the_soupdragon Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 I know that TIR4 works with Black Shark, but does anyone use the Freetrack software? If so how does it work? As a freetrack user I am interested to know. Cheers SD [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeyCat Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 (edited) Soupdragon, sorry I can't give you an answer about FreeTrack but I'm sure someone will. I have a related question I haven't found answer to... Will DCS: Black Shark work with the older TrackIR 1 and TrackIR 2 (of course only with 2DOF and not 6DOF)? /KC Edited October 23, 2008 by KeyCat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FVMAD Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 I know that TIR4 works with Black Shark, but does anyone use the Freetrack software? If so how does it work? As a freetrack user I am interested to know. Cheers SD BS doesn't support FT. But one of the testers got FT and uses it in BS through PPjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fireship4 Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 Was this a conscious decision, as it is supported by LOMAC? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qrazi Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 As far as I know, FreeTrack use the TrackIR protocol of a game. So if a game supports TrackIR, it is most likely to work without problems with FreeTrack. edit: Just had a look at http://www.free-track.com, and let me quote them: FreeTrack can output head tracking data directly using TrackIR™, SimConnect and FSUIPC interfaces, programs that support these interfaces are regarded as having FreeTrack support. General input devices can also be emulated, specifically mouse, keyboard, and joystick (via PPJoy). MSI 870A-G54, AMD Phenom II X2 555 @Phenom II X4 B55 BE, 3.2 GHz quad-core, Asus EAH4870 DK/HTDI/512MD5, OCZ Gold Edition DDR3 1333MHz 4GB Kit Low-Voltage. Budget = Cheap = Good :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boberro Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 If now BS doesn't support FT, wait a while, then it will. I am sure there won't be NaturalPoint monopoly in BS. Reminder: Fighter pilots make movies. Bomber pilots make... HISTORY! :D | Also to be remembered: FRENCH TANKS HAVE ONE GEAR FORWARD AND FIVE BACKWARD :D ಠ_ಠ ツ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeyCat Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Anyone know about the older TrackIR 1 and TrackIR 2? The reason why I ask is that M$ FSX doesn't support these at all and it would be a real shame if DCS: BS followed the same route M$ devs took... /KC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarrion Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 (edited) naturalpoint are encrypting the tracking data now, for new trackir games. so that means no direct freetrack support and no trackir1/2 support. ppjoy can be used as an alternative until someone hacks it. i don't understand why developers are being forced to use an encrypted trackir interface because freetrack has its own interface and it supports trackir as well. the very idea of an encrypted interface in a flightsim is absurd, even microsoft uses an open interface (simconnect). PS microsoft has nothing to do with trackir support in fsx, naturalpoint only added support for fsx in their latest software which doesn't work with trackir1/2 Edited October 24, 2008 by Quarrion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qrazi Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 Really? I didn't know that.... Too bad, because it is going to be a long time before I can invest in TrackIR..... Sigh, I guess the PPJoy route will have to do for a while.... MSI 870A-G54, AMD Phenom II X2 555 @Phenom II X4 B55 BE, 3.2 GHz quad-core, Asus EAH4870 DK/HTDI/512MD5, OCZ Gold Edition DDR3 1333MHz 4GB Kit Low-Voltage. Budget = Cheap = Good :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sobek Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 i don't understand why developers are being forced to use an encrypted trackir interface because freetrack has its own interface and it supports trackir as well. (simconnect). To give them sort of a monopoly? Good, fast, cheap. Choose any two. Come let's eat grandpa! Use punctuation, save lives! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sobek Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 Sigh, I guess the PPJoy route will have to do for a while.... What's so bad about PPJoy? Good, fast, cheap. Choose any two. Come let's eat grandpa! Use punctuation, save lives! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FVMAD Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 What's so bad about PPJoy? not runnig under Vista, especially x64 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_soupdragon Posted October 24, 2008 Author Share Posted October 24, 2008 naturalpoint are encrypting the tracking data now, for new trackir games. so that means no direct freetrack support and no trackir1/2 support. ppjoy can be used as an alternative until someone hacks it. So I take it that Black Shark has this encryption? Shame, but could ED not put in some sort of veiw system like in LOMAC? SD [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qrazi Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 What's so bad about PPJoy? Honestly, no experience, but somehow emulating a joystick seems to me as a second-best option, compared to using a native TrackIR interface... Then again, it is probably better then using what I do now: use the joystick Hat switch.... MSI 870A-G54, AMD Phenom II X2 555 @Phenom II X4 B55 BE, 3.2 GHz quad-core, Asus EAH4870 DK/HTDI/512MD5, OCZ Gold Edition DDR3 1333MHz 4GB Kit Low-Voltage. Budget = Cheap = Good :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doggy Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 Sorry, but this seems like ED affiliates with TrackIR/Natural point and there is an intention to prefer their product. If not, can someone from ED team explain why the FreeTrack is not supported even if it has TrackIR compatibility? There is a dozen games out that support TrackIR as well as FreeTrack. Why BS not? Thanks [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] C2D E4500@3GHz + Scythe Katana , 2GB/800, GF9600GT@720 (GV-NX96T512HP), Cyborg Evo, Freetrack (2.2), Samsung 20" @1680x1050, Fortron BSII 400W (peak 