Great tip for controlling cockpit controls while in VR

Hi guys. I just got an Oculus Rift CV1 the other day, and I figured out something which is extremely helpful while using VR mode. I posted this at roadtovr.com yesterday, but wanted to share this here as well. If this is well known, and I missed it somehow... thats life :)

"Just in case anyone still doesnt know this nifty feature in DCS; you can map the ui functions through the control mappings (the category is called "ui" something). You can map left and right mouse buttons, and also the mousewheel, to joystick buttons. I use a free hat on my CH pro throttle. You can then move your mouse, putting the cursor into a central spot. The cursor disappears after a while, but will pop right up whenever you hit a "mouse button" with your hotas, and in my experience its really easy to point with your head and flip switches in this way. Using the Abris in the Ka-50 feels really natural this way.

Oh and one more thing, there also is a very useful "zoom vr" mapping in the same category, which is very useful for quickly checking out instruments or mfd's with good clarity. Nifty, aye? ;) I actually figured out this by myself, having seen nothing about these excellent features anywhere".

Oh, and thanks a lot for your extremely well implemented VR ED! To actually FEEL the cockpit, to see all the switches and buttons protrude towards me, and to experience the wild, stomach churning sensation of being HIGH up in the air is awesome! This completely changes everything. The resolution of the CV1's is good enough as well, when using the VR zoom. Love!

Thank you for this!

I'm using these features as well, in combination with a trackball.

Works great! :)

I will also try voice recognition for comms and the F keys.

How does VR zoom work? Could it be used for aircraft spotting?

Yes Vr zoom works in all versions at this point, and you can spot things including AC with it.

Yep zoom works very well, I assigned it to a button on my Warthog joystick, press and hold to zoom in - release and it returns to normal cockpit view.

Hi guys. I just got an Oculus Rift CV1 the other day, and I figured out something which is extremely helpful while using VR mode. I posted this at roadtovr.com yesterday, but wanted to share this here as well. If this is well known, and I missed it somehow... thats life :)

 

"Just in case anyone still doesnt know this nifty feature in DCS; you can map the ui functions through the control mappings (the category is called "ui" something). You can map left and right mouse buttons, and also the mousewheel, to joystick buttons. I use a free hat on my CH pro throttle. You can then move your mouse, putting the cursor into a central spot. The cursor disappears after a while, but will pop right up whenever you hit a "mouse button" with your hotas, and in my experience its really easy to point with your head and flip switches in this way. Using the Abris in the Ka-50 feels really natural this way.

 

Oh and one more thing, there also is a very useful "zoom vr" mapping in the same category, which is very useful for quickly checking out instruments or mfd's with good clarity. Nifty, aye? ;) I actually figured out this by myself, having seen nothing about these excellent features anywhere".

 

Oh, and thanks a lot for your extremely well implemented VR ED! To actually FEEL the cockpit, to see all the switches and buttons protrude towards me, and to experience the wild, stomach churning sensation of being HIGH up in the air is awesome! This completely changes everything. The resolution of the CV1's is good enough as well, when using the VR zoom. Love!

In addition:

If you have a racing wheel with buttons, use it as a button box. Fanatec universal hub works great - 12 buttons separate on three groups, rottary knob with push and pov functions (works great for abris knob, altimeter setting or whatever).

If you can place your keybord close to your right hand - numpad is great for PVI800/ CDU coordinates input, NUM5 has a little bump so you can place your finger on it easily without looking. (The only issue is num5 recenters view).

Strap a trackball on your knee by using some velcros - huge improvement over a regular mouse. I have a trackball on my right knee and a small notebook and a pen on my left knee - work as a charm.

https://vrcover.com/ - Moves your eyes a little closer to the screen giving you a little better fov and less godrays. Also lacks foam on the nose and the gap is a little bigger which makes seeing the notebook on your knee easier for read/write.

Because I fly center stick I have found that using the mouse to activate switches not on my hotas is not an issue at all. It's faster than trying to stare at something just right and activate it w HOTAS controls.

