VTOL VR Gets New Plane: The EF-24G Mischief and Electronic Warfare Update

A couple of weeks after its announcement VTOL VR solo developer Baha has released the new VTOL VR plane known as the EF-24G Mischief to the public.

This new plane is purchasable as DLC on Steam for the price of twelve dollars, and is based on the real world F-14 tomcat. This plane also happened to be released on the exact same day of the year as the first flight of the Tomcat in 1970.

The EF-24G Mischief is intended as an Electronic Warfare fighter in VTOL VR, using jamming pods and sensors to hide from or confuse enemy missiles and radar systems.

Of course this new plane isn’t going to be the only one capable of utilizing jamming technology, with jamming equipment now available for other planes in this fantastic VR flight simulator.

There’s even some other new equipment available like the AIM-54 missile, but for now let’s talk some specifics on exactly what you can do with the EF-24 and more about the electronic warfare update, which massively changes VTOL VR.

The F-14 Tomcat In VTOL VR

The EF-24 is a very fun new addition to VTOL VR that makes great use of the new Electronic Warfare system.

On it, and various other aircraft like the F/A-26, you can mount AN/ALQ-245 Jammer pods, which allow you to spoof and jam signals for the enemy team.

We’ll talk more about this and the new Electronic Warfare system here shortly, but suffice to say it’s a massive change to VTOL VR that will completely revamp how the game is played, especially in Multiplayer, and the EF-24G is tailor made for it.

The AN/ALQ-245 Jammer Pod

The EF-24G Mischief itself bears many similarities to the F-45 (based on the real like F-35) in that the cockpit is extremely high tech when compared to older aircraft like the AV-42 or F/A-26. Though in many other respects this new plane is unlike any other.

Especially when using Electronic Warfare, there’s a lot of buttons to press on your various configurable touchscreens, and a lot of things to do to fly and fight as effectively as possible.

That’s why it’s great that the EF-24G is also a two seater plane. You can have a copilot in the back to handle the Electronic Warfare pods or weapons.

While it’s completely possible to fly this new plane by yourself, it’s much harder to manage everything on your own.

Being the passenger can be just as fun as being the pilot

Still, you can always by yourself a little time by zooming away, which the EF-24G is very capable of doing just like it’s real life inspiration the F-14 Tomcat.

It’s now capable of the highest speeds in the game, at least when you sweep the wings back, because just like the F-14 the EF-24 can sweep its wings forward or back for maneuverability or straight up speed.

This, coupled with the new missiles available to it, make the EF-24G a fantastic plane for countering enemy air defenses, and generally confusing them.

There are a ton of features, old and new, that you can use with this plane. So many that we won’t discuss them all here, though the size of the EF-24Gs manual speaks for itself.

If you’ve just gotten ahold of the EF-24G there’s also a whole new Singleplayer campaign for the plane which focuses on its strengths in countering enemy ground based air defenses. It’s a ton of fun and a great way to get to know your way around the new aircraft.

The new campaign is hard at first, but fantastic

Electronic Warfare in VTOL VR

Though by far the biggest change to VTOL VR is not only the addition of the EF-24G, but the addition of Electronic Warfare in general in this fantastic modern VR flight simulator.

You used to always be able to trust your radar and radar warning system to show you exactly where enemies were and what type of craft they were flying. That’s no longer the case.

That’s a lot of incoming missiles, shame they’re aiming at imaginary planes

The new jammer pods, which can be mounted on many of the aircraft already present in the game as well as the EF-24G Mischief, mean that no electronic system is guaranteed to work as you’d expect it to anymore.

These jamming pods are capable of doing a number of different sorts of electronic warfare and different frequencies. Guidance systems can be flooded with noise to become unreliable, DRFM can be used to make one aircraft seem like a whole wing of them, and even basic functionality like navigation and communications equipment can be interfered with.

It’s truly a massive change for VTOL VR, and opens up many more options in how you can approach each combat encounter, or how you can be tricked into approaching them in the wrong way.

What’s even more incredible is the further addition of the ADM-160J decoy missile.

The ADM-160J Decoy/Jammer Missile

This is a missile that, like the name says, functions as a decoy and is capable of making itself look like an entire aircraft.

Not only that, but it can help you triangulate targets for your own missiles, and has jamming technology of its own to misdirect enemy air defenses. Suddenly what might seem like another EF-24 approaching you could just be a decoy missile.

