VR tips and tricks - Improving your VR experience! -Updated 9th/Dec/2020

March 9, 2022

Hello pilots!!

Just purchased HP G2 v2 and upgraded from Quest q2.

Generally i am happy with my new Vr, i get better fps than Q2, i can identify better other planes than Q2 and more farher BUT I GET A WORSE SPOTTING than Q2 because colours in G2 are not as strong and bright as they are in Q2!!!!

I tried every possible setting i could think in G2 like : sharpness, hdr on off, dx11 on off, reprojection on off, motion smoothness on off, advanced multisampling filtering on off, ipd slider, in game ipd, wmr picture quality settings , gamma settings, resolution settings but NOTHING seems to make the colours (saturation) of G2 better or at least the same as the colours of Q2!!!!( i dont want to use RESHADE because i fly multiplayer...)

Did anyone else have any similar experience like mine?, is there any possible solution to the problem? or i just have to accept that colours of Q2 are better than colours of G2?

i also checked my Hp G2 to my other rig i have( rtx 1650 ) and the colours quality are exactly the same!!!

Any idea is welcomed!!!

March 9, 2022

I am using reshade as colors are quite washed out in g2, but I play almost only single player.

If you manage to find the secret for the colors to pop up more, i am also interested.

March 9, 2022

7 minutes ago, Youtch said:

I am using reshade as colors are quite washed out in g2, but I play almost only single player.

If you manage to find the secret for the colors to pop up more, i am also interested.

G2 here and colours are fine. Must be a graphics card colour issue?

March 9, 2022

9 minutes ago, drogo-joystick said:

G2 here and colours are fine. Must be a graphics card colour issue?

i would have been quite happy with my new g2 if i didnt have q2 to compare......

March 9, 2022

5 minutes ago, dgiatr said:

i would have been quite happy with my new g2 if i didnt have q2 to compare......

Something wrong as I had a quest 2 before and a rift s before that and there’s no comparison.

March 9, 2022

16 minutes ago, dgiatr said:

i would have been quite happy with my new g2 if i didnt have q2 to compare......

Reverb G2 "should" be significantly better than Quest 2. However I myself have never tried a Quest 2 so can't say from personal experience on that one.

March 9, 2022

1 hour ago, dburne said:

Reverb G2 "should" be significantly better than Quest 2. However I myself have never tried a Quest 2 so can't say from personal experience on that one.

It’s like night and day. In fact I much preferred the rift image quality to the q2. More pixels didn’t necessarily mean better images. There’s quite a few guys I know still using the rift, I don’t know anyone using a quest for flight sims... that must mean something.... or I could just be wrong.

March 12, 2022

On 3/9/2022 at 8:04 AM, drogo-joystick said:

Something wrong as I had a quest 2 before and a rift s before that and there’s no comparison.

I agree my HP Reverb G2 is better than both of my quest2s and all other headsets I've had.

It's also the brightest headset I've used. That's why it needs extra power. But the color is really pretty good.

Wish we could have color correction for our games and our headsets. Be nice to calibrate.

March 12, 2022

1 hour ago, BH_Adabadoo_VR said:

Wish we could have color correction for our games and our headsets. Be nice to calibrate

You can have through reshade mod, but unfortunately it is for Single Player only.

March 12, 2022

4 hours ago, Youtch said:

You can have through reshade mod, but unfortunately it is for Single Player only.

Just curious as I don't use it, but why is reshade only for single player?

On 3/9/2022 at 5:15 PM, dburne said:

Reverb G2 "should" be significantly better than Quest 2. However I myself have never tried a Quest 2 so can't say from personal experience on that one.

Hey Don, did they ever get the VRNeckSafer app to work with the Varjo Aero?

March 12, 2022

1 hour ago, Icer said:

Just curious as I don't use it, but why is reshade only for single player?

Reshade is considered a mod since it allows folk to tune the colors to such an extreme that it could create an unfair spotting advantage. That is fine against AI, but all popular MP servers have mods not allowed to keep the playing field as level as possible.

Basically, most MP players only fly in the mods off servers so that they can feel more certain it is pilot skill that determines outcomes.

1 hour ago, Icer said:

Hey Don, did they ever get the VRNeckSafer app to work with the Varjo Aero?

@dburne doesn’t use VRNeckSafer, and there aren’t any updates on when or if it can be updated to work with the Aero

Edited March 12, 2022 by Charlo-VR

March 12, 2022

32 minutes ago, Charlo-VR said:

@dburne doesn’t use VRNeckSafer, and there aren’t any updates on when or if it can be updated to work with the Aero

Correct.

March 12, 2022

On 3/12/2022 at 4:15 PM, Charlo-VR said:

they can feel more certain it is pilot skill that determines outcomes

Or the one with the clearer setting to be able to spot and ID faster, here there is a difference between VR and monitor pilots, and even among VR pilots depending on your gear you will get more or less clarity which would help you see planes better before it is too late.

Edited April 6, 2022 by Youtch
typo

March 13, 2022

13 hours ago, Youtch said:

Or the one with my clear setting to be able to spot and ID faster, here there is a difference between VR and monitor pilots, and even among VR pilots depending on your gear you will get more or less clarity which would help you see planes better before it is too late.

