I find if a game puts the interior in blurred vision and keeps road ahead in focus all wrong, as when you then switch your eyes to look at the interior, then why would the interior still be blurred? Keeping it all on focus means you will naturally blur out anything you are not focusing on, just like in real life.
Allways use the hood with my wheel, tried cockpit, but it didnt look right when changing gear, so I always use the hood view, much better feel. Also, when driving with the wheel, cockpit seems a bit odd, seeing 2 steering wheels.
Just a serious question mate (and to others who site the same or similar grievances)
When you’re driving in real life, and let’s say that you’re using a manual or selective automatic, do you WATCH yourself changing gear, or even watch your hands on the steering wheel when turning corners?
If the object of the game is to achieve the best times possible, and in order to do that, one would assume that the person racing is concentrating solely on what’s coming at them, at the next turn and apex ahead of them, as well as lining up for a proper entry/exit.
Where in all that would one be concentrating on “how good it looks” when steering or changing gear??
In all honesty, I simply zone such elements out of my vision completely. I focus solely on the track ahead, I keep an eye out for traffic, and make sure if 110% focused on those things.
If you’ve ever done any defensive driving courses…(?) they’ll tell you to keep your eyes ahead of you, looking at where you want to be, much like a tennis event player does with his game, or a motorbike rider. The ONLY TIME you’d be checking the steering wheel, and I do this as a perriferal guide only, is to use the Centre Marker on some racing cars that is applied to the dead top centre of the steering wheel.
In that situation, I’m not active.y looking AT the steering wheels centre, but simply noticing the marker in my lower perriferal vision… If that makes sense.
If you’re in say a McLaren P1 or similar, there is no steering wheel to speak of, and changing gear is simply a fingers touch away with the use of the left or right index finger.
I’m definitely NOT having a go at you, or others for that matter, but simply asking a very valid question. One that confuses me greatly when statements are made like in this post.
Are you more worried about how “good you look”? (Considering no one can see you) - or - and I believe more importantly, how well you’re driving?
OZ
Many people, myself included play on large screen TVs and sit some distance away. Regardless of where your focal point is the entire screen is in full view and in focus. The cockpit view has an odd POV like you’re sitting in the back seat of the car and unless you’re relatively close to your TV or monitor you just can’t “dial out” the entire dash, driver and A pillars. In real life these things are present but you’ve got to actively look at them to see them properly. For me, cockpit view just shows far too much cockpit.
I’ve a 65" 4K UHDTV (3D capable) and I sit approx 2.5 - 3mtrs away from the screen, and yes, I can “dial out” my focus points to not include the steering wheel and drivers hands, for the most part. yes they are there, that’s a given, and my position within the cockpit doesn’t come into play, for the most part.
It’s got less to do with screen size, but ones ability to control your focal points.
Mind you, I have glasses and have done since I was 4, and have learnt to train my eyes to widen my perriferal vision over the years. It’s no big job for anyone really, but as a veteran driver in the Real World I have taught several ppl how to drive, two of which have been my children and also a close friend.
And it’s amazing how many younger drivers seem to focus only several feet ahead of them, rather than scooping out the distant aspects that is going to affect them etc.
It’s a common issue many driving instructors now have actually. The issue was brought up in an Australian motoring mag called Open Road siting the same issue.
But all that aside. If your looking at where you want to go, and where you want to be while driving, rather than the immediate few feet ahead, your mind just lets your body (hands, eyes, feet, brain telling you amount of turn or pressure to apply to accel/brake etc) simply take over.
Yes, the A Pillars are present, the top of a dash is there, as are various reflections off the dash onto the inside of the screen. Or the refraction of extremely curved windscreens, causing “blind spots” on the glass that change as the car changes around the track etc.
But they needn’t become an intrusion, unless of course you make them become one.
If you’ve ever ridden a motorcycle, then you’ll know “exactly” what I’m talking about here.
Hands up those of you that have or do ride a motorcycle of any sort ?? (Mines up)
You will not find ANY rider watching his/her hands, feet or even the steering head/handlebars of the bike in order to “ride” the bike through a series of obsticals or to simply ride the bike period.
You look at where you want to be, and the brain works out the rest, and goes into auto pilot as it were.
Same goes for professional racing drivers. That “cone of silence” or where they simply block everything out but where they are heading is all that’s required and the brain takes over. They aren’t watching their hands, feet or gearshift/steering wheel.
Those things become extensions of themselves, the brain is telling the eyes to not focus on anything other than the direction they’re going. Their brain picks up rev change points from engine sounds, or even gearbox noises etc, rather than a tacho.
Some drivers even spin the tacho around so the redline is at the top of the dial, allowing the eye to simply glance down periodically to double check a shift change, if required.
Our brain does exactly what WE tell it to do. If you really believe you need to see your steering wheel in order to drive, then it WILL. Focus on that, and take the focus off the main objective.
The brain is a tool. Train it and it will help you.
If you’ve ever watched or experienced ppl walking on hot coals, then that’s just how powerful the brain is. And it WILL DO THAT without even getting a single blister or burnt feet. Trust me… I know that for certain…
Try training yourself to eliminate those distractions, and you will find your times will get even better than they are now… Try it for a week or so, not just once or twice and then throw the proverbial towel in.
Give the brain a chance to become accustomed to the changes. You’ll be pleasantly surprised…
Plus answer yourself this simple question… While playing the game with a controller, which is the OPs concern here remember, do you watch your thumbs or fingers as you race around the track? Or does your brain just take over?..
