Condor 2 on Valve Index headset

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dbrunone
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2013 2:36 am

Condor 2 on Valve Index headset

Post by dbrunone » Sat Mar 28, 2020 3:11 pm

So I just bought a new gaming PC, after a gaming hiatus for the last 10 years or so. Ryzen 7 3700x, and a Geforce 2070 Super. Pretty excited.

I LOVE the Half-life franchise so I was looking at the Valve Index to play Half-Life: Alyx, but I can't really justify the $1000 price tag for JUST that game. But if Condor 2 is GREAT on this VR system, that just might get me to a spot where I don't mind spending the money. I don't get to fly much in real life anymore, so maybe this could be worth it to me.

Can anyone comment on Condor 2 experience with this VR kit? My only Condor experience thus far is Condor 1 on a laptop with a MS Sidewinder force feedback joystick. Thanks for any opinions.

sisu1a
Posts: 337
Joined: Sun May 04, 2008 9:07 pm
Location: Bay Area, California (USA)

Re: Condor 2 on Valve Index headset

Post by sisu1a » Sun Mar 29, 2020 1:46 am

Condor 2 is absolutely fantastic on Index. The increased Fov and clarity due to the advanced optics (edge to edge clarity with dual element lenses) and comfort for long sessions puts it in a class of its own and that's before even considering the audio. Unfortunately you have to use ReVive to make it work and jump through extra hoops (like using older versions of the software) but worth the hassle as the performance is uncompromising. I used to have CV1 and that was pretty cool but Index is much more immersive for me.

Sure wish Condor would get switched to OpenVR SDK. https://github.com/ValveSoftware/openvr That would not affect Oculus users at all but would make the experience a lot smoother for everyone else. The devs seem to think they have to sell through Steam to support it but this is not the case at all however I digress. Index is currently the hmd to have or beat...

speedyg47
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2020 11:53 pm

Re: Condor 2 on Valve Index headset

Post by speedyg47 » Sun Jul 12, 2020 12:08 am

Hi sisu1a,

I've been flying with Condor 2 on a new simulator PC build and just took delivery of my Valve Index headset, and a HTC Vive 2.0 base station for basic head tracking, etc.

I'm having a really tough time getting my SteamVR + Revive overlay + Revive injection sequence correct, and I'm hoping you can help me figure it out, as you seem to be one of the few Index-oriented VR flyers on the forum.

I've followed the instructions in the Condor manual, i.e. the installation steps, and notably, the following: "Install Condor and copy the content of Revive\Revive folder into Condor folder" but in the latest version of Revive, there is no "Revive\revive" folder to copy, so I've copied the whole contents of the root Revive folder into my Condor folder. (I suspect this is where I'm getting stuck.)

When I drag "Condor.exe" onto the "ReviveInjector.exe" - I see the Command Prompt open momentarily, with two lines of text, and closes before I can read it or screen-capture it to confirm whether or not it's doing it's magic to the Condor executable. Do you have any thoughts or recommendations on a particular version of Revive I might need to use to work with the Condor executable instead?

Also, I'm hoping you can help me with another part of the setup; in order to see the Revive overlay from within SteamVR on my Index, I need to start the Revive app first, then launch Steam and then SteamVR. From there, I see the Unreal blank window open on my PC's main display and then the various Revive apps are available, but I only see the first/default 4 that ship with the Revive library, and I'm unable to find a way to directly add Condor to it, to use it as a launcher from my Index. Any idea how to integrate this?

Or perhaps TL;DR, could you please let me know your Revive and Condor versions, your procedure for copying the Revive folder into the Condor folder, how you've managed to get the ReviveInjector to work, and then your procedure / sequence for launching Condor from there?

Thanks in advance for any insights you might be able to provide!

Take care,
Ray A
Vancouver Soaring Association, Canada

solidxsnake
Posts: 12
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2020 10:38 pm

Re: Condor 2 on Valve Index headset

Post by solidxsnake » Sun Jul 12, 2020 7:30 am

Make sure you're using Revive 1.9.2 or earlier. It doesn't work with the newer versions.

You don't need to copy any files or anything else. Just install Revive.

Start up SteamVR first. Then you launch Condor by opening it with ReviveInjector.exe (I made a shortcut so I don't have to drag-and-drop the file every time).

One other thing to keep in mind, you need to disable antialiasing in your Condor video settings, otherwise it will just be a black screen in the VR headset.

speedyg47
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2020 11:53 pm

Re: Condor 2 on Valve Index headset

Post by speedyg47 » Thu Jul 16, 2020 6:08 pm

Thanks @solidxsnake - I uninstalled the recent build of Revive and installed 1.9.2 as you suggested, but I don't think the Revive Injector executable is doing what it sounds like it's supposed to be doing. I can see the Revive dashboard inside SteamVR on my Index, but I don't see a Condor tile appear on it. When I start Condor by dragging it into the Revive Injector, Condor launches and I use my computer display to setup a flight, and I can see the menu item for opening in VR, but my video settings don't let me pick anything but my computer display, in which case, the simulation starts just on the display, but not in my Index. When I select "Oculus VR" in the Condor video settings, I get a Direct X error when the simulation loads, and also doesn't make it onto my Index. Any thoughts?

solidxsnake
Posts: 12
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2020 10:38 pm

Re: Condor 2 on Valve Index headset

Post by solidxsnake » Sat Jul 18, 2020 3:58 am

It won't appear in the Revive tile in SteamVR, it will just launch. That's expected. You do need to setup Oculus VR (and mirror rendering, if you want it to also display on your computer monitor). Also ensure that antialiasing is disabled, it doesn't work through ReVive unfortunately (I've just increased the render resolution through SteamVR for the same effect).