Understood, and as someone that has triples with TIR and has purchased/returned a Quest 2 (1st VR) and then a HP G2 (2nd VR attempt), then ordered and cancelled a Varjo Aero I get the clarity aspect.. Without VRNeckSafer I simply could not look from 4:00-8:00 at all. Just saw a review of the G2 ver. #2 which may or may not have a bigger "sweet spot", we shall see.

April 15, 2022

On 2/18/2018 at 10:53 PM, SCG_Fenris_Wolf said:

Edit: 07-02-2022

I will rebuild this post this week and update it to modern FSR/NIS options as well. The Q2 will join the bunch too, as well as the Varjo Aero.

Hey guys,

please remember the settings here are to make spotting and IDing most competitive, not to give the very ultimate best graphical experience.

- 06.09.2021 Update

- Included fholger's FidelityFX SuperResolution (FSR) Upscaler and how to use it.

- Reworked SteamVR Settings for each headset in light of FSR

- Adjusted Vive Pro 2, Reverb G2/1, Samsung Odyssey, added Index and Vive Pro --- ingame settings

- Re-added Pimax 8KX

Previous Updates in Spoiler

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- 15.06.2021 Update

- Added Vive Pro 2's How-To disable Automatic Display Resolution and disable Variable Automatic Lighting

- 12.06.2021 Update

- Adjusted SteamVR section, adjusted Vive Pro 2 Vive Console (Motion Smoothing)

- 10.06.2021 Update

- Added Vive Pro 2 Setup, Vive Console, Settings for SteamVR/IL-2

- 06.05.2021 Update

- Added Link to headset comparisons to bottom

- 09.04.2021 Update

- New Absolute Quality VR settings for Reverb G2 ("How to use SS100% / Motion Smoothing while AVOIDING artifacts!")

- 17.03.2021 Update

- Fixed SSAO setting, added Golden Rule to avoid heavy performance hits due to heavy cloud cover

- 24.01.2020 Update

- Added "Fix to fisheye problem in WMR"

- 05.01.2020 Update

- SSAO = 0

- 20.12.2020 Update

- Reverb G2 Supersampling recommendation added

- 11.12.2020 Update

-Fixed Reverb G2/G1 setting (no msaa)

- 09.12.2020 Update

- Golden Rules added

- SteamVR section reworked

- WMR section reworked

- Free performance boost for all WMR added

- Color banding fix on clouds added

- Propeller Disk selection added

- SteamVR Chaperone fix reworked

- Benchmark and hardware analysis link added

- Pimax 5K+ support deprecated (end of post)

Use CTRL+F to search for keywords in this post!

### Introduction ###

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Hello fellow Simulator Enthusiasts,

Steam's SuperSampling reduces the size of aircrafts and tanks at range, so much that spotting contacts can be quite difficult, because they start becoming invisible.

That is because using Supersampling information gets merged and hence lost. The result is that an aircraft at 15km range may be less than a (few) subpixels in size and is consumed by the sky around the subpixel. Supersampling too high makes aircrafts invisible as a result. But we cannot fly completely without it, as distortion profiles and sweetspot depend on it. Drop it too low, and the outer edges of your vision get more blurry.

### Golden Rules ###

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- 90Hz and a steady framerate help spotting and gunnery more than any other setting.

- Don't run your headset 1:1 at its physical resolution, it requires a bit more for the distortion profile, around 1.3x minimum.

- These settings are meant for the average computer.

- You want a static picture, to spot moving objects against that. This is why landscape filter is "blurry" and shadows are either "Extreme" or "Off" (they flicker).

- HDR enabled + HQ clouds + heavy clouds on map + high resolution (Reverbs) = engine grinding to a halt even on RTX3090. So I'm running with HDR disabled now.

- Keep the gamma at 0.8000 or even 0.7000, which makes far distant aircrafts as dark as possible - they are usually black dots.

- Look into one direction and hold your head steady - notice any "bugs" moving around? That can be a bandit.

- Check your six for SCG.

### SteamVR settings ###

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Go to the SteamVR settings, enable "Advanced Settings".

1) Know your headset's vertical native resolution. For the Valve Index it is 1600, for example. For the Reverb G2 it is 2160, for the Vive Pro 2 it is 2448.

2) in General tab, select custom and set resolution: 1.5x of the vertical physical resolution per eye, so that the distortion profiles are properly drawn. The vertical resolution is the second number. In our example with the Valve Index: 1.5 x 1600 = 2400. Then you will see around 2160 x 2400.

Do not go higher, or you may experience scaling issues (contacts not rendered at long range).

3) Advanced Supersampling-Filter: Disable it. It blurs the picture too much.

Pause VR while headset is inactive: Disabled, or you cannot take it off during flight.

3) Start/Close: Turn Screen Off: 5 Minutes, Turn Controllers Off: 5 Minutes.

### fholger's FSR Upscaler --- giant performance boost for all high-res headsets ###

The sections for Vive Pro 2, 8KX, Reverb G2/1 are based on using this.

