X-Wing Alliance VR mod

Here you can find help for how to best run and setup your XWA VR experience.

Re: X-Wing Alliance VR mod

Wiiplay123
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Post by Wiiplay123 » Sun Dec 27, 2020 11:34 pm

m0rgg wrote:
Fri Dec 25, 2020 11:55 pm
That sounds like you don't have the CockpitLook hook working properly. Either you don't have the setting configured in CockpitLook.cfg (tracker_type = SteamVR) or you don't have the proper hook installed (Hook_CockpitLook.dll).
I've checked for both of those and they're both fine. I posted a video earlier of the same issue but back then it didn't work in the hangar, but now it works in the hangar, but still stops working after I leave the hangar and start the actual mission. It worked fine on Windows 10 last time I checked, but I've never managed to get it working on Windows 7. Really wish I could play on Windows 7 because it's my favorite Windows to use.

The problem with Windows 10 is that the HTC Vive refuses to work on Windows 10 without internet, because Windows 10 doesn't save the drivers that it downloads from Windows Update.

EDIT: Sorry it took so long to reply btw, the internet just came back on today and it reminded me that I meant to check this thread again.

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m0rgg
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Post by m0rgg » Mon Dec 28, 2020 6:12 am

The DLL is compiled with Win10 target, that's probably why it uses the CreateFile2 API you mentioned in the other thread that is not available in Win7 (good troubleshooting btw!).

If the root cause is only that, I can't change it right now but probably there is no strong reason not to compile it with an earlier version of the Windows SDK. blue_max would need to confirm though.

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blue_max
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Post by blue_max » Wed Dec 30, 2020 7:20 am

m0rgg wrote:
Mon Dec 28, 2020 6:12 am
If the root cause is only that, I can't change it right now but probably there is no strong reason not to compile it with an earlier version of the Windows SDK. blue_max would need to confirm though.
I don't think there's going to be any problem if we switch to an older version of the SDK. We can try that.

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Post by Wiiplay123 » Thu Dec 31, 2020 1:55 am

The main issue is still that Hook_CockpitLook.dll not working right on Windows 7, looks like it was compiled with the newer Windows SDK too and I've tried compiling it myself with the older Windows SDK but I can't tell if I'm actually doing it right because my Visual Studio setup is such a mess, and the DLL that comes out behaves the exact same way as the Windows 10 SDK one.

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JeremyaFr
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Post by JeremyaFr » Thu Dec 31, 2020 7:29 pm

Hello,
You can check that "targetver.h" is included before "windows.h".

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blue_max
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Post by blue_max » Thu Dec 31, 2020 11:39 pm

Also make sure you're compiling the "master" branch in both the ddraw and CockpitLook projects. I know I've got a lot of branches all over the place (sorry!) but the master branch is currently up-to-date and we intend to keep it that way.

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Post by Wiiplay123 » Sat Jan 02, 2021 3:05 am

Ok, didn't realise I needed to compile the latest DDraw.dll too.

Looked like it was going to be easy, but figuring out how to get a working DirectXTK.lib is an absolute nightmare because apparently I'm supposed to compile the entire thing myself but at this point I have no clue what I'm doing anymore. I'm trying to build it with Windows SDK 8.1 and it's saying stuff like "C++ does not support default-int" and "operator InterfaceType is not a recognized operator or type"

Running out of time to work on it today, I'll have to keep working on it tomorrow.

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m0rgg
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Post by m0rgg » Sat Jan 02, 2021 4:45 am

Have you tried using the DirectXTK_Desktop_2017_Win7.sln from DirectXTK project?

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Post by Wiiplay123 » Sun Jan 03, 2021 3:24 am

m0rgg wrote:
Sat Jan 02, 2021 4:45 am
Have you tried using the DirectXTK_Desktop_2017_Win7.sln from DirectXTK project?
Yeah, that's the one I'm trying. Apparently I also need some NuGet packages that are missing, so I gotta learn how to use that too.

EDIT: Got the package installed, 24 errors left to fix, probably all to do with this "operator InterfaceType" issue that only has two results on Google.
EDIT 2: c:\program files (x86)\windows kits\8.1\include\winrt\wrl\client.h(129): error C2833: 'operator InterfaceType' is not a recognized operator or type [E:\DirectXTK-master\DirectXTK_Desktop_2017.vcxproj]
and then a ton of other errors after that that seem to be related to that one line failing. I manually set WindowsTargetPlatformVersion to 8.1 so it would compile for Windows 7.
EDIT 3: Got it compiled using the newer Windows SDK that was supposed to compile it, but it runs REALLY slowly once I get into the hangar and still doesn't fix the head tracking problem.

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Post by Knarfe » Tue Feb 02, 2021 10:03 am

Does the VR Mod work with the Reverb G 2 and the Steam version of XWA?

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blue_max
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Post by blue_max » Tue Feb 02, 2021 7:03 pm

Knarfe wrote:
Tue Feb 02, 2021 10:03 am
Does the VR Mod work with the Reverb G 2 and the Steam version of XWA?
It should work with the Steam version of XWA and it supports SteamVR as well. So if your headset is compatible with SteamVR, then it should work. In addition to that, if your headset can directly display side-by-side images and can be detected as a monitor, then you can also use the DirectSBS mode to get better performance.

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Post by Knarfe » Wed Feb 03, 2021 8:36 am

The Reverb G2 is compatible with Steam VR so it should work. I´ll try it this weekend.