Because I fly center stick I have found that using the mouse to activate switches not on my hotas is not an issue at all. It's faster than trying to stare at something just right and activate it w HOTAS controls.

Thats correct but not in every case, at least for me.

In cases when need to fly the AC eg not releasing the stick is one example. Try to fly in close formation and set some radio frequency with mouse, especially in more tricky birds like huey. In such cases any good hardware placed for left hand use is great.

I find inputting coordinates in a10 ka50 mirage or whatever else can, rather slow with the mouse (especially in the mirage) due to the small buttons and the need to keep you head steady for every button push. With the numpad is very fast and easy.

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That's why god invented the HOTAS. If you are flying in close formation and you have to stare down at a small nob with your headset to get the cursor on it and then click it with a joystick button...that ends in the exact same disaster. If a button is critical enough that you need to use it while actually maneuvering and having your head out of the cockpit, use a controller. In the case of the Huey, tell the copilot to fly the aircraft for a few seconds.

The head cursor aiming is better than nothing...certainly it's a nifty implementation.. but the mouse at the end of the day is more accurate and quicker. A physical control of course being the best overall. (esp for radios).

Los

I know is personal, but tradicional mouse works better for me too. I put at the right of my joystick (X55) and dont have to search for it.

I add at the left of the throttle a gaming keypad that I mapped for Function keys and comm. Again, I dont have to search that F key when I'm in combat. Is a Razer Tartarus.

Yea same here. I prefer using the mouse, but for all my primary functions - functions that I have to reach during combat, take off, landing - I map to either my Warthog Hotas or my Derek Speare P2 Button box, that is situated just forward of my throttle.

I have no problems finding the given buttons, as long as I remember where I mapped the stuff, hehe. Muscle memory is strong.

Soon I will have a center mounted stick, and then I'll add a 2nd button box, which will be for where my stick is today. Ill probably add radio and nav stuff to that.

Tell me if this is already been said or is in the pipeline but if you bring up the comms menu with the Warthog comms switch, is it possible then to use the up and down function on that button to move up and down the menu structure? Then when you want to select the appropriate command, you could press the comm button inwards. That to me would be the next step up from the mouse clicking.

I just use one, two, three.... twelve voice commands in voice attack, works good enough.

Sent from my Redmi 4 using Tapatalk

Thanks for this, was just going to ask if their was a way to bind. If I use my mouse it ends up going outside the game and when I click i have to take the rift off and click back in.

I have been using this method for disembarking troops in CTLD makes it way easier to fast roping them than trying to hover with left hand on the cyclic;)

Thanks for this, was just going to ask if their was a way to bind. If I use my mouse it ends up going outside the game and when I click i have to take the rift off and click back in.

If you make DCS full windows (alt-enter, I think?) your mouse won't go out of DCS window.

If you make DCS full windows (alt-enter, I think?) your mouse won't go out of DCS window.

Isn't there an option on the VR tab to restrict mouse pointer to DCS game window?

Is it possible in VR to stop or reduce mouse cursor move while slightly moving your head? Maybe some mod? It bugs me i have to keep my head very steady when using buttons in cockpit

I have mouse wheel/buttons mapped to my HOTAS, but I prefer moving the cursor with my head. It is faster and kinda more natural, you just look at the switch you want to use and the cursor is there.

I’ve been simming since the C= days my self programming since the trash(TRS) 80 days in hs

Ie I too have been simming since I got my commodore in the mid 80s and programming since 1979 when I took programming in hs, plus took Fortan in college before entering the usaf and buying a Sinclair/times 8088 in the uk then buying my c64 when I returned from the uk

I’ve been sinking since the C= days my self programming since the trash(TRS) 80 days in hs

I'm not sure if i got it...:huh:

Was that configuration in the oculus config, or the thrustmaster configuration or the dcs configuration?

DCS Controls. Where you choose the plane your programming I believe.

Is it possible in VR to stop or reduce mouse cursor move while slightly moving your head? Maybe some mod? It bugs me i have to keep my head very steady when using buttons in cockpit

This.. about a million times, this.