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-   -   Tomb Raider Mouse Helper (utility to enable mouse in TR1-5) (https://www.tombraiderforums.com/showthread.php?t=222193)

Osprey 26-01-19 23:20

Tomb Raider Mouse Helper (utility to enable mouse in TR1-5)
 
Pardon me if this isn't the best place, but it's not a mod per se, it's for games not "supported" by the mod sub-forum, it's not for just one game (but five) and the most eyes are here to (hopefully) give me the earliest feedback.

There used to be a utility called Mouse Raider which enabled the use of the mouse in at least the original Tomb Raider, but it vanished from the net 5 years ago. I and others have tried over the years to find it and come up empty. When someone asked about it once again on the GOG forum last week, it dawned on me that I might be able to make something similar, since I've made several mouse helpers for other games (Dune II, Warcraft, Outlaws and SkyNET). This was a little different because it involved mapping movement, rather than just button presses, but I'm pleased with how it's come out and I now have something to share and get feedback on.


[B]Tomb Raider Mouse Helper[/B] is a Windows utility for the first five Tomb Raider games (I, II, III, The Last Revelation and Chronicles) that runs in the background and provides mouse control in those games by converting mouse movements into keypresses. This allows you to move the mouse to turn left and right and, while holding the right mouse button, look all around. It also enables firing with the left button, drawing weapons with the middle button and using WASD to move as you would in a shooter.

Features
========
* Move the mouse to turn left and right (also can be used to rotate menus).
* Press and hold the right mouse button to look around (without moving).
* Press the left mouse button to fire and grab ledges (also can be used to select from a menu).
* Press the middle mouse button to draw weapons.
* Press W and S to forward and backward, respectively.
* Press A and D to sidestep left and right, respectively.

Instructions
============
Simply run TombRaiderMouseHelper.exe and then run the game.

(Optional) Create a shortcut that will run the helper and game together:
1. Click on the "Create shortcut" button on the helper's main window.
2. Drag and drop either the game's shortcut or its .exe file onto the next window.
(This will create a new shortcut that runs the helper, then the game, then exits the helper when the game exits)

The above sections are excerpted from the Readme. I suggest reading the entire Readme in the zip, since there's more information.

Download: [URL="https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/1237-tomb-raider-mouse-helper-for-tr1-5"]Tomb Raider Mouse Helper v1.0[/URL]

Edit: I've replaced the link with the final, 1.0 version.

Laras Dream 26-01-19 23:31

[QUOTE=Osprey;8034511]Pardon me if this isn't the best place, but it's not a mod per se, it's for games not "supported" by the mod sub-forum and the most eyes are here to (hopefully) give me the earliest feedback.

There used to be a utility called Mouse Raider which enabled the use of the mouse in at least the original Tomb Raider, but it vanished from the net 5 years ago. I and others have tried over the years to find it and come up empty. When someone asked about it once again on the GOG forum last week, it dawned on me that I might be able to make something similar, since I've made several mouse helpers for other games (Dune II, Warcraft, Outlaws and SkyNET). This was a little different because it involved mapping movement, rather than just button presses, but I'm pleased with how it's come out and I now have something to share and get feedback on.


[B]Tomb Raider Mouse Helper[/B] is a Windows utility for the first five Tomb Raider games (I, II, III, The Last Revelation and Chronicles) that runs in the background and provides mouse control in those games by converting mouse movements into keypresses. This allows you to move the mouse to turn left and right and, while holding the right mouse button, look all around. It also enables firing with the left button, drawing weapons with the middle button and using WASD to move as you would in a shooter.

Features
========
* Move the mouse to turn left and right (also can be used to rotate menus).
* Press and hold the right mouse button to look around (without moving).
* Press the left mouse button to fire and grab ledges (also can be used to select from a menu).
* Press the middle mouse button to draw weapons.
* Press W and S to forward and backward, respectively.
* Press A and D to sidestep left and right, respectively.

