NaLo Tracking Issues/Exaggerated Foot Movements With Vive Trackers/Walking in Place?

[fredisreallydead]

I've recently (within the past three days) setup NaLo with a set of two HTC Vive tracker pucks, strapped to my ankles and I am using the Walk in Place beta track. I've tested this with several games (FallOut 4, Gorn, The Forrest and Unknightly) and I've found in all of these games that I really have to lift my leg up high, in an exaggerated fashion, and then bring it down in order for this to register as a step. This is very much like an overly exaggerated march step.

I've also found that foot movement doesn't always register as a step the first time (thus, I'll take a step but I won't actually move forward until I repeat the process). This seems to happen whether I am trying to take big steps or small.

I've run calibration successfully in all cases and I've made sure my game controller settings match those of the notes in the profile. Is this normal and has anyone else in the beta track with the Vive pucks experienced anything similar?

Are there any settings I should look at tweaking or any tips to improve the functionality of how these are tracking or so that lighter footsteps (more akin to how one would normally take a step when walking) registers? My experience seems very much opposite to some of the videos the developer has posted on their YouTube channel, which makes me wonder what may be different in my setup.

I have a fairly decent playspace area and lighthouses that are mounted 7' on the walls with no occlusions in my play space. The trackers themselves don't appear to be losing tracking at any point, regardless of the direction I am facing.

I have also tried re-running the NaLo calibration sequence, in game, using the two home button key press, to no real avail.

I haven't had any problems with the NaLo setup using arm swinging (which works fantastically).

Thanks much and Happy New Year!

FredIsReallyDead

[Myou cat]

Thank you very much for your feedback!

It seems this happens to a few of you. I need to make a build to record movements so I can analyze them. In the mean time, could you make a video?

Thanks and happy new year to you too!

[fredisreallydead]

Hi Myou,

Thanks and sorry for the delay. I’ll try and get a video posted soon to show you what is happening.

Originally posted by Myou cat:

Thank you very much for your feedback!

It seems this happens to a few of you. I need to make a build to record movements so I can analyze them. In the mean time, could you make a video?

Thanks and happy new year to you too!

[fredisreallydead]

Hi Myou, I've uploaded two videos to my Twitch that will hopefully give you some idea of what I'm experiencing using the feet sensors (HTC tracking pucks). The first is extremely low quality as I tried to stream from OBS directly to Twitch and my settings obviously weren't set correctly to output a high resolution video. The webcam footage is pretty visible there but the game footage is pretty rough.

The second video should be a little better for both webcam and game footage.

https://www.twitch.tv/imdbfredisreallydead/videos

I'd summerize my experiences as such. In some sessions I've found that I can only move by using exaggerated stepping motions and not by taking normal size steps. This time I around I found that for the most part I could take more normal sized steps but the tracking was very inconsistent in that the tracking often suddenly stopped detection/forward movement and it took an exaggerated step (lifting of my leg and putting it down again, hard) to move forward again, which often then lunged me forward further than I was expecting. During battles (none of which I demonstrated in the video) I especially noticed the sudden lack of mobility and movement. The tracking of changing from fast to slow and stopping seemed to register as expected tonight, for the most part.

What are you thoughts on what is happening here?

Thanks much,

fredisreallydead

[Myou cat]

We're seeing several things right away:

• Bad tracking. The calibration sounds with trackers should be exactly one per step (do-mi-sol-do) without weird overlaps. If that doesn't happen something's causing bad tracking.
  
• You have a window of a chimney or whatever that is, with a glass pane. That would never be an issue with headset and hands, but it can probably reflect a lighthouse to the floor.
  
• If you put the trackers facing outwards they may have less occlusion.
  
• Fallout 4 VR has some areas with bad collisions and that is one of them, so it can be confusing when testing bad tracking. We got stuck at that door too.

Thank you for the videos!

[fredisreallydead]

Thanks Myou, I’ll try covering the fireplace glass tomorrow (that was what you saw in the broadcast video but was out of frame of the webcam in the uploaded video) to see if that helps. Outside covering the reflective surface are there any other tips for improving tracking with these sensors? I’d noticed I had trouble with the calibration piece tonight but I didn’t know the reason why.

The second lighthouse is mounted exactly caddy-corner from the first and when I checked through Steam VR I had full coverage from both lighthouses in my play area (2.9m (9.5’) x 2.6m (8.5’)) and I didn’t have any obvious occlusions (although these sensors are admittedly much lower to the ground than the hand sensors).

I’m also curious about the sensor facing outwards statement. Currently I have the sensors strapped so that the sensors themselves are on the front of my ankles. Is this what you meant in terms of facing outwards or did you mean something different? Maybe having these facing outwards from the side of each ankle?

I’ll try these things tomorrow and will report back.

I’ll also give The Forrest another try tomorrow with the feet sensors, since it’s a little more open space in places and I believe it has less bad collisions or I’ll try a more open area in Fallout.

Thanks much for taking the time to look at the video and to write back with your impressions.

fredisreallydead

[Myou cat]

Yes, I meant facing to the sides. But it's probably very little difference (if at all), the reflection is likely to be the culprit.

Also busy USB ports may be an issue. Have the tracker dongles on a hub only for them and try different USB ports.

[fredisreallydead]

Hi Myou,

I covered the fireplace with a blanket and the lower media cabinet glass inserts on the door with some white sheets of computer paper. The tracking was much better but not perfect all the way through. It felt very responsive the first half of the game play but somewhere about half way into my two hour play the tracking started to become unresponsive again, and I’m not sure why.

However, the calibration and recalibration, this time worked perfectly with a do me sol do and a finish without any issues.

I also tried the sensors on the outside of my legs this time but I couldn’t tell if this, itself, made any difference.

I for sure believe reflections were part of the initial problem and I’m not sure what caused additional problems tonight for the second half of the game play.

I played just Fallout 4 VR tonight but I was mostly outside where there were less objects with possibly weird shaped colliders.

fredisreallydead

[Manhattan]

Originally posted by Myou cat:

Thank you very much for your feedback!

It seems this happens to a few of you. I need to make a build to record movements so I can analyze them. In the mean time, could you make a video?

Thanks and happy new year to you too!

Hey. I'm using the Demo version of the software and I'm going to buy the full version if everything works. Could you help me with a problem I'm having? I send you a friend request.