MackTheKnight

Thanks for this, PeterP!. First impressions: This FoV setup feels much more natural to me than the default. The only thing that's not quite right (for me), is it feels/looks like the seat is jacked way up and I have to lower the seat in order to get the HUD on center. Without lowering the seat I can only see the bottom half of the HUD. This is a minor detail, though as it's just a button press to lower the seat. Once I get the seat where I want it, it's perfect. Nicely done, man! Rep inbound. Thanks again for all your help. -Mack

I was running an old 12" Elo via a USB to serial adapter and it worked okay in Win 7 X64. The drivers were a bit flakey on shut-downs and would sometimes bluescreen win 7, but they did work while running. I was using the latest drivers from here at the time: http://www.elotouch.com/Support/Downloads/dnld.asp They are listed as supporting Win 7. Hope you get it sorted out. -Mack

I always use a parking space for rearm/refuel for realism sake. Have never tried doing this on the runway. You can refuel/rearm with engines still running. For repairs, have the ground crew turn on ground power and then shut your engines down.

from the FAQ: ***Start copy*** Q: Why are my controls too sensitive? A: The default axis settings for the stick and be a bit touchy for some. If you feel this is the case or you. we suggest: 1- Select Options from Main Menu 2- Select Controls tab 3- From Category drop down list, select Axis Commands 4- Select Pitch for JOY Y and then press Axis Tune button 5- Set JOY Y Deadzone to 10 and Curvature to 30 6- Press Ok button 4- Select Roll for JOY X and then press Axis Tune button 5- Set JOY X Deadzone to 10 and Curvature to 30 6- Press Ok button 7- Press Ok button at bottom of screen to save changes. ****End copy*** I use a deadzone of 0 and a curvature of 23 for both pitch and roll on my HOTAS Warthog. Accuracy is amazing for me but your miliage may vary, depending on your HOTAS. I've never ripped the wings off my A10 via Over-G. Are the pots in your stick spiking? Check your joystick calibration utility to see. Also make sure you don't have any axis double-bound in the controls editor. Hope this helps, Mack

I ran into this issue too, with my two GTX 570's. There's a fairly easy fix out there. Google Nvidia Inspector. Run this little app and right click the "overclocking" button and select "multi monitor power saver" or something like that. The rest is pretty self-explanatory. Basically this app will force your power states to P12 (Low power mode), when not running a 3D app. Dropped my temps by 15 degrees when idle and fan noise is near silent as a result. The one and only downside is a slight screen flicker when changing power states, but it only happens when switching from windows desktop to a game or video. No biggie. -Mack

I would RMA your throttle with Thrustmaster. That sounds like faulty switches, to me...

I don't know if this has been mentioned yet as I've only skimmed the thread, and perhaps you've already tried it but... Have you tried using the seat height adjustment on the left hand side of the pit? I find the HUD awkward in that I can't see the heading tape until I put the seat up a tiny bit higher and then everything looks perfect.... -Mack

When I have time I'll put the details on the lua edit up here from my TH2Go setup. I think the settings for eyefinity would be the same but with a higher resolution. Edit: alright here we go. This is my LUA file from ...\config\monitorsetup\ that I used for my TH2Go setup. I assume a full screen setup with eyefinity would be similar but with a different res. 5040 X 1050 is 1680 X 1050 per screen. You get the aspect ratio by dividing width by height, so 5040/1050 = 4.8. So if you wanted to run 5760 X 1080 your aspect would = 5.33. Just change the values accordingly and you should be good. ********************** _ = function(p) return p; end; name = _('1 Screen'); Description = 'One monitor configuration' Viewports = { Center = { x = 0; y = 0; width = 5040; height = 1050; viewDx = 0; viewDy = 0; aspect = 4.8; } } ************************** That's all I recall having to setup for BlackShark. My Field of view seemed okay as I had the zoom axis bound do my controller so it was easy to zoom out to a good FoV. For A10C however I had to edit some files I found via this thread: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=68026&highlight=field+view For some reason it was a bit more fiddly with A10C but I did get it working with the help of that thread. In windowed mode the default 3 camera.lua file works perfectly and there's no messing with field of view settings at all. Hope this helps, Mack