Instructions
============
Simply run TombRaiderMouseHelper.exe and then run the game.

(Optional) Create a shortcut that will run the helper and game together:
1. Click on the "Create shortcut" button on the helper's main window.
2. Drag and drop either the game's shortcut or its .exe file onto the next window.
(This will create a new shortcut that runs the helper, then the game, then exits the helper when the game exits)

The above sections are excerpted from the Readme. I suggest reading the entire Readme in the zip, since there's more information.

Download: [URL="https://www45.zippyshare.com/v/TMl53dZF/file.html"]Tomb Raider Mouse Helper v0.9[/URL]

Please give it a try and post feedback. If you do and you have an issue to report, please note the game and which version of it (ex. whether TR1 is the GOG version running in DOSBox or the Windows/"Automated Fix" version running from tombati.exe). I'm calling this v0.9 because I want to fine tune it and fix any bugs before declaring it v1.0 and uploading it elsewhere. Thanks a lot for testing it for me.[/QUOTE]

I'm going to try this!

Will you be posting source code?

Osprey 26-01-19 23:58

[QUOTE=Laras Dream;8034515]I'm going to try this!

Will you be posting source code?[/QUOTE]

Yes. It's not source code, per se, but a script (AutoHotkey, to be exact). When I upload the final (v1.0) version, I'll include that script in the zip so that people can edit it and re-compile the utility if they wish.

Dustie 27-01-19 00:26

Tried it, it's pretty neat, though sometimes Lara goes a bit drunk. It's probably an issue with my mouse or a matter of adjusting the sensitivity in configuration.

I wouldn't use a mouse in classic TRs since they require quite accurate movement oftentimes, so this is not my cup of tea, but this is till cool I guess, considering some people have been wishing for something like this for a while.

Osprey 27-01-19 02:19

[QUOTE=Dustie;8034541]Tried it, it's pretty neat, though sometimes Lara goes a bit drunk. It's probably an issue with my mouse or a matter of adjusting the sensitivity in configuration.[/quote]
If Lara is turning too hard and facing in directions that you didn't mean to face, lowering the sensitivity might help. Also, if you tried it in the DOS version of Tomb Raider, trying the Windows version, instead, may help.

[QUOTE=Dustie;8034541]I wouldn't use a mouse in classic TRs since they require quite accurate movement oftentimes, so this is not my cup of tea, but this is till cool I guess, considering some people have been wishing for something like this for a while.[/QUOTE]

I completely understand. I'm not sure, myself, if the mouse is good for all situations. You can always temporarily use the default controls to get past tricky situations, though. Nothing stops you from doing so, even while the helper continues to run. Regardless, thanks for the feedback, especially since you tried it in spite of it not being your cup of tea.

Alex Fly 27-01-19 15:14

Great job Osprey! Thank you for taking the time to register here and to share your tool. :tmb:

Osprey 28-01-19 01:58

[QUOTE=Alex Fly;8034659]Great job Osprey! Thank you for taking the time to register here and to share your tool. :tmb:[/QUOTE]

Thanks. I originally posted it in the Tomb Raider sub-forum at GOG.com, but it wasn't downloaded even once after 3 days, so I decided that I needed to go where the fans of the series [i]really[/i] are ;).

FYI, I've tried to reply twice to your PM and it's not showing anything in my Sent box. It might just be slow, but in case you never get it, my answer is "That sounds great. Go right ahead."

Alex Fly 28-01-19 10:48

^ I received your PM (twice :D). Thank you for your reply and I will keep an eye on this thread for future updates. :tmb:

Osprey 03-02-19 22:04

This is a quick update to point out that I've updated the version to 1.0 and replaced the link in the first post. Since I didn't hear of any bugs, there are literally no changes besides changing "0.9" to "1.0" in a few places, so you don't need to re-download it, unless you care about the version or you want the source files, which are now included in the zip.

Alex Fly 05-02-19 12:33

Thanks for updating and great job, Osprey! :tmb:


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