well I just entered the century

[+whiteknight06604 931]

after spending years wondering why on earth I would need one I sucked it up and ordered a TrackIR 5 and now I can't understand how I flew without it.

[+streakeagle 864]

I can revert to POV hat, but why?

As long as the profile is smooth, responsive, and stable, TrackIR makes you feel like you are in the cockpit.

The feeling is further enhanced by having a very large display filling your actual field of view.

 

After years of using TrackIR, I can still get disoriented and lose visual track on a close-in violently maneuvering target that I would not have lost using a POV hat.

But I will gladly live with that problem for the immersion it provides the other 99% of the time.

 

Welcome to the club!

[bucklehead101 29]

I guess some time in the future I will break down and get one too. Im really looking forward to the oculus rift and hoping it is somewhat affordable.

 

The shoot voice recognition software was amazing, and I cant believe how for years I was keying through the menus. So much better.
 

On my to buy list is

 

1. rudder pedals

2. replacement for my budget thurstmaster t. flight x (just happy I have a separate throttle)

 

Edited September 10, 2013 by bucklehead101

[+CrazyhorseB34 937]

Track IR 5 kicks butt don't it?! I have CH Pro pedals and a Saitek X52. I love that set up even though I have considered getting another stick. But I never have because it works fine and I really do not have an issue with it. To prevent Track IR disorientation while fur-balling, I just mapped a forward view button on the stick and when I really need to get my head in the sight I just punch it.

[+whiteknight06604 931]

I almost forgot about Shoot, Bucklehead. I used to use it with Starfleet Command Orion Pirates. it was fun sitting back in my chair telling my computer to raise shields or to target the lead Klingon Battlecruiser. I'm going to have to get shoot up and running on my current PC now. Also great idea about the "panic" button Crazyhorse.

[+CrazyhorseB34 937]

Word.

[+quack74 329]

I Just got mine a couple of months ago for First Eagles 2. It creates a whole new flying experience. Making head movement control the view adds so much to the realism. It's a lot smoother than I thought it would be. My only problems with it is 1. I hate wearing hats! And 2. just behind me in my office is a window facing East. When the sun is up over the trees in the morning it's too bright (even with the shades down) to use TrakIR. I would have to hang a blanket or towel from the window. Then it just looks ghetto in here.

[thodouras95 25]

I'm still having a bit of a hard time with sims because I don't have it :D but well, god bless BVR shots

Edited September 10, 2013 by thodouras95

[Do335 382]

god bless BVR shots

 

good one:)

[JediMaster 451]

I also can have a problem with a real close-in dogfight, particularly in WWI sims where you're so close and turn rates are rather high, but in all of them really. I solve this by still using the padlock key when I'm actually tracking a single target. It basically just disables TIR for the moment (since TIR won't override it). If I break off from that target or down it, I revert to using the TIR for the rest of the flight.

 

Best of both worlds.

[Romflyer 25]

I almost forgot about Shoot, Bucklehead. I used to use it with Starfleet Command Orion Pirates. it was fun sitting back in my chair telling my computer to raise shields or to target the lead Klingon Battlecruiser. I'm going to have to get shoot up and running on my current PC now. Also great idea about the "panic" button Crazyhorse.

If you are interested in Shoot I uploaded a profile for SF2 http://combatace.com/files/file/12208-shoot-sf2-profile/  the readme includes  links to everything you need to get Shoot up and running in SF2

[+SupGen 78]

I'm still having a bit of a hard time with sims because I don't have it :D but well, god bless BVR shots

 

 

  Player-to-Target view. Works wonders.

[bucklehead101 29]

Just a heads up, while we're talking about all these cool things to do with SF2, check out Gapa-Gamma.

 

I use it on my custom install for IL2 1946 and it makes the game look so much better. So, today, I decided to try it on SF2. Same results - utter awesomeness.

 

Here is a link to the IL2 forum page which has screenshots and the download link. Compared to the way the original il2 game looked, the program makes it look much newer.

 

http://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,3324.0.html?PHPSESSID=0277e8a84653b57b8cd2b882c767ad8a

 

 

So far, I've only used the settings that the OP on that thread has. It really is neat looking.

