Wicked.-

I've been in sales successfully for 30 years. We have sayings like "sell the sizzle, not the steak", or "bait and switch" or "tell the truth but not the whole truth" (unless you're asked specifically). I mention this to all of you crying "Early Access"!!! It's clear to me that "Early Access" is the gender neutral replacement term for Ponzi Scheme. In a reply to a reddit post recently the CEO stated clearly that ED cannot survive as a company without the early access program. What he did not mention is the ever mounting backlog of features customers are still waiting to receive for modules purchased 4 years ago. With every EA release that backlog grows. I'm not dissapointed with the EA Viper release, after two years of flying VR exclusively with an ED product I knew it would be bare bones. I didn't care, I wanted to fly the Viper in VR. What I am dissapointed in is how we the purchasers of these half baked modules are treated. I've been a part of the community of that other Viper sim for 20 years. I would gladly give them a thousand bucks cash or pay a $100 per month subscription fee if I thought for a second it would help them implement VR. Why? Because they are miracle workers. Because they care about the product. Because they are the Benchmark. For ten years everyone said you couldn't export MFD's, gauges etc., then they figured out how to do it. The challenge of implementing VR to a 20 year old software is exponentially harder but if they figure it out, do you really see anyone being loyal to a company that takes your money and then redicules you for being a sucker? No, the only thing that keeps me around DCS is VR. The very second I have another option I'm gone. Why in the world would anyone give their money to a company that treats them with contempt? Well, I'm off to pick up a new drum set! In case I'm banned, its been fun!

Can confirm, it works with NVInspector.

Cool video that shows how much the SSC actually moves. The pilot states 1/4" and demonstrates it by moving it around. My FSSB3L and F16SGRH bend close to the exact amount of deflection as the stick in the video. The Video also gives a good idea of the size of the pit for IPD adjustments in VR.

I don't know for a fact it's the highest res it can display but it's the highest res I've ever flown with on a 70" 4KUHD tv. It's not the game that is the limiting factor but the video card that sets the limit. If the video card tells DCS it can do 5K resolution then DCS can do 5K.

You might post the question on the FSSB thread as well in Input/Output. I know I didn't do a good job explaining it. My problem with the 18 even when I dialed it in was when trapping. Everywhere else it was fine. It mainly has to do with the fact that the 18 has a traditional stick and rudder feel even though it's FBW to an extent as well. When you pull the stick back, forward or side to side, there is a slight lag before the surfaces move and then the jet. It's kind of like a buffer that keeps you from over doing it. The FSSB3 doesn't have any lag by default, when you put enough pressure to break free of center, the input is instantaneous. This means you have to balance out the pressure it took to break center with an equall amount of pressure to then move the surfaces. Otherwise the break free pressure will overdo the pressure needed to move the wing surfaces making the aircraft bounce for lack of a better word. When I say "stick and rudder" I mean you need to stay in control of the jet. Whether by using stick adjustments or trim. The Viper does most of that for you and so does the Mirage. For instance, if you roll the Mirage and stop studdenly, it will stop. It does not need to be corrected back the other way to stop the roll. Same for the Viper but slightly less so than the Mirage. With the Hornet you'd have to correct back the other way. So, basically the Hornet is not as precise as the FSSB3 and causes over corrections until it's dialed in and you're accustomed to it. Seriously though if you haven't already, post on the thread FSSB3 in input and output. Supmua will do a much better job of explaining it. Also, delivery is insanely quick if they have it in stock. From Spain to Texas it took 4 days.... Here's the thread. https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=241343

Over 4K so above 4096x2160

When you say you're setting the Steam App to 204%, can you clarify whether you mean the SteamVR App under Applications in settings or SteamVR Custom Resolution under the Video section. If you're setting the SteamVR App under settings Applications, what is your SteamVR Custom Resolution set to? Default/unchecked or checked and 100%? I ask because if I do not check the custom resolution box and change it to 100% it will default to 150% which is what SteamVR says my computer will run best.

Awesome! Thank you sir for the reply!

How difficult is it to change the colors of the panels in the cockpit of the Viper. Below is a picture of what looks to be a non U.S., MLU Viper that has black instead of grey panels. I'm wondering if the darker color will help the instruments stand out more. It's also very cool lol. I'm cluelesss about making texture mods so any help is appreciated.

