Need some help on DCS World Settings w/ VR

Hi All, I'm New to both DCS and VR. It's all becoming a bit overwhelming trying to get everything set up correctly for best performance and I feel like I'm spending more time going through set up than I am flying. I've tried to read through as much of the forum as I can to glean info, but a lot of the answers are spread over so many threads, it's hard to find what I'm looking for. So here goes with some questions if you all can indulge a newbie. Huge thanks in advance for any help.

Background: I'm a retired USAF F-15E WSO and Reaper Pilot currently doing some "contract" military flying in the ME - so the DCS aircraft and concepts are all pretty straightforward. No issue there. However, I'm not a massive techie and have been out of the PC gaming scene for quite a while, so I'm struggling with a lot of the new gear, performance, tweaking settings, etc. I just bought the laptop, VR and DCS in the last couple of months - so everything is brand new.

My current setup: MSI Titan 75 8SG (laptop), i9-8950 32 GB RAM, RTX-2080 w/8 GB GDDR6 VRAM, 512 GB SSD, 1TB HD.

Vive HTC Pro VR

Warthog HOTAS, TM TFRP pedals (pedals currently not working, assume axis mapping issues)

DCS 2.5 - F/A-18C and A-10C. Running game through Steam.

1. VR Graphics Performance Question: I am running the game 100% VR. I am currently getting a fair amount of "stutter" low FPS rate and what I would call significant paging of objects in urban environments - especially when looking out at the 3/9 line at low altitudeI don't . With the above specs, I would have thought that frame rates and rendering would be a non-factor. I've watched the Youtube tutorials on VR setup (from Wags, I think) and it didn't seem to make any difference. In fact, my perception is the frame rates seemed to have dropped since I started, but that could be just the "WOW" factor of VR wearing off and me noticing the details more. Even clicking the "VR" preset button in the DCS Options window with the majority of the textures, water, etc settings to Medium or Low - the FPS rate seems to still stutter. Any thoughts as to how to improve this? Are there other things I need to do within the Operating system / Windows settings that would improve performance?

I don't think my system is running the Intel Turbo Boost that was mentioned in another thread about performance, but I can't figure out how to tell if it is or isn't installed and running on my system.

2. FPS measurement Q: I've heard several in the forums refer to a specific frame rate number in the game. i.e. "I've never seen the frame rate drop below 45 FPS" or "I'm getting 90 FPS in DCS". How do you measure that FPS while in the game? Or is it a "feeling" thing?

3. Flight Controls setup Q: Does anyone use the Thrustmaster T.A.R.G.E.T GUI to calibrate / Map the TM controls? Or do you assign buttons entirely through DCS?

Related Q: It seems there are several pre-set HOTAS scripts out there that people have designed for various aircraft. If I wanted one for the Hornet and one for the A-10, how do I switch between them. Is that also through DCS settings - or is its something you run outside DCS?

4. Are there any performance issues running the game from Steam vs directly from ED? If Yes, do I have to re-buy the DCS aircraft modules all over again, or will they transfer?

That's probably enough questions for one post. I just wanted to get some advice before I sold my brand new gaming laptop and go out and buy a full-bore water-cooled, overclocked supercomputer that would put a Cray mainframe to shame.

Again, huge thanks for any help / advice.

Hi Notso, and welcome. I'm a relative newbie also (started 2 months ago), but I can at least answer two of your questions easily:

2. FPS measurement Q: pressing Ctrl+Pause will display an FPS counter on the top left of your display. Pressing a second time will include more frametime data etc. Pressing a third time will switch it off.

3. Flight Controls setup Q: I have the Thrustmaster 16000M and I only used the TARGET software initially to ensure all the buttons etc were operational. After that, I have no use for it.

Button mapping should be done in DCS, and must be done for each aircraft. However, you can import profiles (as well as save etc) in the Control tab under Settings. Just remember that throttle and stick profiles are saved separately:

e.g. to import a saved throttle mapping, click the settings cog icon, select the controls tab and select the appropriate aircraft from the drop-down. Click anywhere in the throttle column before selecting a profile to import. Same for the stick.