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For all High Resolution Headsets like: Vive Pro 2, Pimax 8KX, Reverb G2, DecaGear (upcoming). For headsets of lower resolutions, I still recommend it and keep renderScale at 1 and still use FSR's sharpness.

I disable post_sharpen ingame, as FSR explicitly asks to disable any post processing or antialiasing ingame to avoid loss of information for its upscaling. If we keep IL-2's own sharpening on, we may miss a lot of aircrafts especially those that are higher than us.

FSR is an Upscaler that allows you to improve performance with almost no picture quality loss.

Steps:

1) Download FSR here

2) Navigate to ...\IL-2 Sturmovik Battle of Stalingrad\bin\game and make a backup of openvr_api.dll

3) Place files from FSR into ...\IL-2 Sturmovik Battle of Stalingrad\bin\game

4) Open openvr_mod.cfg with Notepad++ (or similar Editor)

5) Replace contents of file (or edit manually) with

{
"fsr": {
"enabled": true,
"renderScale": 0.67,
"sharpness": 0.67,
"radius": 0.4,
"applyMIPBias": false,
"debugMode": false
}
}

Now you want to take a good look at "renderScale": 0.67, and set it to an individual scale depending on headset.

Vive Pro 2: 0.67

Pimax 8KX (75Hz) : 0.82

Reverb G2: 0.77

Now we want to look at "sharpness": 0.67, I found this to be a good middle ground to avoid too much shimmering. Shimmering creates a too flickery picture and makes spotting more troublesome.

In this case, for the Vive Pro 2 it would render ~2400x2400 pixels and upscale them with the good algorithm at 0.4 of the radius from the center of the lens, and in the periphery use a faster algorithm. This saves performance.

### Vive Pro 2, guide to setup ###

You must go through the steps to get it working properly. Otherwise you may get a blurry picture or performance issues.

Setup Guide - tidy up!

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If you had another headset before, uninstall all remains. Remove PiTool, in %USER%\AppData\ in Roaming, LocalNow, Local you need to find all Pimax/PiTool folders and delete them. Remove all Mixed Reality Software and plugins, uninstall SteamVR. Go to your ..\Program Files(x86)\Steam\config\ folder, in there delete "Lighthouse" and file "steamvr.vrsettings".

Reboot, freshly install SteamVR and opt into SteamVR Beta.

Update your graphics drivers - this is essential or you can't select Ultra/Extreme in the Vive Console!

Install Vive Console.

Vive Console Settings & how to handle

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General, uncheck "Launch VIVE Console when the headset is connected". Now the headset won't launch by itself.

Video, keep Motion compensation checked off.

Display settings, uncheck "Let VC choose the best settings" and select "Ultra".

How to handle the VC?

To turn on: Start Windows. Then, turn on Linkbox. On Taskbar, you can click on VIVE Console. It will automatically start SteamVR and the Basestations, if you have linked them to SteamVR properly.

To turn off: Press "Exit" in SteamVR, the VIVE Console will automatically go to sleep. The Linkbox will put Basestations to sleep.

How-to disable Automatic Display Resolution

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If you do not do this, your resolution in SteamVR will remain dynamic - even if you select SteamVR's supersampling to be manual and at 200% or 300%. Some people experienced blurry pictures and sent their headsets back. Here seems to be the solution:

If Vive Console was installed normally, go to

C:\Program Files (x86)\VIVE\Updater\App\ViveVRRuntime\ViveVR\ViveVRServer\config

If Vive Console was installed via Steam, go to

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\VIVEDriver\App\ViveVRRuntime\ViveVR\ViveVRServer\config

then open

default.vrsettings

find line

"DisplayResolutionAuto" : true,

change line to

"DisplayResolutionAuto" : false,

How-to disable Automatic Brightness Control

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If you do not do this, the Brightness may dimm darker areas of the picture even more towards black, which may be great for Elite Dangerous and to get close to OLED blacks, but not for Cockpits or Night time. Here seems to be the solution:

If Vive Console was installed normally, go to

C:\Program Files (x86)\VIVE\Updater\App\ViveVRRuntime\ViveVR\ViveVRServer\config

If Vive Console was installed via Steam, go to

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\VIVEDriver\App\ViveVRRuntime\ViveVR\ViveVRServer\config

then open

default.vrsettings

find line

"EnableBrightnessControl" : true,

change line to

"EnableBrightnessControl" : false,

find line

"BrightnessPercentage" : 80,

and set it to 99, .

SteamVR Settings (setting supersampling will have no effect until you have disabled Automatic Display Resolution!)

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The General tab (using RTX 3090, please adjust accordingly)

Please note the absolute pixels of 3520 x 3520 , not the percentage. It fluctuates sometimes.

### IL-2 settings Vive Pro 2 ###

SteamVR target resolution 3520 x 3520, then use FSR at 0.67 (RTX3090) or lower slightly until you get steady 90fps. Keep IL-2's post_sharpen off, use FSR's sharpening feature.

