Well, an answer would turn this thread into an autohotkey tutorial, so I'll try to keep this really short: AutoHotkey_L (which I am using) is a program you must download (here) and install. After that you run AutoHotkey-scripts (double-click on a .ahk file) and AutoHotkey will bend and transform keystrokes as defined in the script you run (e.g. transforming a single Shift+1 into a sequence of keystrokes and mouse movements). So it's outside of CloD and just manipulates the input CloD is getting.

Ok, I've been following this with great interest but I'm a little confused. I have a 19inch monitor (LCD) and I sit approx 1m from the screen. What FOV should I use to render the world 'real' as in what I would see if I was sitting in a spitfire in real life?

I simply want to see the world as a real spitfire pilot would see it....so which FOV should I use?

Excuse my ignorance but it would be great if the intelligent guys here could help me achieve this.

You'd have to find someone who would let you fly in his real spitfire for that - in other words (assuming you've got no pilot license and a close friend entrusting his Spit to you): impossible ...

... if you do not plan (and be able to finance, build, tackle) a 360° (vertical and horizontal) translucent plexiglas dome with a battery of beamers - and even then it's not the same.

The used FOV is a matter of compromise of realism and feasibility: A 19" rectangle (your monitor) at 1m distance would show (in real life) little more than the sight (try with 20°-30°). That does not make sense at all. The pilot could see the temperature gauges in the lower right corner with a flick of his eyes (not moving the head at all), we - with Freetrack or TrackIR on a 27" monitor - have to move the head.

Go with what you are comfortable with to be able to control the plane, find the enemy, and hit him.

Artist

Thanks for your reply Artist. I feel I should have been more specific. I would like to see the outside world, I.e. the world outside the cockpit, to a correct scale as if I was sitting in a spitfire. For example, if a 109 is 200m away in front of my cockpit then I would like to see that 109 rendered to scale such that it woke look the same size as if I was actually sitting in a spit in real life.

I'm at a loss to explain myself more clearly.

Thanks in advance for any light you or anyone else could shed.

30 degrees is about the correct setting for what you ask there, but... that setting means though you would be flying in a "tunnel vision". CoD has outside view set to 30 degrees and is for obtaining real life type snapshots (screen shots) as you would with a real world camera.

Phat, you won't get an accurate 180 degree field of view on any size flat screen monitor, because the sreen is just that - flat. The screen would need to be curved and perhaps wrap around the viewer, as well, the game/ sim would need to be coded for that, to be free of edge distortion and depth distortion.

Ideally... an almost perfect set up (current technology) I feel, would be that of using several monitors (say 3 for instance) utilising a 90 degree FoV but instead of just setting the FoV for that to 90 degrees (and still suffering the associated distortions) each monitor would be set to use a 30 degree FoV on each. This however, would have to be coded from within the game/sim itself, a minimum size of monitor would also be required and three VGA...

Also to keep in mind, having a "screen" too big with the user sitting too close may cause dizzyness (due to the viewer's real peripheral vision being interfered with) and or eye strain and headaches. An arm's length and bit is a good distance to sit from the monitor, as this also allows a little bit of leaning forward, when coming up to take the shot, with no adverse viewer health risk (dizzyness, eyestrain, headaches)

Wolf If you have a look at what I was proposing in another thread here, it was a about a curved rear projection system for that exact reason! ;) So we are in complete agreement!
http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/showthread.php?t=32985

I hadn't seen that threads/ posts Phat, thanks for link and insights

I remember seeing somewhere a thread about projecting a 3D image on a plexiglas half a semisphere support standing around player's head.

Give a try to TrackNoir, free face trackir with your webcam. I use a laptop and once you set up the curves well...it really works nicely.

S!

Finnish Virtual Pilots Association built 2x 109(G2 and G6) simulators for 2 Finnish aviation museums. They use IL-2 1946 and the 3 back projected renders to bring 270 degree FOV :)

It was quite awesome to test it out, but it wouldn't do for an online flyer as you have no rear view. And with a HW cockpit it wouldn't be proper to turn the views :)

Pics:
http://www.k-silmailumuseo.fi/mersusimu

Note the non-real-like Revi in the first pic, it has been now replaced with a properly working one, as in, points to one point independent of ones head movement.

And from cockpit:
http://www.fsnordic.net/discussion/i...topic=101069.0

But more on topic: I really wish the devs would give us changeable FOVs for the 3 predetermined options. With a 30" monitor the 90 degree FOV is a bit tunnelish, and I use 120 degree FOV in old IL-2 with San's FOV changer.

I'll give Luffe's trick a try and see if it works for me.