I use the x64 version of ReviveInjector. Try that if you're not already.

FYI, I've put some fixes in the latest code for Revive to make it work with Condor, and will be pushing them to the main repository, so hopefully the lead developer will incorporate the changes and people can start using the latest version of Revive with Condor2.

speedyg47
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2020 11:53 pm

Re: Condor 2 on Valve Index headset

Post by speedyg47 » Sat Jul 18, 2020 8:45 pm

Hi @solidxsnake,

Thanks for your followup - based on the Revive v1.9.2 that you advised, and with the Oculus app installed (but no 'Device' configured) I've managed to make it work! :D

Here's the procedure I'm following, based on your advice, and mixed together with my current understanding of the necessary chain of events:

1.) Launch Steam. - Result: Steam Library window shows on main display.
2.) Launch Revive Dashboard. - Result: Revive window shows on main display.
3.) Launch Oculus. - Result: Oculus 'Home' window shows on main display.
4.) Launch SteamVR. - Result: SteamVR overlay window shows on main display. Index lights up and displays the 'distant horizon' scene, then jumps into the Index 'welcome room' scene.
5.) Launch Condor by dragging onto 'ReviveInjector.exe' from the Revive folder. - Result: Condor window opens on main display, showing the Condor main menu.
6. Within Condor, I click 'Setup' then the 'Graphics' tab. My video options are:
  • [Checked] Fullscreen
  • Screen resolution: 1920x1080x32
  • MSAA supersampling: Disabled
  • [Unchecked] Vertical sync
7.) Within Condor video options, I click "Setup VR", and my settings are:
  • [Checked] Oculus Rift
  • [Checked] Mirror rendering
  • Depth perception factor: 100%
8.) I click "OK" to close VR settings, and "OK to save/close global Condor settings.
9.) I click "Free Flight" in the Condor main menu and setup a flight using local terrain.
10.) I click "Start Flight" and then I see the simulation in my Index, with a mirrored copy from one eye on my display.
11.) Fly! When I'm done, I have to reach for my keyboard, hit ESC, and within the Index I see the "Exit Flight" button appear over the instrument panel in the aircraft. I click OK and get returned to the Condor main menu.

Hopefully this procedure will prove helpful for other Condor flyers!

Thanks again for all your helpful guidance and feedback.

GlenBecker
Posts: 23
Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2019 5:42 pm

Re: Condor 2 on Valve Index headset

Post by GlenBecker » Fri Jul 31, 2020 10:30 pm

Once you get everything working smoothly take a look at Revive Helper. viewtopic.php?t=19133
Makes launching Condor into VR easier.

dpluigi
Posts: 243
Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2008 3:19 pm
Location: Lyon, France

Re: Condor 2 on Valve Index headset

Post by dpluigi » Tue Aug 04, 2020 10:37 am

Hi,

Just checking the Forum after a long hiatus and reading this thread. Glad it all worked out. I am also using the Index with Condor and loving it.

Revive Helper is a nice tool making the initial start smoother. It is also faster than injecting condor and/or going in and out of 2D Condor to get multiplayer server info to start in VR mode... I used to go through so many hoops when I first started with Condor 2 in VR mode. Going through all this hassle helps you appreciate the tools like Revive Helper OVR Drops to overlay displays into VR. With time this will get streamlined, in that regards the VR community is very hopeful with OpenXR.
ImageImage

CarlBeyme
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Dec 23, 2021 7:26 pm

Re: Condor 2 on Valve Index headset

Post by CarlBeyme » Thu Dec 23, 2021 7:38 pm

sisu1a wrote:
Sun Mar 29, 2020 1:46 am
Condor 2 is absolutely fantastic on Index. The increased Fov and clarity due to the advanced optics (edge to edge clarity with dual element lenses) and comfort for long sessions puts it in a class of its own and that's before even considering the audio. Unfortunately you have to use ReVive to make it work and jump through extra hoops (like using older versions of the software) but worth the hassle as the performance is uncompromising. I used to have CV1 and that was pretty cool but Index is much more immersive for me.

Sure wish Condor would get switched to OpenVR SDK. https://github.com/ValveSoftware/openvr That would not affect Oculus users at all but would make the experience a lot smoother for everyone else. The devs seem to think they have to sell through Steam to support it but this is not the case at all however I digress. Index is currently the hmd to have or beat...
Hello sisu1a,

I'm relatively new to Condor and would really like to get it working on my VR headset. I have a Valve Index. I have read that I need some 3rd party software like "ReVive" but I'm not sure how to get everything working. Do you think you could guide me through the setup?

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