VR Tips & Tricks

[Sneaksie(RUS)]

Here are some tips & tricks you may already know that will help set up your VR for IL-2 (but it may be useful for other games).

IL-2 Sturmovik uses Open VR interface, meaning you need to have Steam VR application installed on your PC. If you have HTC Vive, it is already installed (or you won't be able to use it in other games). However, if you have Oculus Rift, you may or may not have it installed. So, the first step would be installing Steam, logging into your Steam account and installing Steam VR from Steam store.

Run Steam VR to set up your Oculus Rift there: run Room Setup. Make sure it works fine for you in Steam VR tutorial. HTC Vive users have this set up already.

Run IL-2 Sturmovik. If Oculus Home and Steam VR applications are not active, it should launch them by itself. When the game loads, your HMD should be working already and you should see the VR image from one of the eye screens on your regular monitor. Oculus Home and Steam VR windows may obscure the IL-2 window on your regular monitor so minimize them and click on IL-2 Sturmovik window to return focus to it (that's how Windows works)

If you launch IL-2 and VR mode doesn't kick in, make sure that Steam VR (and Oculus Home if you have Oculus Rift) are installed and configured properly, and/or launch them manually before starting the game. If VR still won't kick in, go to graphics settings of the game and check that 'Use VR HMD' option is on. While you're at it, note the new graphics options there: Sharpen and Dynamic resolution factor.

Sharpen is a post process visual filter that makes everything, well, sharper. This is especially useful to increase clarity in VR so you could read your 'real' cockpit instruments better, but it gives good results if you want a crisper picture while playing on a regular monitor as well. It has little impact on the performance, so try it and see if you like the new look.

Dynamic resolution factor is a new method for keeping your frames per second (FPS) steady. Its value can be set from 0.5 (half the original resolution) to 1.0 (full resolution). If you set it to 1.0, you'll be turning it off and everything will work as before. If you set it to a lower value, you're telling the game it's Ok to degrade the rendering quality to this value to keep the FPS close to the value you set in Target FPS drop-down list here. So if you set Target FPS to 144 and Dynamic resolution factor to 0.5, the game will lower the rendering quality up to 0.5 of the original resolution trying to keep that high frame rate you specified. You can experiment with these values to find out what FPS you can achieve on your PC without degrading the visual quality too much. On a regular monitor, quality degradation is more apparent than in VR HMD, so this feature is especially useful for VR.

Please note, that Target FPS value is ignored in VR - it is set to HMD refresh rate (90 FPS or 45 FPS when it is lower than 90 and HMD driver automatically engages ASW if you're using Oculus and Reprojection for Vive). You can Google what these technologies do - basically, they generate new frames depending on previous ones to show you if PC performance level is insufficient to output 90 FPS. Target FPS parameter is also ignored if you use a regular monitor and check V-Sync option here - in this case it ties to your monitor refresh rate.

Another settings screen, Camera settings, include another new option - Limit VR view. When it is on, your virtual head won't be able outside cockpit or inside the instruments panel. While it makes perfect sense, it may be uncomfortable in VR - when your real head continues to move (there is nothing to stop it at your home unless you go too far and hit a wall or your PC), but your virtual head in the cockpit stops because it just hit a canopy, you may have a dizzy feeling. It should be noted that other sims don't have the limited VR view at all, but in IL-2 you can turn this on or off. This option will be ignored (the view will be limited) if Allow spectators option is turned off in difficulty settings (for example, on Expert difficulty multiplayer servers) to prevent cheating.

Now, there are special commands in Camera controls that you'll be using a lot in VR. First one is Default VR view - you can use it to set up a default view. If you're off to the side in the cockpit, look straight in front of view and press this button (Numpad 5 by default) - you'll be positioned in the center behind the gunsight.

Another command is VR camera zoom (hold). This is a special zoom button for VR, press and hold this button and you'll get 2X magnification to spot distant objects. It may cause nausea if you keep the button pressed and turn your head, beware.

