Hello everyone,
[size:14pt]I have been out of flight sims for about ten years and want to get back in. Will be flying in IL-2 Stormovik. My computer is about ten years old and I will be getting a new one, configured to meet the specs of IL-2 at a high level, if not the highest. Looking at the following for computer specs:I
ntel core i7 13th gen CPU ,Motherboard with Intel Z790 Chipset,48 GB of ram, 1 TB SSD, 750 watt power supply
Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti video card, Mid tower case,Windows 11
If you see anything there that will be problematic please let me know.
Originally I was determined to get into VR, but then I realized that in VR you cannot see the keyboard, so now I am looking at head and eye tracking, which seems to be a good compromise. If anyone has any comments as to the pros and cons of headtracking I would appreciate it.
My version of Il-2 is old, I assume we can simply the flight controls to minimize the need for the keyboard. What flight controllers would be recommended ? If there is a way to simplify the flight controls so that they can be done with HOTAS stick and throttle, that would allow me to get into VR. Otherwise, I would be OK with head tracking.
I am NOT a techie, and at age 70 not likely to become one, so I need a setup that will be as simple and close to plug and play as possible!
Thanks for your help, looking forward to getting back into itI
Joe S
Hi jgs, good luck with your re-entry into simming
As far as headtracking goes, I have both VR and TrackIR, I find that VR is good for immersive effect, and headtracking is good for performance and quality, and, as you mentioned, peripheral controls access. I spend ~15-20% of time in VR (for things like helicopters & gliders, and occasionally combat aircraft) but for casual immersion only, when I want to do most of my flying though I prefer the headtracking that TrackIR gives me.
It sounds to me like you're leaning toward WW2 era planes, as such a sufficiently complex HOTAS will enable you to map most of the aircraft controls to it given you are OK with creating your own keybinding layouts (we all have our internal logic for this
) I have a Thrustmaster Warthog which gives me lots of options in this regard. WW2 aircraft don't have the crazy amount of controls etc that modern jets have so it's possible to get a good cover with that particular HOTAS, but it's rather expensive and quite heavy, in case that's a concern. Also, there is no twist-grip for rudder/nosewheel control so think about that too. I have a separate rudder control at my feet.
I also have a Honeycomb yoke & throttle quadrant for MSFS use, as I prefer analogue cockpits and don't mind using the VR mouse to set radios etc as it's rarely time-critical in that environment. (I actually have an external radio peripheral for this which is great for TrackIR but a bit fiddly for VR
)
The TrackIR though is where it's at for me, I have a nice 42 inch monitor (don't underestimate the benefit of a nice monitor) so that gives me a large life-size display, and I enjoy the extra quality & performance & control that gives me. I hear some good things about the Tobii eye tracker but I also hear (from those reviewers who really test it out properly) that it's not as golden as it first appears. I was interested initially until those reviews, and as TrackIR does it for me, and has done for ~15 years or so, and I already have it, I'll stick with it. (TrackIR is one of my must-have peripherals, if it ever broke I would immediately replace it and hang the cost
)
TrackIR also gives me something else - a ramped movement feature that I can set the curves for. In practice, this means that as I look around the center of my monitor I get a natural 1:1 movement, but if I look over to the edge of my monitor the response curve means I can look behind me with comfort. So my head is looking at the edge of the monitor, but my ingame head is looking over my shoulder. If you haven't experienced this it probably sounds a little odd, but after about an hour you can't live without it. Obviously in VR, if you want to look behind you you actually have to look behind you.
For TrackIR I prefer the hat reflectors rather than the "pro" headphone clip-on solution, it's just far better for me just to wear a hat than it is to cope with the clip-on lights with the extra cable, and I don't always wear headphones so the hat is just better. People say the clip-on lights have higher tracking quality but honestly, I have both and I never saw any difference at all, except the clip-on lights glitched out more often.
Something to bear in mind is that sunlight will interfere with TrackIR, but won't with VR. This is OK for me as on sunny days I can either switch over to VR or hang a blanket behind me to block the sunlight. (By sunlight I include surfaces that are lit by sunlight, not just direct sunlight.)
Hope this is of use to you, if you have any questions let me know
