A Big Thank You To Hauksbee!

[CaptSopwith 18]

I've been meaning to write this message since yesterday. I've been down sick with my usual sinus misery but I'm feeling much better today and I would be remiss if I didn't send out a very personal thank you to Hauksbee - who is one of the most generous members of our community.

 

I posted in a different thread - about a month ago now I guess? - that I fly OFF using only my POV Hatswitch on my ancient Sidewinder 2 joystick and that I've never used TrackIR. To be honest, as a student who takes on thousands in loans every year, the prospect of dropping $150 on a peripheral seemed like lunacy, no matter the benefit. So, I soldered on - knowing that not knowing how good TrackIR was in my best interest. After all, how can you miss something you never had?

 

But Hauksbee dropped me a message that left my jaw on the table. He wrote me to tell me that he had, through a series of little accidents, a spare TrackIR system, still boxed up, just sitting in his closet. Rather than offering me the system (which is a TrackIR 4) at a reduced price, he did something that only happens in the OFF community - he offered to give it away. I wouldn't even pay for the postage.

 

I was speechless and, truthfully, almost felt like I was taking advantage of his generosity. I bumbled out a thank you response and said that, if he was really willing to give away a perfectly good TrackIR for free, I would happily take him up on the offer.

 

Well, it arrived yesterday and after spending a few hours setting things up and getting it to work in my various flight sims (I had a few driver issues and getting it to work in IL2 1946 led me to search various message boards until I found that I had to enable TrackIR support in the config.ini file), I am beyond happy to say that... IT WORKS!

 

And, oh my God, does it work! I know, I know, all of you have been telling me for years that "you've got to get this thing" and "it'll absolutely change the way you play a flight sim" and I begrudgingly yessed you to death but, wow, you weren't kidding!

 

I started out my first TrackIR flight with a Fokker EIII sitting quietly on the runway in Quick Combat. I moved my head and watched as my perspective shifted around the cockpit. I had to adjust things a few times, but once I had the settings dialed in, I took off. I don't really have words to describe the difference. It ranks up there with the first time I ever used a computer, and the first time I ever flew a flight simulation. It simply left me gobsmacked. There I was, sitting at my desk, and able to freely look around me like never before. After taking up my trusty Eindecker (flown by Gerhard Roth's older brother, Wilhelm), I jumped into a quick combat. I set up a flight of Sopwith Camels as my opponents and put myself into a Fokker DVII OAW. I thought I had dialed in wingmen as well, but alas, I was alone.

 

Six on one. And, I am happy to report, that I downed every last one of those Camels! Suddenly I could lean over my guns, adjust my aim, and fire more accurately than before (and, not to toot my own horn, I was already pretty good at deflection shooting). I popped the wings off of one Camel and set another on fire - all while quickly whipping my head around to make sure I was clear on my six o'clock. On more than one occasion, I had company and was able to quickly jink and bank away from trouble. In the old days, I would have been stitched full of holes and sent smoldering to earth. Not this time!

 

Within ten minutes, I had dispatched five of the six Camels and left the final one to limp home, smoke trailing from his plane after I ran out of ammo.

 

It was just... remarkable. Like I said, I have no words. I was up last night - sick mind you - until nearly 3AM playing with this thing. As if I wasn't already in enough trouble with my newly rekindled addiction to OFF - now I have even more motivation for taking up my best pilots - knowing that they are better armed and better prepared than ever before. The skies are mine to conquer.

 

And it's all due to the generosity of one of our own. I hope, one day when I'm finished with school (and we're working on OFF 3!) I can repay another wayward member of our community. In the meantime, Hauksbee, I am indebted to you sir, and I hope I didn't cause you much embarrassment by thanking you publicly. I felt it was the least I can do.

 

Cheers to OFF and the fantastic community that has grown up around this sim. It might be under-appreciated by the masses, but the faithful who fly the skies every day make this so much more than a sim. Thank you again! It's been a pleasure to be a part of this community!

 

[carrick58 23]

:good:A Heart warming Letter about good deeds.

[Hasse Wind 46]

What a generous man!

 

And yes, once you have seen TrackIR in action, you'll be left wondering just how on earth you could play a flight sim without it.

[Von Paulus 8]

To Hauskbee and OFF comunity!

[Abbay 3]

I keep reading similar stories in these forums and I'm always pleasantly amazed at how the people here are genuinely nice and supportive.

 

[Olham 164]

Now Hauksbee may already feel a bit "positively embarrassed", but I want to put on top here,

that the good soul that he is, sent me the first book of an old series by Heinz Nowarra:

50 JAHRE DEUTSCHE LUFTWAFFE (Band 1 - 1910 - 1915).

Thanks again, Hauksbee!

Captain, it's funny to read all the things you now see with TrackIR, since we knew all the time,

that it would be like that.

Hauksbee has done something really great - and it came to the perfectly right person.

Congratulations!

[CaptSopwith 18]

Now Hauksbee may already feel a bit "positively embarrassed", but I want to put on top here,

that the good soul that he is, sent me the first book of an old series by Heinz Nowarra:

50 JAHRE DEUTSCHE LUFTWAFFE (Band 1 - 1910 - 1915).

Thanks again, Hauksbee!

Captain, it's funny to read all the things you now see with TrackIR, since we knew all the time,

that it would be like that.

Hauksbee has done something really great - and it came to the perfectly right person.

Congratulations!

 

Thanks Olham for the kind compliment! I hope this is more due to my having a sinus infection at the moment, but I keep getting a distinct feeling of vertigo using TrackIR - I even started getting a little motion sick, which was a first. Hopefully that will iron itself out when I don't have so much pressure in my ears from being congested!

[Olham 164]

Captain, I don't know how far your sinus may add to the motion sickness, but I can tell you

that when I started using TrackIR, I first made only minor head movements, which seemed

to make me disorientated already. I was afraid I would never get used to that.

I felt somewhat lost in mid-air, got dizzy, and was in big stress in dogfights.

To be honest - I only continued using it, because I had spent 120,- Euro on the device,

and I couldn't accept that should have been spent for nothing.

 

Now I can hardly believe it anymore.

I needed time to get used to it - quite a lot of time actually; it took me two months or even more.

But now I can even follow an ace-flown Camel in a tight right turn underneath my aircraft,

and find him coming out the other side below me - without losing control about my craft.

I would never want to miss this experience again.

 

As I said, I don't know if it will work for you - I only wanted to tell you, that I also felt "air sick"

for quite some time. I meant to say: don't give it up too early; it may develop.

 

.

Edited February 29, 2012 by Olham

[Hasse Wind 46]

I've heard from many people that TrackIR made them feel some motion sickness when they started using it. Fortunately it doesn't seem to last long and your brain gets used to it sooner or later. Just keep flying and you'll soon get rid of it.

 

I guess I'm lucky, because motion sickness has never been a problem for me. Not even aboard a ship in bad weather.

[Olham 164]

I guess I'm lucky, because motion sickness has never been a problem for me. Not even aboard a ship in bad weather.

You can bet you're lucky there! On a ship, it would vomit my very soul over board.

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

I have known Hauksbee for quite some time now..we email each other a fair bit..and I can only echo what you have said!...He's (what we say in Blighty)..."The Salt of the Earth"