Track IR Beta or regular software?

[Broadside uda Barn 0]

Installing the Track IR 5 now, and curious if there's any issues with the 5.0 beta 4 version of the software and OFF...?

 

4.1.037 is the final version.

 

Which is best to install?

 

Thanks!

BuB

[Broadside uda Barn 0]

It came with no software. Instructions say to dl the latest software from their site....

Just curious what everyone else is running.

[HomeBoy 1]

Use TrackIR 5 Beta 4 (the latest).

Yes, it's beta but it's getting close to production. It's very reliable.

Edited July 9, 2009 by HomeBoy

[Broadside uda Barn 0]

Thanks HB!

Got installed, and it's running great.

Do you have any recommendations on tweaking it?

(I.E. adjusting sensitivity so as to not have to move head so much to see your 6, etc?)

[HomeBoy 1]

Thanks HB!

Got installed, and it's running great.

Do you have any recommendations on tweaking it?

(I.E. adjusting sensitivity so as to not have to move head so much to see your 6, etc?)

 

You will probably want to experiment with dragging the last few bubbles on the graphs up a bit for Roll and Yaw. It's a little confusing when you first start looking at those graphs but just remember the up axis (y) causes your "in-game" head to move faster as you slide those bubbles upward. You get immediate feedback as you move them so you should be able to adjust it right then and there before you get into the game. There is also a view of sitting in the cockpit of a Spitfire that you should select when you think you've got everything right so you can see what it will look like when you're in the cockpit.

 

I intend to write a TrackIR 5 guide at some point but I've gotten interested in playing this game to the point where I can't get back to stuff like that.

 

Good luck. Feel free to post, PM, email me, etc. if you need specific help. Glad to do it!

 

-mark

[Panama Red 22]

I have TrackIR Pro 4 and I still have to use 4.1.028. The 4.1.036 and 4.1.037 have the "snap lap" problem and the 5 Beta 4 reboots my PC 67% of the time when ever I try to play OFF (works fine on my other flight games), plus I can not startup the PC with 5 Beta 4 on or it will disable my ATI Crossfire. As a result, I have stayed with 4.1.028 since it does not cause any problems with any of my games or PC.

 

My PC specs: XP Sp3; AMD 6400+, ATI 3870 Crossfire.

[HomeBoy 1]

I have TrackIR Pro 4 and I still have to use 4.1.028. The 4.1.036 and 4.1.037 have the "snap lap" problem and the 5 Beta 4 reboots my PC 67% of the time when ever I try to play OFF (works fine on my other flight games), plus I can not startup the PC with 5 Beta 4 on or it will disable my ATI Crossfire. As a result, I have stayed with 4.1.028 since it does not cause any problems with any of my games or PC.

 

My PC specs: XP Sp3; AMD 6400+, ATI 3870 Crossfire.

 

I see no advantage with going with TIR5 software with TIR4 hardware. If I had TIR4 hardware I would stick with 4.1 software. Yes, I used to get the "lap snap" thing all the time. None of that happens with TIR5 hardware.

[Panama Red 22]

Homeboy:

I agree that 5 Beta 4 eliminated the "snap lap" problem on 4.1.036 & .037, but when 5 Beta 4 caused the two other problems, I went back to 4.1.028.

 

Since it was version 4.1.030 where they added the Vista support, I suspect that it has something to do with that which causes the "lap snap" problem, which is why 4.1.028 works okay.

Edited July 9, 2009 by Panama Red

[HomeBoy 1]

Homeboy:

I agree that 5 Beta 4 eliminated the "snap lap" problem on 4.1.036 & .037, but when 5 Beta 4 caused the two other problems, I went back to 4.1.028.

 

Since it was version 4.1.030 where they added the Vista support, I suspect that it has something to do with that which causes the "lap snap" problem, which is why 4.1.028 works okay.

