Starshatter: The Gathering Storm Gets Track IR Enhanced

[Alex Fiedler]

Check your six! This space combat sim just got a whole lot more intense with Track IR action.

Matrix Games and Destroyer Studios (www.starshatter.com) are excited to release of an update for Starshatter: The Gathering Storm which will give gamers the ability to use their Track IR headsets while whizzing through space and blowing up baddies! Track IR is an advanced technology by Natural Point that allows gamers to freely move their heads to adjust their view of the screen when in a 3D game. By clipping a small device to their headphones or headset, players will have the X, Y, and Z axis of their head movement tracked while the Track IR Enhanced game updates their view in real time.

David Heath, Director of Operations at Matrix Games, said “Track IR provides the absolute cutting edge in realistic (not to mention cool) gaming experiences. Now gamers can experience the exhilarating rush of frantically looking around the cockpit to find that enemy fighter on their six.”

Starshatter: The Gathering Storm represents the next generation of space combat simulation games. The Starshatter: The Gathering Storm release is a major upgrade to the original version of Starshatter, with all new artwork, music, cockpit voice-over, and animated cutscenes. Starshatter: The Gathering Storm allows you to experience the world of Starshatter with more punch and excitement than ever before! Starshatter extends the gameplay concepts of the classic sims by combining fighter and starship combat in a single game. You begin the game as either a fighter pilot or the captain of a small Frigate-class starship. As you progress through the game, you can earn promotions and awards until you are commanding a massive fleet carrier with three wings of fighters and a complete escort of warships. Starshatter promotes airborne fighter combat to a first-class game component, allowing you to take-off and land at planetary bases, engage in aerial dogfights, and use air-to-ground missiles to destroy ground targets.

http://www.matrixgames.com/games/downloads.asp?gid=334

[yngvef]

This sounds great. I would really love to use my TrackIR in this sim. How do I enable it? I downloaded the patch and installed it. Then I checked the game directory to see what game file was the newest (stars.exe or Starshatter-TheGatheringStorm.exe) and run the latter one. The menu now said version 5.0.2, but I don't know how to enable TrackIR  [&:]... Please help

[igeighty]

hi guys, was this 5.02 patch supposed to support trackir ?
 
if it does , how do you enable it? i am familiar with the
usual method, but this game seems just simply not to support it ?
check 12 check twelve. cause i cant see my six,
 

[yngvef]

igeighty,
 
I think this forum is a LOT slower than you and I hoped for. [:)]
 
I see you are a new member too.

[Jepep Hepep]

The game isn't on the TrackIR profiles list yet, we might need an update from Naturalpoint first.

[Hairog]

You would think that someone from support would post how to use the Tracker.  I can't get it to work either.  Big announcement with no clue on how to get it to work.  [:(]

[HarryM]

I've got TrackIR also, I'll see if it is DOA for me also after I install patch...

[yngvef]

If they had to wait for Naturalpoint, why didnt they:
 
A: Wait to release the patch until naturalpoint was ready
 
 
or...
 
B: Tell us that naturalpoint isn't ready yet, so that we won't have to use several hours of trial and error in a desperate attempt to use TrackIR when it's obviously impossible.
 
I'm a bit disappointed in matrixgames right now (if they are the right ones to blame)...

[HarryM]

Yes, that's rubbish. I have old TrackIR version 1 with old drivers (3.X or something). I just got brand new Armed Assault, my old TrackIR software works just fine with it in native mode. I did not have to install any update from NaturalPoint.

[HarryM]

Well it *sort of* works for me. Once in mission hit F4 for padlock/virtual pit. The movement seems correct but I get this odd frame-jumping jitter effect, not useable.

[igeighty]

hi harry.
nope this patch does not give 'true' trackir support. as the blue light on lil twacky just doesnt light.
it only lights up on games with built in trackIR support.

now i have no idea as to whether the patch was actually meant to give proper 'blue light' support
ie use trackir in native mode, or whether it is just a polish up of the 'mouse emulation' mode

i previously had it working as with any mouse look game, way back to quake1
in starshatter by use the mouse emulation mode of trackir, dodgy at best..

stil awaiting answer from matrix regarding this, as i now understand that this forum is a
USER helps USER type of thing.

lets hope one of the devs actually had access to said trackIR to test its non functionality.

thanks for the great game, but i little info on the status of a long promised feature would be nice,
everygame with mouse look will have 'trackIR suppport' but i was let to believe this game would have full 6DOF

sorry for the rave, but i was really looking forward to a good space type sim,
anyways im off to go look at EVE online, and see if its a 'head turner;

[HarryM]

On my ancient black model the movement is working in native mode as opposed to mouse-emulation in that centering stays correct when you hit the cockpit limits and return to center it is still centered, not displaced as happens in mouse-emulation. The odd frame jump or jitter is more pronounced the farther away from center the view goes. It is like it is stuttering toward the center so it is a dual image sort of effect.

In any case all the newer TrackIR games or updated games I have work fine in native mode w/o any sort of update required from NaturalPoint. If you ever hear that from a dev, it is usually just some time buying or pass the buck excuse (not saying that is case here as have seen nothing from the developer at all). 

[yngvef]

Hmm...
 
Neither Matrixgames support nor Naturalpoint support answers my e-mails... Not very encouraging...

[Marc von Martial]

ORIGINAL: yngvef

Hmm...

Neither Matrixgames support nor Naturalpoint support answers my e-mails... Not very encouraging...

Which email did you use to contact our Tech Support, when did you send those emails?

[yngvef]

I sent to support@matrixgames.com and support@naturalpoint.com
 
Are those wrong adresses?

[Marc von Martial]

Nope they are fine.

[yngvef]

Now it works!
 
Run a "Check for game updates" in the TrackIR software, and "Starshatter" will appear in the list.
 
[&o]

[Charles Lamb]

Tir4 with 6dof works fine for me.

had to make sure Vertical sync was enabled or it was jittery but after that Great !

The 6dof effects are fairly token compared to some flight sims but definitely there.

Excellant !

[BigDuke66]

Did the patch change anything else? Or is it only TrackIR?

[reaper2040]

How about fixing the CTD's caused by this patch!