Yeah I got it.. it's not too bad. I can't say that I'm a fan of the input lag though. TrackIR seems to be a lot more 'instantaneous' in how it reacts to your movement.
It also seems to lack the in/out axis that TrackIR provides. This may be just a matter of getting the settings correctly, but it definitely requires a lot more setup than TrackIR does.
Maybe 1.6 will be better, but for now I can't say that it works nearly as well.
Yep; TrackIR is a mature commercial product that's become the standard for this type of head-tracking.
With regard to FTNOIR, again In my case, I had no issues getting it up and running from the outset but these things are very finicky sometimes and a lot depends on the specs for the system they are loaded on. It's also good to remember that FTNOIR is still in beta stage. So, that old YMMV caveat is something to keep in mind.
Regarding the in/out axes issue: FTNOIR does use an input/output graphical curves dialog, where you can visually set the input/output and deadband/neutral zone curves for all 6 DOF. Click on the little graph image in the upper-right hand corner of the program's main panel. A second pane will open with the Curves for rotation and translation axes. You can then play with the curves to set the degree of responsiveness you want. You also need to see what filter settings work best for you, as those affect the smoothing code while tracking.
Second, and this made a big difference in response time for me:
You MUST place a copy of TrackIR's TIRviews.dll file (just copy it from its installation folder) into the main installation directory for FTNOIR. FTNOIR works with Aces High by emulating TrackIR's game protocol. AH supports TrackIR and Freetrack, but doesn't natively support the Face API yet (I believe), so you have to tell FTNOIR to pretend that it is TrackIR when playing AH.
There is a dropdown list on the main panel in FTNOIR where you must choose the correct game protocol. Choose "Fake TIR" and in the settings for that protocol, then tick on the "Use TIRviews." checkbox In a nutshell: Copy the TIRviews.dll file from your TrackIR installation into the FTNOIR installation folder, then enable TIRviews in the Fake TIR settings, you should then see an immediate improvement in response in the game. When I experimented with it, using TIRviews.dll doubled my FPS in game.
Third: the camera one uses may also be a factor. Generally speaking you'll want a camera that can track at higher than 15 fps. Mine does 30 FPS max and works okay with FTNOIR. I read that the PS3 Eyecam is also excellent for this program because it can deliver up to 120 FPS. The camera's placement should also be optimized. Lastly, if you use TrackIR, you're probably mindful not to have too many light sources in your play area, but with FTNOIR you actually want more light, because that allows the Face API algorithm to more easily see your facial features. Better lighting will give you better FPS response from FTNOIR.
Well, I could probably write more, but just check those three things above and you might see an improvement. It's really not as complicated as my overly-wordy explanation makes it seem either. Like I said above, I got all that done in my first session with FTNOIR and generally speaking, I like its perfomance. I DO think it needs furhter refinement but this thing only came out last year, so it's still a young product. The next version, 1.6 will integrate a newer version of the Face API.
Best of luck to whomever wants to give it a try.
FWIW,
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