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\IL-2 Sturmovik Battle of Stalingrad\data\startup.cfg

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[KEY = graphics]
   adapter = 0
   bloom_enable = 0
   canopy_ref = 0
   desktop_center = 0
   detail_rt_res = 1024
   draw_distance = 0.00000
   far_blocks = 0
   fps_counter = 0
   fps_limit = 0
   full_height = 1024
   full_width = 1280
   fullscreen = 0
   gamma = 0.90000
   grass_distance = 0.00000
   hdr_enable = 1
   land_anisotropy = 2
   land_detail = 0
   land_tex_lods = 3
   max_cache_res = 1
   max_clouds_quality = 2
   mgpu_compatible = 0
   mirrors = 2
   msaa = 0
   multisampling = 0
   or_ca = 0.00000
   or_dummy = 0
   or_enable = 1
   or_height = 3228
   or_hud_rad = 1.50000
   or_hud_size = 0.75000
   or_ipd = 0.06680
   or_sipdc = 0.00000
   or_width = 3228
   post_sharpen = 0
   preset = 2
   prop_blur_max_rpm_for_vr = 155
   rescale_target = 1.00000
   shadows_quality = 4
   ssao_enable = 0
   stereo_dof = 5.00000
   vsync = 0
   win_height = 768
   win_width = 1280
[END]

### For All Windows Mixed Reality Headsets ###

Setup Guide

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1. We always want the latest Windows 10 Update. Updates outside the USA are often delayed, to make sure, use the Windows 10 Update Assistant !

2. Install SteamVR

3. Install Mixed Reality Plugin

Start-Up Sequence

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1. In Windows, open Mixed Reality Portal

2. Put on headset, let it recognize the room

3. In Steam, start SteamVR, then your game

Failing to do so may put your head locked in a center position.

A free performance boost for WMR

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Description:

Windows Mixed Reality pre-allocates monitors in VR. Take a look at your Windows' monitors (Rightclick to Desktop -> Display Settings)

You will suddenly see many monitors while Mixed Reality Portal is active. These are rendered live, even if you don't use them. The more monitors you have, the higher the performance cost. Get performance boost by disabling them:

[...]
1. Launch Registry Editor
2. Navigate to "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Holographic"
3. If the "PreallocateVirtualMonitors" REG_DWORD is not present, create it by selecting Edit > New > DWORD (32-bit) Value and entering PreallocateVirtualMonitors as the name
4. If the "PreallocateVirtualMonitors" REG_DWORD is present (or you just created it), double-click the entry and change "Value data" from 1 (its default value) to 0 (zero)
TRUE - 1
FALSE - 0
5. Virtual monitors will now allocate when you attempt to launch a Win32 application in Windows Mixed Reality instead of pre-allocating. To reset this and re-enable virtual monitor pre-allocation, return the DWORD "Value data" to 1.

6. Restart computer.

Source 1 u/NEMRCMDY

Source 2 Microsoft's Mixed Reality Enthusiast Guide

### HP Reverb G2 / G1 ###

SteamVR target resolution 3100 x 3100, then use FSR at 0.77 (RTX3090) or lower slightly until you get steady 90fps. Keep IL-2's post_sharpen off, use FSR's sharpening feature.

Performant VR settings

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\IL-2 Sturmovik Battle of Stalingrad\data\startup.cfg

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[KEY = graphics]
   3dhud = 0
   adapter = 0
   bloom_enable = 0
   canopy_ref = 0
   desktop_center = 0
   detail_rt_res = 1024
   draw_distance = 0.00000
   far_blocks = 0
   fps_counter = 0
   fps_limit = 0
   full_height = 1080
   full_width = 1920
   fullscreen = 0
   gamma = 0.90000
   grass_distance = 0.00000
   hdr_enable = 1
   land_anisotropy = 2
   land_tex_lods = 3
   max_cache_res = 1
   max_clouds_quality = 2
   mgpu_compatible = 0
   mirrors = 2
   msaa = 0
   multisampling = 0
   or_ca = 0.00040
   or_dummy = 0
   or_enable = 1
   or_height = 2164
   or_hud_rad = 0.85000
   or_hud_size = 0.85000
   or_ipd = 0.06599
   or_sipdc = 0.00000
   or_width = 2216
   post_sharpen = 0
   preset = 3
   prop_blur_max_rpm_for_vr = 155
   rescale_target = 1.00000
   shadows_quality = 4
   ssao_enable = 0
   stereo_dof = 5.00000
   vsync = 0
   win_height = 1080
   win_width = 1920
[END]

### Pimax 8KX ###

SteamVR target resolution 12345654? x 3100, then use FSR at 0.82 (RTX3090) or lower as you only need to get to 75fps. Keep IL-2's post_sharpen off, use FSR's sharpening feature.

Best to play the game on "Normal" FOV, with Motion Smoothing disabled. If you are lucky and your 8KX makes 90Hz, it's absolutely preferable and lower FSR accordingly. Allows to track and ID moving targets much better.

