Direct Control - FastTrek Docs

The problem

Windows only allows a single mouse cursor and keyboard can only be focused on one application at a time. Without special handling, such as FastTrek’s Direct Control, a bot may use your mouse and keyboard to control the game. This means that if you want to use a bot to automate Star Trek® Fleet Command, you might not be able to use your computer for anything else at the same time.

The solution

FastTrek’s Direct Control builds on the community mod, which allows FastTrek to communicate directly with the game, freeing up your mouse and keyboard.

Direct Control is automatically enabled when you install or update the community-mod through FastTrek.

Advantages

Freeing up your mouse and keyboard has multiple advantages:

• Ability to freely use your mouse and keyboard without “fighting for control”.
• Being able to make changes to FastTrek configuration, including running automations or opening Settings.
• Accidentally touching the mouse doesn’t result in a ‘jump’
• Reliable communication: No missed buttons or clicks that don’t register.

Installation

Mod Settings

To enable or disable direct control, open your mod configuration.

• On Windows, edit community_patch_settings.toml using any text editor.
• On Mac OS, run the mod launcher and select “Open Settings”.

Add or modify the following lines:

[fasttrek]
virtual_input_server_enabled = true

The above explicitly enables the extension. It isn’t necessary to include this line, as this is the default. You can set the above to ‘false’ to explicitly disable Direct Control. Mouse and keyboard input will then require the game window to be in front, and you won’t be able to use either at the same time.

The [fasttrek] section clearly distinguishes FastTrek-specific settings from core mod features.

Setting	possible values	Description
virtual_input_server_enabled	true/false	Enable or disable direct control
virtual_input_server_port	1024 - 65535	A free port number to use

Automatic switching

If you enable or disable the direct control feature, or if you revert to the stock community mod, FastTrek will automatically recognise this and act accordingly.

Without Direct Control, mouse and keyboard input will require the game window to be in front, and you won’t be able to use either at the same time.

How can I tell if the extension is installed?

The main symptom is that you will notice mouse and keyboard remaining available while FastTrek is automated in the background.

For a file-level check:

Updates

An inherent risk with extending a 3rd-party mod is that syncing patches takes longer.

Where a patch is issued for the stock community mod, FastTrek’s Direct Control extension may lag behind slightly as I apply the same patches to the version with Direct Control.

For critical compatibility patches that resolve mod/game crashes, you may occasionally prefer to revert to the latest stock version of the mod to ensure stability over mouse/keyboard convenience.

FastTrek will show you a notification when there is an update for the extended mod. It will not show updates for the stock version.

FAQ

Q: Is this still safe or will it get me detected?

A: The mod already remaps all your mouse/keyboard inputs and feeds them directly into the game. This piggybacks onto the approach, only bypassing the physical button press. Safe as houses.

Q: Will this replace my Virtual Machine setup?

A: It has replaced mine completely. But you may still benefit from a VM setup or separate hardware. For example in case of crashes you can easily revert to the stock mod temporarily without affecting mouse/keyboard that run inside a separate container.

Q: Will I be able to turn my PC off and let FastTrek play?

A: No, it still won’t do that, but you should no longer need a second computer to do other things at the same time.