FreeTrack Forum

I've been looking up every forum post on the internet trying to figure out how to get my DCS games to work with freetrack,  but nothing would work.   Tried the fixtrackir executable in the bin/stable directory,  tried pasting in the "headtrack api" folder...  I screwed with that program every which way but every time I started the game; no head tracking.  Nothin'.   I was getting very aggrevated, but then I found out about PPjoy and became even more aggrevated.

See,  PPJoy works decently for headtracking but it is NOT easy to figure out.  So i'm going to try to explain some of the things that took me DAYS to work through.  There is a useful section on PPJoy in the freetrack manual but it seemed to leave a few things out,  so i'd say use this as a supplement for that, or vice versa.

Firstly,  if you have windows 7 or vista go to this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScuYfagMixU)  and download PPjoy from one of the links in the description and the test mode deactivator.   Run the deativator and enable test mode, then reboot.   during reboot press f8 to enter the startup selection dialogue and select the option to allow unsigned drivers (its like the third from the bottom).  When you boot successfully into test mode you should see "test mode" in the lower right corner.

If you have windows XP I think you can use the version of PPjoy that is found in your PPjoy subfolder of freetrack,  but follow the instructions to allow unsigned drivers before you begin installation or the drivers might not take.

Now you're going to install ppjoy.  Double click the executable and start the installation.  if anything prompts up just allow it and continue.  when it finishes run ppjoy configuration.   Click the "add" button and select the virtual joystick.  It should say its installing drivers, then successfully installed the drivers (if drivers don't install properly try rebooting).  click the joystick you just added and click the "modify" button.   click "select a custom mapping for this interface type" and click next.  You're going to create a joystick with six axes but no buttons or HATS.

for those six axes, from top to bottom, you're going to set to x-axis, y-axis, z-axis, z-rotation, y-rotation, and x-rotation.  then keep hitting next and finish.

Open Freetrack and click the output tab,  and check "PPjoy output" and "joystick 1" should be selected.  start freetrack,  go to control panel and open "gameport controllers," you should have one that says "PPjoy virtual joystick,"  if you open the properties for that joystick you should see the bars move and the crosshair move according to your head movements.  open up your DCS game,  to to the options and assign the corresponding axis.   You might need to invert all or most of them,  but I've found it to be at least a passible way to enable head tracking.

Hope this helped,  I stayed up late many a night trying to figure all this stuff out.