There’s no limit to how these new technologies present in the game can be used for any number of operations, and makes the depth of the air combat simulation of VTOL VR far better.

That’s not even mentioning all of the new assets available not only in the new campaign like huge Early Warning Radars, Enemy Radar Jamming Trucks, and Missile Silos, but also in the VTOL VR mission editor for mission creators to use.

So if you’ve always wanted to feel like Maverick from Top Gun yourself and rule the air in an F-14 Tomcat, or want to see the new ways the game can be played, now is a fantastic time to get back into VTOL VR or try it for the first time. Though all of this new technology does make an already complicated game even more complicated. Once you understand it though, it’s truly a masterpiece.

How to Play VTOL VR on the Oculus Quest 2

So you’re an Oculus Quest 2 owner and you’ve heard about the awesome modern combat flight simulator VTOL VR. Congratulations, you couldn’t have picked a better VR flight simulator to try. VTOL VR is fantastic and a ton of fun even when you’re learning how to play it.

It’s built entirely for VR and lets you interact with all of your plane’s controls with your virtual hands. It’s a very immersive and rewarding experience.

So you’re wondering "how to get VTOL VR on your Oculus Quest 2. Well we’re going to tell you how right here. Though before you go any further you should know that VTOL VR is only available on PCVR, which basically means it won’t be able to run without a gaming PC that is powerful enough to run it.

So if you’re wondering, “Is VTOL VR on Oculus Quest 2?” Well it isn’t, but that doesn’t mean you can’t play it using a Quest 2 if you have a PC capable of running it.

Of course even if you have a gaming PC that is powerful enough to run VTOL VR, you’re also going to want to know how to connect your Meta Quest 2 to that PC so that you can play this great flight simulator on your Quest 2.

Oh, and this guide will also work for any other SteamVR games as well, so if you’ve got your eyes on PCVR titles other than VTOL VR you’re still in the right place.

So let’s get right into it step by step. This is how to play VTOL VR on the Oculus Quest 2. Oh, and if you’re using a Quest Pro or Quest 1 keep in mind that all of these steps work for the Oculus Quest Pro or original Oculus Quest just as they do for the Quest 2.

PC Requirements - How to Play VTOL VR on the Oculus Quest 2

Before you can try to play VTOL VR using your PC you’ve got to make sure that your PC can run the game in the first place. There’s no use going through all of these setup steps if the game will end up being unplayable once you actually start trying to run it.

So if you’re wondering just how capable your computer needs to be to be “VR capable” then here are the system requirements listed for VTOL VR:

• MINIMUM:

  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system

  • OS: Microsoft Windows 10

  • Processor: Intel Core i5-3570K or equivalent

  • Memory: 8 GB RAM

  • Graphics: Nvidia GTX 970 or equivalent

  • DirectX: Version 11

  • Network: Broadband Internet connection

  • Storage: 3 GB available space

  • VR Support: SteamVR

• RECOMMENDED:

  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system

  • OS: Microsoft Windows 10

  • Processor: Intel Core i7

  • Memory: 16 GB RAM

  • Graphics: Nvidia GTX 1070 or equivalent

  • DirectX: Version 11

  • Network: Broadband Internet connection

  • Storage: 4 GB available space

It is a really good idea to make sure whatever PC you plan on running VTOL VR on follows the “recommended” system requirements.

Though if your computer is close to these specs, and especially if it is a laptop, then you should make sure that it doesn’t overheat. When using a laptop to run something intense like a VR game make sure it’s fans are unobstructed and it is placed on a cool and non carpeted surface.

If your computer meets the recommended requirements, even if it is a laptop and not a desktop PC, then you should be good to go with the following steps.

Now it is time to connect your Meta Quest 2 to your PC so that you can run VTOL VR on it.

How to Get VTOL VR on the Oculus Quest 2 Using a Quest Link Cable

Alright so you’ve got your VR capable PC and Quest 2 headset ready to go, so how do you play VTOL VR on the Quest 2? Well there are two options.

The first that we’re going to cover here is by using Quest Link (aka Oculus Link) with a cabled connection. Basically this is connecting a cable from your PC directly to your headset, and that cable will pipe all the visuals and data for the VR game from your PC and into your Oculus Quest 2.

