4 joystick (6-axis 6-dof) game controller

https://github.com/tsmspace/ACE-RACERS-SP

These are some images of a sort of "next abstraction" for an "all sim capable" controller. It has lots of axis, while windows only accepts 8, but in vjoyserialfeeder, it is possible to set up a joystick as a 4-way button (like a hat switch) so that pushing each of the 4 directions counts as a button press. That way depending on the axis you need for a particular sim, you can set the others up as buttons. This is useful for complex camera controls and also results in up to 31 buttons on this particular build, although using multiplexers or arduino versions with more io it can be expanded. I hear that using linux it is possible to accept more axis if desired, although I personally feel that windows should expand it's allowance. I do like having so many extra buttons, but sometimes want more axis live simultaneously in a profile. I also imagine a quadruped robot simulator would require at least 9 simultaneous to walk one 3dof foot at a time (while having 6dof on the body to balance) , and although such a simulator does not to my knowledge exist I imagine it would be quite entertaining, and should be playable on this gamepad also. 

I've discovered another game (recently released) that offers the desired flight characteristics and navigational challenges, and it is free to play on steam. It is called Fly Dangerous and can be found here. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1781750/Fly_Dangerous/

It is an excellent game, however the full inertial/newtonian physics model is only available by adjusting the settings in the "dev tools" options menu. My preferred dev tools settings are included in the zip file of my custom level downloads. . Also, it's against the rules to use Flight Assist for vector and rotation , so make sure they are both off. The tunes are amazing and don't worry that there's no gravity on the planets, it's just a good way to have more scenery to keep you oriented. 

here is the present version of MicroGravityDreams but,,, INSIDE the ISS,, now you can pretend you are flying drones in the space station! The readme in the zip file has instructions! (but the most important thing to know if you are not familiar, is that to play the game, all of the files need to be in the same folder,, so just unzip to any location, and double-click the application to play, no installation is necessary. If you want a desktop

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PG5Vsp622yuAwX_pTvA2O8IyJhIeWe8c/view?usp=sharing

https://why485.itch.io/micro-gravity

This game does not use the 4-joystick game controller, it is instead presently built on the xbox controller. 

why485 was discussing games with me and threw this together while we chatted in discord. He asked me what my preferred xbox config was and made the linked game work to those settings. This config is what I settled on when I was playing shooting games that required gun buttons to be easily available as well. The shoulder buttons would not be used for thrust in my original config, as the weapons would be on those buttons, but why485 included them as due to their own preference. I did use them a bit, but am accustomed to the thumbstick press. 

forward: left thumbstick press OR right shoulder

reverse: right thumbstick press  OR left shoulder

yaw: right thumbstick left-right

pitch: right thumbstick up-down

roll: left and right triggers

strafe up, down, left, right: left thumbstick. 

https://hackaday.io/project/180884-4-joystick-6-axis-6-dof-game-controller
https://create.arduino.cc/projecthub/tsmspace/4-joystick-game-controller-a3c47e
https://www.slideshare.net/troyschmidt31/geekmeetgamesnotpopular-1pptx
https://www.slideshare.net/troyschmidt31/space-fpv-racing
https://www.slideshare.net/troyschmidt31/theres-no-space-drone-racing-simulator
https://www.slideshare.net/troyschmidt31/faqdocx
https://www.slideshare.net/troyschmidt31/mariospacedronefpvdocx