Pilot Head Adjustment When Using Head Tracker

[Odovacer]

I use AITrack+Open Track. It works for me fairly well and better that the POV stick I used to have to use.

 

The issue I have is that I have no ability to adjust the head up/down nor left/right even after I turn head tracking off in game (button mapped to throttle button in Open Track). I've set the move settings to a four way switch on my joystick (VKB Gladiator). The Pilot Head Movement menu takes the settings no problem, but they simply do no work in game.

 

This means I can't line up behind the centre reticle or the collimator in game. Funnily enough, I have no issue with pilot head zoom in/out and my POV switch still works as programmed even while running the head tracker.

 

A partial solution is to run the game without head tracking, set the alignment behind the gun sight and lock it in with F10.

 

However, this only works with a specified aircraft. If I switch planes in game, my alignment is naturally off again. And, it only works in some game modes. I normally go in to Quick Missions to set up the alignment, quit the game and come back in with the head tracker on. However, if I use the same plane in Campaign, the alignment is off again. I haven't tried to exit the game, turn off head tracker, start Campaign, align the sight, lock with F10, exit the game and restart with head tracking on. It's ... painful. Especially with how long it takes to start the game in the first place.

 

Am I missing something, not doing something correctly? I haven't found a setting in the game key mapping setup for turning off head tracker. I think Cliffs of Dover has a setting, but I can't seem to find one in GB. I'm actually now turning off head tracker externally in Open Track.

[Odovacer]

Further to the above, I went into Campaign mode (Red Knights (?)) without the head tracker on. I could easily move laterally and up and down to align the sights with previously mapped joystick button. Saved the position with F10. So far so good. Whilst still in the game, I tabbed out and went to the desktop and started AI Track and Open Track and re-tabbed back into the game. However, the game froze on the Pause screen and I had to kill the game and start it over AFTER I re-started AIT/OT. It then worked fine and the sights were still aligned. However, I could no longer do lateral or up and down head movements. 

 

So, there's a few questions: Why doesn't the saved pilot head position extend across game modes for the same aircraft?

Why, when I turn off head tracking (by turning off Open Track) can I not make pilot head adjustments?

Is there a specific way to turn off head tracking within the game rather than relying on turning Open Track itself off?

[RNAS10_Mitchell]

Turn off tracking device, depress and hold down the numeric pad number 5 while you use the delete/insert/home/etc keyboard keys to adjust your position behind the sight. When you have it where you want it, press F10.  That is then your default position behind that sight, for that gun (important for Sopwith Tripe with various single gun/twin gun, iron sight/aldis options ), in that aircraft.

 

 

 

 

 

Then turn tracker back on.

[Zooropa_Fly]

I have save pilot head view mapped to a throttle switch, which helps me re-center my view without disabling tracking.

A small dead zone in the center of both axes also helps.

 

I've no experience of Open Track, but the saved head position should be fixed for that plane whichever game mode you're playing.

[Odovacer]

9 hours ago, RNAS10_Mitchell said:

Turn off tracking device, depress and hold down the numeric pad number 5 while you use the delete/insert/home/etc keyboard keys to adjust your position behind the sight. When you have it where you want it, press F10.  That is then your default position behind that sight, for that gun (important for Sopwith Tripe with various single gun/twin gun, iron sight/aldis options ), in that aircraft.

 

 

 

 

 

Then turn tracker back on.

 

 

Just curious, how exactly do YOU turn tracking off? I'm going to assume it's TrackIR or similar (Delan clip, Tobi) since it's the most popular. That is, have you mapped a key in game or do you shut it off manually or some such?

 

My issue seems to be that when the game loads, I'm locked into the tracker and that won't allow me to make any adjustments even with the tracker toggled off. But, I have only found that I can only turn the tracker program off with it's own keybind inside the Open Track configuration (not a game keybind). In a sense then, the game seems to think that the tracker is still running?

 

I have tried many fruitless avenues. It appears to be with Open Track and the only way to get the set position behind the sights is, as I've said, to enter the game without the tracker, create the default position, exit the game, start the tracker and re-enter the game. 

 

As an alternative, I've enabled X-Y movement in the tracker so I can get a live position behind the sights, but boy is this harder. More fine tuning the x-y movement may help. Well, at least I can look over the wing or over the side now!

[RNAS10_Mitchell]

You're circled toggle.   That should work (but might be confusing), but there are also option to start/stop. Maybe map these functions to the keyboard.   Of course be careful,  and use a key not used by anything else in the game, or other software (ie nvidia,  etc).

 

In my case, there is a button on my tracker to turn it off, and that's how I do it. I suppose you could also unplug it, remove batteries,  etc..

 

I do see that you have F10 mapped to re-center.  I suspect that is most (if not 100%) of your issue.  I'd recommend mapping open track center to F1, or whatever button you have mapped (in game) on your joystick to be in cockpit, looking forward.   Ie...F1 by default. 

Once you get things set, press F10, and then NEVER press F10 again.  Lol

Every time you press F10, whatever way you're looking, becomes your new default(in game).   Danger, danger with F10.🤪

 

I have "center" in open track, mapped to same button on joystick that is mapped to F1 view.  When I press it I'm looking down the gunsight.  Instantly. 

