How can I fly in VR (HTC Vive) without seeing my keybord?

[luftfisch]

I just downloaded DCS on our new Game-PC with HTC-Vive after I read that it's ready for VR.

 

I set up my headset and my Saitek x52 HOTAS and tried the Tutorial, but the game tells me always to hit any keys on my keyboard that I cannot see in VR.

:helpsmilie:

None of the buttons on my stick work and I cannot find any options to setup controls for VR.

How do you guys control the planes and fly in VR? Please don't tell me that I have to assign every single joystick button manually for each plane as there are much more functions in the lists than buttons on my stick and for most of them I have no idea what they are needed for.

 

I tried the free flight on the P-51 starting in the air without touching any buttons and the feeling in VR is awesome! I don't care for super detailed simulation, as I will never have the time to learn a hundred switches and procedures like a professional pilot, I just want to fly, to be able to start and land and have fun with some simple missions. Is that possible with DCS in VR?

[Boris]

This was one of my primary concerns before I got a VR headset.

 

Yes, of course it's not easy to use the keyboard. I'm able to use the most important commands by looking through the small nose gap.

 

The fact is though, that I hardly need the keyboard.

 

Yes, of course you should set as many commands as you can on your HOTAS. Those commands that you need of course. Don't bother with the ones you don't need. That's what it's there for. With an X52 you should have no shortage of buttons.

If the buttons on your stick don't work you seem to have some sort of a hardware issue.

 

All other cockpit commands I use the mouse for. That's the benefit of a fully clickable cockpit.

 

In the end not seeing the keyboard is hardly an issue und is only needed for the UI. Esc, external views, etc.

 

The experience in VR is so good, there is no way I'm going back to a screen for DCS.

[NeilWillis]

The easiest way to deal with misc key presses is to use voice recognition software.

 

It is programmable, so you can simply say left shift left alt kay etc and the software will do the hard work of locating and pressing the keys (how does it do that without fingers?).

 

Radio calls etc can also be set up, so you can make voice comms much more realistic too.

[Boris]

 

Radio calls etc can also be set up, so you can make voice comms much more realistic too.

 

I've always wanted to do this. Could you point me to the software?

 

How realistic is it? Wouldn't you have to say things such as F-12, F-5, F-1...

[luftfisch]

Thanks, but are there really no predefined VR-Settings for a common flightstick like Saitek X52 in DCS?

I am not a professional pilot and I don't know all the commands. No chance to decide which commands are often needed in the game and which are rarely needed or never used.

 

Boris, you say, you use the mouse for entering commands. I would crash the plane, when I let the flight stick go to find the mouse and click something in my view.

 

I know that DCS is way more detailed than what I can ever learn. I would be happy to fly in an Arcade Mode with simplified commands, just to have fun with it, knowing that I wouldn't be able to win a dog fight in a real fighter plane.

Edited April 26, 2017 by luftfisch

[Hawkeye60]

I've always wanted to do this. Could you point me to the software?

Viacom and voice attack.

These work perfectly once you set them up.

 

I do recommend you train your voice in the windows program first.

Well worth the effort.

 

I can cold start the Gazelle, in VR, without ever touching the keyboard OR, mouse.

Between Voice attack and button boxes I have every control needed within reach. And i know my button box positions by heart.

 

I do like a "mouse free" cockpit! :megalol:

 

Do a search in the controls thread for it and button boxes. DSD designs makes a nice one which I own!

 

Hope this helps

[Boris]

Thanks, but are there really no predefined VR-Settings for a common flightstick like Saitek X52 in DCS?

I am not a professional pilot and I don't know all the commands. No chance to decide which commands are often needed in the game and which are rarely needed or never used.

 

No, there aren't any pre-defined VR settings in terms of controls. Even people who don't use VR map all essential controls to their HOTAS.

Like I said, that's the whole purpose of a Hands On Throttle And Stick (HOTAS). Most of us aren't professional pilots.

You need to find out how to fly the aircraft and use the systems first. Then you will know what you need to map. That being said, I'm sure there are multiple X52 profiles for every aircraft out there. But you need to learn them too.

 

Boris, you say, you use the mouse for entering commands. I would crash the plane, when I let the flight stick go to find the mouse and click something in my view.

 

It's a great feature of DCS that almost all buttons and switches are clickable and work like in the real aircraft. You will probably get away with mapping all necessary in-flight switches to your X52. Even then, I and many others use the mouse in flight for the cockpit switches. Often you'll be trimmed and level, on autopilot, or you can just hold the stick steady with the left hand. It's not such an issue.

 

I know that DCS is way more detailed than what I can ever learn. I would be happy to fly in an Arcade Mode with simplified commands, just to have fun with it, knowing that I wouldn't be able to win a dog fight in a real fighter plane.

 

Never say never. The beauty about DCS is that you CAN learn how to fly a simulated real aircraft, if you just put the time and effort into it.

 

If that's too daunting right now, stick to the FC3 aircraft and the free Su-25t. No clickable cockpits, and you can definitely stick to the HOTAS only, with commands being similar across all aircraft.

Edited April 26, 2017 by Boris

[Boris]

Viacom and voice attack.

These work perfectly once you set them up.

 

I do recommend you train your voice in the windows program first.

Well worth the effort.

 

I can cold start the Gazelle, in VR, without ever touching the keyboard OR, mouse.

Between Voice attack and button boxes I have every control needed within reach. And i know my button box positions by heart.

 

I do like a "mouse free" cockpit! :megalol:

 

Do a search in the controls thread for it and button boxes. DSD designs makes a nice one which I own!

