Safari Ken

Sounds like good advice. However, I just moved, so my computer is not currently operational (I'm on my phone currently). I'll try it later tonight for sure, though! :)

That's what's so frustrating about it; I feel like I'm doing real well, right down to staying at around 130kph. But when I get to around 3200 meters, my engines max out even at a low collective setting. So I keep lowering the collective, to prevent the engines from just plain dying, and at some point I just can't get any lift anymore. I know I'm doing something wrong, but I swear I'm doing it by the book. Even if I circle around and feel all responsible and junk, I just hit that magic ceiling and either push the engines too far and crash, or give up and turn back (you know, forget the mission and just enjoy flying "Sweet Lorraine"). :) Does this have anything to do with my almost total lack of knowlege regarding the throttle? I keep it on Auto 24/7.

I had the same problem with a different mission. I got to where I thought the trigger point should be, and nothing seemed to happen. After not too long, I got antsy and started maneuvering around, and suddenly I triggered the event, at a short distance from the spot on the ABRIS. But I'm jealous of you; I'm on the same mission. I got to the target on the first try (and died in short order). On every attempt after that, I just can't get over those dang mountains! :(

Say wha? :dontgetit:

Don't sweat it. The new unit offers a wider field of view, which is nice, but that's really the only real significant change, it would seem. It's great that they're still looking for ways to improve their already awesome product though. Look on the bright side, you'll still be able to use the new software! Although, based on Focha's post, I'd wait until it was out of beta... :smilewink:

Oh, well of course, you'd come to that conclusion just walking down the street! :P Could you share how you calculated that? I think that's just what RifleRound is looking for, and now I'm pretty interested too!

This all sorta reminds me of how in IL-2, the AI can see at night, and through clouds. And just like in IL-2, the AI-invisible trees are disappointing but not THAT disappointing. I figure that a) the developers know more than me about developing a game, and are making an informed decision, and b) these "special abilities" for the AI are maybe just a trade-off, a way of helping make up for the fact that even good AI is still rather stupid, compared to a human (similar to how turning off the cockpit in IL-2 is available, to help make up for a non-headtracking lack of SA).

I would think that too, that there wouldn't be much fps hit with Cachya. Some people report issues, but I have no direct experience. But there must be some CPU drain, or why would the company even offer the ability to offload onto a networked machine? Frankly the idea sounds sorta bizarre to me, for just head tracking. I wouldn't have even thought of that as an option for this sort of thing.

I've found the same thing with the A2A. It can take a couple tries to lock the thing up, but it's not as hard as one would think (the hardest part for me is actually figuring out if it's a friendly or enemy). A few times I've even forgotten to swtich to the A2A mode on the targeting panel, but it didn't seem to make too much difference. Shooting down an enemy chopper is quite the rush, I might add. Now, bring on those A10's! :gun_smilie:

Heh, I might offer to sell my TIR4 to my roommate, then in a week or so go "oh hey look, a new version!" :music_whistling:

I doubt TrackIR has that ability (it's a pretty cool ability too), but it doesn't really call for it, as TrackIR has almost zero impact on performance. After a day or two, I changed it to start with Windows, so it's running all the time in the background. Uses very little memory, and I've never seen it use any CPU.

One of the ED guys said in another thread that you should hold the trimmer down while lining up for boresight shots, as holding it down disables some of the autopilot damper functions. It's probably those functions that you're fighting currently. Or so I would guess. I'm certainly not a pro, so call that an "enthusiast tip". :music_whistling:

Maybe crank the textures, ignore the fps, take a screenshot, then turn the settings back?

All the more reason why helicopters shouldn't drop gravity bombs! :P

Agreed, though exact figures might be hard to come by. As I understand it, most sales charts do not track digital distribution, and only a few retail chains (that may have changed, but I think it's still like that). That's part of the myth of PC Gaming being dead, incidentally, as more and more PC users have solid broadband connections, and get their games online, through Steam or other sources, and simply don't get included in the numbers.

