Pilot Archive

I find flying with the cockpit view helps me orientate a lot better than if I fly 3rd person. I don't feel dizzy, but it does start to affect my eyes. I also prefer the realism of flying in 1st person, with the cockpit view on. Least I feel I'm in a sapceship, rhather than just zzoming round space like superman, or I'm having a dream.

JJK
Master Shipwright
two time pilot remaster
master BH as devs wont let me use a rifle as a smuggler (alt)

my goodbye post, i'll miss you all. see you on EVE
Bria reborn
The Doomsday Mark I (my m22-krayt)

Chain Saw - Jedi - is not guilded- Rebel Colonel -

Howdy,

Some hints you might try.

1) Check how your monitor is positioned. Its best if you can get your monitor right in front of you. Some folks dont' have alot of room on their desks and end up having to shift the monitor off into a corner and have to turn their head while they play a game. This, in itself, can cause some motion sickness. Try to get your monitor straight ahead.

2) Stay BACK from your monitor. Its a natural human habit when playing a Sim like JTL or a First Person Shooter to end up, unconsciously, finding yourself 'leaning' forward and getting closer and closer to the monitor. Pretty soon, you might find your wife, girlfriend, or family laughing at you if they see you playing with your face glued to the thing. Sit back!! The further back you are from it...the 'easier' time you're eyes will have focusing. At extremes, yup...you might not be as good a pilot if you have to sit back a bit...but give yourself some time...you'll adjust....and I'm sure you'll be a better pilot 'healthy' and sitting several feet from your monitor without as a good a view...then sitting close and feeling awful.

3) Keep the room you're in 'comfy'. Computers kick out ALOT of heat. Motion sickness is most frequent when you are 'warm'and not 'cool'. When you start getting motion sick...does it feel like you have a fever? Do you begin to sweat a bit? It might help you to keep that room cooler if you can. Get a couple of fans...put them on low and let them oscillate about the room and give you a nice breeze. Turn the Air Conditioning up or the heat down.

4) Have a nice tall glass of water next to you, loaded with ice-cubes. Go out and grab a fresh lemon or lime from the grocery store. Chop it into wedges and squeeze the juice into your water. Water with a hint of lemon or lime is very 'refreshing' which is exactly what you want. You'll find that when a bit of that motion sickness sets in....a couple of chugs on that ice-cold water will feel pretty good

5) Stay away from motion-sickness drugs if you can. This here is personal preference and a bit of a soap-box statement....but I'd suggest that for an activity (like video games) that you are playing often and for long periods at a time.....it just seems like a 'bad' idea to have to be popping pills to play a game.

6) Stay CALM!!!! In real life I'm a pilot. One of the great 'cures' for a passenger's motion sickness in a small single-engine aircraft is to let THEM fly the plane? Why? Because getting all nervous and pumped full of adrenaline...fear....etc....tend to aggravate and sometimes cause motion-sickness. You take their attention and put in on something else...it tends to calm them down and make them focus. It works out pretty well alot of the time. That being said...if you're the type of person that ends up getting all excited and hyped up...yanking and banking....after each few rounds of dogfighting...try and just relax and calm yourself down.

7) Like the previous posters said....'slow down'. Its a game...no big hurry Fly a mission....then go do some ground-game stuff....watch some TV....take a walk down to the kitchen and get some munchies. Focus your eyes on OTHER stuff.

8) Stay away from the caffeine. If you're a coffee drinker or like alot of soda....try to steer clear when you've got a long flight session ahead. Caffeine is a stimulant and often times can make motion sickness worse. If you've ever had WAY too much cofee on an empty stomach and got that 'nautious' caffeine-overdose feeling....its very similar to motion sickness.

9) Don't play on an empty stomach. If you haven't eaten yet...eat first, give your food time to settle, THEN play Having an empty stomach or low blood sugar tends to often aggravate motion sickness I've found. Have a nice supper....and take a break for a snack here and there.

10) This next one I've heard go both ways so it really depends on you. Some people get really motion sick but have no problems going to sleep. As long as they can go to bed afterwards....they fall right asleep and never have to put up with much motion sickness. For other people, laying down and going to sleep is the 'worst' thing you can do....its like being drunk....the minute you lay down and close you're eyes the room is spinning and you feel awful...while as long as you're up and around and doing things you feel much better. Figure out which of the above you are, and then plan appropriately. If you're the later...don't play right before bed...leave yourself some time to acclimate.

11) Pay attention to how you're feeling and catch it EARLY. Often times...by the time you START to feel sick its too late and its a downhill slide from there. Other times, if you catch it EARLY...you can take little breaks and skip being sick

12) Last but least....don't play that part of the game. That's no fun...I know....but some folks...try as they may....just tend to get really sick at this sort of thing. For me, I'm fine with this sort of game....however....certain first person shooters make me SOOOO sick. Some games like Half-Life, Far Cry, and others make me feel awful. Not ALL first person shooters...but just some of them. Funny thing I've found is that games that, on past machines, have run poorly or were less 'detailed' and graphically amazing games didn't make me sick at all. While, on the other hand, games that were really graphically amazing and detailed...and ran smooth as glass on a top-end machine just REALLY made me sick. I'd play the Ghost Recon series for hours on end with no-ill effects. But, then I'd play Far Cry on a top-end Alienware for 20 minutes and just feel terribly dizzy. So, as much as I enjoyed them, certain of those games had to get permanently 'shelved' and I don't play them any more.

Anyhow....I hope some of this helps a bit. I know how it feels to get motion-sick in a game you enjoy. No fun

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