{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/spatial-interfaces--t306","type":"mechanic","id":"spatial-interfaces--t306","lang":"en","title":"Steering wheels, pedals, joysticks and cockpits","summary":"A wheel and pedals supply axis input while force feedback supplements control. BeamNG.drive plots the force the game sends to the wheel.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/spatial-interfaces--t306/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/spatial-interfaces--t306.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/spatial-interfaces--t306.md","aliases":["Wheels, pedals, joysticks and cockpits"],"tags":["Spatial and alternative interfaces","Mechanics and variants"],"sourceIds":["source-9a110e52e07a4ab3","source-c7dc51be86fee9b9"],"sources":[{"id":"source-9a110e52e07a4ab3","title":"MDN: Gamepad API","url":"https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Gamepad_API","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-c7dc51be86fee9b9","title":"BeamNG.drive","url":"https://documentation.beamng.com/support/hardware/steering_wheel_setup/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"Cockpit input distributes control across axes, pedals and switches with consistent ranges and neutral states."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Mechanic variants\n\n<a id=\"t306-variants\"></a>\n\n- Wheels set angles within their supported range. <a id=\"t306-v1\"></a>\n- Pedals expose separate or combined values. <a id=\"t306-v2\"></a>\n- Levers preserve an absolute parameter position. <a id=\"t306-v3\"></a>\n- Profiles map functions to a specific device. <a id=\"t306-v4\"></a>"},{"id":"example","title":"Design example","body":"A game truck uses a wheel and two pedals while buttons replace a missing third axis.\n\nPrototype check: Test end-stop calibration, combined axes and multiple devices; force feedback needs separate capability support."},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"Spatial and specialized input requires calibration, clear action confirmation and a way to continue after signal loss. Each overview separates player actions, state changes and alternative rules. Examples are hypothetical design scenarios, not claims about a named game. A prototype check states an observable question for the next iteration. Existing detailed references remain separately linked from the direction map."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"spatial-interfaces","id":"t306","title":"Spatial and alternative interfaces","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/spatial-interfaces/#t306","categoryIds":["mechanics"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Wheels, pedals, joysticks and cockpits","description":"A wheel and pedals supply axis input while force feedback supplements control. BeamNG.drive plots the force the game sends to the wheel.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/control-beamng-wheel.webp","width":453,"height":193,"game":"BeamNG.drive","sourceUrl":"https://documentation.beamng.com/support/hardware/steering_wheel_setup/","originalUrl":"https://documentation.beamng.com/support/hardware/steering_wheel_setup/Beamng_ffb_app.png","credit":"BeamNG GmbH","rights":"© BeamNG GmbH. Official documentation or publisher-distributed image; respective rights retained. Excluded from portal MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"BeamNG.drive: a plot of steering-wheel force feedback","alt":"BeamNG.drive: a plot of steering-wheel force feedback","markers":[{"x":34,"y":22,"label":"The graph compares current force with the feedback limit"}]},"tips":["Calibrate axis centers and endpoints, and check force feedback for clipping."],"examples":[{"title":"BeamNG.drive","url":"https://documentation.beamng.com/support/hardware/steering_wheel_setup/"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/spatial-interfaces"}}