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PC Upgraded! - Flight Sim Question


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Headtracking (i.e. TrackIR) is at this point a necessity in DCS, it not only frees up input axes on your peripherals, but also makes the actual act of playing a lot more natural (after some adjustment).  

 

The Flaming Cliffs 3 aircraft (A-10A, F-15C, MiG-29, Su-33) are a good middle ground, as they have decent fidelity flight models but abstracted systems integration.

 

 

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I am a terrible "pilot" but enjoy "flying".  I will be waiting for the DCS Flaming Cliffs sale.

 

Sorry for the length of this and all the links.

 

You can make a diy led holder/head tracker.  Finding the PS3 eye cam is not too hard. 

 

PS3 eye cam: you want the one with the curved lens.  Not flat.  SLEH00448.  Removing the ir filter is a pain, but, if I can do it, anyone can.

 

Here is a DIY head track with LED. https://web.archive.org/web/20160423215228/http://www.free-track.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=1856&page=1

 

From the freetrack site Filter media for the camera especially in a bright room.

Fully exposed and developed photographic film - Three layers most effective.

Dark gel filters - Roscolux. Combine colours to block visible light.

Dark acrylic glass sheets - Plexiglas, Perspex etc.

Infrared photography filters- eg 720nm, 850nm cutoff.

 

Someone I know tried the exposed & developed film.  Worked well for him.

 

Here are good LED https://www.ebay.com/itm/5PCS-SFH485P-EMITTER-GAALAS-880NM-5MM-RADIAL-New/202698487552?hash=item2f31c57700:g:6gIAAOSwX5pc9ss7

 

Opentrack software. There is a link to the software d/l.  https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/34403-a-complete-guide-to-set-up-head-tracking-opentrack/

 

Or of you have the $$ you can get the track ir  packages etc.  Me?  I am cheap.  I did my own.

 

IL2-1946: With jets now?  No it isnt DCS, but if you are on a tight budget, it is still fun.

If you are starting from scratch, Get the IL2-1946 DVD  or from GoG https://www.gog.com/game/il_2_sturmovik_1946 NOT a previous version under 4.07.  Versions under 4.07  and IL-2 Complete cant be modded from what I understand.  Do not buy complete if you want to mod it.

 

SAS1946 has Huge d/L called BAT.  WW1 up to the jet age.

https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,63246.0.html

 

Mission4today is another main resource

https://www.mission4today.com/

 

I tried to make a final count down mission.

https://imgbb.com/X2TKSgq

 

Mossie Banff

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30kNtPdBi1g

 

As for Battle of X(Stalingrad, etc) some interesting stuff:

Looks like they have made changes to the pilot physiology extending the time it takes to wear the pilot out and also changes to weapons.  2 steps in the right direction hopefully.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by NoSG0
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Since I am into sims for almost 40 years here's my take on current situation.

 

DCS is great and in 10 days, with the revised clouds, will get even better - MSFS style clouds and complete weather engine rework in the works.

Modern day combat, its great - I have in excess of 500hrs in the A-10C and recently it got even better with modern systems Cs now feature (Scorpion HMD, laser guided rockets, new radios,...). Personally I almost exclusively fly F-14 these days and have amassed almost 200hrs in the last year and a half in it.

But yeah, HOTAS is essential for flying newer jets.

But there's F-5, MiG-21, F-86, MiG-19 and MiG-15, which probably don't require it, as there's no so many functions wired to the stick and throttle.

And then, there's WW2 - ever expanding it might not give as much in a sense of gameplay as Il-2 BOS series, but I am quite certain flight model is much better and the cockpits are fully interactive. And with the rework of damage model coming soon, DCS WW2 is quite a contender in the WW2 sim arena.

But if you want full battlefield era feel and don't mind slightly more arcadish approach, Il-2 BOS series is a top choice, hands down.

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I am still learning myself.

 

Re Sale dates, I am not sure TBH.  I've seen some mention of a possible sale sometime in April to coincide with the 2.7 update as mentioned by Sebastijan.  This was from a post on Hoggit on reddit from 2019:

Summer Sale JUNE 21

Easter-Spring APR 17

 

But the dates could change.

 

There are community mods such as the A-4 which work with the current version 2.5 while still having a mostly clickable cockpit, but other mod aircraft require Flaming Cliffs 3.  I believe that you need FC3 for the F-105 D/G for example.  So you can d/l the 2.5 version free https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/downloads/world/beta/, D/L the Skyhawk and try it out.

 

Video on the A-4 with link to the D/L, Cover d/l install. There are others on how to bomb etc etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWgh0bYoYLc

 

There are skins as well.  It would be great to have the tiger stripe aggressor skin for this. 

 

VSN is a group that has a number of mod aircraft, I believe that they require FC3.

https://forums.eagle.ru/topic/147247-vsn-flyable-aircraft-mods/

 

And then you have the Hi Def/ Low Def aircraft.  Here is a vid:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKAZJZkXMkQ

 

Some folks prefer to buy a complete module like F-18/F-16/F-14 over FC3.

