First opinions of EDtracker with Elite: Dangerous

[Warlock Handlebars]

I've been playing Elite Dangerous on and off since mid-July 2014. Since then, I've switched from using an Intel i5 for the graphics (which could cope at 1920x1080x60p!), to an nVidia card, and I've switched from using keyboard and mouse to keyboard + mouse + flight stick. However, I have to say that the EDtracker was the single biggest help to game play.

I was naturally looking to see where ships and other objects had gone, only to be brought back to the reality of the monitor bezel. Now I'm doing the same but I can have a good look around! And there is no adverse impact on playing whatsoever; in fact, being able to look at the scenery every so often is a big plus!

 

[saviornt]

This is the VR forum EDtracker and TrackIR and other similar head-look controls for a monitor isn't VR. But I digress.. if you think that the facial tracking for head-look is amazing, you should really try Elite with an actual VR display

 

[Warlock Handlebars]

Well, it was a clip on the BBC Look East with a brief demonstration of the Oculus Rift in Elite: Dangerous which actually put me off the long-held idea I'd get one. Call me a numpty if you like, but how on <planet of choice> are you going to be able to see where your keyboard or mouse(pad) or flight stick are when you're wearing one of these?

Yes, I *deliberately* posted in the wrong forum in order to solicit an answer to this. Any YouTube videos of how Oculus Rift users can interact with the real world whilst wearing something like this? I really would like to be convinced.

 

[Winterwalker]

Well, it was a clip on the BBC Look East with a brief demonstration of the Oculus Rift in Elite: Dangerous which actually put me off the long-held idea I'd get one. Call me a numpty if you like, but how on <planet of choice> are you going to be able to see where your keyboard or mouse(pad) or flight stick are when you're wearing one of these?

Yes, I *deliberately* posted in the wrong forum in order to solicit an answer to this. Any YouTube videos of how Oculus Rift users can interact with the real world whilst wearing something like this? I really would like to be convinced.

There are various ideas for modelling hand movements if you search about .. some in development, means hand tracking, but it's complex of course because you'd need to map out the layout of your hotas in real space to be able to visualise them too. Someday maybe, but while VR goggles look like fun to try I can't see myself wanting to play long hours like that.

Was about to +1 rep for your first post anyway (still will) .. EDTracker is one of my favourite things about the ongoing development of Elite Dangerous and its community. Too clever by half!

 

[cmdr awesome]

Decent HOTAS is a must with the rift. I use a Warthog which has just about everything mapped onto the throttle and stick, so I can feel my way to any control. My trackball is normally within easy reach too, so I only need to lift the headset for two reasons:
- to type. I rarely use the comms so the only time I need to do this is when searching the galaxy map
- to drink. My pint won't fit under the headset bulk anyway.

 

[hurricanepilot]

Well, it was a clip on the BBC Look East with a brief demonstration of the Oculus Rift in Elite: Dangerous which actually put me off the long-held idea I'd get one. Call me a numpty if you like, but how on <planet of choice> are you going to be able to see where your keyboard or mouse(pad) or flight stick are when you're wearing one of these?

Yes, I *deliberately* posted in the wrong forum in order to solicit an answer to this. Any YouTube videos of how Oculus Rift users can interact with the real world whilst wearing something like this? I really would like to be convinced.

Speaking in terms of personal set-up, I have a cheap HOTAS (the T.Flight) that I have mapped to almost every function, and those that I don't have mapped to keys. I have one button on my HOTAS set up to be both the comms "mute" button in ED, and the trigger button for an external program called VoiceAttack that will recognise phrases and turn them into keystrokes. I only have about a dozen commands set up in voice attack, and to be fair, a lot of those are only for convenience as there're few of them that can't be done using the UI.

The ones I wouldn't be without are for deploying/retracting landing gear an the ones that allow me to send the power to various systems. I have others for doing stuff like deploying/retracting the cargo scoop, and for bringing up the galaxy map, but most of these things aren't time critical and available from the UI.

The couple of notable things that I've mapped alternatively to the default setup are the rocker switch on the throttle, which I've mapped to the UI next and previous tab commands, and the HAT switch, which I've mapped to lateral thrust and vertical thrust (still works the UI when you're looking at a panel).

I have the mouse sat between the hotas sticks and can fumble for it as necessary withing the galaxy map, though I've also repurposed the HAT switch in there for movement on the galactic plane when I have a specific button pressed (acts like a shift). When the button isn't pressed, the HAT works the UI as per normal.

