Some questions from a VR noob..

[oscar19681]

What up everyone? Yesterday i recieved my brand new high end rig plus oculus rift S VR headset. They sure don’t come cheap but it was worth every penny i spend on the sucker. Anyway there is one thing i can’t seem to get my head over. Even if you have a HOTAS sometimes you still need to to some key stroking. But i feel that’s enormously unpractical due to the fact you need to take of the VR set every time you need something on the Keyboard. Not to mention it totally breaks immersion. So how do the VR veterans deal with this problem? Am I missing something?

[Drac]

I use VoiceAttack, Vaicompro, and Pointcontrol. You can Google all three for details.

[flameoutme]

I have some advice for you. You are exactly right to wonder how to deal with the need to use the keyboard from time to time. Speaking as someone who started with the Rift S - great, comfortable VR headset by the way, here's things to consider. They worked for me, but your mileage may vary.

 

1. Get and learn voice attack. Take for example the need to center the VR view, or zoom in or out in VR. That's something you will be doing quite a bit of. By programming it in voiceattack, for example, I just say "Center VR" and its centered. Works beautifully.

 

You can get a free version fo voice attack but you'll only be able to have one profile in it. So really, spend the $15 or whatever it costs and get the full version. I have programmed my voice attack to respond to a function call (e.g, F6 hits teh F6 key.) I've also trained it to type (Letter a types the letter a). These took a while to set up but man it is worth it.

 

2. If you don't have a "hotas" you'll need that. Personally, I use a Warthog stick, and a TWCS throttle which I feel for VR use is superior to the optional companion throttle with the warthog. The reason? Buttons are much better layed out for VR. And by the way, its way cheaper.

 

3. I have learned how to use a few keys on the keyboard by feel. Mostly left CTRL, Left ALT, and the number 123 and 4. You can easily find them without lifting up the headset and that just works nicely for some modules.

 

4. Lastly, although the planes in FC3 are less complex to fly and require only keystrokes (cockpits are not clickable), they are the exact opposite of what you want for VR. You want a clickable cockpit. The only downside to the clickable cockpits is that some of them, for example the F/A-18 and F-16 among others, require a LOT of study to learn.

 

Personally, my favs that are full clickable are the mirage 2000 with optional english cockpit turned on, and the F-86 probaby because I'm an old guy. The Mirage comes with a very strong campaign that doubles as a teacher to show you the systems in the aircraft step by step. It's a rather brilliant approach. And it works. Well. You'll be enjoying a level of competency in no time. BONUS: The mirage has a in-helmet radar screen, that you can easily turn on (I use voice attack). It really makes seeing the detail on radar a breeze. To be honest, I loved my Rift S, but it's at the lower end of clarity. So having that big radar version in the helmet is HUGE. And you can shut it off just with a voice command with voice attack.

 

Hope this helps!

 

 

[oscar19681]

Thanks for the awnsers guys

[Dannyvandelft]

You don't need anything but a HOTAS and your controllers.

 

No need for voice attack and all that crap.

 

Don't even need a mouse.

 

You can do everything in the menus and in flight with the controllers.

Just bind to the HOTAS what you use the most, and use the controllers/hands to do the rest.

 

P.S. I use Rift S too.

 

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

 

[Habu_69]

Check out PointCTRL device thread in this Input/Output topic. Just point to any cockpit switch with your finger and activate it. Functions flawlessly with VR. With HOTAS, Voice Attack and PointCTRL, I never use the keyboard.

[imacken]

I never need to use the keyboard in DCS, just HOTAS and the mouse for interacting with cockpit dials.

OP, what keys do you need to press?

[flameoutme]

Someone inferred Voice attack was crap in the above thread, and I wanted to address that. In VR, hotas buttons are highly valuable. You can run out of them. It's also important to realize that not every command has a cockpit equivalent too. In fact, there are a good number of them that can only be reached by Hotas or Keyboard. And using the keyboard in VR pretty much is not practical. And sometimes, saying a command is just less mind-numbing then trying to remember where you mapped one of the lessor used and more obscure commands.

 

It's also got to do with your play style. I've no doubt that the person that said Voice Attack is crap gets by just fine with his chosen play style.

 

But, for example, I like music when I fly. I say "Play a song" and voice attack does that by randomly selecting a song from a directory.

 

Or if I am in the F-14 and I want to cheat start. (OK, I'm a cheater...). No magic controller button for that one. Hotas? Yeah it would work. BUt like I said you run out of buttons and besides, I want those buttons for things that I'll need in flight.

 

Or in the F-14 and I want to bring up "Jester". I could map that button. But I'd much rather say "hey jester".

 

Or I want to center the VR view. I say "Center VR". Hotas button? I suppose. But I have better uses for mine.

 

It's all about play style. Not saying Voice attack is needed, obviously it's not. But it sure is a nifty little program that has made my flying experience, and the experience of many DCS flyers, better.

 

 

 

[Ala12Rv-Tundra]

Someone inferred Voice attack was crap in the above thread, and I wanted to address that. In VR, hotas buttons are highly valuable. You can run out of them. It's also important to realize that not every command has a cockpit equivalent too. In fact, there are a good number of them that can only be reached by Hotas or Keyboard. And using the keyboard in VR pretty much is not practical. And sometimes, saying a command is just less mind-numbing then trying to remember where you mapped one of the lessor used and more obscure commands.

