You need to use the windows dinput.dll as ours is (still) not up to spec. I used to play this game all the time under linux till tribes2. I dont know if this will work with the directx 8.1 but if you can find a dinput.dll from dx5 or 6 it should work.
I will add this information to the wine application database if its not already there and if someone working on directx can figure out what is going on that would rock long term.
Well, you could send me a +dinput trace of your problem. Or (maybe better) a +dinput,+event,+relay trace.
Lionel