Same here. The lack of collidable trees doesn't bother me, because I do my best to not fly into the trees anyway. Sims like this are all about the immersion for me, and trees add to that quite a bit (and the trees in this sim look pretty nice, I might add, even if they're just window dressing). I'm not training for anything (nor am I trained for anything), so immersion is all I've got! :D

That's the important thing! Head tracking ftw! :thumbsup:

First off, :lol: at this entire thread. We're all obviously happy with our choices, yet we keep trying to convince each other anway. :joystick: I'm not disagreeing with anyone. Everyone who uses Cachya (and then writes about it) says nice things about it, so I'm sure it's nice. Everyone who uses TrackIR pees their pants with sheer enthusiam, so it's nice too. I'll bet a lot of how well Cachya works is dependent on the quality of the webcam. I've never owned a webcam (and probably never will, unless it's forced on me), but what I've seen hasn't exactly been impressive. I'm sure the quality is highly variable, however, from brand to brand and model to model. Tweaking TrackIR is not about getting it to work. It works right out of the gate. The tweaking is in customizing the acceleration curves of each axis (if one feels the need) to fit with the way you play. For example, I prefer FSX to be a little less sensitive in the down and zoom axes, and I prefer BS to be a bit slower in the middle of turning your head than on the extremes. And on all my profiles, I flattened the curves in the translational axes. It's customizable to an amazing degree. The idea is that it's all personal preference, so NaturalPoint gives 100% control over that stuff (maybe the alternatives do too; I don't know). But you don't HAVE to tweak it.

To each his own; $115 is $115, after all. That'll pay for my phone bill for a month, I guess. I just mean that if I drop around $2k on everything else, an extra $100 or so means little. I paid almost $200 for my power supply, for goodness' sake. If I were unemployed, or worked a crappy job or something, maybe I'd feel differently. And sure the two products do the same thing, but I'm not yet convinced that they do it with the same quality. I don't think I've heard anything from people who have tried both on the same computer, to actually get a side-by-side comparison. I doubt that most webcams track at 120hz like TrackIR. Does that make a difference? Dunno, but I would think so. Can someone who used Catchya and switched to TrackIR 4 chime in maybe, and give us the lowdown?

I'm not in front of my computer right now, but I'm pretty sure there's a threshold slider in the TrackIR options that can help defeat unwanted reflections. The only problem I've had I that arena is occasionally when I take a drag off my smoke, but it's rare, and I figure that it's my fault for trying to fly a combat helicopter with a cigarette hanging out of my mouth. :-) As for cost, the $130 sort of disappears amongst the money I've spent on the computer, the HOTAS, the pedals, and the game. Why spend so much on my setup, and then suddenly get chintzy with the most important accessory of all? :-D

It's true, this is one of the most active and helpful forums I've ever been a part of!

Changing the timeout timer isn't going to change the fact that you're out of the camera's FOV (and thus no longer tracking). Fix the root problem, is what I advise. If moving the sensor (or yourself) isn't possible, change the sensitivity of the axis you're having trouble with. That way you won't have to move your head as much to get what you want, and so there's much less chance of losing the camera.

Does anyone know why the speed disappears from the HUD in those modes, by the way? It's not like there's anything replacing it.

800 meters seems pretty darn high for level bombing with no sight. Is there a way to delay the detonation, like you can in IL-2? In IL-2, the only way I can hit anything with a gravity bomb (not including dive bombers) is to go in low and fast, and delay the detonation about 2 seconds, to clear the area. Even if you can't delay the explosion, (and note that I say this with no actual knowledge of helicopter bombing doctrine (I can't imagine why you'd want to drop a gravity bomb from a helicopter anyway)), I'd figure you'd want to be at more like 100m, to have any kind of accuracy. :joystick:

You're just full of good points, aren't you? :D Myself, I have more inclination to build a cockpit enclosure than to build the actual controls. I look at things like that link you posted, and also forum threads like this, and I find them simultaneously inspiring and intimidating.