Once I'm in and settled, I don't have a need to know where my hands are, but if you really do, you can just push the thing up your head

 

[CATPAIN KIRK]

Well, it was a clip on the BBC Look East with a brief demonstration of the Oculus Rift in Elite: Dangerous which actually put me off the long-held idea I'd get one. Call me a numpty if you like, but how on <planet of choice> are you going to be able to see where your keyboard or mouse(pad) or flight stick are when you're wearing one of these?

Yes, I *deliberately* posted in the wrong forum in order to solicit an answer to this. Any YouTube videos of how Oculus Rift users can interact with the real world whilst wearing something like this? I really would like to be convinced.

I don't find it to be an issue - I use a Hotas Warthog, Pedals and have no use for voice attack, as I usually play with speakers turned up really loud and listen to music whilst playing. I usually don't have to look at my keyboard to type or grab the mouse, flightstick, cigarillos, lighter or glass and observing myself in regards to this, I've found I never look at the things mentioned even when not wearing the rift, since I look at the screen and usually play in the dark - do you?

A quick look around, memorizing where eveything is and muscle memory does the rest (not that hard - my desk doesn't change a lot and I mostly put everything in the same places anyway), just try it - close your eyes and do what you'd normally do - you'll most likely find it's a non issue in a familiar environment like your own desk.

I've uploaded a rather awful and boring video of me for someone asking about the same 2 months ago - it looks a bit clumsy, but I've spent ~200 hours in the rift since then and everything is completely natural now.

 

[saviornt]

Don't get irate, if you search at my post, or even online, history, you will see that I have a very sarcastic and pessimistic persona. Wasn't trying to flame, just made a joke

Anyways, when you use the Rift, you will find that you hardly, if ever, need to actually look around IRL unless it's doing something out of the VR-space (such as planning a trade route, the in game tools suck for this). Muscle memory and proprioception does the rest.

As defined on wiki: "Proprioception (/ˌproʊpri.ɵˈsɛpʃən/ PRO-pree-o-SEP-shən), from Latin proprius, meaning "one's own", "individual" and perception, is the sense of the relative position of neighbouring parts of the body and strength of effort being employed in movement."

A simple experiment in this is to close your eyes, and with your left hand, touch the exact center of the palm of your right hand. This is how police officers test to see if your drunk or not, as being inebriated inhibits this.


Catpain Kirk: I cannot, absolutely not, believe you took a lighter to your Rift.. that is heretical! No, seriously, as a smoker myself, you shouldn't smoke next to your computer or any electronic device. The tar from the smoke cakes onto the electronic system boards and can impede the electrons moving through the circuitry, not too mention it will cause your computer to overheat since tar is an insulator.

But, its your computer, not mine. Do what ye' will as long as it isn't next to mine ;P

 

[CATPAIN KIRK]

Catpain Kirk: I cannot, absolutely not, believe you took a lighter to your Rift.. that is heretical! No, seriously, as a smoker myself, you shouldn't smoke next to your computer or any electronic device. The tar from the smoke cakes onto the electronic system boards and can impede the electrons moving through the circuitry, not too mention it will cause your computer to overheat since tar is an insulator.

But, its your computer, not mine. Do what ye' will as long as it isn't next to mine ;P

Nah - it's not an issue - I've been smoking next to my computers for 24 years now and never had a problem - the current one is over 2.5 years old and runs rock-solid - besides both GPUs and the CPU are watercooled. I use 5 Noiseblocker NB BlackSilent Pro 120mm fans to vent the radiator and maintain air flow but cleaning them every two months using pressurized air does suffice - the CPU is at 40°C despite being overclocked from 3.2 to 4.2 Ghz (I7 3930k) right now.

Never had an issue with my previous air-cooled computers either, although they required cleaning more frequently.
Concerning the rift: Actually, the flame isn't that close to it (the perspective is a little bit off in the video) and the duration it's lit is way too short to even raise the temperature significantly and far from damaging it. I'll take that risk any day - and should it break, I'll find another . Actually it's one of the rifts strenghts - I used TrackIR 5 before that and whenever I lit a cigarette or blew out a dense cloud of smoke, it would jerk my view around because it suddenly detected another IR source and couldn't handle it/the added light scattering made it lose reference points.

On a side note that video was made after drinking a bottle of wine - so proprioception still works for me after that to some minimal extent.

@ Commander Awesome: I had the same 'drinking problem' (well - I mostly drink wine, but my bordeaux glasses have a larger diameter than a typical pint) - I solved it by using smaller glasses (apparently, my other drinking problem was stronger ).