Just a heads up.

http://freefalcon.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16562

Change log:

Improved sound files.

Improved Campaigns and associated data base have led to additional stability for multi-player.

CCIP - ALL cockpits adjusted for precise (HUD-Only View) Targeting cues.

MiG-29A - Flyable 'Pit Added.

MiG-DPRK - Flyable 'Pit Added.

KF-16C - Latest Viper 'Pit added.

KF-16D - Latest 2-seat Viper 'Pit added.

Harriers - 2D 'Pits updated

F-16A - New dedicated 2D 'Pit added

AJS-37 Viggen - Dedicated 'Pit added

Mirage2k - 2D 'Pit updated

MirageIII - 2D 'Pit Updated

_the_MANUAL Folder: Streamlined & Re-organized for ease of access.

All FF5 Flight Manual documents updated.

Viggen Flight Manuals added.

F4 Config Editor updated.

New data base with weapons improvements.

New skins for the Mirage series.

New fm.dat files for several aircraft.

Terrain induced loss of signal (LOS) for SAM sites

New A-7 Corsair II, Draken, T-38, T-37 and other models.

Tile Manager; a new tool that will allow you to apply Hi-Tiles and switch seasons.


For those of you who gave up after the original FF5.0 because of campaign and MP instabilities, you may wanna give it another try. MP has been pretty stable since the 5.1 hotfix, and this pretty much fixes the campaign.

Where can I get FF?

Have they fixed the HUD misalignment when moving your head vertically using 6DOF?

The link is in the first post



Which problem is that? It seems to not be a problem that is posted often or at all at the FF forums. If you move your head from side to side or up and down, the HUD, as any gunsight, becomes misaligned.

Well, that's the thing. In reality, it doesn't.

HUD factors
Collimated light

Also, compare how the HUD works in DCS: Black Shark (which natively supports 6DOF). They have got it right.

I raised the issue on FF forums at the release of FF5, and was shouted down (something about it being in the buglist - I checked and couldn't find it before posting - and that I should stop complaining). Perhaps that is why it isn't raised often?

Maybe I'm not understanding what you're saying correctly, but the HUD does move when you move your head IRL. The HUD is focused at infinity so it will remain stationary in relation to your eyepoint, not stationary in relation to the HUD frame. If you sit up, the HUD will move up, if you lean forward, the HUD will move away from you (you can't lean in to the HUD to read the symbology IRL), etc. On the other hand it will not be misaligned in relation to the outside world, meaning if you move your head to the side, the HUD will move to the side too but the guncross for example will still be over the same thing it was over before you moved your head.

That said I don't know how it works in FF.

I'd say it works in the way that Kosmo describes. The movement seems weird when moving your head around the cockpit, but its not misaligned in relation to the target. I've never had any trouble gunning down someone when my skills allow and the pipper is on the other aircraft.

You shouldn't get any misalignment so long as the target is outside the distance the system is set up to be parallax free at. There are some gunsights that work this way too - red dots, C-more, etc.

If the target is close enough, there will be some alignment effects (due to parallax error)...but usually (and certainly in the case of the f-16) you're not actually going to be trying to use the system to look at something that close.

homemade, but about the same idea

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6aAKwua7o8

When first playing around with FF5 I found that I had to turn off Y translation (up and down movement of the head), because while the HUD behaved properly with respect to X translation (left and right leaning, if you like) it would become misaligned from Y translation. This was most noticeable when trying to land (the FPM would move up and down with reference to where the aircraft was actually going along counter to head movement).

It also didn't handle Z translation very well, in that when you leaned towards the HUD the symbology got bigger as if it were pasted to the glass, rather than focussed out. At about 2 minutes into the video that radicaldude1234 posted, you can see that when the camera is moved towards the combiner (rather than just zoomed), the symbology stays the same size but the projected area appears to get larger (because you're getting closer to it) and you can see all of the symbology, rather than having some of it falling outside the projected area. And vice versa going towards 3 minutes into the film, when you move back you can no longer see all of the symbology, but it doesn't change its apparant size.

I don't know if they've fixed these errors, hence my question

OK, I'm downloading it. I'll post pics of whether they get it right or wrong

Sorry Kosmo, I understood radicaldude's comments about gunsights becoming misaligned to mean that the HUD symbology would stay with the frame (or move in the wrong direction) rather than what you suggest, which sounds right to me.

Okay. I actually didn't remember precisely what the problem was - Y translation is also fine. It is Z translation that causes all the problems.

I set the airplane up on final, and froze (shift-p) the simulation, so no movement could occur. These pictures are 640x480 crops of what I was actually seeing (my res is 1600x900, a bit big to post!), so no zooming or editing other than the crop.

The basic view:


Leaning left, OK!


Standing up, OK!


Leaning back, all bad


Note how the FPM is no longer on the runway.

And it just gets silly when you lean forwards ...




This is where the misalignment comes in. If you lean forward or backwards the gun and bomb reticles and FPM will become misaligned. I think the "solution" was to use 4dof, or use the Z axis of the TrackIR for zoom rather than translation.



Compare DCS Black Shark:

Normal view


Leaning forward

Wow, big issues there! Sorry m8, don't know a lot about FF maybe someone else can help you.

Thanks, Kosmo, but I suspect there isn't a fix for this until they fix it in the code

Anyway, I've installed it now, so I'll have a play and see what other new features they've put in ...

Ahh, I see the problem right now. I can also see how it was missed, however. I mean, I didn't really notice it until now just for the reason that I really move my head back and forth about 6-8 inches with my TrackIR, which doesn't register that much of misalignment. I'll talk to the other devs about it though. I wouldn't expect a quick fix, however, as they're currently trying to fix CTDs (mostly Vista and Nvidia problems) associated with the new release. Not quite as drastic as taking out your Z axis, you could desensitize that axis so it doesn't register as much; the misalignment that occurs would be close enough for government work.

Anyways, haven't tried it myself yet, but the feature to try in this one is the stock Korea Campaign, as most of the effort in 5.3 was fixing it. That, or you can try to fly online. You can get in contact with the guys here: http://freefalcon.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=9 . Its a good way to meet some of the devs, as they occasionally fly.

Thanks radicaldude. I don't expect it will be easy to fix but at least now they'll be aware of it. I agree that CTDs are a higher priority (more of an immersion-killer, as well )

I'll give the new Korea campaign a play, it will be interesting to see how it goes.