First let me say I know this is EA, I simply want to add this to the wish list. I ran across this blurb on the Lockheed Martin website about the changes to the Viper since the original production F-16A. "The first Block 50/52 was delivered to the US Air Force in 1991. The Block 50/52 F-16 is recognized for its ability to carry the AGM-88 HARM in the suppression of enemy air defenses, or SEAD, missions. The F-16 can carry as many as four HARMs. An avionics launcher interface computer allows the F-16 to launch the HARM missile. US Air Force F-16s have been upgraded to carry the HARM Targeting System, or HTS, pod on the left intake hardpoint so it can be combined with laser targeting pods designed to fit on the right intake hardpoint. The HTS pod contains a hypersensitive receiver that detects, classifies, and ranges threats and passes the information to the HARM and to the cockpit displays. With the targeting system, the F-16 has full autonomous HARM capability. The Block 50/52 F-16 continued to be improved, and the current aircraft sold to the FMS customers is equipped with the APG-68(V9) radar, which offers longer range detection against air targets and higher reliability. The Block 50/52 now includes embedded global positioning system/inertial navigation system, a larger capacity data transfer cartridge, a digital terrain system data transfer cartridge, a cockpit compatible with night vision systems, an improved data modem, an ALR-56M advanced radar warning receiver, an ALE-47 threat-adaptive countermeasure system, and an advanced interrogator for identifying friendly aircraft. In the cockpit, an upgraded programmable display generator has four times the memory and seven times the processor speed of the system it replaces. New VHF/FM antennas increase reception ranges. The Block 50/52 is powered by increased performance engines—the General Electric F110-GE-129 and the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229—each rated to deliver over 29,000 pounds of thrust in afterburner. Block 50/52 are the first F-16 versions to fully integrate the AGM-84 Harpoon anti-shipping missile. The engines that power the F-16 have improved in more ways than in maximum thrust. Engines used in early F-16s required from six to eight seconds to spool up from idle to afterburner. Since then, electronic controls have replaced hydro-mechanical systems. The changes allow current engines to go from idle to full afterburner in two seconds. Engine reliability and ease of maintenance have also been improved significantly. Today’s F-16 engines can be expected to deliver eight to ten years of operational service between depot inspections." I don't believe the current PFM models the above idle to afterburner time of 2 seconds. It would be very cool if it did. :D

I wouldn't trade it in just yet. First, what are you're computer specs? Second, In DCS settings click the VR preset in the bottom right. Next, leave all Steam settings at default which should set SteamVR Custom Resolution to 150% and everything else at 100%. Next set in game Pixel Density to 1.1. If you don't have any ghosting you can tweak from there but know up front that MSAA, Shadows, Terrain shadows, Pixel Density and any super sampling (pixel density, steam super sampling and MSAA are all forms of super sampling) will put a heavy load on your system. Unfortunately you will need to use some SS to get good visual quality.

I do not use MSAA with these missions. It's too much of a drag and the missions don't seem to need it as bad because of the lighting. However if you normally use MSAA then try it with it and without if you would.

I've been flying the Round Table Dynamic mission lately and I don't know what it is but the visuals look better than I've ever seen DCS look in VR. My friends I fly with notice the same. I've flown DCS in VR for 2 years now beginning with the CV1. 99% of my flying is online. Over the last 4-5 months our wing server has had some mission in the PG, usually Snowfox and it does not look good in the Viper except in the morning or late afternoon. These times are the visual sweet spot in DCS and make almost any module look good. These two Round Table missions, one in the Caucasus, the other in PG start in the morning but look amazing all day from what I can tell. The longest we've flown at one time is 4 hours and the clarity stayed the same despite the movement of the sun. It is much better in the cockpit if the sun is behind the Viper. However externally it doesn't matter. My question is this: why does the Viper look so much better in these 2 missions? I'm not patient enough to tweak missions and let my squad mates who are change and modify them. Therefor I don't know what to look for. If you guys get a chance, can you try these missions in the Viper and tell me if you see the same thing? Be advised that these missions on initial load can be as high as 15Gb in Video Memory so you'll need to let them load for a minute before the frame drops subside. Also, don't change whatever settings you're currently using to make it smoother. The PG version will smooth out once your away from Kish and heading north. The Caucasus mission takes a bit longer but is worth it to see the Viper cockpit when you load in. I want to know what is different about these from every other mission (including quick start and stock missions) I've flown in the Viper that makes them look so much better.

I tried this setting tonight but with -1.375 instead of -1.5 and it was sharper. I didn't notice any artifacts and I was flying a prettty intense user made mission. I'm keeping it, thanks for the heads up!

Viper. Whenever I get bummed about the Viper's current state I fly the Hornet. This lasts one sorty and then I'm back in the Viper.