 

Head tracker clip:

https://hackaday.io/project/162578-diy-head-tracking-clip

 

Or thingiverse

https://www.thingiverse.com/search?q=trackir&type=things&sort=relevant

 

 

Edited by NoSG0
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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks very much for the info, I'll be jumping on to purchase the P-47D and Channel Front map.   I'd love to go with one of the fast jets but there is no point in even trying until I can upgrade to a decent joystick.  I might be able to go with the F-86 or MiG-15, need to do some research.

 

Regarding other flight sims, I took the plunge and picked up FS2020.    It's absolutely mind-blowing.   I'm running on "ultra" graphics setting and it's amazing.    I can pick out my house from the air, along with all the local landmarks.   There is traffic on the roads, the detail is absolutely fantastic.    Regarding the graphics settings, I can get away with Ultra for VFR flying out in the country but I'm guessing as I get close into a city or major, high detailed airport, I'll have to dial back the graphics a bit.    I've only had this for a couple days and except for the very clunky menu and complete lack of documentation, I'm very impressed.

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11 minutes ago, Ken Cartwright said:

Joysticks have gotten rare and expensive since COVID hit, but I found this, which seems like a a fairly decent deal:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/758789-REG/Thrustmaster_2960703_T_Flight_HOTAS_X.html

They are ridiculously expensive.   I’ve currently got the HOTAS X that I picked up when I got back into the hobby last year but there is no way I could use this for current generation jets, just nowhere near enough buttons / hat switches.    

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11Bee,

 

You are welcome.  Enjoy the sims.  My current system is giving me 20 fps on low setting lol!  I've been saving up, and have decided that I will wait til next year to see what comes as far as CPU/GPU are concerned.  I wont pay scalper prices for a GPU. So, I may as well wait.

 

 

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34 minutes ago, NoSG0 said:

11Bee,

 

You are welcome.  Enjoy the sims.  My current system is giving me 20 fps on low setting lol!  I've been saving up, and have decided that I will wait til next year to see what comes as far as CPU/GPU are concerned.  I wont pay scalper prices for a GPU. So, I may as well wait.

 

 

I was in the same situation, was shocked that Alienware even had 3060ti’s in stock, let alone at what I felt was a decent price. Prior to that, I had planned on waiting until the end of year sales.      

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I'm going to get either the Thrustmaster Airbus NEO controller and throttle set or splurge for the Honeycomb yoke and throttle set. My current controller is the Logitech X-52. I'll probably sell it on ebay after getting the next setup.  

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15 hours ago, jpk said:

I'm going to get either the Thrustmaster Airbus NEO controller and throttle set or splurge for the Honeycomb yoke and throttle set. My current controller is the Logitech X-52. I'll probably sell it on ebay after getting the next setup.  

How do you like the X52?   It seems to be one of the few rigs out there that would work for me at a decent price point.   I used to have a Thrustmaster HOTAS and throttle.  Fantastic hardware but both throttle and stick broke after less than 3 years of use.   Not what I would have expected for what I paid for them.  Both units have been at the bottom of a landfill for the last 10 years. 

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I've read about scarcity of joysticks etc. Frustrating, but not as crazy as GPU.

 

As for the T16000M, owners or those considering it may want to consider these posts regarding possible issues.  Now the manufacturer may have changed things since, but I do knot know.  Use any fix mod at your own risk.

 

If you take the T16000M fully apart, I read that there 3-4 clear nipples that are a bear to get back in according to youtubers/redditors. DONT LOOSE THEM

 

These are only for the T16000

 

Twist/yaw fixes

https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/53523-twist-z-rotation-problem-on-t1600m-any-help/?do=findComment&comment=812081

 

Or this one which is a partial disassembly/cleaning.  Wouldn't he need to re apply a plastic safe lube to the pot?  The issue may come back?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=688J7pfqLVs

 

Or this one of the pot isnt damaged by use:

https://www.reddit.com/r/hotas/comments/9h5va3/t16000_yaw_fixed/

 

Or just replace the crappy pot with a hall sensor.  According to the poster, the issue is cheap potentiometers.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/o1nisqsh2itbngz/yaw_modding.pdf?dl=0

 

And since you are in there, consider an extension?  From what I read, it makes flying smoother/more accurate.  No idea what it does to the spring though. 

Beware of height limits i.e. 20 cms.  Research your stick.  Not sure if you get to keep the twist pot in place.

 

https://www.thingiverse.com/make:615652

 

or

 

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4504566

 

 

 

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On 4/16/2021 at 11:29 PM, 11bee said:

How do you like the X52?   It seems to be one of the few rigs out there that would work for me at a decent price point.   I used to have a Thrustmaster HOTAS and throttle.  Fantastic hardware but both throttle and stick broke after less than 3 years of use.   Not what I would have expected for what I paid for them.  Both units have been at the bottom of a landfill for the last 10 years. 