This means your Quest 2 will be relying on your computer to do all of the heavy lifting, and basically ends up being used for its display hardware, like the non standalone headsets that came before it like the HTC Vive or Valve Index.

Using an Oculus Link Cable is actually a great option for VTOL VR, since you’ll be sitting down and mostly using your hands to interact with virtual controls right in front of you. Unlike a lot of other, more active VR games, the cable won’t be getting in your way nearly as much in this VR flight simulator.

So let’s set up Quest Link. First you’ll need a Link Cable to connect your headset to your PC. A link cable is a high quality USB 3 cable. One end goes into the USB port on your computer and the other goes into the charging port of your Quest 2 headset.

You can buy the official Oculus Link Cable here. If you’d rather try a cheaper option then there are several available from Amazon like this one here.

If you’d rather not wait to get your hands on a cable you can still try playing VTOL VR on your Quest 2 wirelessly by using Airlink. If so then skip to the next section titled “How to Get VTOL VR on the Oculus Quest 2 Using Air Link”. Otherwise if you’ve already got a cable, or are willing to wait to get one, keep reading on here. You can also just bookmark this article and come back. Don’t worry, we’ll still be here for you.

So now that you’re ready to start using that cable here’s how to set up Quest Link. Start by going to the Meta Quest website and downloading the Oculus PC App (you’ll have to scroll down a little to see the Download Button).

Downloading the Oculus Desktop Application

The setup process for the Oculus software is pretty straightforward and so we won’t go into detail on it here. Though if you do have an SSD hard drive on your computer it is better, just like with other gaming software like Steam, to install the Oculus App on that drive as any games installed via Oculus will be installed in the same folder.

This isn’t required, and if you don’t know what an SSD drive is or don’t have one then don’t worry about it.

So now that you’ve got the Oculus Desktop Application installed it’s time to connect your Quest device to your PC.

Put your Meta Quest device on. Before plugging in your headset go to Settings -> System -> Quest Link and turn on the “Quest Link” slider at the top.

Make sure the Oculus App is running, and then plug your link cable into one of your computer’s USB 3 ports, and the other end of the cable into your Quest 2’s charging port.

Put the headset back on and you should see a popup asking if you would allow the computer to access files and folders on your Quest, hit “allow.” Then another popup will appear that looks like this.

Enabling Quest Link

Hit “Enable.” If this popup does not appear make sure your cable is connected properly and is capable of supporting Quest Link.

You can always manually run Quest Link from the Oculus Quick Settings Menu. You can also run Quest Link from Settings -> System -> Quest Link.

Launching Quest Link from the Quick Settings menu

A menu will appear and after a brief loading time should display the computer your Quest is connected to, select the computer and hit “Launch.”

You’ll know that the Link is working properly when you see this menu appear in your headset.

The Library as viewed through Quest Link

From here you can run SteamVR from your computer from your Steam Library, or you can just run VTOL VR directly from it.

If you run SteamVR first then your SteamVR home environment will appear and you can run VTOL VR from there. If you ran VTOL VR directly then you should find yourself in the main menu!

The VTOL VR main menu

If you experience problems during this process try restarting the Oculus App, restarting your headset, or restarting your PC. Preferably all at the same time, before trying again. Alternatively VTOL VR might run better if you run it from SteamVR home instead of starting it from your Steam library.

You can also contact Meta Quest Support if Quest Link isn’t working as expected.

How to Get VTOL VR on the Oculus Quest 2 Using Air Link

So you either don’t have a USB 3 cable that you can use for Air Link, or you don’t want to use a link cable, or you’re just wondering what other options you have to play VTOL VR on the Meta Quest 2.

Well you’ve got another option that is pretty great, Air Link. Air Link works a lot like Oculus Link using a cable, except instead of using a cable all of the data is sent from your PC to your headset via your local WiFi network.

Of course that’s a lot of data that needs to be sent and received very quickly. So just like everything else there are some recommended requirements to using Air Link on your Oculus Quest 2.

If you don’t meet these requirements Air Link might still work… but it might be unbearably choppy. So make sure your setup has the following before getting started:

• A 5GHz WiFi Network (You can check your router settings, see this article for some details if you want to know more.)

• A playspace for your Quest 2 that is in the same room as the PC or laptop you will be using to run VTOL VR.