 

No, "lap snap" has been around since at least 026 or so. At least I've had problems with it that long. Some people have never seen it, some (like you), only see it with 030, others (like me) saw it with all the 4.1 versions. It's a strange one. I remember trying to get Seth interested in fixing it and he could never get it to happen so I guess he blew me off as one of them kooks. Oh well. Those guys try real hard so I never complained about it. Glad it's gone with the 5 hardware and software. I tell you, the 5 hardware is so much better than 4 that I had planned a whole evening to get it set up when I got it and ended up pretty much done in about 15 minutes. It is incredibly smooth and responsive. All the little tricks I had to do with 4 just disappeared. TIR5 is a huge improvement over 4.

 

BTW, the reason I say there is really no advantage to going to 5 software is that the 5 hardware has significantly better resolution and the 5 software is written specifically to manage that device. The backward compatibility they built in was just so they could eventually retire version 4. If I were you (and everyone else listening), I would stay with version 4 as long as you can and as long as you have 4 hardware (obviously).

[NaturalPoint_Vince 1]

No, "lap snap" has been around since at least 026 or so. At least I've had problems with it that long. Some people have never seen it, some (like you), only see it with 030, others (like me) saw it with all the 4.1 versions. It's a strange one. I remember trying to get Seth interested in fixing it and he could never get it to happen so I guess he blew me off as one of them kooks. Oh well. Those guys try real hard so I never complained about it. Glad it's gone with the 5 hardware and software. I tell you, the 5 hardware is so much better than 4 that I had planned a whole evening to get it set up when I got it and ended up pretty much done in about 15 minutes. It is incredibly smooth and responsive. All the little tricks I had to do with 4 just disappeared. TIR5 is a huge improvement over 4.

 

BTW, the reason I say there is really no advantage to going to 5 software is that the 5 hardware has significantly better resolution and the 5 software is written specifically to manage that device. The backward compatibility they built in was just so they could eventually retire version 4. If I were you (and everyone else listening), I would stay with version 4 as long as you can and as long as you have 4 hardware (obviously).

 

I'm sure Seth didn't try and "blow" you off, but unfortunately it can be difficult to track down an issue, when we are unable to reproduce it.

[Broadside uda Barn 0]

You will probably want to experiment with dragging the last few bubbles on the graphs up a bit for Roll and Yaw. It's a little confusing when you first start looking at those graphs but just remember the up axis (y) causes your "in-game" head to move faster as you slide those bubbles upward. You get immediate feedback as you move them so you should be able to adjust it right then and there before you get into the game. There is also a view of sitting in the cockpit of a Spitfire that you should select when you think you've got everything right so you can see what it will look like when you're in the cockpit.

 

There's a whole lot of bubbles

I see where the axis window allows me to pick Yaw, pitch, roll, x, y, z.

and there arenumbers on the graph bottom for -15, -30, -45 and 15, 30, 45

and the verticle line with increments of 5 going up.

 

Which bubbles do you recommend I move and to where? For example, what do you have yours set at? I'll start with that and adjust from there.

 

Thanks Mark!

[HomeBoy 1]

I'm sure Seth didn't try and "blow" you off, but unfortunately it can be difficult to track down an issue, when we are unable to reproduce it.

 

Hi Vince!

 

No, I didn't mean to make that sound quite the way it did. None of you guys have EVER been anything but professional. I was probably getting a bit too dramatic with that and certainly didn't mean to imply you don't do a good job at support.

 

My sincere apologies!

 

-mark

[HomeBoy 1]

There's a whole lot of bubbles

I see where the axis window allows me to pick Yaw, pitch, roll, x, y, z.

and there arenumbers on the graph bottom for -15, -30, -45 and 15, 30, 45

and the verticle line with increments of 5 going up.

 

Which bubbles do you recommend I move and to where? For example, what do you have yours set at? I'll start with that and adjust from there.

 

Thanks Mark!

 

Hi Barn,

Yes I know! These graphs are a bit daunting till you get used to them.

 

From the default profile, you really only need to modify the Pitch and the Roll.

 

One important thing to remember which will make changing the points on the graph much easier is to middle-mouse click (that is usually the wheel) in the graph first. That will scale the graph so you can see all the points very well. You can use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out of the graph but I have found that to be pretty confusing so you will probably want to do a lot of middle-mouse clicks to get back to something sane looking.