The trick for Windows 7 is to run the game in Windowed mode. Win7/Vista doesn't allow monitor spanning like XP did. The only way around this is to use eyefinity, nvidia surround, or TH2Go. All of these solutions essentially make Windows think you have one very wide display as opposed to 3 separate screens. There are pro's and cons to all three of these solutions and if you browse that wide screen gaming forum you'll find lots of opinions. I highly recommend doing your research before purchasing, as there are some pit-falls and it can become a bit of a purchasing nightmare as one thing leads to another. In hind-sight I may have been happier with eyefinity as the Nvidia drivers are a bit of a pain. Nvidia surround will only run in SLI mode and some games suffer some major performance penalties when running in SLI. I've tried to get Nvidia surround to work on my setup but I have so far not been successful in getting all 3 of my monitors to sync correctly as the model #'s are slightly different, even though the resolutions and refresh rates are all exactly the same. I was using TH2Go for a while but as mentioned previously, I didn't like giving up my touch-screen. TH2Go was by far the easiest to setup and it worked very well. Essentially once you've chosen and gotten one of those 3 solutions working, the lua edits are fairly simple to get through. But I won't lie, it was a royal pain getting to a solution that I was satisfied with. And very expensive. I'd be happy to assist with the lua setup should you decide to bite the bullet and buy the hardware. :) -Mack

[quote=wickedfastball; My desk setup allows the devices to be plugged directly into the computer but supposedly you can use a powered USB hub. I've never tried it but have read about others that have. I use a D-Link 7 port, powered USB hub and have no issues at all. -Mack

Correct, it works quite well with track-ir and the "Fisheye" does remain in your peripheral vision. Personally I think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. As for the framerate consequences, I'm getting acceptable frame-rates with my configuration and I"m running in windowed mode because I lose the use of my touch-screen if I run NVidia Surround, as MS Windows sees the 3 screens as one in that mode and it screws up the calibration on my touch screen. (The middle screen in my setup is a touch screen that I use for toggling switches in the pit) The only thing I had to do to make this setup work was set my far left screen as my "Main" display in the nvidia display manager, and I then use the default "3 monitor" option in the DCS graphics config with a resolution of 5760 X 1080. With things setup this way my FoV is already correctly adjusted and everything works/looks perfect in both DCS A10C & DCS Blackshark. My frame-rates seldom drop below 30 FPS except in very busy battles, in DCS A10C. Blackshark is a bit less demanding so FPS rarely drops below 40 FPS. Running in full screen I cap FPS at 60 due to refresh rates and V-Sync enabled. I don't want to sacrafice my touch-screen though so windowed mode is essential for me. :) (My specs are pretty high end so your miliage may vary) Everything set to high except for water - low, civ trafic low & view distance, medium. Like others have said in other threads - once you get used to a 3 screen setup for simulations, you'll never go back. Edit: for full screen mode in eyefinity, nvidia surround or TH2Go, you have to do some more modification to LUA files to make things work. IE, edit snap views, setup a 1 camera lua file with your full screen res settings, etc. -Mack

The "fisheye" effect you guys are referring to is an unfortunate result of the way most game cameras render the field of view. Here's a great description of it and some explanations of the cause: http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=8418 Have a look around that forum as it's a great resource for multi-screen gaming discussion. I'm running 3 X 1920 x 1080, 23" screens and to be honest I don't notice the "fisheye" much at all when I'm in the heat of the simulation. Same goes for the monitor bezels. Hope this helps, Mack

I agree with all the other posters - $60.00 is a bargain. I've spent way too much money on crappy FPS games ($60.00 a pop) and don't get anywhere close to the enjoyment or longevity, as I do out of the DCS simulations. (And don't even get me started on MMO monthly subscriptions) $60.00 is a steal, imho. :)

Thanks for posting that vid - I think I'm missing something on my gun runs. When Wags fired the GAU8 there, I noticed that the nose of his plane didn't come up at all. When I fire mine the nose pitches up wildly. I use a HOTAS Warthog and I see PAC engage at the first stage of the trigger, but the nose still pitches wildly. Have I forgotten to turn something on? Thanks, Mack Edit - Sinky & Para answered my question - I was using the air-brakes. lol, thanks. +1 to you both.

Echoing everyone else here, I too have CH Throttle, Fighterstick & CH Pedals. No issues at all and build quality & feel are all top notch.