*Edit* For jets like the Viper and Mirage, the FBW systems take away any oscillations you would get with other aircraft. You don't have to compensate for them with the stick, FBW jets do a lot of the flying for you. It's a very precise stick with zero lag from the time you break free of center to when it begins moving the surfaces. The Hornet for instance has a lot of travel from the center position to max deflection. Same for all other jets save for the Viper. Why it's so smooth with the Eagle I don't know. It just is even though it shouldn't be. The FSSB3L has no deflection at all. This means you have to make the FSSB3L act like a gimballed stick to DCS. As you apply more pressure to it, DCS sees it as deflection. The problem is the distance from center to full deflection is a long way. What you end up having to do is reduce the X saturation in DCS which shortens the travel distance for full deflection. This lessens the amount of pressure required for full deflection with the FSSB3L. LOL I'm not doing a good job explaining this and maybe someone like Supmua can do a better job of it. You CAN dial it in for other aircraft as I did with the 18 but I don't think it will ever feel as natural as a gimballed stick does.

To your first question; The FSSB3L in the Viper does EXACTLY what you want it to do as fast as you can apply the pressure. There are several settings specific to it that help. You will probably need to tune it back at first. BFA is a settings that sets how much pressure it takes to break the stick free of center and begin moving the surfaces. I keep roll at High and pitch at Full with Full taking the most force to break free. I want to roll as fast as possible but only when I command it. If you have this setting too light you can breath on it and it will roll. With pitch, I want 5 or 6 pounds of pressure per G at least. This keeps me from over G'ing the jet when things get exciting lol IE, in the merge. FSC or Full scale control sets how much deflection travel you have in the stick. 4:4 is the full deflection which I use. Another way to explain it is the travel DCS registers when you move the stick. It's like adjusting the X saturation under control settings/Axis Tune. Roll sensibility is the weight it takes to roll the jet which I keep much lighter than pitch. The NASA roll and pitch settings allow you to make it harder to pitch down than it is to pitch up and vice versa and it works the same on roll. I set my pitch down to be harder to do than pitch up (negative G's SUCK). Likewise I keep roll right easier than roll left because I have more strength moving the stick left than I do right. To the second question, it took me about 3 days to get accustomed to it when I first got it. The 16 wasn't released yet so I was using it on the 18 which is more difficult to dial in. This is not because of the stick per se but because the 18 has more of a tendency to oscillate. When you get it you will have a tendency to overcompensate because you're used to a moving stick. I was afraid I was going to rip it off my mount lol. It's the most natural thing in the world now that I'm trained to it. I'm able to make tiny corrections with a slight amount of pressure and I'm also able to make violent maneuvers as well. What I've found is I put pressure on the stick with the lower part of my hand (lower palm) for minute changes and the upper part of my hand (top three fingers and thumb) for heavier movements. My hand never changes position, only the part of it I'm using to apply pressure. Finally, it is more accurate than any other stick I've used in 25 years and that is what takes time to get accustomed to.

If you're getting it just for the Viper-Mirage-F-15C it's worth it. The F-15C doesn't have a force sensing side stick obviously but it loves the FSSB3L in DCS. The Mirage stick moves but the jet is a true FBW like the Viper and the FSSB3L works beautifully in it as well. As Panther said the real stick moves an 1/8 - 1/4" but it is pressure sensitive regardless. While the FSSB3L doesn't move, it does bend. If you look at the stick in the jet while moving the FSSB3L you'll see the stick in the jet is moving almost identically. If you're a Viper person it's worth it. But, also as Panther said it doesn't play well with aircraft that have a lot of deflection. I was able to dial in the Hornet when I first got it but it was tough. It hasn't mattered since the release of the Viper... If you get FSSB3L for the Warthog, make sure you get Debolestis Shapeways Castle DMS switch cap.

It looks like ass on my system. It may apply to other games but when I tried it, it definitely didn't work well with DCS. Huge stutters.

Roger that.

These settings didn't work for me. Image quality was worse than what I'm accustomed to. For whatever reason, setting everything to 100% in Steam and setting pixel density to 1.4 looks good with 2x MSAA and is holding 45 FPS really well. Go figure.

Have you heard anything back from Steam?

Just to confirm, you're leaving SteamVR Custom Resolution in the Video tab at 100%. Then setting Steam VR Application under the Applications tab to 150%? I'll try these settings tonight but want to make sure I'm understanding you.

It is a very small cockpit in RL. Set the Forced IPD in the VR tab in DCS to 53 and see what it looks like. If too big increase the IPD by 1 until it looks right.