TrackIR for Aces High

[Motherland]

Tool,
WWII gunsights are reflector sights. They're like modern red-dot or holographic rifle sights. Due to the way the sight works, if you can see the reticle it shows you where the round is going to hit, know matter what angle you're looking at it from. This was important because you didn't have to line up a front and a rear sight (which took time, of course) so you could take instant snapshots. It's the correct way to model the gunsight. You can do the same thing with the standard snap views. I've flown with TrackIR for about 8 months now, I can guarantee the guns don't move.

[Mace2004]

Most people have corrected the misconceptions about TIR.  Just to reiterate it doesn't change anything about the guns or gunsight, it just allows your head movements to be translated to control the in-game views.  No shooting out the sides, or straight up, or straight down, etc. 

TIR does do a tremendous job of increasing the immersion factor though.  You want to check six then just turn your head vice using the Hat switch.  It's all pretty natural and only limited by the fact that we all stare at monitors in front of us rather than sitting in a simulator dome.

One drawback to the realism though is that you can't pre-set views that are "best" as you look around.  For instance, the Hurricane has a birdcage canopy.  With TIR you need to constantly move your head to look around the canopy frame (as in RL) but if you don't have TIR you can store views with F10 that minimize or eliminate the frame from view so you can many times actually see better without TIR. 

Also, just to clarify things, there is no "patch" or "hack" to give you any view you can't get without TIR.  You can however adjust your TIR profile which makes the six view a little easier to manage but it's not a patch and doesn't work all that well.  Some views, particularly the high six view in the F6F, F4U and Bf109F/G are just plain bad with TIR and it takes alot of practice to work around this.

See the link in my signature for more.

[Vulcan]

I have been shot at from above stalled out planes, passing planes with noses headed in an opposite direction and well below their line of sight. Some appear to be firing like they are moving the sight, not the plane. Few bullets make it to target but i can still see their scattered and almost random direction of fire.

I do those sorts of shots all the time, but using stereo 3D. It's fairly easy to judge for those shots. The weird thing is my dead 6 shots suck because I'm left eye dominant an the AH site doesn't line up right (so you guys saying the site is always right figure that one out   ).

[maddafinga]

I've had TraciIR for about a month now, if you'll look at my score, awful as it is, you can see that for the first couple of months since getting here my k/d and hit percentage have slowly but steadily risen.  Until last camp that is, when I got TIR, and they dropped somewhat.  It's been my experience that gunnery is somewhat harder with the TIR on because it's very easy to get your head off angle from the nose of your plane and just plain miss a shot.  My hit percentage dropped fairly signifigantly since getting it.  I'm beginning to adjust now though, and it's slowly starting to climb again, along with my k/d.  (I will say however, that my k/d is bad mostly because I do silly, but fun. things that I know will end up with me getting killed, I'm ok with that  )  

The rear views in several planes are so bad that I simply don't fly them anymore.  Not that I can't lean and look around like you would in real life, it's just that in the middle of a furball I don't want to be craning my neck and leaning to check my 6 from both sides constantly, and trying to monitor what is going on in front of me and on the sides all at the same time.  Some planes are just a bit more hassle than I want to deal with.  For now anyway, that may change later, of course.  

Also, I find that the over the nose view is NOT AS GOOD as it was when I was using hat switches.  I had been using Murdr's head positions, slightly modified to fit my preferences, along with a look forward over the nose and slightly to one side view, with good success.  When I'm sitting in my chair here flying, the center position is actually somewhat lower that where I had it saved to with my old hat switch views.  I can sit up higher in the seat, and I do when I need to see a bit better over the nose, but without standing up, I can't get as good an over the nose view as I could before.  I've found lately that I'm actually missing shots on maneuvering planes as they drop below my nose because I can't follow their jink in my blind spot.  I've been tweaking on my TIR profile some to try and adjust that, but mostly I'm learning to work around it in my maneuvering of the airplane.  

All this sounds like a seriousl hassle and not a benefit at all, so why would I use TIR?  The answer to that is because it makes your overall sa much much more natural feeling. When you look around the plane, your brain just sort of places other planes in three dimensions much much easier than if you're using the view keys.  Maneuvering just seems so much more instinctive with it that I'll never go back.  I'm not coming from the place of being a total noob here either, I played AW for years and had hat switch views down pat.  It's just so much more natural and instinctive to simply look where the other guy is.  I even find myself craning my neck and looking around while watching films.  (The GF laughs at me when she catches me doing it, but I'm not embarassed, much.)  

There is still adjustment to be made, like I say I've only had this thing for a month and only been back up in the virtual skies for a few, but overall it's a vast improvement.  The gunnery is harder in my opinion rather than easier.  There is no moving your gunsite wherever you want or even anything similar.  I wouldn't even want that if it were possible.  The more complete immersion much more than makes up for the liabilities if you ask me.  