• An ethernet cable connecting your computer to your Modem/Router.

• Your Quest 2 is connected to the same WiFi network as the computer.

You don’t necessarily have to have a 5GHz network, especially if your computer is connected to your WiFi network via an ethernet cable.

Keep in mind that even if you meet all of the above setup criteria, Air Link can still be temperamental. You can always contact Meta Quest Support if you run into bugs or problems with it after following the setup steps here.

Also before we get deep into how to set up Airlink you could also try a possibly quicker and easier alternative with Steam Link, which is an app that runs directly on your headset and skips a lot of the steps here.

If you want to try Steam Link then check out the Steam Link setup guide.

Anyway now that you’re ready to start let’s begin by installing the Oculus App that you can download from the Meta Quest website (you’ll need to scroll down a bit to see the download link).

Downloading the Oculus PC Application

The setup process for the Oculus software is pretty straightforward.. We won’t go into detail on it here, but don’t worry you’ll have that covered on your own.

One important thing to note is that if you do have an SSD hard drive on your computer it is better, just like with other gaming software like Steam, to install the Oculus App on that drive as any games installed via Oculus will be installed in the same folder.

This isn’t required, and if you don’t know what an SSD drive is or don’t have one then don’t worry about it.

So now that you’ve got the Oculus Desktop Application installed it’s time to connect your Quest device to your PC with Air Link. Make sure the Oculus app is running on your PC and put on your headset.

Go to Settings in your Quest 2, and then on to System and then Quest Link. After ensuring that the “Quest Link” slider is turned on hit the “Launch Quest Link” button and you should see a “Use Air Link” slider at the top Turn it on.

A text box will appear showing you more about the Air Link Requirements. Double check that you meet these requirements and press “Continue”.

Enabling Air Link in the Quest Link menu

Select the computer on your WiFi network you want to connect to and press “Pair” at the bottom.

You will be prompted to enter a code on your Quest 2. That code will appear in the Oculus PC application. It may take a minute or two to pop up.

Once the code is entered you should see the Oculus Link menu appear in your headset.

The Quest Link Library Menu

If you’ve made it this far then congratulations! You’ve connected your Quest 2 to your computer wirelessly and can run SteamVR or other PCVR games directly to your headset.

If the Oculus Link menu doesn’t appear or you get an infinite loading screen, press the Oculus button on your right controller and Quit the Link application. Then restart your headset and computer before trying again. If you still run into problems then make sure your PC and WiFi network meet the requirements that were listed above, or contact Meta Quest support.

Air Link can be finicky, and so it’s not guaranteed to work, but is generally pretty reliable. You can also check out this article from Meta with some more details, though we’ve covered most of it here.

Once you’ve got airlink running, and hopefully without an insane amount of lag, start SteamVR from your steam library, or start VTOL VR from your steam library.

If you run SteamVR first you’ll load into your Steam Home and can start VTOL VR from there. However you run VTOL VR you should see the main menu appear.

The VTOL VR main menu

Sometimes VTOL VR will work better when you run it from SteamVR home rather than just running VTOL VR itself directly. So try that as well if you run into problems.

If the game is extremely choppy or laggy, then connect your PC to your WiFi network with an ethernet cable, or get that Quest 2 Link Cable for a direct connection.

Anyway once you see the VTOL VR main menu you’re all set to play the game and enjoy this fantastic combat flight simulator in Virtual Reality! That’s how to play VTOL VR on the Quest 2. Have a fantastic time in the virtual skies.

New Planes for FREE In VTOL VR By Easily Installing VTOL VR Mods

Welcome to this step by step guide on how to install VTOL VR Mods! VTOL VR is an extremely fun VR combat flight simulator game, and it’s even better with mods. So keep reading to find out how to install VTOL VR mods as easily as possible to make your game even better. In this example we will be installing a brand new modded plane! The Mirage 2000CX. Keep reading to find out how to get a free new plane in VTOL VR!

Mod Loader for Installing VTOL VR Mods

The first step in installing PCVR VTOL VR mods is downloading and installing the VTOL VR Mod Loader. This is a useful program that you can use on your PC to install and manage VTOL VR mods. Go to the vtolvr-mods.com homepage and download the latest version of the VTOL VR Mod Loader by clicking the “Download Mod Loader” button.