I have a CH Fighter Stick, Pro Throttle and Pro Pedals, as well as the HOTAS Warthog - I cannot fault the CH Gear - it is all top notch in build quality and I've been very happy with it. However I couldn't resist the temptation of having a replica control set for DCS: A10, along with a dual-throttle. So I went out and bought the HOTAS Warthog. I've really enjoyed having the accurate controls as it makes learning this sim much easier. Also the dual-throttles are a great blessing when it comes to managing engine issues. Yesterday I was flying a mission and took some fire from a T55 that caused my right engine to over-heat. I was able to reduce power quite quicly and re-adjust trim. I think if I"d only had a single axis throttle at the time, I would have crashed and burned. So far it seems I've been lucky as I"ve had it for 4 months and have had no issues at all. I hope I haven't jinxed myself here. I also prefer the higher tension springs in the Warthog as it feels more precise then the very light touch and long throw of the CH Fighter Stick. As for quality difference, well obviously the CH wins from reputation alone. I've had my CH Gear for a few years and have had zero issues. It all works as good as the day I bought it. At this point I can't fault either one, but to be honest I feel alot more confident in the build quality of my CH gear and I know I will continue to use it for years to come with no issues. I still use it in blackshark and other sims. As for the CH being more expensive having to buy them separately, you can buy a CH Pro Throttle and Fighter stick for around $300.00 which is less than the Warthog. Mower - check out NCIX as they are one of the few vendors in Canada that can get CH Products gear AFAIK. They have the Fighter stick for $129.99 and the Pro Throttle for $129.99. So there ya go - $259.99 plus tax. =D http://www.ncix.com/search/index.php?categoryid=0&q=CH+Products For what it's worth, I hope my opinion helps someone, Mack

I too am interested in ordering some to protect my precious...:greedy::wacko:

I got a triplehead2go recently and set it up with 3 23" LCD screens. It takes a bit of setting up, especially to get the field of view just right. And some games don't support it. But for flight sims, I can't see ever going back to a single screen. It just adds a whole new level of immersion to the experiance, having some peripheral vision. As for the bezels being a problem, once you get focussed on the sim you don't really notice them at all. Especially if you have bezel compensation enabled. Here's a good read about bezels and gaming with 3 screens, that I think best describes the experiance: http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=8418 I tried NVidia surround, but wasn't happy with the way Nvidia has done it. You need at least 2 vid cards to get 3 screens running. 3 vid cards if you want to add a 4th "accessory" display. TH2Go seems to work the best from my experiance. I have 3 bottom screens and one top touch-screen which I"ll eventually use with Helios when I purchase it. Bottom screens are running at 5040 X 1050 with no issues and decent FPS. I'll never go back to 1 screen, that's for certain. :pilotfly: Only downside for me is the amount of space such a setup takes up. Here's a couple pics to give you an idea: Hope this helps, Mack

You're not alone - I've never had an issue with mine - slew works like a dream....

I run 3 23" LCD screens for a total resolution of 5040 X 1050 (1680X1050 per screen), over TH2Go, on a Geforce GTX570, with no performance issues and an amazing field of view.

I use the Astro AC30. Great quality and comfort. It's the only headset I've found to date that doesn't make my ears hurt after long sessions, due to the way the ear cups can be adjusted tension wise... http://www.astrogaming.com/products/detail/78/A30-Headset/

how about "Indecisive"

if it has standard vesa mounting holes in the back (very few monitors don't have this), pretty much any VESA compatible monitor mount should work with it. Maybe you could even use a wall mount, if your desk is close to a wall. I picked a couple up on Ebay for $20.00. For example: http://cgi.ebay.ca/15-20-monitor-LCD-flat-screen-panel-vesa-wall-mount-b03-/130402432473?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e5c9735d9 If you're dead set on having a desk stand/mount, something like this would work: http://cgi.ebay.ca/LCD-TV-Monitor-Desk-Mount-19-20-21-22-23-24-VESA-/330498342550?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cf33c7e96 They just clamp to the top of your desk. Hope this gives you some ideas, if nothing else... -Mack

Gigabyte EX58A-UD3R Intel X58 (Socket 1366) for me. Rev 1, firmware F6. No issues, knock on wood...

Here are a few sites I order from all the time when it comes to computer components: http://www.onhop.ca/ http://www.tigerdirect.ca/ http://www.newegg.ca/ http://www.extremegamingdevices.com/ I've had personal experiance buying from all of them and had no issues at all. So Canada's not all bad.... ;) Although I can't argue some things are hard to find and our prices suck compared to our US counter-parts. Even with the CAD on par with the USD. :( Edit: Sorry for going OT.