Track ir

[Jinef 2]

A certain Finnish bumpkin keeps shooting me down in his Brewster because of it so I am going to get myself one and show him what 87 Sqn can really do!

Plus it might be nice in ArmA so you can quickly look around to see if your squad is doing the right thing or not.

So I vote:

Buying one soon and want it supported.

Todalloo

[Baz 0]

I already have one and want it supported, it is a valuable asset in a combat game like OFP.

[fish44 0]

This whole thing sounds pretty intersting to me, but I'm not really convinced about it

Kavoven, I can understand its difficult, nay impossible to 'comprehend' or 'imagine' the benefits. And this is a real problem with this technology. Its a steep learning curve, and in fact initailly its unomfortable. But like riding the bike first time, once you get it, it becomes so natural that you dont notice your head movements at all (within the system gimbals, and with a good setup).  

If only one the the BI developers was a lockon FC or other supported sims, jock, and spent some time with it on this, then maybe they would see all the potential it has. (maybe they have...fingers crossed   )

[shadow 6]

If only one the the BI developers was a lockon FC or other supported sims, jock, and spent some time with it on this, then maybe they would see all the potential it has. (maybe they have...fingers crossed   )

Suma used to (probably still do) fly flight-sims

I'm sure he knows the potential benefits of the Trackir.

Just keep your fingers crossed.

An official word is - read carefully :

I cannot promise there will be no Track IR support in ArmA.

Note: I am a programmer, and therefore this sentence means exactly what is says, not something it seems to say or even something is does not say.

[bn880 5]

Well bummer again, eDimensional is being even more greedy by making a TrackIR 4, for $180USD MSRP. The old Track IR3 PRO was 120USD, and the Track IR3 was 80USD. (notice a trend)

So, nice job, they release newer products and every new product just costs more, instead of cycling the prices of the old stuff down.

Too greedy IMO, I'm certainly boycotting them personally, I may get a used one, but never a new one. By the time we get to Track IR 10 the thing will cost $350USD.... absurd!

[shadow 6]

You are right. The new TIR is more expensive, but it does come with 6DOF as standard. That counts for something (about $30).

Personally I'm fine with the regular 2DOF. Too few games support 6DOF and I play none of them (I ain't paying money for a LOMAC-patch....)

[bn880 5]

Well in general computing accessories that is the goal, to make the next product better while also as affordable as the last one, to keep up with... COMPETITION and DEMAND. Edimensional and their other name just don't have competition. Blergh.

I wonder why some people in countries with a lot of bootlegged stuff don't make theiur own IR tracking stuff to saturate hte market.

[blackdog~ 0]

I'll only buy one if it's supported in the game since I'm a total helo flyboy at heart.

[-OGN-DarkPhantom 0]

Explains all

http://www.armedworkshop.net/aw/

[KeyCat 131]

An official word is - read carefully :

I cannot promise there will be no Track IR support in ArmA.

Note: I am a programmer, and therefore this sentence means exactly what is says, not something it seems to say or even something is does not say.  

Yay! At least you BIS guys are aware of it's existance and I'm sure you already tested it to see it's potential in OFP (and other sims). Here's for the hope

@bn880 and others: I bought my TIR2 second hand for ~USD 50.00 a while ago and it works great in IL2/LOMAC/F4. Now when a new model is out look around at ebay.com etc. and I'm sure you will find a TIR2 or TIR3 at an fair price...

Not always need for the latest and greatest. Staying one or two step behind in the "computer hardware race" saves you a lot of money  

/Christer (a.k.a KeyCat)

[bn880 5]

KeyCat, indeed I'd be aiming for a used TIR3, however, if you do check ebay and the sorts, oh my do people ever raise the price to retail levels.

If course this is not a real concern of BIS, it's something I'm talking about for the players like us.

[sasyboy 0]

Everyone's always asking me why my rist herts. They've all got the wrong I idea... it's my OFP love and obsesive mouse movement.

lol I know if it would be supported I'm going to nead a neck brace.