Another tip we can give you to improve the performance is turning the in-game HUD off (H key). VR provides unique ability to read 'real' cockpit instruments at a glance, so try to use it! It can give you a huge performance boost, especially in complex missions with many objects. With HUD turned off, you can still see object markers (press I key to turn them on).

Setting the resolution in game settings to a low setting like 1024x768 or even less may significantly improve your perfrormance in VR (VR resolution is fixed and won't change, but the game will spend less time drawing its window on the monitor).

When you look down in the cockpit, you'll see a blue ring. This is Steam VR safety feature called chaperone boundaries so we can't turn it off in the game. You can turn it by editing a certain file on your PC (maybe it will be made easier in the future), Google 'turn off chaperone boundaries'.

Some of our beta testers complained that they see some objects (for example, gunsight reticle) in double vision. There can be several reasons for it, so here are what you can do if you experience this:

1) First of all, make sure your inter-pupil distance is set up correctly. Its control is located on the right of your HMD. Adjust it so the on-screen tip shows your inter-pupil distance correctly (you know its value if you use glasses).
2) Second, understand that playing in VR is completely different to playing on a regular flat screen, even if you're accustomed to Track IR or Freetrack. Objects have different depths, you can focus either on close objects or on distant ones, like in real life. If you focus on the cockpit elements or gunsight body, its reticle will be in double vision as well as a target you're trying to hit (collimator reticle is a virtual distant object). When you're aiming at an enemy aircraft or ground vehicle, focus your eyes on it, then the reticle should be in focus as well (but your canopy and gunsight body will be in a double vision like they will be in such situation in the real life).
3) Third, position your head correctly - your dominant eye should be behind the reticle. You can do this naturally just by moving your head in VR.
4) Fourth, this is a highly subjective issue. Some of the users (and us developers) don't have any problems while using an aiming sight, some resolved them when they accustomed to playing a sim in VR and for some nothing we could adjust helped. This is a highly specialized problem for VR genre - in a usual VR game the developers keep the user from this issue by avoiding situations when you have very close and distant objects at once, but this is impossible in a combat flight sim where a pilot constantly needs to switch focus from close instruments to distant targets. If you have this problem no matter what, it may be best to close one eye and aim with your dominant eye only. You'll lose stereo perception so it isn't ideal, but many people aim their guns this way and do fine.

We spent much time to implement the VR support. We hope you'll like the result and the new immersion level it gives to virtual pilots! See you in the sky!

[Kuban8]

'...for rudders, I recommend MFG...'

I've got the VKB rudder pedals. Love 'em cuz they don't move around when input's applied since you're pressing down with your foot rather than pressing away with your foot, so I'm guessing the VKB setup moves around less on a smooth surface...? Plus, they're a solid piece of kit, ain't no cheap plastic here!

[edbert]

This is the rudder set I ordered...
https://virpil-controls.eu/vpc-ace-collection-pedals.html

[Kuban8]

Good! I've heard that VIRPIL makes a solid product too...top of the line (but expensive...still way cheaper though than buying a real WW2 warbird & learning to fly it!)

[-OrLoK- Слава Україн]

ooh, sexy rudders!

My MFG are modded with a couple of bits of velcro now they rest on carpet. No sliding for me :)

Id love to be rich enough to test them all out :)

[edbert]

When I purchased my Cougar (one of the 1st 200 special orders) and paid several hundred everyone thought it was exorbitant. Several years later I replaced gimbals and pots with new titanium mechanics and hall-effect sensors, at a cost roughly equal to the original set.

But that was ~20 years ago. $400 then is not that much different than $1,200 today, and the $1,200 includes those ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥' rudders when the Cougar was stick and throttle... so...HAPPY.

(my calculation of the inflation is based on a new Camry/Accord/Ranger compared to today)


EDIT: We'll see how happy I am 60 days later when nothing has shipped. Backorders for simracing gear can be 6 months. Only time will tell.