 

Hope this helps

 

Thanks, I'll definitely check it out. I was wondering though, if you can talk like you're making actual radio calls, and the system then equates this to the DCS radio commands.

[EntropySG]

yes, thats how it works. If you train it a little, it becomes amazingly accurate.

So in the software you do it like this:

 

when I say: "Gear up"

then send keypress to DCS, -> press "G-Key", hold for 0,1 seconds, then release the key

 

just as an example. You can set it up to do anything you like it works very well.

[Hawkeye60]

Thanks, I'll definitely check it out. I was wondering though, if you can talk like you're making actual radio calls, and the system then equates this to the DCS radio commands.

 

Yes, you can say just about anything but i find short phrases work best.

It will take some trial and error to get it set the way you like but once done, You can not go back to the mouse!

[NeilWillis]

I use Voice Attack software - very inexpensive, and very intuitive when it comes to adding your own commands.

 

Creating voice commands is as simple as typing in the phrases you want, or just just modifying them to something that sounds like more unusual words - for instance "Bat who me" for Batumi.

 

There are a couple of useful mods available too. One essential one is the one that fixes the order of airfields instead of putting the closest one at the top of the menu listings. Another I use is one that silences the radio calls made from your own cockpit, so your voice becomes the radio call.

 

There are a few head scratchers such as the dynamic menus associated with JTAC and AWACS, but if you add "eff won" etc, you can fall back on simple menu selections that way to fill in the gaps too.

 

I found my command list developed over time, so there is no need to do everything up front. Just add new ones as and when you need them.

[btaft]

The rule of thumb I use is I try to map all of the real world buttons on the actual planes HOTAS to my HOTAS and everything else I use the mouse for. I figure if the designers of the plane figured it was important enough to be on their HOTAS then it should be on mine as well

[Lensman]

I find a track-ball mouse works really well for cockpit clicking in VR. Stays in one place so easy to find.

[Boris]

I'm trying voice commands but Voice Attack can't understand me no matter how clearly I speak. I've run the windows training tool multiple times and it's driving me nuts.

[John Hargreaves]

It's definitely a faff setting up your controls in VR, so do it all in 2D first and it will carry over. If, like me, you only want to get a plane up and fly around a bit, without pressing all the buttons from a cold start, that is perfectly possible, and you will have enough buttons on your HOTAS to operate the plane.

You have to accept that if you buy into a simulation, it will take some time to set up, that's just the way things are whether you are driving, flying or whatever. That is also part of the fun, so go with it.

The rewards are more than worth it when you are landing a spitfire in VR or swooping around in your Gazelle like you are wearing it.

[mx22]

I'm trying voice commands but Voice Attack can't understand me no matter how clearly I speak. I've run the windows training tool multiple times and it's driving me nuts.

 

What microphone do you use and how far is it away from you? Also, how proficient are you in the language you speak to into Voice Attack.

[Boris]

What microphone do you use and how far is it away from you? Also, how proficient are you in the language you speak to into Voice Attack.

 

I'm using the Rift microphone and I speak Australian English. I've also tried imitating English or American accents but it doesn't change a thing.

[hansangb]

But does it understand "Dats not uh knife....now this is uh knife"?

 

Sorry, couldn't resist. You Aussies must have a love/hate relationship with that actor. Paul something or another? :)

[Johnny Dioxin]

For voice control I would strongly recommend VAC (dwvac.com). It does a much better job for me than Voice Attack (which I also have) or Voice Buddy, or in fact any other recognition program - I've tried a lot over the years.

 

Been using it for years and you will find profiles for most sims and games on their forum and around the net - including DCS World.

 

Support is excellent, too.

[GCBraun]

With the Rift it is perfectly fine to use the keyboard, as there is a small gap around the nose that make it possible to see things below.

[Johnny Dioxin]

Yup - that's also how I use my MFDs, fitted to the slide-out drawer normally used for keyboards. I also use a home made UFC and find the nose gap is fine for using that, too, sited just below my monitor.

[rtimmons]

I use VAC voice commands and my mouse left handed. I have a horrible time communicating in multiplayer though. I can't type blind and if I use Teamspeak I always have problems triggering false commands if VAC is enabled. I am down to a very minimum list of available commands and I have to say "Voice Comm" as a prefix to every command and it still seems to find ways to screw me in flight. I need a way to use a joystick button that enables Teamspeak and disables VAC at the same time. But VAC doesn't take joystick commands so for now I just have to vocally disable VAC when I use Teamspeak. I will say that mouse clicking cockpit controls in VR is much easier/better than using Track-IR as is almost every other aspect of the flight except communication.

 

slyfly

[Kolin314]

Help setting up X52 in VR Vive

 

I understand that I will need to manually map keys but the Vive in Steam simply does not recognize that I have a stick connected. Does this only work outside of steam?

 

If anyone has had trouble getting the system to recognize their stick and fixed it, please help or point me to help.

Many thanks

[VirusAM]

I understand that I will need to manually map keys but the Vive in Steam simply does not recognize that I have a stick connected. Does this only work outside of steam?

 

 

 

If anyone has had trouble getting the system to recognize their stick and fixed it, please help or point me to help.

 

Many thanks

 

 

 

Go in steam (not steamvr regular steam client) controller settings...and unchek the option to manage generic controllers with steam...i had this issue with il2 and solved this way.

[Kolin314]

Holy Cow, I have been asking this question on Steam DCS forums and searching everywhere. No one even reply's. I have had my Vive for a month and almost decided to just delete DCS until they fix it.

I performed both reinstalled drivers and unchecked manage generic controllers and it works like a charm.

 

Thank you both for taking the time to help me. I hope to see you in the big blue sky.