Jimd0586 Posted November 2, 2020 Posted November 2, 2020 Hello all. I’ve watched a few videos but no one has answered how to free look in the cockpit! Is there a way to setup so the mouse scrolling across the screen changes your view? I can only look straight ahead. How do I look around the rest of the cockpit to push buttons, etc? I don't have VR. I got the game 15% but don’t yet have a joystick. So until I get one I’m just watching videos to learn the basics. Not sure what joystick to get. Everything is so damn expensive.
razo+r Posted November 2, 2020 Posted November 2, 2020 Either with the numbers of the numpad or press LAlt+c to get rid of the cursor. Then you can look around with the mouse or double press the mouse wheel. Then you can look around with the mouse. 1
NoJoy Posted November 2, 2020 Posted November 2, 2020 I guess what you see in the videos are users who use TrackIR - it's a head tracker. As for the joystick go for a Thrustmaster 1.6000M for example. Not too fancy but reliable. Welcome to the forums btw! 1 Brrrrrrrrrrrt I'd rather call in a Strike Eagle... I7 6700K, MSI Z270 Gaming Pro Carbon, 32GB G.Skill Ripjaw V 3200, Inno3D GTX 1080, Samsung 970 Evo, Thrustmaster 1.6000M, TrackIr 5
dorianR666 Posted November 2, 2020 Posted November 2, 2020 i recommend binding the LAlt+C action to one of those extra mouse buttons. works pretty good. though beware that there is a bad bug in freelook in DCS, the speed of movement depends on FPS so moving the mouse with constant speed will result in sudden accelerations and decelerations of the view rotation. not a problem in air, but it really sucks on the ground. ive heard this might be related to mouse polling rate, appearing with some mouses but working fine on others. it appears for me unfortunately... 1 CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600X GPU: AMD RX 580
Jimd0586 Posted November 2, 2020 Author Posted November 2, 2020 Thanks all. Very good to know. OK, so now HOTAS. Look, I know you get what you pay for and the nice authentic HOTAS' are expensive. But for me, authentic is nice to have. Is there a HOTAS that is more authentic looking that isn't just stupid expensive? The warthog looks amazing but is $$$$$$$$$
Foka Posted November 2, 2020 Posted November 2, 2020 For F/A-18C? There is WINWING F/A-18C HOTAS, but if Warthog is too expensive, don't even look at it. Sorry, if you want more money saving product, you have to stick with some generic, non authentiuc, options. 1
razo+r Posted November 2, 2020 Posted November 2, 2020 X52 is a good deal with a decent/high price. 1
Stearmandriver Posted November 3, 2020 Posted November 3, 2020 Don't worry at all about "authentic looking" for a HOTAS. Unless you've ever flown a real F-18, the reality is that you'll never know the difference ;). I simmed for years with the cheapest Thrustmaster HOTAS out there, one they don't even make anymore, even their cheapest current offering is way better. I used that HOTAS to sim with aircraft I do fly in real life, as well as many I never will... and had plenty of fun. I have a Warthog now and yes it's much nicer in terms of precision, but... this is a video game. It's about having fun. I'd recommend not letting the rhetoric of the hardcore faction convince you that you need to spend massive amounts of money on top-end hardware to have fun. I can attest that you absolutely do not. Now, after playing for a while, will you start to wish for "better" this and "more" that? Of course... what's a technology-based hobby without feature-creep? ;) And then, you'll have the experience to effectively prioritize what is worth it to you. My other recommendation: really do look into head tracking. Track IR is the best-known "brand name" solution, but there are many others. Delan Clip offers a complete kit for cheaper, or you can pick up a PS3 eye Webcam and some LEDs and use freeware Opentrack software for a solution costing less than $30 if you like to tinker. There's even a smartphone app that uses your phone camera for face tracking and works with Opentrack that people rave about on Reddit, for real cheap. But SOME kind of head tracking is an absolute game change in terms of immersion - even for simple flying, but especially for combat. But in the end, you should decide what's fun and how to do it... don't worry too much about anyone else's opinions, including mine. :) 1
Jimd0586 Posted November 3, 2020 Author Posted November 3, 2020 Honestly, thank you all for the comments. Very helpful. And I’ll look into the head tracking!
Foka Posted November 3, 2020 Posted November 3, 2020 Stearmandriver, it all depends on the approach to the DCS. For some it's "just a game" for some it's more. It's great you can fly a real plane, most people here don't. And some of them like to put something extre to this "just a game" wit better HOTAS, makeing a cockpit etc. We have wide choice of players - beginig with people flying with just a keyboard and mouse, to ones buildng whole cockpit and projector screens or VR. For some it's the only way to be a bit closer to real flying. It's each ones choice how "real" he want and can go. I'm flying mostly The Hog, I bought TM Warthog (befor prices skyrocketed) and TM Cougar MFCDs. Could I play without them? Of course i could. Is it more fun to play with them? The hell it is! If Jimd wants real looking HOTAS nad has patience to save for it, I say - save, wait and buy it. You won't regret it, and you'll love every second flying plane with "real" HOTAS. 1
Stearmandriver Posted November 3, 2020 Posted November 3, 2020 Foka, I agree and I think we're saying the same thing in the end - there's a wide range of simmers and everyone chooses their own level of immersion. Believe me, I love my Warthog and am jealous of those MFDs ;). But as you know, there are even vocal folks who will tell us it's impossible to enjoy flying DCS with our Warthogs... anything less then a top-end Virpil or Winwing is trash. I'm guessing we'd both disagree. All I meant to say was that anyone asking that question is gonna get a wide range of opinions, some pretty passionate; and that they all need to be taken with a dose of perspective. I didn't mean to sound like I was bashing anyone for choosing nicer hardware, sorry if it came off like that.
Jimd0586 Posted November 3, 2020 Author Posted November 3, 2020 Hahaha the passion on this forum is amazing!!!! Ok Foka and Stearmandriver, question for you. I found a Thrustmaster Cougar HOTAS setup for about $150. I noticed it has fewer buttons and only one throttle. But is that worth getting? It is USB. Are drivers around for it on Windows 10? (It looked like there were) Should I go with a Logitech x56 over the Cougar? I assume I can set the throttle to control both port and starboard engines on the sim simultaneously? Thoughts on the Cougar?
Foka Posted November 3, 2020 Posted November 3, 2020 It's really hard to say it "is it worth" today, because prices gone crazy. I suppose any HOTAS setup will work, but you said you want authentic (that's why I bought Warthog for A-10C), and for that is only one option and it's expesive. If you pass on "authentic" any HOTAS will work wit WIn 10 and DCS.
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