[-OrLoK- Слава Україн]

oooh a fellow limited Cougar owner! o7

[unknown]

I personally haven't found any rudder pedals on the market that I was satisfied with tbh. Now I am looking to get pedals that match the actual weight and feel of an airplane and that is one of the big things that really has nto bee perfected yet. At least not with the stuff thats on the market. I found the mfg's to be a bit too light for me personally and definatly slides around on carpet without velcrow.

The vkb pedals are nice. I think they are some of the best on the market. But they are designed like helecopter pedals so they don't have toe brakes and have more of a gas pedal style movement as opposed to the aircraft sliding movement.

The Redbird and TPR pedals may as well be the same thing. Same cost and both good, but again not stiff enough. I will get that thrustmaster pedals will stick to the floor and their pengulum design was smart thinking in terms of sliding, but not anywhere near the feel of a real aircraft

The Virpil pedals have an issue with weight distribution. Or in other words they are a very wide pedal, but the base that they are on is not wide enough for them so they are not very stable. This is easily fixed with a sheet of plywood, but I honestly would rather them just send you a proper sized base for the size of the pedals. They also are a bit lightweight in terms of feel, but that is an issue with literally every single pedal set on the market.

I have literally owned just about all gear sets in my life which sadly was due to me buying the wrong gear to start with. The vkb, mfg, redbird, thrustmaster tpr pedals, and virpil pedals are all good an you cannot go wrong with any of them. I'd stay away from logitech or saitek (friends don't let friends buy saitek). And while the CH products pedals lasted me a long time, the price difference between them and the vkb pedals really doesn't justify the price. I mean with the VKB pedal price I really cannot say I can justify any of the lower end pedals due to the cost to performance. I mean why buy junk when you can spend 50 bucks more and get pedals that will last you decades and perform exactly as desired.

[-OrLoK- Слава Україн]

Well, I suppose its good to know that all those pedals are kinda "equal" in that bracket.

Toe brakes were why I went with MFG and I've got zero ragrets buying them.

Ive got several Saitek bits/panels but are all overpriced and under built. I too don't recommend them at normal retail price.

I got all mine in sales and still don't think they were cost effective.

but we've veered the thread a little off topic.

Does any one have *current* VR tips? is Open Compisite still superior to Steam VR?

any gfx settings known to drop fps?

there's so many new settings its hard to keep up (which isn't a bad thing!)

[unknown]

-OrLoK- a écrit :

Well, I suppose its good to know that all those pedals are kinda "equal" in that bracket.

Toe brakes were why I went with MFG and I've got zero ragrets buying them.

Ive got several Saitek bits/panels but are all overpriced and under built. I too don't recommend them at normal retail price.

I got all mine in sales and still don't think they were cost effective.

but we've veered the thread a little off topic.

Does any one have *current* VR tips? is Open Compisite still superior to Steam VR?

any gfx settings known to drop fps?

there's so many new settings its hard to keep up (which isn't a bad thing!)

OH woops. Didn't realize this was the tips and trick thread.

Well the big one imo is to use the medium preset and turn specific aspects up to high.

Also if you can get a headset with a 120 hertz mode with the game capped at 60. If you use some kind of smoothing like repojection or asycronized space warp or whatever your headset allows for the game runs fantastic.

Today's computers are perfectly capable of getting a consistant 60 in vr, but not a consistant 90 or even a consistant 80. 70 is also doable with a higher end pc. And anyone with a wmr headst who has put it into 60hz mode will note that it is smooth at that refresh rate, however the issue with 60 hertz mode is bright colorsa like white kind of have this micro flicker which does cause some sickness. It really gives me a headache, but reprojection ensures that this effect doesn't occure while still having the performance benefits of of 60.

Going down to 45 is really just too low of a framerate for vr and for reprojection its just too far off and results in image distortion that isn't noticed in the 60 to 120 reprojection modes.