 

Here are my graphs for Pitch and Roll:

Ignore the red line. That's just my current head position. It's not part of the graph.

 

Hope that helps get you up and going.

 

I really wish NP would provide a more flight-sim type default profile using wider pitch and roll but it's not that hard to alter it.

-mark

[Broadside uda Barn 0]

Thanks Mark.

 

Tried copying your settings...pretty tough to get it just right. In fact, I have a free scrolling wheel and zooming it made TrackIR freak out, and somehow my profiles were deleted, and I had to reload lol!

 

Was more careful and got most of your profile. Too bad you cant just dl the profiles...

I've read the manual and the faq, but TrackIR doesnt really have very good information...they should totally have a tutorial or a video or something....for $170, it should provide more hand holding...that's pretty much my only beef though...what a TERRIFIC addition to my gaming rig!

[Check Six 2]

Broadsire uda Barn,

 

Mark (Homeboy) neglected to tell you two things. He has compiled a great setup guide to TIR4 which goes a long way to understanding what's going on with TIR (it's up there in the stickies, either on General Help or General Discussion pages). Ver 5 IS different, but not by that much. His guide is still very useful and informative.

 

The other thing he neglected to tell you is that he's a very experienced user, and his graphs may be a bit harsh for the beginner, with very rapid head movements and tweaked to HIS specifications - the way he likes it. You may find this a bit extreme, although after you get used to it, you'll find it may be ideal. Try also using the default setup or the one-to-one, see the graphs for those. Check the differences Mark has with his graphs. You'll probably settle for something in between (like I did).

 

Mark's guide is going to help you much more than he can help you here, one graph at a time.

 

You might also check back through the old threads, and you can see where Olham has uploaded his graphs for those who were interested. A happy medium amongst all these is a great starting point.

[HomeBoy 1]

I have sorta come at this half-cocked huh! Thank you Steve for helping get my train back on the rails. I have to say it's the least you can do after causing all that "treadmill" trouble!

 

Sorry Barn. Didn't mean to string you along here. Actually, as Steve points out, my profile may not be exactly what you are looking for and that's why I didn't just offer it up. If however, you want to try it, you can download it here.

 

In addition to the changes I made to the Pitch and Yaw, I also added some vertical to the "Y" axis which makes it easier to stretch your neck up and look over the top wing better. I changed the "Z" axis by shortening the backward motion because with the default setting, I found I was moving my head "through" the headrest on such equipped planes and that was a bit irritating. You may not like that restricted movement. I don't think I touched the "X" axis at all.

 

The profiles are kept in "C:\Natural Point\TrackIR5\profiles". You should make a backup in ANOTHER folder of your existing "default.xml" before you place mine in there. Be sure both profiles are NOT in the folder when you start up TIR5 else it will be confusing as you will see two default profiles. I would move the original to say the desktop before copying mine there.

 

As for my TrackIR4 Guide, it will help you with the basics of TIR but the graphs and interface have changed a lot. It's worth looking at though as it will certainly help you understand how the device and software work. I have plans to write a TrackIR5 guide but between such things as my aircraft testing project, senselessly arguing over whether or not an airplane can take off from a treadmill and the fact that TIR5 has not come out of beta yet, I'll probably wait a few months.

 

Good luck and sorry for not approaching this thread better.

-mark

Edited July 10, 2009 by HomeBoy

[Test Pilot 0]

What is this "snap lap" you guys speak of???

[HomeBoy 1]

What is this "snap lap" you guys speak of???

 

Hi Test Pilot,

Well, if you have to ask then you should be thankful (unless you don't use TIR).

 

Snap lap (I call it "lap snap", whatever) occurs when you're flying along and you turn your head completely away from the computer (checking the hockey scores on the TV, etc.) such that TIR loses view of the reflectors and then you turn your head back to the screen and rather than TIR regrouping and begin tracking properly again (which it does correctly most of the time), it snaps to the down view (i.e., looking at your lap). To overcome the problem you but have to hit your "TIR Center" button and all is well. This problem has been around for a very long time and appears to have completely gone away with TIR5 (at least I haven't seen it nor heard of it).

 

...Thus the "Lap Snap"