Now, I'm somewhat intrigued with this patch to help fix the rear views in Corsairs and FM2.  Anyone have any more information on that one?

[Mace2004]

I've had TraciIR for about a month now, if you'll look at my score, awful as it is, you can see that for the first couple of months since getting here my k/d and hit percentage have slowly but steadily risen.  Until last camp that is, when I got TIR, and they dropped somewhat.  It's been my experience that gunnery is somewhat harder with the TIR on because it's very easy to get your head off angle from the nose of your plane and just plain miss a shot.  My hit percentage dropped fairly signifigantly since getting it.  I'm beginning to adjust now though, and it's slowly starting to climb again, along with my k/d.  (I will say however, that my k/d is bad mostly because I do silly, but fun. things that I know will end up with me getting killed, I'm ok with that  )  

The rear views in several planes are so bad that I simply don't fly them anymore.  Not that I can't lean and look around like you would in real life, it's just that in the middle of a furball I don't want to be craning my neck and leaning to check my 6 from both sides constantly, and trying to monitor what is going on in front of me and on the sides all at the same time.  Some planes are just a bit more hassle than I want to deal with.  For now anyway, that may change later, of course.  

Also, I find that the over the nose view is NOT AS GOOD as it was when I was using hat switches.  I had been using Murdr's head positions, slightly modified to fit my preferences, along with a look forward over the nose and slightly to one side view, with good success.  When I'm sitting in my chair here flying, the center position is actually somewhat lower that where I had it saved to with my old hat switch views.  I can sit up higher in the seat, and I do when I need to see a bit better over the nose, but without standing up, I can't get as good an over the nose view as I could before.  I've found lately that I'm actually missing shots on maneuvering planes as they drop below my nose because I can't follow their jink in my blind spot.  I've been tweaking on my TIR profile some to try and adjust that, but mostly I'm learning to work around it in my maneuvering of the airplane.  

All this sounds like a seriousl hassle and not a benefit at all, so why would I use TIR?  The answer to that is because it makes your overall sa much much more natural feeling. When you look around the plane, your brain just sort of places other planes in three dimensions much much easier than if you're using the view keys.  Maneuvering just seems so much more instinctive with it that I'll never go back.  I'm not coming from the place of being a total noob here either, I played AW for years and had hat switch views down pat.  It's just so much more natural and instinctive to simply look where the other guy is.  I even find myself craning my neck and looking around while watching films.  (The GF laughs at me when she catches me doing it, but I'm not embarassed, much.)  

There is still adjustment to be made, like I say I've only had this thing for a month and only been back up in the virtual skies for a few, but overall it's a vast improvement.  The gunnery is harder in my opinion rather than easier.  There is no moving your gunsite wherever you want or even anything similar.  I wouldn't even want that if it were possible.  The more complete immersion much more than makes up for the liabilities if you ask me.  

Now, I'm somewhat intrigued with this patch to help fix the rear views in Corsairs and FM2.  Anyone have any more information on that one?

First, let me repeat there is no "patch" to fix rear views.  It's a matter of adjusting your TIR profile some.  Take a look at the ones in the link in my signature.  Also, do a search on Homeboy and he posted a version of mine which he tweaked to suit is preferences.

There are a couple of tips that'll help you out some.  First, before you "center" the TIR move your head closer to the monitor and a bit lower than you normally sit.  This way, when you sit in your normal position your in-game head is actually higher and further back in the cockpit.  This will make your over the nose views better plus slide a bit to one side to actually look down the side of the nose.  You can also kick a little rudder so you can see better, line up the shot, then remove the rudder input and take your shot.  The other tip is to map AH's Forward View.  You can map this to the hat switch or, like I do, map it to the first detent of the trigger.  In my case the first detent commands forward view and the second fires the guns.  What happens here is that TIR's view is locked directly forward just like the regular non-TIR hat position but you can still move your head from side to side, up and down, and fore and aft and your view will slide in the appropriate direction even though the angle doesn't change.  It's like normal forward view and then hitting the arrow and page keys to slide your head around for a better view.  This works great for gunnery.

[ImADot]

Yeah, what Mace said.  Maddafinga, sounds like you just need to adjust your TIR profile to be a little more aggressive so you don't have to turn your head so much to get your in-game head all the way around.

[maddafinga]

I actually have it set fairly aggressive, it's just in a few planes I have trouble.  I like that idea about leaning forward and down and setting the center.  I'll definitely give that a shot.  I looked at that profile, and mine is not too far off of it.  I like that you have the deadbands moved up, I might try that some too.  The way it is now there is a slight sort of a detent as I move my head around.   Maybe tomorrow I'll post a screenshot of how my profile looks.  I think I just need some fine tuning mostly.  You guys are awesome for being so helpful though!  Thanks!