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\IL-2 Sturmovik Battle of Stalingrad\data\startup.cfg

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[KEY = graphics]
   3dhud = 0
   adapter = 0
   bloom_enable = 0
   canopy_ref = 0
   desktop_center = 0
   detail_rt_res = 1024
   draw_distance = 0.00000
   far_blocks = 0
   fps_counter = 0
   fps_limit = 0
   full_height = 1080
   full_width = 1920
   fullscreen = 0
   gamma = 0.80000
   grass_distance = 0.00000
   hdr_enable = 1
   land_anisotropy = 2
   land_tex_lods = 3
   max_cache_res = 1
   max_clouds_quality = 2
   mgpu_compatible = 0
   mirrors = 2
   msaa = 0
   multisampling = 0
   or_ca = 0.00040
   or_dummy = 0
   or_enable = 1
   or_height = 2164
   or_hud_rad = 0.85000
   or_hud_size = 0.85000
   or_ipd = 0.06599
   or_sipdc = 0.00000
   or_width = 2216
   post_sharpen = 0
   preset = 3
   prop_blur_max_rpm_for_vr = 155
   rescale_target = 1.00000
   shadows_quality = 4
   ssao_enable = 0
   stereo_dof = 5.00000
   vsync = 0
   win_height = 1080
   win_width = 1920
[END]

### Samsung Odyssey (Plus), Vive Pro 1 , Valve Index ###

SteamVR target resolution ~ 2160 x 2400, then use FSR at 1 (RTX3090) or lower it slightly until you get steady 90fps. Keep IL-2's post_sharpen off, use FSR's sharpening feature instead.

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\IL-2 Sturmovik Battle of Stalingrad\data\startup.cfg

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[KEY = graphics]
   3dhud = 0
   adapter = 0
   bloom_enable = 0

   canopy_ref = 0
   desktop_center = 1
   detail_rt_res = 1024
   draw_distance = 0.54500
   far_blocks = 0
   fps_counter = 0
   fps_limit = 0
   full_height = 1080
   full_width = 1920
   fullscreen = 0
   gamma = 0.80000
   grass_distance = 0.00000
   hdr_enable = 1
   land_anisotropy = 2
   land_tex_lods = 3
   max_cache_res = 1
   max_clouds_quality = 2
   mgpu_compatible = 0
   mirrors = 2

msaa = 1
   multisampling = 1
   or_enable = 1
   or_height = 2179
   or_hud_rad = 0.85000
   or_hud_size = 1.00000
   or_ipd = 0.06763

   or_sipdc = 0.00000
   or_width = 1748
   post_sharpen = 0
   preset = 3

prop_blur_max_rpm_for_vr = 155
   rescale_target = 1.00000
   shadows_quality = 4
   ssao_enable = 0
   stereo_dof = 5.00000
   vsync = 0
   win_height = 1080
   win_width = 1920
[END]

### Trouble with suddenly blurry graphics (Vive Pro 2, Pimax 8KX), low resolutions ###

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Your gpuSpeed might clock in too low. This is a pesky SteamVR Feature aimed at keeping the experience smooth for the simplest user. However, we are awesome, so we use the SteamVR-ForceCompositorScale by elvissteinjr !

Steps:

1) Download it here

2) Make sure SteamVR is running, then execute SteamVR-ForceCompositorScale.exe. It is irrelevant where you keep the files, as long as you don't move them afterwards.

3) Restart SteamVR. Now the ForceCompositorScale will be in the overlay section of SteamVR settings for you to check, if you want.

4) Close SteamVR and navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\config\steamvr.vrsettings and open it with Notepad++

5) Add into

},
"steamvr" : {

"supersampleManualOverride" : true,

   "supersampleScaleCompositor" : 8

},

Make sure to put it in correctly. The last line of what is in section "steamvr" should not have a comma. All those before it should have a comma. Look at my screenshot and then at what you have written, double check - or the entire file may reset.

6) Save the file, now start SteamVR.

### Remove color banding on clouds (some players have this issue) ###

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1) Rightclick Desktop, open "Nvidia Settings"

2) Select "3D-Settings", then Program Settings, then select IL-2 Sturmovik.

3) Set "Texture Filtering - Quality" to "High Quality".

If you don't sport a GPU from 2014, you won't need Anisotropic Filtering.

### Performance Issues ###

Please remember that all systems are different, and adjust a few details accordingly. I recommend you use the application fpsVR to see whether your performance is limited by the CPU or the GPU. Look for the frametimes. Here are some suggestions to reduce the stress:

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Performance boosts for CPU:

Disable Grass

Lower Main Presets

Disable Mirrors

Disable Distant Buildings

Lower Horizon Draw Distance

Performance boosts for GPU:

Disable Grass

Disable Mirrors

Disable Canopy reflections

Disable SSAO

Disable MSAA

Lower Shadow Quality

Lower Cloud Quality

### Instant Zoom ###

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It is possible to have the zoom work in an instant. This is better for combat pilots, for that instant snapshot.