[-OrLoK- Слава Україн]

hmmm i have a quest which i think the max hz is 100, ill see if it has any issues.

45 (for me) is the lowest i want if in combat.

[unknown]

-OrLoK- a écrit :

hmmm i have a quest which i think the max hz is 100, ill see if it has any issues.

45 (for me) is the lowest i want if in combat.

I honestly think 45 is too low for this game. the gunsite gets all jittery at that framerate

[Overseer]

Devs please help: When I play in VR, with the mouse and keyboard, the vr view only works about half of the time, maybe less. What I mean is: When I start a mission in VR, I will be able to look around with my headset, but the second I move my mouse, the view snaps to the mouse cursor and follows it around. Sometimes, the game works great, and I can use the mouse to steer while looking around in vr, without the view snapping to the mouse. Please fix this. If my view snaps to the mouse, the only thing I can do is restart the mission and hope the view corrects itself. I have seen multiple people post this problem, but I don't think the devs are even aware it exists. Please fix. I have uninstalled the game because this problem is too annoying and I've wasted hours trying to fix it. Until it is fixed I will play VTOL. I really want this game to work but it is so broken right now in vr that it isn't worth the time.

[unknown]

JackBurton a écrit :

Devs please help: When I play in VR, with the mouse and keyboard, the vr view only works about half of the time, maybe less. What I mean is: When I start a mission in VR, I will be able to look around with my headset, but the second I move my mouse, the view snaps to the mouse cursor and follows it around. Sometimes, the game works great, and I can use the mouse to steer while looking around in vr, without the view snapping to the mouse. Please fix this. If my view snaps to the mouse, the only thing I can do is restart the mission and hope the view corrects itself. I have seen multiple people post this problem, but I don't think the devs are even aware it exists. Please fix. I have uninstalled the game because this problem is too annoying and I've wasted hours trying to fix it. Until it is fixed I will play VTOL. I really want this game to work but it is so broken right now in vr that it isn't worth the time.

Interesting issue. I mean mouse and keyboard support has pretty much been completely abandoned. So I doubt anyone actually tested it. Seems to me that you need to unbind the mouse from the view movement commands in the controls

[Overseer]

unknown a écrit :

JackBurton a écrit :

Devs please help: When I play in VR, with the mouse and keyboard, the vr view only works about half of the time, maybe less. What I mean is: When I start a mission in VR, I will be able to look around with my headset, but the second I move my mouse, the view snaps to the mouse cursor and follows it around. Sometimes, the game works great, and I can use the mouse to steer while looking around in vr, without the view snapping to the mouse. Please fix this. If my view snaps to the mouse, the only thing I can do is restart the mission and hope the view corrects itself. I have seen multiple people post this problem, but I don't think the devs are even aware it exists. Please fix. I have uninstalled the game because this problem is too annoying and I've wasted hours trying to fix it. Until it is fixed I will play VTOL. I really want this game to work but it is so broken right now in vr that it isn't worth the time.

Interesting issue. I mean mouse and keyboard support has pretty much been completely abandoned. So I doubt anyone actually tested it. Seems to me that you need to unbind the mouse from the view movement commands in the controls

I suppose I will buy a HOTAS setup. Just thought it was an odd issue.

[unknown]

JackBurton a écrit :

unknown a écrit :

Interesting issue. I mean mouse and keyboard support has pretty much been completely abandoned. So I doubt anyone actually tested it. Seems to me that you need to unbind the mouse from the view movement commands in the controls

I suppose I will buy a HOTAS setup. Just thought it was an odd issue.

You could also try it on a gaming controller if you are not sure. I am not saying you need to go out and buy yourself an expensive hotas. I mean it IS the best way to go, but if you haven't gotten much play time as a result of a bug it may not be worth doing until you know that this game is something you are really interested in. I have known more than a few people who play exclusively with an xbox controller and while its not as accurate, it does work.