Friday 2010-08-13 Dev. update and Discussions

[tourmaline]

Originally Posted by Dano

Well that is pretty much exactly what TrackIR was developed for, the version we have is the offshoot of technology designed to allow people with disabilities to interact with computers so I'm sure that with a little prompting NP would add the feature in, as it stands my older V2 TIR unit allows me to use mouse emulation, has that feature been removed from the later software releases?

IR tracking is in flightsims mostly used for head tracking for looking around you in the virtual world!

[airmalik]

Originally Posted by tourmaline

Voice activation will have some problems, first of all, wich language will you use and if your language is not the native one used for the game, if you don't pronounce it well, then it won't recognize the commands.

I was thinking of the free software shoot . This allows you to record commands in your OWN voice and will issue the desired keystroke to the game. Because it's your own voice, there's no issue with recognition. When I used to play IL2, I had common voice commands like 'gear', 'flaps up', 'nav lights', 'fire extinguisher', 'smoke' set up and it was pretty cool to have the plane react to them. Felt like I had a copilot flying with me, performing what I asked him to do.

Before 'shoot' I spent a lot of time configuring my Saitek stick and throttle with modifiers keys etc. but couldn't always remember what button combo to press for a command. Shoot made it so much easier especially for the less commonly used commands.

[Dano]

Originally Posted by tourmaline

IR tracking is in flightsims mostly used for head tracking for looking around you in the virtual world!

Not quite sure what you are responding to in my post?

[Hoverbug]

Originally Posted by zapatista

interesting comment, i never thought that might be a good way to reduce energy of a "crash in progress"

I've done it for real and wouldn't want to do it again, though I got out without a scratch (the 150 was a total loss though). Wing spars are pretty tough, so when they flex they can absorb a considerable amount of energy. The real trick is picking two trees that don't have another tree right behind them...

[proton45]

another beautiful update....thanks to the team

[Splitter]

Originally Posted by Blackdog_kt

I hope this game doesn't get any DRM at all. People who don't want to pay can't be forced to pay anyway (if pirates can't get a game for free they don't buy it, they just don't play it at all) so why should the rest of us, the paying customers, have to suffer the drawbacks of DRM?

A cd-check, a serial, maybe even a one-time online activation (one that you can activate and deactivate at will, so that you can reinstall your game after a system upgrade or format) will be enough to dissuade casual piracy. This is the kind of piracy worth battling, because it's the preventable kind. Hardcore piracy can't be controlled and if they can't get it for free they'll simply bypass it altogether. So, why not focus on making money by keeping the real customers happy, spenting the time and funds on things they will want to buy, instead of on setting up DRM infrastructure or paying royalties to 3rd party publishing platforms?




On the topic of instruments now...



I think the main reason for better instrument visibility in civilian sims is the increased resolution. I don't know about X-plane but i fly FSX on a friend's PC every now and then and it's the same deal. You can easily make out the instruments even from a wide angle view. I fly with the 3d-cockpit and TrackIR 99% of the time and the only 2-d overlay panels i use are individual instruments that i want to keep track off continuously (eg, a VOR gauge that lies to the right of the cockpit, i might pop up the 2d-panel for that so that i don't have to strain my neck looking at it with TrackIR all the time).

If you couple this with 6-DOF capability to zoom in/out (even without a trackIR) and the possibility of saving snap-views individually for each plane, you can keep track of everything just fine. The only question that remains is whether we will be able to save our own snap-views for each aircraft, a la RoF. Just like some FSX add-ons have separate cameras of the 3-d cockpit from different viewing angles (for example, a camera looking below the control yoke so you can see the electrical switches), in RoF you can move the camera where you want it and "memorize" its position by assigning it to a certain key. This is done individually for each aircraft.

If this is implemented in SoW it will be a big help for people who lack head tracking software. For example, you could memorize a set of keypad commands and say that "ok, i want keypad 0 to always give me a view of the engine instruments, regardless of aircrat". Of course, the position of these instrments relative to the player's "head" camera center position are different for each plane. However, if SoW could "memorize" different snap-views for each aircraft it would be no problem. You would just have to look at the instruments once and assign a keypad key to that camera angle, to be pressed whenever you wanted a quick glance at your engine parameters.