Path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\IL-2 Sturmovik Battle of Stalingrad\data\startup.cfg

Open with Notepad. You can make VR zoom instant, look for and edit the line:

### Chaperone Ring in SteamVR ###

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Start SteamVR, click on: Settings -> Developer -> select Large/Gigantic Room -> press Quick Calibrate

### Old Propeller Disk ###

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The prop blur at 155 is meant for VR, removes artifacts with motion reprojection, and takes less performance. To get the old prop disk back, navigate to startup.cfg and edit line to:

prop_blur_max_rpm_for_vr = -1

### Fix to "fisheyed" problem in WMR ###

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1) Update Windows 10 to latest version

2) Go into Mixed Reality Portal -> Settings -> Headset Display -> select

Options for User Experience: "Best Visual Quality"

Resolution: "4320x2160 (Best Quality)" //Resolution value can vary by headset

Frequency: 90Hz

### IL-2 Benchmarks, performance and hardware analysis ###

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Find out more about your hardware, if you have the following questions:

- Where is my bottleneck?

- How is my computer actually performing?

- What part should I upgrade next for biggest performance gain with lowest cost?

Benchmark your Hardware in IL-2 and ask for help on hardware in @chiliwili69's thread!

### PCVR Headset comparisons ###

Link to the thread in which I will compare headsets while focussing on IL-2, future headsets as well

Enjoy the hunt! ?

Extremely helpful post, thank you!

This has revolutionised my experience with the recently arrived HP Reverb G2.1.

April 22, 2022

Man since this new sky box was introduced I have been getting really ugly banding in the distance and the shimmering is back! Not sure what I'm doing wrong but no matter what setting I use (FXAA, MSAA) it's still present and its driving me nuts. The shimmering on distant buildings is the most annoying.

I am using a Quest 2 and I realise the overheads in image quality using the usb link cable but it wasn't this bad a month ago and it clearly my worst performing and looking game. I have tried - FSR, upping the the Q2 resolution, steam SS/no SS etc etc. The only changes in NV CP are Clamp, power management to maximum.

Will post my graphics settings, I'm currently running a 3070 with a AMD 5800x 32 gigs of ram so in theory should ok performance. I think it might be hitting the vram hard but according to nzxt my cpu isn't breaking a sweat. Just hoping someone can recommend a fix because its wrecking my enjoyment.

[KEY = graphics]
   3dhud = 0
   adapter = 0
   bloom_enable = 0
   canopy_ref = 1
   desktop_center = 1
   detail_rt_res = 1024
   draw_distance = 0.54500
   far_blocks = 1
   fps_counter = 0
   fps_limit = 0
   full_height = 768
   full_width = 1280
   fullscreen = 0
   gamma = 0.80000
   grass_distance = 0.00000
   hdr_enable = 0
   land_anisotropy = 1
   land_detail = 0
   land_tex_lods = 3
   max_cache_res = 1
   max_clouds_quality = 2
   mgpu_compatible = 0
   mirrors = 1
   msaa = 0
   multisampling = 2
   or_ca = 0.00000
   or_dummy = 0
   or_enable = 1
   or_height = 2055
   or_hud_rad = 1.50000
   or_hud_size = 0.75000
   or_ipd = 0.06312
   or_render_eye = 0
   or_sipdc = 0.00000
   or_width = 2030
   post_sharpen = 0
   preset = 1
   prop_blur_max_rpm_for_vr = 155
   rescale_target = 1.00000
   shadows_quality = 2
   ssao_enable = 0
   stereo_dof = 5.00000
   vsync = 0
   win_height = 720
   win_width = 1280
[END]

April 22, 2022

2 hours ago, d2k77 said:

Man since this new sky box was introduced I have been getting really ugly banding in the distance and the shimmering is back! Not sure what I'm doing wrong but no matter what setting I use (FXAA, MSAA) it's still present and its driving me nuts. The shimmering on distant buildings is the most annoying.

I am using a Quest 2 and I realise the overheads in image quality using the usb link cable but it wasn't this bad a month ago and it clearly my worst performing and looking game. I have tried - FSR, upping the the Q2 resolution, steam SS/no SS etc etc. The only changes in NV CP are Clamp, power management to maximum.

Will post my graphics settings, I'm currently running a 3070 with a AMD 5800x 32 gigs of ram so in theory should ok performance. I think it might be hitting the vram hard but according to nzxt my cpu isn't breaking a sweat. Just hoping someone can recommend a fix because its wrecking my enjoyment.

[KEY = graphics]
   3dhud = 0
   adapter = 0
   bloom_enable = 0
   canopy_ref = 1
   desktop_center = 1
   detail_rt_res = 1024
   draw_distance = 0.54500
   far_blocks = 1
   fps_counter = 0
   fps_limit = 0
   full_height = 768
   full_width = 1280
   fullscreen = 0
   gamma = 0.80000
   grass_distance = 0.00000
   hdr_enable = 0
   land_anisotropy = 1
   land_detail = 0
   land_tex_lods = 3
   max_cache_res = 1
   max_clouds_quality = 2
   mgpu_compatible = 0
   mirrors = 1
   msaa = 0
   multisampling = 2
   or_ca = 0.00000
   or_dummy = 0
   or_enable = 1
   or_height = 2055
   or_hud_rad = 1.50000
   or_hud_size = 0.75000
   or_ipd = 0.06312
   or_render_eye = 0
   or_sipdc = 0.00000
   or_width = 2030
   post_sharpen = 0
   preset = 1
   prop_blur_max_rpm_for_vr = 155
   rescale_target = 1.00000
   shadows_quality = 2
   ssao_enable = 0
   stereo_dof = 5.00000
   vsync = 0
   win_height = 720
   win_width = 1280
[END]

I had the same but figured it out. Before the new sky I used the sharpen option in FSR and disabled sharpen in-game. Now I set sharpen in FSR to 0 and enable sharpen in the settings of the game client. That fixed it for me.