[alx 20]

I've had TrackIR1, TrackIR2, TrackIR3 Pro with Vector Expansion, and I will most likely also purchase the new TrackIR4. I would love to see TrackIR incorporated into the game. I was a regular user of the Alt view technique while moving. Very good for avoiding flanking attacks. Please do incorporate it. the NaturalPoint people are very responsive and helpful to developers.

[shataan 1]

Please correct me if I am wrong. But with TrackIR your onscreen body will turn where your head looks... right? So to just turn your head alone, you still need to use a key press. For onfoot I fail to see a need for TrackIR.

I can see the need for this in piloting yeah only because turnin g your head in the cockpit is way more natural. But no way can I see that TrackIR will be anymore effective/immersive than just using a plain old mouse and keyboard in the field for the onfoot players.

 You pro TrackIR dudes wanna use it cause you got it.  That sounds basicly the gist of it here.  BIS by adding mouse look basicly negates the use of TrackIR at least onfoot.

 Being an old Janes Longbow II fan from way back, I have heard many heli and jet peeps rave about TrackIR.  So I do hope BIS includes the use of TrackIR for players who dig piloting.

  Another example. BIS OFP A.I. squad control had way too many key pushes imho. I got around this by using Microsofts GameVoice voice com software. Now being able to command your A.I. ingame by voice alone? THAT was awesome for me.

[Longjocks 0]

Please correct me if I am wrong. But with TrackIR your onscreen body will turn where your head looks... right? So to just turn your head alone, you still need to use a key press. For onfoot I fail to see a need for TrackIR.

I can see the need for this in piloting yeah only because turnin g your head in the cockpit is way more natural. But no way can I see that TrackIR will be anymore effective/immersive than just using a plain old mouse and keyboard in the field for the onfoot players.

That can best be answered by loading up OFP and trying a few experiments. Firstly, run in one direction and keep scanning the terrain in at least a 160° arc from the direction you're heading. This is not possible without slowing down as you have to side-step (also displacing your formation in the process).

Next, engage an enemy and then try glancing around you to get an idea of what your men are doing. The keypad only offers 45° increments and the mouse look requires extra key presses that are more of a hindrance in combat. Furthermore, if you turn your whole body instead, while prone, your profile offers a larger target.

Essentially, Track IR allows you to completely remove the need for the numberpad numbers and/or the asterisk and replace it with a intuitive movement that increases your situational awareness and control efficiency. It's no different than having a 5-button mouse instead of a 2-button mouse, it's just placing more controls where they are easily accessed.

It's not a tool just for aircraft. Any argument one can make for the benefit/detriment of its use for a foot soldier, one can also make for a plane or chopper.

[Heatseeker 0]

Please correct me if I am wrong. But with TrackIR your onscreen body will turn where your head looks... right? So to just turn your head alone, you still need to use a key press. For onfoot I fail to see a need for TrackIR.

Nope . I think you would have the ability to control your avatars head independently without resorting to the key pad/free look keys, simply by moving your own head? This should help alot in those situations where we are forced to rotate the model/camera all the time because we dont know where the oponents are coming from, it would also help helicopter piloting in first person view drastically, i can see the advantages in both mounted and onfoot gaming .

[SpecOp9 0]

Don't care, don't plan on buying one. However such a thing in ArmA would be awsome. But not enough to wet my mouth.

[shadow 6]

There is an in-depth look at TrackIR4 at SimHQ.

Good read.

Quote[/b] ]So what is the final verdict?

First, let's talk money, in round dollars. Meaning any price that ended in ".95" got rounded up to next dollar:

The TrackIR 3 Pro, without Vector Pro, but with everything you need for two axis motion tracking, and a mounting clip to attach the unit to a flat screen monitor retails for $120 USD. The Vector Pro, which includes the metal Vector tracking clip and the software activation codes to turn on 6DOF runs $30. The top of the line TrackIR 4 Pro, including everything except the hat, is $180. A TrackIR hat is $10.