 

[thodouras95 25]

  Player-to-Target view. Works wonders.

 

player-to-target is for n00bs, i am too l33t for that

[Do335 382]

TIR doesn't sort out every problem for sure, key problem still is looking thru a window at pixels in the virtual world. kinda hard to keep tab of things in the heat of battle.

 

I'm on beer and gonna tell a story that involves embarrassment and limits of TIR.

 

Once there were 4 of us going up in a combat air patrol. Way you do cap is set up FAORs (fighter area of resiponsiblity) kinda like a rectangular box where you fly in with line abreast formation, with the hot leg pointing towards the threat direction. ya bug out if 1. station time complete 2. joker(outta fuel) 3. winchester(outta weapons). We got 2 of the FAORs setup side by side, 2 of us went to the west box and me and my lead stayed in the east one. There were just hoards of bandits pouring in and we were trying our best to keep them outta the FAOR with BVR shots while radioing our western flight to come help. But with limited radar scan volumn and all the shooting going on we could only keep eyes on the bogeys flying high and one Mirage F1 went in low undetected. Don't remember who got the first tally, but by the time we found him he was only 5 miles out and we were hangin around angels 22 or summin... So lead says "I'm goin in for a fox2 shot, you stay high". Usually in a WVR head on you'd at least expect some wingman "WEZ indepth" backup but I thought OK yeah, we've got AIM-9 Xrays, those things never miss! and surely we're facing the greater BVR threat! Of course, lead shot, and it bloody missed! The Mirage went up high to meet us, well things just went bad... he unleashed that magical magic that got the better of my lead, then reversed and merged with me... so i turned into him but was deeply confused (not to mention demoralized after losing lead), because there were 3 of us good guys and dunno how many bad guys that slipped thru and i just can't tell who's who! After a circle or so I finally thought I got my nose on him, radioed "i got him got him!", uncaged the winder and fox2 it went!

 

Except something wasn't right! Flew closer to check the tumbling mirage, yeah that wasn't a mirage at all, but an F-16. Yep, shot the flight lead on the western FAOR.... So followed was a 2hr long debrief, a speechless flight lead and shouldve gotten a flying pig award but that one somehow got forgotten. I later checked to see the silhouette of a mirage, honestly I couldn't see the difference at 1nm without zooming in because the pixelated image. I swear it's much easier to distinguish them in real life. Not that it was any sorry *ss excuse for myself ofc

Edited September 11, 2013 by Do335

[+CrazyhorseB34 937]

"noob" is a banned term here at CA. That is online multiplayer arcade fest X-box fan-boy speech. Yuk,yuk,yuk...........

[+SupGen 78]

player-to-target is for n00bs.

 

 

  Except...that it's not. The single most important factor contributing to disorientation in the Sim cockpit is the fact that the chair you are sitting in isn't bolted into the aircraft you are flying. In a real aircraft, you are...in order to see you Six o'clock you have to turn your head 180 degrees; your body, your "seat of the pants" senses keep track of this and allow you to stay oriented. This very same thing will screw you in an IFR situation, but dogfighting is by nature VFR. Even with TrackIR you are not turning your head the same amount as in RL; if you really look at your Six you can't see your monitor! Your (subconcious? reflexive?) mind senses this and gets confused. I know this all sounds kind of elementary, and in fact it is, however, those are the kinds of things that we sometimes lose sight of. Using player to target, even just for a second, allows for the kind of spatial orientation that would come naturally if you were actually sitting in the aircraft with your body locked into one position in relation to the aircraft's centerline. Take a look at Andy Bushs' articles over at SimHQ, he was a Rhino/Hog driver in RL and he states that the only thing that can give you the real life "feel" of being in the cockpit in a Sim is to get out of the cockpit once in a while with the player to target view. When you get disoriented in the "heat of battle" a quick look in player to target can straighten you right out; it is not cheating, it is compensating for the limitations of the viewing system in the Sim.