[Delirium]

I've used TrackIR2, 3 and most recently a TrackIR4 with the new Proclip.

I simply could not get used to it, I found the hat switches more precise (more so with 6 views). The only benefit I found was a nice smooth tracking of targets, in particular with the 30mm, so the enemy a/c moved into the gun sight from the front side panels to the front view in a much more gentle state than the hat switches could give.

I've tried aggressive as well as much more gentle curves for it, all without success. I'm going to hold onto my TrackIR4 to make films for any 38 students and for another game called 'Jumpgate', but otherwise it will collect dust.

[_vic_]

I dont have Track-IR...but my impression of it from all my research is that you do not move your gunsight at all. What moves is your head i.e vantage point as you sit in the cockpit.  A pilot can move his head to track a bandit that he couldnt track in a static 12 oclock view without rolling a bit but this does not change the physical location of your gunsight or your bullets trajectory, which you seem to imply unless Im misunderstanding you. 

You're correct Savlan, the TIR doesn't give you anything in terms of perspective that you can't get using arrow keys, the mouse, or anything else. It does however, link those movements to your head - making the game 1000% more immersive. I've been playing with a TIR for a couple months now. At first it's very disorienting, but once you get used to it there's no going back.

I'm not sure what A8Tool is referring to when he claims there is an unfair advantage with the gunsight. If anything the moving gunsight (which moves as you move your head, just like page up / page down keys) is actually quite a distraction.

You'll hear a lot of people say there is a "patch" to see properly in the F4U/F6F... It is not a "patch" at all. It's just a Track IR profile that's setup to properly move the pilot's head to the left/right as you look out the six o'clock view.

I can see quite well out of the back of an F4U with my TIR, but the hellcat is still a disaster. I won't fly the hellcat unless I have enough people that I know in the vicinity who I am confident will give send me a check 6...

I have also built a freetrack using an old logitech quickcam. It works well - not *quite* as well as the real TrackIR, but if you don't have $140 it's definitely worth a try.

Tim

[swoose]

 Had Trackir for a while now and really enjoy it. It does make the game more realistic but the gunnery is harder. Seems like if you are doing a lot of looking around in a godfight it's easy to get off center. I mapped the pinky button on my fighterstick to center the trackir.
 This is a handy and quick way to center up for the shot when you are off center. I use Homeboy's profile and it works pretty good. Thanks to MACE and Homeboy for their work in developing the profile.
<S> Swoose
 

[Finn]

One drawback to the realism though is that you can't pre-set views that are "best" as you look around.  For instance, the Hurricane has a birdcage canopy.  With TIR you need to constantly move your head to look around the canopy frame (as in RL) but if you don't have TIR you can store views with F10 that minimize or eliminate the frame from view so you can many times actually see better without TIR. 

HOWTO USE PRESET VIEWS WITH TRACKIR
================================

Part 1: Setting presets
i) Set a large 'deadband' on the X,Y & Z axis, Set the Value to 0 for positions -10 to +10 [or even upto +/- 20]
ii) Start AH2 and then using whatever HotKey you are using, turn OFF TrackIR.
iii) Make a F10 preset for your 6' view (or any view) in any plane.
iv) Using the hotkey you are using, turn ON TrackIR.

Part 2: Using Presets
i) Centre your TrackIR view.
ii) Turn your head left/right/up/down, making sure u do not move out of the deadband for X,Y,Z axis (pilot head position).

NOTE: To use presets you do NOT want to activate TrackIR in the X,Y,Z axis.  The pilot can change his Yaw/Pitch view (what you are looking at) but as soon as you hit the X,Y,Z axis (pilot head position)... AH2 will snap back to the default, normal, TrackIR default head position.  You can still move your head position when needed,  as these axis are not off,  just with a large deadband.

There is a 'jump' in head position from the f10-preset to default,  AND when looking about as you pan/yaw 180deg arround (head position snaps from preset head position to the next),  but if you play about with the F10 view this can be minimised,  or you just become used to it.

Most useful for any 6 view,  and looking 'directly up' or back in the F4u's and a few others.  (works with all the 9x2=18 preset views you can set when using a 'hat',  TrackIR will just snap to the new head position as you look into that view 'area').

[Buzzard7]

Better get them while they are still on sale. 130 bucks for the TIR4 with the hat clip. 150 with the proclip.

[HomeBoy]

Some people have found this guide helpful.

[_vic_]

Better get them while they are still on sale. 130 bucks for the TIR4 with the hat clip. 150 with the proclip.

That "sale" has been going on since I bought mine in October, lol.

Tim

[bcadoo]

Actually they are down to $99 now