OZ
For FM6 I use Hood view. For Project Cars I use Cockpit/Helmet view. FM6 doesn’t quite get the perspective correct compared to PC’s Helmet view. The focal point as the steering turns changes as it does when you actually drive a car. FM6 cockpit view is more static.
Controller for both.
I tend to use cockpit view for racing, but if I’m on rivals I use hood view not sure why. The chase cam I cant get used to, it just looks likes the car moves to unrealistically.
I exclusively use cockpit view because that’s closest to what I experience when driving real cars. In reality, I haven’t yet figured out how to drive from the hood of my car or while flying along behind it. In the real world, my view is always abstructed by pesky stuff like the dashboard and pillars.
Edit:
The only exception I can think of is the Nissan Altima V8 Supercar. For some reason the top half of the windshield appears as a solid black bar that you can’t see through, but only when viewed from inside. If you look in from outside it’s clear glass. This left me with a narrow peep-hole to peek through.
Ever since I started driving when I was 14 1/2, which was 48.5yrs ago by the way, I’ve always driven a car sitting in the drivers seat… For some unknown silly reason…lol.
And ever since I starting playing Project Gotham Racing, and then the likes of V8 Supercars (TOCA) and Colin McRae Rally (DRiT) etc etc back on the Original Xbox, which still sits proudly in my lounge room hooked up and ready to play, I’ve also always driven from the drivers seat. Wherever possible of course. As not all games offered that POV.
I know that many of the cars in F5 & 6 have spectral reflections coming off the dash, or hood or from the severe curvature of the windscreens, which cause slight obstructions of views at times. But I’ve always believed that that’s part and parcel of driving such cars.
It’s how they look in real life.
So, for sheer immersion, and only using an Elite a Controller, it’ll always be cockpit view point for me.
God, I loved racing GRiD from that POV and seeing the dash shake, the cars approaching rapidly, and have that sense of being right there in that moment.
Sure, it’s a game, and while it’s certainly not a true representation of exactly how all vehicles are in this game, the viewpoint comes damn close to it.
The combination of both the a Elite Controller, and Cockpit View really does give me the sense of being in a car, for that brief moments in time.
Yes, I could probably see further around corners much better without the A Pillar of a car in the way, or the crest of a hill not imparing my view if I sat, let’s say, floating above the car on some magical carpet. But would that really be what it’s like if I was really racing that car… Nope… It certainly would not.
You want immersion, then sit yourself inside the car. Forget about certain ppl complaint that the steering wheels in the wrong spot on such-n-such car. Or that the drivers hands don’t represent a proper turning circle.
In all honesty, should you be fixated on a steering wheel or some gloved hand while racing at night or in the rain, or on Le Mans in an Enduro race car? No…
They should ideally be focused on where you want to go, and the track well ahead, and the fast approaching braking points.
If it raises a sweat in the palms of your hands, if your heart pounds faster, if the course is more challenging sitting in the drivers seat, then you’re racing…for the pure joy of it.
Edit: just something else…there have been just a mere few times that I’ve reverted to “Hood View”… This has been only in the 908 Pug, as it’s almost impossible to see out of the cockpit at night and in the rain. So in those two occasions, I must admit, fir pure desire to finish the race in one piece, I did use hood view… Please don’t shoot me… Lol
OZ
Perfect post! I tried using the hood view here recently & just don’t like it. I already used cockpit mode & using the other view has verified that I’ll continue using cockpit mode.
Cockpit view is the only one I will ever use.
Cockpit if visibility isn’t an issue. Hood view with rearview mirror if I am in a full lobby. I can’t drive with the other views
great posts people.
I use cockpit view as often as I can. but when I play in ramdome MP hoppers witch is almost never I use 3. persons view. people don’t respect racing lines and in the cockpit view you got some blind spots where you can’t see left ore right unless you use the triggers. for safety reasons I don’t use cockpit view in regular hoppers…
driving with friends I use it all the time. But when im hot lapping I have found myself driving in the hood cam with cars I struggle to tune correctly ore are abit much to handle. I find myself doing better lap times in hood view when im using a car im not happy with the handling.
I am all in for the realistic feeling and with a controller cockpit view makes that happen as much as possible without a wheel. if I had a wheel I don’t know. I don’t thing 2 wheels would feel realistic and would probably switched over to hood, I like the cockpit cam in DiRT. where u can be in the cockpit without the steering wheel. I hope this too will come to the FM series… would have to get a bigger apartment then and buy a wheel setup 
I use chase near. If I ever did get a wheel, I’d probably try to switch to cockpit (but would only use it online with people I could trust).
I use the bumper cam all the time, but as mentioned, it does limit the view ahead on unfamiliar tracks, and to the side in close racing. I like the immediate reaction of that view, the others feel somewhat distanced from the movement of the car, almost insulated from the action in a sense.
I always use a wheel, too. I just can’t get the precision with the controller
controller. chase far
Near chase.
I know it’s not realistic, but I really love admiring the car models and scenery, swinging the camera about to see everything as I go along.
I do sometimes use the interior though. If I had a wheel like I used to, it would be a bonnet/high bumper cam though, because two wheels that don’t exactly sync up in my eye line always distracts me!
Bumper or hood for intense racing. Cockpit for when the results really do not matter, but I want to feel like I am really driving the vehicle.
Mostly cockpit, but I switch to bumper when theirs no rear view mirror. Not a fan of the hood view or any of the chase views at all.
I used to use cockpit view but moved to hood view. I’m better at judging speed, braking and turning points in hood view. It also feels more immersive to me when I do use the wheel. Only problem is I have the rear view mirror off. I compensate by using the right stick when using the controller but sometimes mistakes can be made.