fligts, the other one for Racing - and just plug/unplug ( or switchon/switchoff) the hub you need, could be an idea.

[dryheat94]

10 hours ago, GiftGruen said:

Also using active USB Hubs - one for fligts, the other one for Racing - and just plug/unplug ( or switchon/switchoff) the hub you need, could be an idea.

That's what I do. Keeps my flight sim and rally sim isolated from one another. 

[Lupus]

On 11/28/2025 at 12:07 AM, Shinobimono said:

I have four devices with numerous axis and switches (and I don't like how it behaves in Il-2: GB, but it's another topic). All of them are plugged in the USB hub with power supply and individual On/Off switches, so I'm able to turn off some devices like collective lever when needed. I recommend to try this.

 

On 11/28/2025 at 12:20 AM, GiftGruen said:

You can use e.g. Joystick Gremlin to group your stuff to virtual devices.  That's what I did.

Also using active USB Hubs - one for fligts, the other one for Racing - and just plug/unplug ( or switchon/switchoff) the hub you need, could be an idea.

Thanks guys for the suggestions, but the devreorder open source program did the trick, was very easy to setup, still allows me to expand (Yes, I want MORE controller devices, like the VPC control panels) AND means I don't have to change ANYTHING in my hardware setup between games, which for me is a very big deal. It means I don't forget to turn on a controller when I start sim racing, or when I jump into Elite Dangerous. I just load up the game I want to play and away I go.

Edited November 29, 2025 by Lupus

[Panzerkatze]

On 11/28/2025 at 3:41 AM, Lupus said:

LOL, thanks, but (I'm sure you already know this, but...) I don't use them ALL in the same game AT the same time. However, keeping them ALL plugged in At the same time makes it MUCH easier to switch from one game to the next when the mood strikes me.

 

Yes, understood that. I have steering wheel w/ pedals for driving(off road simulator) and second hotas set as a back-up, but I connect them when needed.

Nowadys just panzerin around in Finnish full realism server in IL-2. I used to fly for years in WarBirds and Aces High, but somehow got fed up with it. Perhaps because nowadays, in this age, I use calendar instead of a stopwatch to measure my reaction time.

[JG4_Deciman]

I'd been running into the same problem a long time ago...
Too much hardware devices (identified as joysticks) connected.

I've posted my solution somewhere in the old furum, but due to the latest changes I'm not even able to search my made postings there.
And if I had attached some files to my posting (the one I cannot search for) they would be also 'not available' since the latest changes and the new forum.

In both cases my direct message to the Devs:
SHAME ON YOU!!!
You have absolutely KILLED most of the content provided by the communiti formerly in the old forum
- either by not beeing able to search for it in the ways that fomerly worked
- adding the fact that you CANNOT search for anything in the old forum now!!!
- or by making added filed (just in case the user managed to find the old posting (despite the 'massive messt' you've made on searching) inavailable

So once again just for 'killing' almost everything your 'paying' community has added to help other users (AND you!!!)
SHAME ON YOU!!!

And now back to topic...

In case you have too many controllers attached (the Linit is 8 I think)
you should at first make a copy of your 'devices.txt' (located in game_installation_folder/data/input)
or better make a copy of the entire folder!

Within the 'devices.txt' after opening with a text editor you should see every identified controller.
And whenever you have more controllers attached (and present in that file) the game will 'disable' every controller that is more than the limitation
and that in a way that I cannot understand up to now...
It does not disable the 'latest' controllers, it disables them randomly, but it never accepts more than the mimited ammount of controllers for input.
And it will never accept more than the 'limited' amout of controllers!

And as stupid as it sounds:
You have to create additional controllers by installing and using 'vJoy'
where you can add 'virtual' controllers to your system (with all 9? axis and all supported 128 buttons available)

Next step is:
Use a 'mapping software' to bind your 'hardware' controllers axis and buttons to the 'virtual' ones.
'Joystick Gremlin' is one option (and you don't have to buy it IIRC), but I'm not using it any more as it does not give me all the features I need and does not work with all my controllers.
I use 'spad.neXt' instead (you have to buy it but IIRC can test it without buyuing for a limited time)
and even if it's created for MSFS or other simulations (offering much more options which we don't need)
it's able to map any button/axis on a 'real' controller to a 'virtual' controller (and some further features that I don't wanna miss after I understoodthem!)

After setting up all these things you'll get confrontated with having even 'more' devices (and you already exceeded the limit)
So the next thing is to install and setup a firewall for your controllers.
'HidHide' will offer you the option, to simply 'hide' controllers for games.

In my case:
I have connected:
- Logitech G940 System (Stick, Throttle, Pedals) (3 devices)
- Sidewinder FFB2 (1 device, but not used right now)
- Saitek Yoke with Saitek Throttle (1 device)
- Saitek Side Control Panel (1 device)
- 3 additional Saitek Throttle Quadrants (3 devices)
- Saitek Switch Panel - not recognized by the game, so mapped to 'vJoy' 
- Saitek Multi Panel - not recognized by the game, so mapped to 'vJoy'
- Saitek Radio Panel - not recognized by the game, so mapped to 'vJoy' 

So in my case:
8 'accepted and used' devices connected (within the linits)
and 3 'not accepted' devices that have to be mapped -> needing an additional virtual device -> outside the limits!

Now I've 'mapped' the 'Saitek Yoke with switch (including its Throttle Quadrant' and the first 'Saitek Throttle Quadrant' to the first created 'virtual' Joystick
meaning that every button AND axis is mapped to that virtual stick
I've maped the other 2 'Saitek Throttle Quadrants' to the second 'virtual' joystick
meaning that every button AND axis is mapped to that virtual stick
And I've created an additional 'virtual' Joystick, where I map eerything related to either 'not suppurted' or to 'additional features'

So in my case I have 11 devices (incluing the virtual ones)
Game accepts 8!

Next step was to configre the 'firewall'
Afterwards the following controllers were hidden to the game:
Saitek Yoke with Quadrant
3 additional Saitek Quadrants

So 4 of the 11 devices are no longer present for the game.

 

The hardest part is:
Update your configuration with the canged controller settings

 

 

[MaxPower]

On 11/26/2025 at 4:31 PM, LukeFF said:

Scaleform acts a little strangely when it goes above the limit right now.

The flash based UI renderer is the bottleneck for the number of usb devices.  How odd.

[JG4_Deciman]

On 11/29/2025 at 7:04 PM, Lupus said:

 

Thanks guys for the suggestions, but the devreorder open source program did the trick, was very easy to setup, still allows me to expand (Yes, I want MORE controller devices, like the VPC control panels) AND means I don't have to change ANYTHING in my hardware setup between games, which for me is a very big deal. It means I don't forget to turn on a controller when I start sim racing, or when I jump into Elite Dangerous. I just load up the game I want to play and away I go.

I'm not sure it the 'trick' will work when you have more devices connected (or just connected one time when you start the game)
than the game accepts...

Even when they have the same 'number' everytime(that's what devreorder does IIRC)
every 'newly found' controller will be added to the 'devices.txt' (and get a number assigned there)

Unless you have not more controllers IN THAT FILE than accepted... Everything is OK.
But once you got more controllers in that file than the game accepts the trouble begins
and it will not let you know instantly, that something is going mad!

But you'll at some point figure out that one (or more) controllers will not create any input for the game.
In case IL2 detects more devices than it supports it disables some of them without letting you know (until you try to use them)
And it does not disable the latest added devices, as I can tell you... (I made that 'experiance')

Deci