VR Mouse options (disconnect from head tracking and re-center after no mouse movement)

[M1Combat]

In VR one needs to hold their head super steady to operate a cockpit function.  I assume this works the same way with TiR but I've never used it so I don't know.

 

Over the years I've used VR I've gotten "fairly" used to this and can now reliably click the obogs in the F-18 and other similarly positioned switches...  but it's always a hassle.

 

My proposal would be to disconnect the mouse cursor from the player's head's VR rotation and translation and instead track the mouse via a radian based on the general location of the game pilot's head.  I understand this may create parallax issues when the "pilot" head and "player" head are not fairly close to each other depending on the current distance to the cursor.  If that's the case and it is insurmountable then having the radian based on the player head location, but still removing the rotational relation to the player's head would be the desired method.

 

In this way...  you could get the mouse cursor "lost" behind your head :).

 

The solution to that would be to re-center the mouse to the center of the VR view after the same period of inactivity that currently causes the mouse cursor to disappear.  this way once you've stopped moving the mouse...  the next time you need it, it will be right there in the center of your view.

[Fizzle]

A million times, yes!

I too have gotten used to this after a year playing but it’s still often difficult to, for example, click multiple times on a UFC rocker switch while watching the HUD for the results of those clicks. I often make inadvertent tiny head movements that lead to me clicking on nothing or the wrong thing.

[Fizzle]

The timeout idea suggested above is good. I also think something like middle-click (or whatever bound key/button) to center the mouse cursor in the VR view would work great to prevent lost cursors.

[M1Combat]

The middle click could work for sure... BUT...  I'm a fan of automation with this sort of thing in a sim specifically because in VR buttons are a bit scarce.  So...  I would prefer to keep MMB clear if it would be possible to automate the re-centering at the same time that the mouse cursor disappears.

[Lace]

9 hours ago, Fizzle said:

I often make inadvertent tiny head movements that lead to me clicking on nothing or the wrong thing.

 

No different to inadvertent finger movements IRL.  Try adjusting radios/UFC etc in even light turbulence.  You need to make slow deliberate movements.

 

 

[VR Flight Guy in PJ Pants]

currently the mouse cursor disappears after a moment of inactivity, I have to click a mouse button or move the mouse cursor by a mouse to activate it. I would like to see the mouse cursor would always be there and recenter, as the original poster suggests, after a while.

[Eldur]

I use the VR controllers since the mouse cursor often hides outside the peripheral vision and I hate having to find that thing again before being able to use it. With the controllers, I just point at things and flip the switch, done.

 

But I have to say, I like the way that other civil sim does it with the mouse, which basically leaves it at the same position within the cockpit, not locked to the HMD. An option for that probably would be great for those who don't use controllers.

[draconus]

12 hours ago, Eldur said:

I use the VR controllers since the mouse cursor often hides outside the peripheral vision and I hate having to find that thing again before being able to use it. With the controllers, I just point at things and flip the switch, done.

But... You can't have controller in hand all the time. So you take hand off the stick and try to properly get the controller which is clunky and slower than with mouse. The controllers are visible even when not in use so you have to hide them somewhere down or in the back - that way they'll be harder to reach though.

[M1Combat]

All good suggestions but for me a very much prefer using the mouse to click things.  The VR controllers are just kinda gimicky and wonky.  trying to click a row of switches is horrible (KA-50 startup) and trying to click switches way out of the general field of view is also difficult :).