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darklord
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Post by darklord » Tue Mar 30, 2021 2:34 am

Hi Blue Max,

Thank you for everything you do! Your work showcased in the 2nd patch is amazing.

There are a couple things in steam VR that are odd though compared to the first patch.
- now all 2d screens and menus are stationary in the VR display and do not take into account head movement.
- Also hanger look has been turned off completely and is stuck which makes it hard to see some menus

Were these features deliberately turned off? Or is there some config file setting I'm missing now?

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blue_max
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Post by blue_max » Tue Mar 30, 2021 7:52 pm

I don't recall modfying the things you're describing @darklord. They're probably bugs. I need to take a look.

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darklord
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Post by darklord » Wed Mar 31, 2021 12:21 am

Aw dang, I was hoping it was just a flag in a text file :)

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heloguy
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Post by heloguy » Sun Apr 04, 2021 7:25 pm

I can confirm I'm having the same issue with the new patch. Using Steam VR with an Index.
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Post by Luke_Skywalker » Mon Apr 05, 2021 10:26 am

Using an Oculus Quest 2, using this through SteamVR I experience the exact opposite. The menus follow my headset (though I kinda wish they didn't since the views are huge) and it works in the hangar, but it's extremely jittery and almost unusable there.

The issues I'm personally having are getting the game to consistently start in VR mode and the suggested fixes for smooth tracking aren't helping in a meaningful way, and I'm running a 1060 6GB. The floating HUD is also too far back, requiring me to look almost 90 degrees in either corner to see the radar and boxes (the CMD window seems to partially clip some of the cockpits), and in the case of the X-Wing the recentered view is very, very close to the "dashboard". I'm also experiencing tracking issues while in hyperspace, as if the defined axes are rotated and/or translated into different/multiple axes. The same thing happens with the TrackIR implementation as well, but it doesn't happen 100% of the time. It might depend on where the player is looking since the view is recentered once the hyperdrive is activated.
When 900 years old you reach, look as good, you will not. Hmm?" -Yoda

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darklord
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Post by darklord » Mon Apr 05, 2021 11:38 am

"Menu following the headset" is what we are saying. As opposed to fixed in 3d space as was in previous versions (which is ideal). Hanger was always a more jittery then the rest of ingame, but take a look at some of the performance tweaks mentioned in the other threads (nvidia profile).

Yeah not sure why hangerlook isn't working at all now, for me. I'd totally believe it was some borked setting, but I did my install from scratch.

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blue_max
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Post by blue_max » Mon Apr 05, 2021 5:58 pm

I need to set aside a few days to look at these problems. In the meantime, you can try the tips in the "Jittering" section here, to see if they help:

https://www.xwaupgrade.com/phpBB3/viewt ... 36&t=12827

Entering hyperspace no longer re-centers the view, and this is an area that hasn't been touched for several months. If anything, this should just continue to work as before.

The HUD will never "look right" in VR. You can push it away or shrink it, but doing that will make it harder to read stuff. The compromise I found was to have you look around (that way things can still be read, even if you have to move your head a bit). Either way, the _right_ solution is to use Dynamic Cockpits (where the HUD is mapped to the dashboard of the cockpit itself). Unfortunately, there are still several cockpits that don't support this feature (like the YT transports). We're slowly converting cockpits to use DC, but this takes time.

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blue_max
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Post by blue_max » Sat Apr 10, 2021 6:49 am

@darklord, @Luke_Skywalker, @heloguy: I just fixed the bugs that were preventing head tracking in the hangar and when 2D menus are displayed. Please download the latest beta (1.1.5.4) from the downloads section. If you see this problem again, let me know.

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darklord
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Post by darklord » Sun Apr 11, 2021 4:39 am

THANK YOU THANK YOU!!

It's working great! :D

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heloguy
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Post by heloguy » Sat Apr 17, 2021 2:27 pm

Sounds good, thanks a lot blue_max!
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Post by BatSpoggy » Thu May 13, 2021 5:37 pm

My version of the VR mod was out of date so I installed everything fresh and used all the performance tweaks that seem to work for most people, active cockpits off, deferred SSAO, etc.
I'm getting 11.2fps regardless of settings, with SteamVR resolution set to 20% I get 11.2, with it set to 500% I get 11.2. In both cases if I look at the performance monitor I have GPU usage under 50% and no single core using more than 50% at any time, and it's mostly lower than 30%.
In the concourse I'm getting 26fps.
Given the low resource usage I think something is limiting it, and that's a frametime of 90ms, which seems an odd coincidence when the Rift CV1 I'm using has a maximum refresh rate of 90Hz.
Any idea what's going on?

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blue_max
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Post by blue_max » Fri May 14, 2021 5:24 pm

Have you checked if you're running the game with hardware acceleration activated? Press ESC and check that the game is using the right GPU (some machines come with two: Intel graphics and nVidia/AMD, make sure you're using the non-Intel GPU). For nVidia videocards, you can force GPU acceleration through the nVidia Control Panel. You need to create a new profile for xwingalliance.exe and select the right GPU in there.

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Post by BatSpoggy » Fri May 14, 2021 8:30 pm

Yeah, I checked that out. It's running on my 2060. Anyway, I'd expect some variation in performance when changing the resolution if that were the problem. I had reasonable-ish performance at about 75% resolution when I was running it on the older version I had. Are there any settings that govern the framerate limit detected from the headset refresh rate that I can override?

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