After the VTOL VR Mod Loader is downloaded, run it as an administrator. You can choose not to, but not all features may be available if you do not. You may see a popup like this one.

If you do and want to keep following this guide, then press Yes. Do note that the VTOL VR Mod Loader is third party software and not supported or created directly by the VTOL VR developers.

Anyway, once the Mod Loader is run with the correct permissions you will see the “First Time” Setup menu.

Press the “Auto Detect” button on the right side of the screen. If, for some reason, the VTOL VR Path field does not fill after you press this button, then press “Browse” and navigate to your computer’s VTOL VR folder. If your VTOL VR installation is through Steam then this folder should be located at:

C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\VTOL VR\

If you installed Steam somewhere other than the default location, then go to your “Steam” folder wherever you installed it before following the rest of the filepath above.

Once the VTOL VR Path field is filled correctly, press the “Install” button.

You may see a popup like the one above, asking you to update files. If you see this press Yes. Afterwards you may have to wait shortly for the updates to download and install. You can see the progress of this at the bottom of the VTOL VR Mod Loader application. When everything is set up the Mod Loader should look like this.

Downloading VTOL VR Mods

From the main menu of the VTOL VR Mod Loader you can press the “Open https://vtolvr-mods.com” button to go to the website where you can download mods, or just go to vtolvr-mods.com. Once you’re there press the “Mods” or “Skins” icons in the top left corner of the page, depending on what you want to download and install. Here we will be downloading the Mirage 2000CX aircraft to use in our modded VTOL VR game. So let’s go to “Mods.”

On the left hand side of the “Mods” page you can filter for the type of mod you are looking for, or do a string search if you have a type of mod in mind. Luckily for the Mirage 2000CX mod, it’s right here on the first page. When you find the mod you want, click on the name or picture of the mod to open its page.

Once you’re on the Mod page make sure to read the description for any potentially required mods to run it, how the mod works, and any potential bugs that the mod may cause.

When you’re ready to download the mod, just click the “Download” button in the top right. The mod will download to your Downloads folder, or wherever you have configured your PC to send downloaded files.

Installing VTOL VR Mods

Head back over to the VTOL VR Mod Loader, and on the bottom left side of the application hit the “Open Folder” button.

This will open the “VTOLVR_ModLoader” folder within your VTOL VR installation folder that you selected when setting up the VTOL VR Mod Loader. Enter the “mods” folder within this new File Explorer window. Take the mod file you downloaded, unzip it, and move the unzipped folder into this “mods” folder.

Back in the VTOL VR Mod Loader, select the “Mods” button in the top left corner of the screen. Your freshly added mod should be visible in the Mod Loader. Selecting the “Auto Update” checkbox can also help to keep mods up to date, but if you notice a difference in the “Current Version” and “Website Version” numbers you may need to manually update the mod by deleting it from the “mods” folder and repeating this by redownloading it from the vtolvr-mods.com website.

Running VTOL VR With Mods

Now that your VTOL VR mods are installed it’s time to try them out! Press the “Play” button in the bottom right hand corner of the Mod Loader. You should always launch your modded VTOL VR game using this button. Otherwise your mods may not work and problems may occur even when using unmodded content. If you want to play VTOL VR unmodded again, you can just press the red “Disable” button in the top right corner of the VTOL VR Mod Loader.

Once the game is launched and you’ve hit the “Start Game” button in the initial menu. When you’re in the pilot selection menu, don’t select your pilot just yet, instead go to the “Mods” menu here.

Once you’re in the Mods menu in VTOL VR select the mod you just installed and press the “Load” button at the bottom. There will be a brief delay, and then the button will say “Loaded!"

Once the mod is loaded go back and select your pilot as usual. Since this example added a new modded plane to VTOL VR, the Mirage 2000CX is now available to be selected as an aircraft. Other mods may be visible elsewhere, for instance skins should be available when customizing the aircraft that the skin is meant for.

Keep in mind that the mod might not show up immediately after pressing the “Load” button in the mod menu. If you don’t see the mod ingame at first try starting a Quick Flight as another aircraft, or exit and restart the game from the Mod Loader.

Congratulations, you now know how to easily install VTOL VR mods! More mods are coming out all of the time to make VTOL VR even more fun. Thanks to all of the VTOL VR modders out there for their contributions to making this game even better. Enjoy!