Running @ 60 Hz with a 3080 ti. Supersampling in Steamvr is set to 70% and the upscaling in fsr is set to 0.8. Overall in game setting to ultra, clouds at extreme, shadows high, draw distance to 40 km, landscape filter is blurred, ssao is on, HDR off.

My SA and fun is back again!

If you have questions about other settings please ask me.

Edited April 22, 2022 by =LD=Nephrill

April 22, 2022

56 minutes ago, =LD=Nephrill said:

I had the same but figured it out. Before the new sky I used the sharpen option in FSR and disabled sharpen in-game. Now I set sharpen in FSR to 0 and enable sharpen in the settings of the game client. That fixed it for me.

Running @ 60 Hz with a 3080 ti. Supersampling in Steamvr is set to 70% and the upscaling in fsr is set to 0.8. Overall in game setting to ultra, clouds at extreme, shadows high, draw distance to 40 km, landscape filter is blurred, ssao is on, HDR off.

My SA and fun is back again!

If you have questions about other settings please ask me.

yeah just tried that it looked even worse ?

There must be something I am doing wrong

April 23, 2022

On 3/12/2022 at 9:15 AM, Charlo-VR said:

unfair spotting advantage

pure bull shit

spotting in this sim is so difficult for anybody using a high res monitor AKA native res 3840 2560 on my 43 inch

VR user have a far better spotting range than I do when Im using my native resolution ( that in its selves is unfair in it own way)

Reshade allowed us to increase contrast on high res so we could actually compete with VR user without have to dumb down our monitor resolution.

if anything now its the VR user that have the advantage in spotting

April 23, 2022

The complete quote from my earlier post:

"Reshade is considered a mod since it allows folk to tune the colors to such an extreme that it could create an unfair spotting advantage. That is fine against AI, but all popular MP servers have mods not allowed to keep the playing field as level as possible."

Note that I don't state that I personally consider reshade a mod, I was merely explaining why it is currently not allowed on Mods Off servers. ?

April 23, 2022

5 hours ago, 69th_Panp said:

pure bull shit

spotting in this sim is so difficult for anybody using a high res monitor AKA native res 3840 2560 on my 43 inch

VR user have a far better spotting range than I do when Im using my native resolution ( that in its selves is unfair in it own way)

Reshade allowed us to increase contrast on high res so we could actually compete with VR user without have to dumb down our monitor resolution.

if anything now its the VR user that have the advantage in spotting

I agree that spotting is bad, but Reshade was something else. I'm really, really glad Reshade was banned for multiplayer.

April 29, 2022

On 4/22/2022 at 6:49 AM, d2k77 said:

yeah just tried that it looked even worse ?

There must be something I am doing wrong

d2k77, did you happen to find any fix for the problem? I'm running a AMD 5800x, RTX 3080ti, Quest 2 and last week out of the blue mine started a really bad shimmer to the point where it's almost impossible to spot. I never had this issue before my dials where crystal clear now they are fuzzy, I could spot really well, now everything is just a blur. I've tried everything I can think of and nothing seems to clear it up.

April 30, 2022

14 hours ago, Raven4 said:

d2k77, did you happen to find any fix for the problem? I'm running a AMD 5800x, RTX 3080ti, Quest 2 and last week out of the blue mine started a really bad shimmer to the point where it's almost impossible to spot. I never had this issue before my dials where crystal clear now they are fuzzy, I could spot really well, now everything is just a blur. I've tried everything I can think of and nothing seems to clear it up.

No I'm sorry mate but I'm still struggling with this

Not sure if its a oculus problem as I'm seeing the same thing on DCS. I have ruled out steam as I tried the open Composite and there is still massive amount of shimmering.

June 28, 2022

Anxiously awaiting the Varjo Aero update :D :D

September 6, 2022

The VR sharpen in Reshade is no longer working for me. Disable it the screen is back to normal. Felt like I was looking at the screen through a waterwall, awful. VREM installed and working fine form a sharpening perspective.

Cheers

Paul

September 13, 2022

If I understand correctly, the settings in "startup.cfg" or_height and or_width are the VR per eye render resoution, and these are populated automatically based on the supersampling setting in SteamVR.

So, if I have startup.cfg set to Read Only (to keep bloom off), and I change the supersampling setting in SteamVR, will this setting not propagate through to the actual game unless I make the file editable?

September 13, 2022

4 hours ago, =X51=VC_ said:

If I understand correctly, the settings in "startup.cfg" or_height and or_width are the VR per eye render resoution, and these are populated automatically based on the supersampling setting in SteamVR.

So, if I have startup.cfg set to Read Only (to keep bloom off), and I change the supersampling setting in SteamVR, will this setting not propagate through to the actual game unless I make the file editable?

the or_width/height things don't have any impact. Change the resolution via SteamVR and it'll change

September 14, 2022

Good to know, but strange coding. I can tell SteamVR populates those values because mine are non-default and same as my supersampling slider setting.

September 14, 2022

2 hours ago, =X51=VC_ said:

Good to know, but strange coding. I can tell SteamVR populates those values because mine are non-default and same as my supersampling slider setting.

The game polls the OpenVR runtime and writes them there, SteamVR doesn't touch startup.cfg

Edited September 14, 2022 by Firdimigdi

September 22, 2022

Hi, mostly question for @SCG_Fenris_Wolf, but anyone really try it can also answear?

Can I just ask you, lot of people here are refering they are using OpenXR and that boost they fps quite a lot, did you try it? As you are something like VR setting Guru here, my setting is mostly based on yours, I am just asking if you tryed this and if it worth to try?

I Have some nice settings for me on 3080 and Reverb G2, 60Hz, 3000x2932 resolution with FSR upscale by 1.2 and quite satisfied with that, but if there is something like 10+fps boost with openXR someones are refering why not use it, but someones else said it has to be just placebo and Il-2 shouldnt even work with openXR?

Anyway, thanks for you response, Hot_Dog

Edited September 22, 2022 by CSW_Hot_Dog

September 23, 2022

11 hours ago, CSW_Hot_Dog said:

Hi, mostly question for @SCG_Fenris_Wolf, but anyone really try it can also answear?

Can I just ask you, lot of people here are refering they are using OpenXR and that boost they fps quite a lot, did you try it? As you are something like VR setting Guru here, my setting is mostly based on yours, I am just asking if you tryed this and if it worth to try?

I Have some nice settings for me on 3080 and Reverb G2, 60Hz, 3000x2932 resolution with FSR upscale by 1.2 and quite satisfied with that, but if there is something like 10+fps boost with openXR someones are refering why not use it, but someones else said it has to be just placebo and Il-2 shouldnt even work with openXR?

Anyway, thanks for you response, Hot_Dog

I am using OpenXR as well. I have just stopped giving advice and was inactive in IL-2 for a while, I had a thread with guides to modern top of the line headsets, which was destroyed by some jealous mod. Jason said it was without his approval, but it seems they couldn't reinstate the thread. I may or may not write a full guide up in the future as a gathering place for all things regarding settings.

September 23, 2022

2 hours ago, SCG_Fenris_Wolf said:

I am using OpenXR as well. I have just stopped giving advice and was inactive in IL-2 for a while, I had a thread with guides to modern top of the line headsets, which was destroyed by some jealous mod. Jason said it was without his approval, but it seems they couldn't reinstate the thread. I may or may not write a full guide up in the future as a gathering place for all things regarding settings.

Thanks for the answear!

So even with WMR set (Reverb G2), its wort to switch to openXR and use it without steamVR you said if I understan correctly...

Yeah, i know about this how they ruined your thread about VR settings?

Edited September 23, 2022 by CSW_Hot_Dog

September 23, 2022

Yeah, they totally ruined it.

September 23, 2022

I'm using the G2 with XR and it's running fine unless something's changed in the last couple of days. Running XRNecksafer and the XRToolkit as well. No Steam in sight. The other night I started the Opencomposite switcher app which updated to a new XR version. I'd also switched to the newest XRNecksafer version. There is a new version of the XRToolkit that's out since yesterday I haven't updated yet but I haven't heard of it breaking anything.

October 21, 2022

I have a question that I'll test out myself if nobody has yet. Does anyone know if the grass settings are ran in a way where it is a "bubble" around your plane (i.e. if set to 500 it stops rendering all grass once you are 500 meters in altitude), or if it actually always renders 500m out from you, regardless of altitude? This would obviously effect performance tremendously.

October 21, 2022

On 9/23/2022 at 1:58 PM, CSW_Hot_Dog said:

So even with WMR set (Reverb G2), its wort to switch to openXR and use it without steamVR you said if I understan correctly...

I have not changed to open XR yet but a squadmate did it last week and said that it gives a noticeable improvement over SteamVR.

Edited October 21, 2022 by 56RAF_Roblex

October 21, 2022

6 hours ago, 56RAF_Roblex said:

I have not changed to open XR yet but a squadmate did it last week and said that it gives a noticeable improvement over SteamVR.

I also did 3-weeks ago and I can definitely recomand... FPS improvement not big, but there is probably some, around 5-10%, but also with 60fps now with openXR (I am running 60Hz) feels smoother than 60FPS with SteamVR...

October 23, 2022

Open composite goes to black screen after pressing Ctrl+F2 when Im in hangar. Is there other way to fix it apart of reset everything? Thx

October 29, 2022

This belongs here, big impact if you have shimmer on the horizons.

Thank firdimigdi for this. It's like another free up grade in the VR headset, an age old problem fixed.

October 30, 2022

VR tips and tricks - Improving your VR experience! -Updated 9th/Dec/2020

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