What would I do if I owned a TrackIR 3 Pro, but no Vector Pro? It would depend on what my simulation needs were. If I only flew sims without 6DOF, and knew that I would not use any 6DOF sim in the near future, I might just stay with what I had, the Vector Pro added enhancement to two axis notwithstanding. But if I was flying any sims with 6DOF support, or had one in mind pretty soon, I would go for it. It does help with head motion transfer in the non-6DOF sims, and in the supported sims I just got so I appreciated the added functionality and wished that all sims had it. It's $30, and I think it's worth it.

If I had the TIR3 Pro with Vector Pro, what would I do? I think I'd stay put. The TIR3 Pro and Vector Pro is a terrific gaming combination, and worth every penny to a serious simmer. Honestly, I just couldn't justify spending $180 when the TIR3 Pro does it's job so very well. My caveats to that statement would be if: a). I had a change in my space requirements such that the smaller TIR4 was going to fit, but the larger TIR3 wouldn't, or b). I had a ready buyer for a great price on my older TIR3 and the net cost to upgrade would be small enough to convince me, or c). I really wanted some increased performance and smoothness in a very small package, and I had to money to spend.

If I had a TIR2 or previous model, or if I didn't have a TrackIR at all, I would go for the TrackIR 4 Pro. Figure that the TIR3 with Vector costs $150, and the newer TIR4 is $180, a $30 gap. For $30, I always go with the latest and greatest.

The difference between having a TrackIR and not having one? Well, one analogy I can give is the difference between having a dial-up modem and DSL or cable Internet service. If you don't know what you're missing, it's OK, because you don't know or haven't experienced how much better things can be. But once you make the change, once you do know the difference, you can never go back. It's like a new world has opened up for you.

Quote[/b] ] It helps you get the most out of the simulations you play and have the most fun. And that's what this hobby is all about.

Could'nt have said it any better myself.

[shataan 1]

'Nope  . I think you would have the ability to control your avatars head independently without resorting to the key pad/free look keys, simply by moving your own head?"

 That is what I was wondering.  I think I will stick with key mouse for now, but vote for TrackIR support for those who dig that. After using voice control software and seeing how much better that is as apposed to controlling using keystrokes, I can imagine how much better TrackIR would be.

[svendejong 0]

please ad it, ofp + more immersion :-)

[Shins 0]

I use TrackIR in OFP already by using a third party app called TrackMapper. It lets you asign head movement with the trackIR to key presses so i've bound NUMPAD4 NUMPAD7 and NUMPAD1 to various degrees of looking left and the same for 6,9 and 3 looking right. It works really well but i'd prefer proper mouse-look support in OFP (and ArmA ) like you get with Alt and moving the mouse (especially for Choppers/planes!

It is SOOO much more immersive, just flicking you head left or right to get an idea of what's going on around you. With a decent surround sound setup and ECP running it awesome

[shadow 6]

From Naturalpoint's latest newsletter:

Good News and Better News

The good news is our friends at Bohemia Interactive (of Operation Flashpoint fame) have released a trailer of their upcoming Armed Assault combat simulation. The better news is they have assured us that they are doing everything within their power to include support for TrackIR. This could be the beginning of a whole new era as TrackIR support expands into the field of combat. Let's all keep our fingers crossed. All the details of this amazing new game can be found at http://www.armedassault.com.

[Raptor 10]

lol i don't see anything new on armedassault.com.

but i must say....119$

thats much money...

[GGX_Lennon 0]

a new Trailer sounds very very very good

where is it? www.aremdassault.com hasnt been updated...

[KeyCat 131]

Quote[/b] ]

The better news is they have assured us that they are doing everything within their power to include support for TrackIR.

Thats great news!

To thoose who say they don't care... I used to say the same thing before I used TIR for a week or so. Now I can't imagine flying IL-2/LOMAC without it and I assume it will be the same in ArmA.

I agree that the new TIR 4 is quite expensive but also consider getting a second hand TIR1/TIR2 or TIR3 to a lower price. My second hand TIR 2 works great!

/Christer (a.k.a KeyCat)