 

Just remember,  f1 in game has you in the cockpit, looking forward.  Center in open track, makes whatever way your head is turned (hopefully looking straight ahead) as your straight ahead view.  2 different things, but they can play nice together if you do it right.

 

Get your sights set up, press F10, and never press F10 again (or you'll need to recenter your sight view in game all over again).

 

Good luck!

Edited November 24, 2024 by RNAS10_Mitchell

[Odovacer]

Hiya Mitchell. I did as you advised with the F1/F10 and still no luck. As soon as I use tracking in Open Track it locks the pilot head movements even if I turn tracking off. I've gone back to the default global settings in case I had something crossed up, but no dice.

 

I started the game with Open Track running but not tracking and pilot head adjustment was fine. As soon as I turned tracking on and then off, I was done. No head movements allowed. It's weird. I'm stuck I guess. I even went back to a previous version of Open Track, 2023.3.0 and it still didn't work.

 

My tracking is done through a webcam and AI Track head tracker, but I've isolated the problem to Open Track by not running AI Track and just using Open Track. There was no tracking, but as soon as I turned Open Track on, the head movement was locked out.

 

I have all the other movements, pan, snap, zoom, insta-zoom, it's just the head fine tune I get locked out of. My only solution is to enter the game without tracking, select the mode and plane I'm going to use, make the head adjustment, save with F10, exit the game, start tracking and re-start the game. Tedious, but I don't know what else to do aside from getting good shooting without the reticle or enable X-Y with the tracking, but boy is that touchy.

 

And I was wrong about Cliffs of Dover previously, there is no fine head adjustment in that game.

 

Thanks for your efforts.

[RNAS10_Mitchell]

Happy to help, or at least try.  So to be clear, you have nothing mapped to F10?  Either in open track, or as a joystick button?

Edited November 25, 2024 by RNAS10_Mitchell

[RNAS10_Mitchell]

2 hours ago, Odovacer said:

Hiya Mitchell. I did as you advised with the F1/F10 and still no luck. As soon as I use tracking in Open Track it locks the pilot head movements even if I turn tracking off. I've gone back to the default global settings in case I had something crossed up, but no dice.

 

I started the game with Open Track running but not tracking and pilot head adjustment was fine. As soon as I turned tracking on and then off, I was done. No head movements allowed. It's weird. I'm stuck I guess. I even went back to a previous version of Open Track, 2023.3.0 and it still didn't work.

 

My tracking is done through a webcam and AI Track head tracker, but I've isolated the problem to Open Track by not running AI Track and just using Open Track. There was no tracking, but as soon as I turned Open Track on, the head movement was locked out.

 

I have all the other movements, pan, snap, zoom, insta-zoom, it's just the head fine tune I get locked out of. My only solution is to enter the game without tracking, select the mode and plane I'm going to use, make the head adjustment, save with F10, exit the game, start tracking and re-start the game. Tedious, but I don't know what else to do aside from getting good shooting without the reticle or enable X-Y with the tracking, but boy is that touchy.

 

And I was wrong about Cliffs of Dover previously, there is no fine head adjustment in that game.

 

Thanks for your efforts.

I found this video very helpful in setting up open track..  

 

[Odovacer]

2 hours ago, RNAS10_Mitchell said:

Happy to help, or at least try.  So to be clear, you have nothing mapped to F10?  Either in open track, or as a joystick button?

 

F10 is only mapped in the game to where it is supposed to be: "Save current corrections to head snap position".

 

It is not at all saved in Open Track. I changed my on/off to keyboard shortcuts

 

Maybe I'll reinstall Open Trak and see what happens. I was having other issues months ago and a reinstall cleared it up.

 

I'll take a look at that video too, many thanks.

[RNAS10_Mitchell]

I think you'll find that video very helpful.   I sure did.

And yeah, fresh install probably wouldn't hurt.

[RNAS10_Mitchell]

You can download some profiles here.  https://grassmonkeysimulations.com/downloads/

 

I use this headtracker, and the Mk profiles are certainly a good starting point.  

At the bottom of the instructions ( black screen, white letters) , is the Grass Monkey logo.  Click on it to download the mk profiles..

Open track is open track.  Doesn't matter what head tracker hardware your using.  Just pay attention to the spacing on the lights, reflectors, etc and pick a configuration that matches your hardware device. 

But even with the provided profiles,  that video should help you get it dialed in to a perfect pesonal setting for you.

[Davesax1965]

Like many others here, I expect, I set up the pilot head / gunsight view and then map it to a joystick button. When I need to take a shot, I press the button and I'm lined up with the sights, ready to fire. The opportunity passes, release the button and then, well, rinse and repeat. 

[czech693]

I don't turn off head tracking to re-set my head position, I just hold down the Num 5 key and move the head position with the other Num Pad keys.  While holding the Num 5 key I press the F10 key to set that as my default head position.  I have F7 assigned as my Opentrack view center key so as to not conflict with the sim F10 key.  Also, have the F7 assigned to a joystick button.  Sometimes I adjust the head position up to see over the nose better, again holding down the Num 5 key.  It stays there until I hit F7.  And, I have set a deadzone in Opentrack so that when my view gets within a certain distance of center it locks into center.