[Romflyer 25]

  Except...that it's not. The single most important factor contributing to disorientation in the Sim cockpit is the fact that the chair you are sitting in isn't bolted into the aircraft you are flying. In a real aircraft, you are...in order to see you Six o'clock you have to turn your head 180 degrees; your body, your "seat of the pants" senses keep track of this and allow you to stay oriented. This very same thing will screw you in an IFR situation, but dogfighting is by nature VFR. Even with TrackIR you are not turning your head the same amount as in RL; if you really look at your Six you can't see your monitor! Your (subconcious? reflexive?) mind senses this and gets confused. I know this all sounds kind of elementary, and in fact it is, however, those are the kinds of things that we sometimes lose sight of. Using player to target, even just for a second, allows for the kind of spatial orientation that would come naturally if you were actually sitting in the aircraft with your body locked into one position in relation to the aircraft's centerline. Take a look at Andy Bushs' articles over at SimHQ, he was a Rhino/Hog driver in RL and he states that the only thing that can give you the real life "feel" of being in the cockpit in a Sim is to get out of the cockpit once in a while with the player to target view. When you get disoriented in the "heat of battle" a quick look in player to target can straighten you right out; it is not cheating, it is compensating for the limitations of the viewing system in the Sim.

Well........I'm not buying in, using exterior veiws (in a combat scenario) just seems to ......arcade for me.

That being said I do have 'padlock view'  close to my thumb and if I cant find the bad guy by looking around, padlock will accomplish a similar "cheat" to using player to target view, but without spoiling the emmersion of being strapped into the cockpit of a really kick ass plane.

But.....to each their own.

[bucklehead101 29]

OCULUS RIFT!!!!!!!!!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BUZaE52hAo

 

I think i'll skip track IR and get this bad boy.

 

Edited September 13, 2013 by bucklehead101

[Centurion-1 1,228]

I was just about to say that bucklehead, I have already mentally put away about 300USD from my savings account for when the production Rift comes out.

[thodouras95 25]

  Except...that it's not. The single most important factor contributing to disorientation in the Sim cockpit is the fact that the chair you are sitting in isn't bolted into the aircraft you are flying. In a real aircraft, you are...in order to see you Six o'clock you have to turn your head 180 degrees; your body, your "seat of the pants" senses keep track of this and allow you to stay oriented. This very same thing will screw you in an IFR situation, but dogfighting is by nature VFR. Even with TrackIR you are not turning your head the same amount as in RL; if you really look at your Six you can't see your monitor! Your (subconcious? reflexive?) mind senses this and gets confused. I know this all sounds kind of elementary, and in fact it is, however, those are the kinds of things that we sometimes lose sight of. Using player to target, even just for a second, allows for the kind of spatial orientation that would come naturally if you were actually sitting in the aircraft with your body locked into one position in relation to the aircraft's centerline. Take a look at Andy Bushs' articles over at SimHQ, he was a Rhino/Hog driver in RL and he states that the only thing that can give you the real life "feel" of being in the cockpit in a Sim is to get out of the cockpit once in a while with the player to target view. When you get disoriented in the "heat of battle" a quick look in player to target can straighten you right out; it is not cheating, it is compensating for the limitations of the viewing system in the Sim.

 

that comment was meant to be more of a joke, but well, for me it really is somewhat unrealistic to use exterior views.That's not to say I never do it, we can't make up for graphics limitations, or for the fact that our monitors will not be visible if we turn our head to the back, but generally, if I want to be realistic, I won't use these views.

[+Veltro2k 6,315]

I was just about to say that bucklehead, I have already mentally put away about 300USD from my savings account for when the production Rift comes out.

Same here, I started saving all my pennys....cant wait

[FalconC45 157]

The Rift will be a God send for disabled gamers like myself. I will definitely look into this.

 

Falcon

[bucklehead101 29]

well shucks. The amazon bug bit me and now I await CH Combatstick 568, CH pro throttle, and CH pro pedals. I've heard and read so many positive things about CH products that when it came down to looking at purchasing this "investment", it was too easy. I cant believe how expensive the other brands are for their similar products. For a little over $250, I was able to get all of this, compared to just a stick and throttle from other brands.

 

Just for grins, how much give does a real stick in a real fighter jet give? I know they don't have feedback as in you wont feel the wind rushing against your control surfaces, but how stiff is the stick (get your mind out of the gutters..) ?