The X52 is ok. It works fine but the button arrangement for using is confusing. I use it for MSFS2020 gen aviation but it really is more oriented toward the fighter type sims. I want a yoke but the TM Airbus setup looks enticing since it does have a stick controller. It probably would work well with fighter type sims. 

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On 4/15/2021 at 3:56 PM, NoSG0 said:

11Bee,

 

You are welcome.  Enjoy the sims.  My current system is giving me 20 fps on low setting lol!  I've been saving up, and have decided that I will wait til next year to see what comes as far as CPU/GPU are concerned.  I wont pay scalper prices for a GPU. So, I may as well wait.

 

 

You may not have to spend a bundle on a GPU to run a FS efficiently. I bought my previously used EVGA GTX 1080 Ti for $380.00. The card is two gens back from the ridiculously priced 30xx series cards, coming out in 2017. It runs MSFS2020 on ultra settings and my monitor is running at 3440x 1440 smooth with no stuttering. I also ran the Steam VR test video and the card passed with flying colors. (No pun intended). There are deals out there for a really good used card, maybe until prices come down on newer cards. The rest of my system is current gen CPU, RAM and Mobo.  When funds allow I'm going with the Honeycomb yoke and throttle system. It looks to be the most versatile for gen av subjects.  

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Watch out for used GPUs. I used to watch a youtube channel of a guy who fixes mainly GPUs and he says that cards in good state are incredibly expensive, most of what you find comes from bitcoin mines. Cards are in bad state and oftenly on the verge of death. They run well for couple of months and then start to show artifacts. When people send him such cards and he sees there is too much to fix they tend to just give them to him as parts donors.

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I previously had a GTX 1070Ti before the 1080Ti I have now. Both were used in mining. However, I haven't had any issues with any used cards I have bought and I have been using previously owned cards for well over ten years, probably longer. It really depends on how the card was run during the mining and in some instances running a card at a constant moderate temp can actually be good for the card. So each their own but it can be a path to getting a better card than you could afford otherwise. To me, buying a card that is still considered pretty close to what the latest cards run at was worth the price of admission. The card I bought for $380.00 I can now sell for $800.00 because of the crazy demand. I'd still have to replace it and probably couldn't buy a new card that can perform as well as this one. I realize it doesn't have ray tracing and a few other goodies the newer cards have but this one plays any of the latest games at the highest settings easily. 

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On 4/29/2021 at 12:04 PM, juanchopancho said:

I lucked out was able to buy the 3080 FE first week in came out directly from Nvidia. Such a great value for performance I'm getting with MSFS, P3D and DCS.

I feel the same way with the 3060Ti.   Graphics on MSFS and DCS are nothing short of amazing.  I can see that I'm going to have to probably end up getting more RAM and doing a slight overclock for MSFS.   Flying over one of the high detailed cities / airports does result in a framerate drop.  

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On 4/28/2021 at 2:15 PM, jpk said:

You may not have to spend a bundle on a GPU to run a FS efficiently. I bought my previously used EVGA GTX 1080 Ti for $380.00. The card is two gens back from the ridiculously priced 30xx series cards, coming out in 2017. It runs MSFS2020 on ultra settings and my monitor is running at 3440x 1440 smooth with no stuttering. I also ran the Steam VR test video and the card passed with flying colors. (No pun intended). There are deals out there for a really good used card, maybe until prices come down on newer cards. The rest of my system is current gen CPU, RAM and Mobo.  When funds allow I'm going with the Honeycomb yoke and throttle system. It looks to be the most versatile for gen av subjects.  

 

Be cautious about that VR test. I've had 1080Ti until early December. It is a monster of a card and will run everything without hiccup on high settings. But on monitors. In VR, it's a different story. It doesn't have a problem running first generation VR sets like Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, and I guess it would run Oculus Rift-S as well. But if you go the higher resolution way with second generation headsets like Index or the 4K HP G2, 1080Ti just won't cut it. Or you'll have to seriously reduce graphic quality which defies the high res logic in the first place. 

 

I went Oculus Rift - 1080Ti to HP G2 - 3080 way and don't regret it. I was just fortunate enough, that I got the 3080 for a very reasonable price back then. 

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I'd love to go VR at some point but right now it is very unlikely for me. I would much rather invest in the yoke and throttles than VR and my card runs FS2020 full up smoothly.  I have a pretty wide monitor so maybe going with tracking devices will work better for my situation than the expense of VR.  

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  • 2 weeks later...

Anyone here seen the Replika line of simulator products? They look incredible. Throttles that are modeled after the real thing for P-51, P-47, P-38 etc.. Also looked at Gladiator NXT sim gear as well. All seem to European designed and sold there. Just discovered them.

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