 

It's also got to do with your play style. I've no doubt that the person that said Voice Attack is crap gets by just fine with his chosen play style.

 

But, for example, I like music when I fly. I say "Play a song" and voice attack does that by randomly selecting a song from a directory.

 

Or if I am in the F-14 and I want to cheat start. (OK, I'm a cheater...). No magic controller button for that one. Hotas? Yeah it would work. BUt like I said you run out of buttons and besides, I want those buttons for things that I'll need in flight.

 

Or in the F-14 and I want to bring up "Jester". I could map that button. But I'd much rather say "hey jester".

 

Or I want to center the VR view. I say "Center VR". Hotas button? I suppose. But I have better uses for mine.

 

It's all about play style. Not saying Voice attack is needed, obviously it's not. But it sure is a nifty little program that has made my flying experience, and the experience of many DCS flyers, better.

 

 

 

Fair points you mentioned there.

[imacken]

Someone inferred Voice attack was crap in the above thread, and I wanted to address that. In VR, hotas buttons are highly valuable. You can run out of them. It's also important to realize that not every command has a cockpit equivalent too. In fact, there are a good number of them that can only be reached by Hotas or Keyboard. And using the keyboard in VR pretty much is not practical. And sometimes, saying a command is just less mind-numbing then trying to remember where you mapped one of the lessor used and more obscure commands.

 

It's also got to do with your play style. I've no doubt that the person that said Voice Attack is crap gets by just fine with his chosen play style.

 

But, for example, I like music when I fly. I say "Play a song" and voice attack does that by randomly selecting a song from a directory.

 

Or if I am in the F-14 and I want to cheat start. (OK, I'm a cheater...). No magic controller button for that one. Hotas? Yeah it would work. BUt like I said you run out of buttons and besides, I want those buttons for things that I'll need in flight.

 

Or in the F-14 and I want to bring up "Jester". I could map that button. But I'd much rather say "hey jester".

 

Or I want to center the VR view. I say "Center VR". Hotas button? I suppose. But I have better uses for mine.

 

It's all about play style. Not saying Voice attack is needed, obviously it's not. But it sure is a nifty little program that has made my flying experience, and the experience of many DCS flyers, better.

 

 

 

I just don’t get on with Voice Attack. With a good HOTAS, you never run out of buttons. With my Virpil throttle and grip, using a modifier there are hundreds of buttons/switches available, Most of which I don’t use.

But, each to his own.

[Gunnars Driver]

I use the keyboard for all F-commands:

-Reload, refuel at FARP.

- In Air refueling

-Cat launch on the carrier

-Change view,( weapons released to see it hit)

or look at the map.

Screen shots.

Recenter the VR

 

Its not that un-immersive if you ask me.

In real flight, specially night flights with NVG you cannot even see al switches because of the NVG so you learn to find them and navigate the hand by different references(also true for some daylight profiles when you dont have the time/resuorces to look when needing to föip a switch)

This can also be done on the keyboard as well and thats how I do it.

 

 

 

 

[imacken]

I have almost all these mapped to HOTAS, Same binding on each module. Just becomes automatic to hit the appropriate button!

For example, one switch does cockpit view, external view, map view, weapon released view and ground target view.

[flameoutme]

The thing is, not everyone has the same hotas. It took me years to get to a warthog for a stick. And it's probably my old feeble mind, but remembering the more obscure button commands can be an issue for me. The beauty of DCS, and the community, is that we can each find a play style that is right for each of us. I think it good you raised the issue, because we never want to infer to a new player "here is the formula" here's how it should be done. Now the user knows there are options, and some of the pros and cons.

 

All the best,

Flameoutme

[imacken]

The thing is, not everyone has the same hotas. It took me years to get to a warthog for a stick. And it's probably my old feeble mind, but remembering the more obscure button commands can be an issue for me. The beauty of DCS, and the community, is that we can each find a play style that is right for each of us. I think it good you raised the issue, because we never want to infer to a new player "here is the formula" here's how it should be done. Now the user knows there are options, and some of the pros and cons.

 

All the best,

Flameoutme

 

For sure, but I'm not talking about obscure button presses. I use the mouse in the cockpit for them, I'm talking about regularly used bindings like different views, VR reset, mission restart, zoom in/out, speedbrakes, kneepad, landing gear, radar, weapon select, brightness rotaries, HMD, master arm, AG/AA select, etc. etc.

[Lange_666]

Even if you have a HOTAS sometimes you still need to to some key stroking. But i feel that’s enormously unpractical due to the fact you need to take of the VR set every time you need something on the Keyboard. Not to mention it totally breaks immersion.

Tip: What about setting the Guardian fence just before the keyboard? You can then stick your head through and look quickly at the real world. It's black and white and kinda snowy but it might do the trick to quickly find that key (or throttle button). When done, pull your head back and your back in VR. It's about the same as when lifting the headset but you don't have to this way and pull it back down putting it back on the same place to get that sweet spot again.