I would suggest looking at any of the Grim Reaper Youtube tutorial vids, as he shows button mapping for whatever aircraft is the topic:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZuXjkFY00p1ga3UyCBbR2w/playlists?view=50&sort=dd&shelf_id=5

Hope my novice info helps. :)

Hi Notso, and welcome. I'm a relative newbie also (started 2 months ago), but I can at least answer two of your questions easily:

 

2. FPS measurement Q: pressing Ctrl+Pause will display an FPS counter on the top left of your display. Pressing a second time will include more frametime data etc. Pressing a third time will switch it off.

 

3. Flight Controls setup Q: I have the Thrustmaster 16000M and I only used the TARGET software initially to ensure all the buttons etc were operational. After that, I have no use for it.

Button mapping should be done in DCS, and must be done for each aircraft. However, you can import profiles (as well as save etc) in the Control tab under Settings. Just remember that throttle and stick profiles are saved separately:

e.g. to import a saved throttle mapping, click the settings cog icon, select the controls tab and select the appropriate aircraft from the drop-down. Click anywhere in the throttle column before selecting a profile to import. Same for the stick.

 

I would suggest looking at any of the Grim Reaper Youtube tutorial vids, as he shows button mapping for whatever aircraft is the topic:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZuXjkFY00p1ga3UyCBbR2w/playlists?view=50&sort=dd&shelf_id=5

 

Hope my novice info helps. :)

Great stuff, FP. Thanks so much!

Hi Notso, and welcome. I'm a relative newbie also (started 2 months ago), but I can at least answer two of your questions easily:

 

I would suggest looking at any of the Grim Reaper Youtube tutorial vids, as he shows button mapping for whatever aircraft is the topic:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZuXjkFY00p1ga3UyCBbR2w/playlists?view=50&sort=dd&shelf_id=5

 

Hope my novice info helps. :)

HI FP, I Looked at some of the Grim Reaper Vids and the stick mapping is totally different as I'm using the Warthog HOTAS. Thanks anyway for the effort to post this.

I don't use the TM TARGET software. I map everything within DCS itself.

The attached screenshot are my current graphical settings for my Oculus Rift S VR gear. Not shown is the VR PD value of 1.8.

Try those settings out and work from there. Let me know if you have any questions.

I don't use the TM TARGET software. I map everything within DCS itself.

The attached screenshot are my current graphical settings for my Oculus Rift S VR gear. Not shown is the VR PD value of 1.8.

Try those settings out and work from there. Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks Stray Wolf. I'll give those a try. Most of my "Stutter" I described earlier is gone once I went to Flat Shadows. Couple of questions on your VR settings:

• Why do you use 512 for the cockpit resolution? Is it to see the labels better?
  
• What does the MSAA setting do?
  
• What does the Anisotropic setting do?
  

Thanks!

Thanks Stray Wolf. I'll give those a try. Most of my "Stutter" I described earlier is gone once I went to Flat Shadows. Couple of questions on your VR settings:

 

• Why do you use 512 for the cockpit resolution? Is it to see the labels better?
  
• What does the MSAA setting do?
  
• What does the Anisotropic setting do?
  

 

Thanks!

I cant answer directly but will make an educated guess as I have been heavily researching VR settings as im getting occulus rift s soon. (and also have a similar setup with a 1080)

in VR I believe cockpit resolution is highly important. You want to be able to read the text on all the switches and read the gauges easily. So upping the resolution is a must, especially in some of the older / lower fidelity planes.

MSAA is also kind of linked to this. this setting will smooth over some of the jagged edges, and make visually tracking targets (especially ground) a lot easier.

The main problem in VR is the blurriness of the things in the distance, lots of players do not want to activate labels for targets as it kills the realism, so MSAA is necessary to make visual tracking on the ground and in the air fairly possible I believe.

It hits performance but most would agree its a high priority.