Judging from the in-cockpit shots we've seen of SoW, i think the resolution is high enough. Heck, there are 3rd party high resolution cockpits in IL2 that are perfectly legible from the wide angle view, so i have no doubt that official SoW cockpits will be even better. We also know it will have 6-DOF head panninng, so i guess we'll be able to manage just fine.

Just look at that Blenheim cockpit shot posted in one of the previous updates, the instruments look so crisp and detailed that i got "cockpit and switch mania" and got a sudden urge to go fly something with clickable cockpits

Great points!

In X-Plane, one can use the arrow keys (default) to move your "head position" in 3D. So the down arrow makes you "slouch" and the up arrow lets you sit up tall to see more landscape and less instrument panel. It is VERY helpful when flying on instruments such as in bad weather.

The problem with these 3D feature is that they are resource hogs and can cost a major hit to fps. Many times people just use the 2D panels for that reason (amoug others).

One of the current "problems" with IL-2 is an inability to move one's head around the the virtual world. You can look in any direction, but you really cannot lean to the side to see around the cowling a bit while taxiing.

It's just me, but I am much more interested in such functional feature than I am in leaf sizes and whether tree trunks are visible from the air. Most people will have to tone down the really neat visual effects anyway to maintain 30fps or more.

Ideally, I would like a sim that fulfills the dual roles of combat flight and flight sim. I know that is wanting too much but all I have to do is fly a vintage WWII aircraft in X-Plane and then in IL-2 to feel the difference in flight model and functionality. I'd rather have better functionality than visuals IF I had to choose.

Splitter

wow the change for colour of the bullet resistant glass and the rest of the cockpit is great attention to detail.
Any word on possible solid release date yet? , I've heard they are aiming for Sep 2010 to coincide with Battle of Britain day, but from how they are speaking about the screens mentioning place holders and things it doesn't seem quite ready for that date.

[slm]

Originally Posted by Splitter

One of the current "problems" with IL-2 is an inability to move one's head around the the virtual world. You can look in any direction, but you really cannot lean to the side to see around the cowling a bit while taxiing.

It's just me, but I am much more interested in such functional feature than I am in leaf sizes and whether tree trunks are visible from the air.

This moving pilot's head has been possible in some other sims for quite a while - since TrackIR SW made it possible. I've tried it in MS Flight Simulator and it is quite useful during taxiing, landing etc. This feature also minimizes need for discussions about pilot position inside the cockpit, like in FW-190s. If you can't see well from one position, just move your head.

Although I must say that it would be quite useful if you could enable/disable this head movement. In other words, you could change head position to some place, then press a key to "lock" it and after that head would stay in place. You could still turn the head up/down and left/right. If you wanted to move head position, press a key to "unlock" it and you'd have 6DOF head movement again.

[zauii]

Originally Posted by slm

This moving pilot's head has been possible in some other sims for quite a while - since TrackIR SW made it possible. I've tried it in MS Flight Simulator and it is quite useful during taxiing, landing etc. This feature also minimizes need for discussions about pilot position inside the cockpit, like in FW-190s. If you can't see well from one position, just move your head.

Although I must say that it would be quite useful if you could enable/disable this head movement. In other words, you could change head position to some place, then press a key to "lock" it and after that head would stay in place. You could still turn the head up/down and left/right. If you wanted to move head position, press a key to "unlock" it and you'd have 6DOF head movement again.

Depends on were you can lock it, it would be wierd if you could lock your position when your leaning halfway up, since thats not a position you'd sit in for many seconds.

[slm]

In TrackIR SW you can toggle the whole head tracking on/off. This can be useful for example when you're approaching ground target and want to concentrate on that. Just switch off trackIR. Then you don't have to think about head movements. Similar situation when you're aiming an enemy plane. Switching off TrackIR for a moment can make aiming easier.

So my wish to lock head position is similar to this.