430W), Win7 HP x64 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qrazi Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 How about ED puts it on their to-do list, and focuses on the western release of DCS:BS for now? :D MSI 870A-G54, AMD Phenom II X2 555 @Phenom II X4 B55 BE, 3.2 GHz quad-core, Asus EAH4870 DK/HTDI/512MD5, OCZ Gold Edition DDR3 1333MHz 4GB Kit Low-Voltage. Budget = Cheap = Good :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeyCat Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 (edited) naturalpoint are encrypting the tracking data now, for new trackir games. so that means no direct freetrack support and no trackir1/2 support. If this is true ED/TFC lost me as a customer for DCS: BS as well as the rest of the DCS series! Where did you get this information from, ED/TFC? Why should I have to buy a new TrackIR 4 for USD ~200 when I have a fully functional (albiet old) TrackIR 2 that works perfectly fine in ArmA/LO:FC/F4/IL-2 and other simulators (in 2DOF only of course)? And alienating all FreeTrack users also sounds very wierd, this makes no sense and I really hope you are wrong. Guess we will find out when the demo arrives but I hope someone from ED/TFC care to comment (confirm/deny) this issue before that.... PS microsoft has nothing to do with trackir support in fsx, naturalpoint only added support for fsx in their latest software which doesn't work with trackir1/2 I was told otherwise by Naturalpoint??? I was informed that this was a decision made by the MS FSX developers. /KC Edited October 24, 2008 by KeyCat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarrion Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 "Black Shark uses a new method for interfacing with the TrackIR, this requires version 4.1.036 of the TrackIR software. We are always working to improve the software and how it interfaces with games. TrackIR 2 models are supported by the 3.x software which was the current version available when they were shipping, they are not compatible with the 4.x software. I believe the 3.x software has been able to take advantage of a number of titles released over the last couple years though." http://forum.naturalpoint.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=33152#Post33152 i find 'we are always working to improve the software and how it interfaces with games' part pretty amusing considering they are doing the opposite. fsx developers made simconnect, open interface anyone can use, it was naturalpoint's decision to only support it in v4 software. naturalpoint would argue that if the developers had used the trackir interface it would automatically be compatible with trackir1/2, which is true, BUT, it was naturalpont's decision to make trackir1/2 incompatible with v4 trackir software in the first place and not to update it anymore. fsx developers did the right thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_soupdragon Posted October 24, 2008 Author Share Posted October 24, 2008 Seems to be in NP's policy to make users of older TIR units buy new gear or miss out on new releases. Pretty piss poor attitude if you ask me. Surely it couldn't be that hard to build some kind of redunency into the new software to at least allow users of older equipment to use it in a limited capacity. :joystick: I still have an old TIR v1 lying around that I had to discard due to just this type of thing. Booo to NP :mad: [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeyCat Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 (edited) Quarrion, thanks for pointing out the source and clarifying! So I guess thats it for me and all other TIR1/TIR2/FreeTrack users then!? Since I find it more than ridiculous that NP tries to "force" an upgrade to TIR4 I will do the only thing I can do and vote with my wallet! In the end both NP and ED/TFC seems to have lost me as a customer... I thought theese companies had been in the PC business long enough to understand the value of keeping backward compability for HW like this? So whats coming next? Do we have to upgrade to the latest HOTAS to be able to use analog rudders (or whatever), or maybe TIR5, for each new sim we buy? As it wasn't enough money already to cope with the CPU's/GPU's/RAM "rat race" to be able to enjoy new sims at OK framerates???? Unfortunately, with this and the debated choice of DRM I can't help thinking that ED/TFC keep shooting themself in their foot over and over again... One more question/reflection tho... How come the developers of ArmA (BIS) managed to support both older TIR1/TIR2 2DOF models as well as the newer TIR3/TIR4 6DOF models in ArmA (thats the way it should be in all sims)? /KC Edited October 24, 2008 by KeyCat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doggy Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 ...good point KeyCat [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] C2D E4500@3GHz + Scythe Katana , 2GB/800, GF9600GT@720 (GV-NX96T512HP), Cyborg Evo, Freetrack (2.2), Samsung 20" @1680x1050, Fortron BSII 400W (peak 430W), Win7 HP x64 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shemi Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 I support KeyCat :noexpression: [LEFT][SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] [/LEFT] [LEFT][COLOR=RoyalBlue][SIZE=3][B]=2ИАЕ=[/B][/SIZE][/COLOR] [/LEFT] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prophet Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 Sounds like an anti-trust lawsuit waiting to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeyCat Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 (edited) Sounds like an anti-trust lawsuit waiting to happen. ED (as well as NP) are free to do what they want, it's their decisions! As a customer I'm just stating my personal opinion and voting with my personal wallet and if more disappointed TIR1/TIR2/FreeTrack owners decides to do that they will eventually get the message. But to me it seems very strange that ED/TFC as a (hardcore) simulator developer are limiting their own customer base (which is already quite small I guess!?) by making such decisions. /KC Edited October 24, 2008 by KeyCat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarrion Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 ED (as well as NP) are free to do what they want, it's their decisions! as long as it's not anti-competitive... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts