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

[Chilli_40]

Does anybody fine the colors are washed out using Open Composite & the Toolbox? I can't seem to figure out what too adjust to bring the richness of color back to the scenery like I had in Steam. 

[Patricks]

Does dropping Gamma a bit help?

 

[firdimigdi]

1 hour ago, chilli40 said:

Does anybody fine the colors are washed out using Open Composite & the Toolbox? I can't seem to figure out what too adjust to bring the richness of color back to the scenery like I had in Steam. 

 

Tbh, I didn't find any colour difference between the two modes so I don't know what you were seeing in Steam.

But you can enable post processing in the Tookit and go for a slight saturation increase with a larger vibrance increase. This can also be combined with lowering brightness while increasing exposure in small increments.

 

 

[Chilli_40]

Thanks Firdimigdi, I'll try that. I tried the brightness adjustment but it didn't seem to make any difference to the washed-out look, I'm seeing the same issue in DCS.

 

[OG__Iceman_VR]

 

 

[firdimigdi]

On 10/29/2022 at 7:37 PM, [CPT]Crunch said:

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.

 

Interesting, didn't expect it to have that much of a dramatic effect. However, as there seems to be some confusion about this and I've received some PMs regarding the setting - here is what it does, using extreme values:

 

Positive bias:

Spoiler

 

Negative bias:

Spoiler

 

As you can see with positive bias it "pushes" the threshold for displaying the higher resolution mip maps further away (in this case since I used +3 it's way far away) and you get only the lowest resolution ones in the scene. With negative mip map bias (in this case -3) it forces the highest resolution textures to appear nearer - what is not apparent in the static image is that at such an extreme value it causes the textures to shimmer as every single little detail, like the noise on the textures or whatever other detailing exists on them, tries to get rendered. That is the reason I proposed a sensible value up to -0.5 which would help in keeping cockpit textures and near enough textures sharp while not causing flicker/shimmer for the distant textures.

[1PL-Husar-1Esk]

Good to know that something can be done with shimmering, that was the issue why I stopped using VR  G2 with Il2.  Beginning from the hangar the shimmering was awful, same on runway.

[[CPT]Crunch]

Looking at the column with the red A, that's some effect for just one setting.  For me, it rids the land and horizon of distant shimmer and the far clouds no longer have that blocky shimmering smear especially along the darker bottoms.  More like I'm in an amazing natural world with the added bonus of easier spotting on distant contacts in this cleaned up world.  It doesn't fix the shimmering cities and structures in close, but who cares, that's not where all my action and flying hours is generally happening.  In my case I rate this as a free mini-HMD upgrade. 

 

Works on that other sim also, downtown Vegas never looked so real sitting on the Nellis ramp. 

[OG__Iceman_VR]

General Availability #2 - Hotfix #2 (1.2.2) Latest

 

 

Follow the instructions here for setup: https://mbucchia.github.io/OpenXR-Toolkit/

Please find the program installer (MSI file) file under "Assets" below.

Known issues

• See the Limitations.
• See the list of open bugs.

Changes in Hotfix 2

• Delete bogus registry keys that break the OpenXR Loader (eg: caused by XRNeckSafer installer).
• Remove resolution cap on Varjo.
•  

Edited November 8, 2022 by OG__Iceman_VR
Current version: 1.2.2 OpenXR Tool kit fix

[OG__Iceman_VR]

 

[peregrine7]

14 hours ago, OG__Iceman_VR said:

[VIDEO]

 

 

I appreciate the reply, and there's some great information in here (especially for a "quick video"!).

But... well there's also quite a bit of "black magic" kinda stuff here, explanations that aren't quite right and may lead things down the wrong path. I worry that some of that will perhaps confuse things further. The big ones I saw were "detail_rt_res", anti-aliasing ("near vs far"??), the explanation of reprojection and the landscape filter.

 

I'm only just jumping back into il-2 after several years away (work work work) and thinking about what needs to be changed - this thread got messed up by the devs at some point which makes things kinda annoying.

I also think we can see the need to A/B testing with some of these options - from memory a lot of the settings in Il-2 have weird unintended effects.

[firdimigdi]

Just dropping this here for extra visibility without starting a new topic and running afoul of forum Rule #6:

Basically it's regarding an optimization that most game engines that support VR take advantage of and is supported both by OpenVR and OpenXR (as in they both return the relevant data a game engine would require to implement said optimization as long as the HMD ecosystem provides it [Oculus, Vive, WMR and Varjo do AFAIK - not so sure about newer headsets like the Pico; preliminary tests show it does not]).

 

Sadly it seems that IL-2 does not do this for whatever reason, so here's that thread I posted in the Suggestions subforum.

 

Edited December 2, 2022 by firdimigdi

[FeuerFliegen]

On 4/13/2017 at 12:25 PM, Sneaksie said:

Another command is VR camera zoom (hold). This is a special zoom button for VR, press and hold this button and you'll get 2X magnification to spot distant objects. It may cause nausea if you keep the button pressed and turn your head, beware.

 

Is this no longer an option?  I don't see it in the camera settings.

[dburne]

1 hour ago, SCG_FeuerFliegen said:

 

Is this no longer an option?  I don't see it in the camera settings.

 

Yes it is in settings somewhere, there are now I believe 5 levels of zoom one can assign to buttons. Just have a browse through and you should see it.

[Ghost666]

It's under pilot head settings towards the top.

[Blitzen]

Probably listed somewhere..but what are the latest changes recommended in the "Startup cfg.? The ones I have currently date back a ways.?

[354thFG_Drewm3i-VR]

On 11/3/2022 at 12:20 PM, chilli40 said:

Does anybody fine the colors are washed out using Open Composite & the Toolbox? I can't seem to figure out what too adjust to bring the richness of color back to the scenery like I had in Steam. 

You need to adjust the toolkit colors to achieve proper colors in game. I have a good profile and if I knew where the file was saved, I'd be happy to upload mine.

[102nd-YU-cmirko]

12 hours ago, drewm3i-VR said:

You need to adjust the toolkit colors to achieve proper colors in game. I have a good profile and if I knew where the file was saved, I'd be happy to upload mine.

 

You can use the dump command while il2 is running 

 

these are my personal settings :

 

C:\Program Files\OpenXR-Toolkit>C:\Program Files\OpenXR-Toolkit\companion.exe app OpenComposite_Il-2 -sunglasses off -post-process 1 -contrast 58 -brightness 47 -exposure 46.5 -saturation 55 -vibrance 6 -highlights 100 -shadows 30 -gain-r 60 -gain-g 60 -gain-b 60 -world-scale 112 -zoom 1 -frame-throttling 73 -reprojection-rate invalid

 

 

[FTC_Evans]

Love the wealth of support for improving the VR experience here. Been playing since the original IL-2 and its followups in the 2k's on and off. But now with the VR immersion, I'm obsessed. Have all the the current content.

I finally upgraded my 10 year old machine (VR for this game being the primary driving factor):

-SteamVR with FPSvr for configuring

-Oculus quest 2 using Oculus app (set to 90fps and 120fps in headset)

-RTX 4090

-i9-13900k cpu

fast ram/ssd

After a lot of tweaking from all the great info on this forum and YouTube, I'm getting 89fps with a .6 reprojection (this obviously varies slightly on the terrain, sky and AI generated) but I'm happy overall with the balance.

 

I still have micro shudders but not too frequently to which I read a lot about here. I haven't' dove into the OpenXR, etc. world yet but looking for opinions on whether OpenXR and the tweaking talked about here would help with these (Single player)? Or should I just chalk it up to the games foundation and just enjoy what I have?

 

thanks in advance.

 

 

Edited April 10, 2023 by P40hawk__
grammar

[TG-55Panthercules]

6 hours ago, P40hawk__ said:

looking for opinions on whether OpenXR and the tweaking talked about here would help with these (Single player)? Or should I just chalk it up to the games foundation and just enjoy what I have?

 

Well, I tried switching over to OpenXR/OpenComposite a couple of different times (the second time just in case I had missed something the first time), but for me at least I did not see any significant increase in performance/FPS (maybe 1 or 2 FPS) on the benchmark mission runs, and visually it looked like crap on my personal QMB playing-quality benchmark runs.  So I elected to switch back to SteamVR and just enjoy what I have.  Of course, I was disappointed not to see the kind of impressive performance gains others were claiming for OpenXR, and YMMV, so you might want to go ahead and give it a try just in case.

[FTC_Evans]

Thanks for the feedback TG, that makes sense.

I think I’ll enjoy for now and try messing with the others when the I get in the mood. And if I see any noticeable differences, I’ll share here.

Also, the most frustrating part is no matter how much I lower the settings. It continues to handle it well, but those micro stutters are still there. Thanks!

 

update- this may be old news, but I found it helped reduce much of the stiffening for me. For quest users.

Your mileage may vary.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=cZsyR6iIJ-4&feature=share

 

 

 

 

Edited April 20, 2023 by P40hawk__

[NiiranenVR]

On 2/16/2023 at 11:04 AM, 102nd-YU-cmirko said:

can use the dump command while il2 is running

I can copy - no problem , but I cant figure out have to paste like a dump command ???

 

thanx 

Edited April 11, 2023 by NiiranenVR
Never mind - did it Manuel ?

[102nd-YU-cmirko]

you can paste anything copied with right click of the mouse ^^

 

[blitze]

Just finished  some  of my own testing and have decided   top return to SteamVR  for now with the Advanced SuperSample Filter turned off.

 

On my setup + I could appreciate the better detail over distance I was seeing in OpenXR/Composite but I  had 2  issues - shimmering and the second being non smooth head turning.  I tried a variety of settings in  both PiTool (setting the Reder Quality) and also FSR settings.

 

In SteamVR I  run it without ingame AA but with OpenVR-FSR.

[Qcumber]

4 hours ago, blitze said:

Just finished  some  of my own testing and have decided   top return to SteamVR

That is my conclusion too. I have had loads of issues with openxr. I've not used openvr fsr. Do you need to replace the openvr_api.dll  in all the IL-2 folders which contain it? As with open composite "per game" install. 

Edited April 15, 2023 by Qcumber

[blitze]

Using the OpenVR-FSR-App one has the required dll placed as required.

 

It is fairly straight forward to use.  Checking the FSR Install plugin button will place it and then as easily, one can remove it clicking the same button.  It is a per game install but from  the App.

[PO_Baldrick]

The Microsoft OpenXR runtime just got updated with some new features and improved motion reprojection.

 

https://github.com/microsoft/OpenXR-MixedReality/releases/tag/113.2304.14003

[MAJORgoonMADLOU]

3 hours ago, PO_Baldrick said:

The Microsoft OpenXR runtime just got updated with some new features and improved motion reprojection.

 

https://github.com/microsoft/OpenXR-MixedReality/releases/tag/113.2304.14003

Thanks! I just updated my OpenXR software.  Found out I had to update my OpenXR Toolkit also.

[Bareq]

i have installed the openvr FSR mod for the game but it just feels like the only thing its doing is downscaling and sharpening but not upscaling. anyone got similar issues? im running a quest 2 with steamvr through virtual desktop at 2500x2500 resolution with FSR render scale of 0.8

On 12/2/2022 at 9:31 AM, firdimigdi said:

Just dropping this here for extra visibility without starting a new topic and running afoul of forum Rule #6:

Basically it's regarding an optimization that most game engines that support VR take advantage of and is supported both by OpenVR and OpenXR (as in they both return the relevant data a game engine would require to implement said optimization as long as the HMD ecosystem provides it [Oculus, Vive, WMR and Varjo do AFAIK - not so sure about newer headsets like the Pico; preliminary tests show it does not]).

 

Sadly it seems that IL-2 does not do this for whatever reason, so here's that thread I posted in the Suggestions subforum.

 

that, and it also doesnt take advantage of FOVeated rendering, for some odd reason. i really hope the devs starting giving some love to their VR mode soon

[dgiatr]

18 minutes ago, Bareq said:

i have installed the openvr FSR mod for the game but it just feels like the only thing its doing is downscaling and sharpening but not upscaling. anyone got similar issues? im running a quest 2 with steamvr through virtual desktop at 2500x2500 resolution with FSR render scale of 0.8

that, and it also doesnt take advantage of FOVeated rendering, for some odd reason. i really hope the devs starting giving some love to their VR mode soon

why not installing opencomposite and openxr toolkit which has fsr upscaling inside?i think its far more better than steam VR , better visuals and more fps at the same time...

[John_Snow_12345]

HI

 

I'm new here

 

I have a Samsung HMD Odyssey V1 I think, with CPU i7-8700k, VGA ZOTAC GTX 1070 FE

 

I can launch the game through SteamVR just fine

 

I haven't made any VR setting optimization yet

 

Can some one please walk me through the 1st post of where to find those setting it mention ?

 

I try startup.cfg file in ...\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\IL-2 Sturmovik Battle of Stalingrad\data

 

but cannot find those

 

or  Do I have to lancnh the game and change those thought in-game menu ? what about stream VR setting ?

 

Thanks in advance

[Blitzen]

Way back when dept.

There used to be modified startup.cfg settings found in Data/startup cfg. .These could be used to increase the appearance or performance of the sim. I used to copy them down and use them immediately.New settings were posted over time to keep up with changes in game or perhaps Nvidia upgrades, but I haven’t seen them in quite a while-where did they go?

[Jurinko]

I have found the best combination for me

 

- Opencomposite, il2 switched to openxr

- OpenXR runtime in Steam set to openxr (SteamVR does not start with IL2)

- in OpenXR toolkit, reprojection set to Default

- in OpenXR tools, reprojection switched on and ticked two options bellow (one something for nvidia cards and the second to prefer fps over latency)

- ingame OpenXR toolkit, fps throttling set to 45

- i have openxr tools res at 100% and dynamic res in game graphics at 0.7. All settings at highest.

 

Moving objects ghost but it is totally smooth. Without reptojection it looks better, but everything shimmers when rolling the wings. 

 

Nvidia 4080.

 

[Jurinko]

By switching the vsync in Nvidia panel to OFF I am now able to fly IL-2 in SteamVR (better reprojection quality than OpenXR) at dynamic res 1,0 and everything maxed out. It is finally as it should be.

[=IRFC=kotori87]

On 8/22/2023 at 12:54 PM, Jurinko said:

By switching the vsync in Nvidia panel to OFF I am now able to fly IL-2 in SteamVR (better reprojection quality than OpenXR) at dynamic res 1,0 and everything maxed out. It is finally as it should be.

Thanks for posting about this. I just finished upgrading my machine, it is now a BEAST, but was basically hard-locked into reprojection no matter what I did with settings. Turned vsync in the nvidia panel to OFF and I am unstoppable now. Not a single frame of reprojection yet, even around the larger cities that used to give my computer conniptions.

[Rummy63]

Is there a way in VR to do a snap view to my six so I can check behind me for bandits?

[Comrade_Weng]

3 hours ago, Rummy63 said:

Is there a way in VR to do a snap view to my six so I can check behind me for bandits?

Have a look at neck safer vr.

[Argosafe]

Or if using Open Composite, XR Necksaver (which is far smoother BTW) 

[Rummy63]

Yes, I did find VRNeckSafer. Thank-you for your reply. Going to install it today to check it out.

[Patricks]

13 hours ago, Rummy63 said:

Yes, I did find VRNeckSafer. Thank-you for your reply. Going to install it today to check it out.

 

No idea of your equipment but a large percentage of VR users have switched to running IL-2 in OpenXR (vs. OpenVR - SteamVR) and seen performance gains. Add to that XRNS (XRNeckSafer) has more features and generally works much better\smoother than VRNS.. It's really just a matter of renaming (to be able to easily swap back) the existing OpenVR compatible opervr_api.dll in the x:\IL-2 Sturmovik Great Battles\bin\game folder and dropping in the OpenXR compatible opervr_api.dll version. Done.

 

You can download the OpenXR version of "openvr_api.dll" here (32 or 64 bit depending on your system) - under Per-game installation - https://gitlab.com/znixian/OpenOVR/-/tree/openxr/ and save it.

 

You can download XRNS Beta5a from here - https://gitlab.com/NobiWan/xrnecksafer (scroll down until you see the "Download link: XRNecksaferBeta5a.msi"

Edited January 30, 2024 by Patricks