Cockpit view - IMHO overated and not so useful...

Bluez_Freak

Bluez_Freak

308
Tried hard to like it but I keep going back to the much more useful bumper view.

So I cannot understand all the premium/standard, cockpit/no cockpit, HUD/no HUD discussions.

Let me explain:

"theoretically" your cockpit is your own steering wheel and the chair in your living room (or whatever place you are), and your TV is like the windscreen.
If we agree to this then you do not need to see the cockpit of the car in game as well. This would be like looking inside the cockpit through another cockpit..
Positioning-wise the inside cockpit view would only make sense in theory if you could bring the TV 20 cm from your eyes and your actual steering wheel behind the tv!!! This way you would see the driver's arms without seeing yours.

Yes the dials and the cockpit details and the bell & whistles are nice (and many prefer to see all this stuff), but at the end of the day the driving matters and I bet NO ONE can drive better from the cockpit view when comparing to the bumper view.

Anyone feels like this or am I the only one??

Now flame me as much as you like you cockpit-view lovers!!! :)
 
Strangely enough, I complained a lot about all the cars that weren't gonna have cockpit cameras, yet here in the full game I find myself using the bumper cam for the sheer visibility it provides.
 
For me it's a game and I'm trying to win and get the fastest times. So for me that means bumper cam. I don't need arms moving around and A-Pillars blocking my apex's. You can't see **** in cockpit view.
 
The important thing is trying to see where you are going, and although the interior/cockpit views look nice, the view makes it harder to see whats up ahead. I have tried using cockpit view a few times and its harder to find a perfect racing line and I often end up off the track more times than if I am not using cockpit view.
 
I prefer cockpit-view, I only use bumper-cam for rally and standards. The cockpit view for me is just so natural... so yes, I do better with cockpit-view (except on rally).

Bumper-cam let's you see more, however I am used to cockpit-cam and like it more. :)
 
I use to use bumper cam all the time, but now with the no HUD option I use the cockpit view. I like it a lot more this way. Mainly because I can now get rid of the annoying red flashing downshift indicator. If I could use the bumper cam with only tach and speedo and nothing else then I would do that instead. But yeah, my mine gripe is I hate the downshift indicator more then anything! Just messes up your brake timing because I find myself relying on that way to much.
 
Bumper cam is faster, there is much more movement from the suspension, and you can get a better fell for what the car is doing.

In the cockpit view, apart from the (way overdone IMO) "head shake" it feels very static, and you don't get a good impression of suspension movement.
 
The cockpit view just feels more immersive to me and gives you a real sense of the car you are driving. It may not be the most "realistic" or give you the best visibility, but it sure is the most fun to use. Remember, this is a game, right? Enjoyment surely should be the No.1 priority?
 
Immersion aside (it is subjective thing), cockpit view overall driving-feel is different than others.

First, your seating position relative to side-of-car becomes an subject, together with actual position of seating relative to car-proportion. thus, both effects yoir peception of actual overall seating-position and drasticaly changes perception of handling.

By above you could almost say that physics in cockpit view is different and more complex because it involves.much more factors than other views.

In bumper view you have no positioning relative to side of your seating, no handicap for overtake or driving line as a byproduct (youre always in the center of the vehicle) and you have no handicap of the seating depth to bonnet and ground clearance (SLS for best example).

Cockpit view is a right way to go, it's only drawback is current limitation of aspect ratio and small.screens which are main issue for majority of players and corresponding perception.
 
On PC sims I run pretty much exclusively cockpit view, but in GT5 now I run cockpit view only when I am going at 85-90% fast. If I am really pressed for time I go for roof/hood view(I need to see the car in some way), this is except McLaren F1, since the center seat really gives you that panoramic view. The issue I think with GT5 vs say GTR for the cockpit view is that you are stuck with their view point. In GTR not only you can adjust wide or narrow view you can set height as well, which may not be a realistic touch but it makes it more useful to get the view you wanted. The other issue with zoomed in view I find is it distort some sensation of speed and yaw movement, it makes it very difficult to get an accurate sense of "attachment" to the car....
 
I'm with you, hurts visibility. I love the roof view, and use it exclusively (as I did in GT4), as it offers the best view of the road ahead, except for the "third-person" view, which is just weird to drive from.
 
I run bumper cam purely for faster lap times. The cockpit view is great eye candy and don't get me wrong the immersion is great, but for me the visibility isn't good enough. I think you have much better visibility in other PC sims than on GT5, but it's personal preference really. Just for me the biggest problem is no virtual mirror, and not being able to see the cockpit mirrors without having to look left/right, this makes it very tricky online to spot cars around you. Therefore, more unnecessary collisions.
 
always bumper, although that doesn't mean i want PD to stop modelling interiors - i like the car im driving to look nice even if i cant see it till the replays/garage etc.
 
RacingManiac
On PC sims I run pretty much exclusively cockpit view, but in GT5 now I run cockpit view only when I am going at 85-90% fast. If I am really pressed for time I go for roof/hood view(I need to see the car in some way), this is except McLaren F1, since the center seat really gives you that panoramic view. The issue I think with GT5 vs say GTR for the cockpit view is that you are stuck with their view point. In GTR not only you can adjust wide or narrow view you can set height as well, which may not be a realistic touch but it makes it more useful to get the view you wanted. The other issue with zoomed in view I find is it distort some sensation of speed and yaw movement, it makes it very difficult to get an accurate sense of "attachment" to the car....
Click to expand...



You can adjust the view in GT5 to wider or narrow.
 
I always use bumper view.
However, if you do too, check out hood/roof view sometime. It looks like everything is slowed down by 1/3. I could probably turn faster times there, but I feel like I'm sitting up in a pickup truck.
My ideal would be a camera placed right where your eye level would normally be, but none of the dash, wheel etc. on the screen. Just the rear view mirror.
But until then, I will stick to the bumper view, as it feels the most immersive, especially now that we can turn the HUD off.
 
My problem with cockpit view? It makes me physically nauseous. The shaking etc just makes me sick (I also cant play FPS games for this reason). The other thing is its just not as "realistic" as you may think. if you're not physically in the car youre losing your peripheral vision, in real life the view is not so cluttered as when its crammed on to a 40 inch screen. The Bumper cam almost seems more realistic to me in this respect.
 
I must admit, I race using the bumper cam. Also I was pretty dissapointed with the updated HUD options... turning off the dials is useless when using bumper cam, as is turning the whole lot off! I just want to get rid of most of the lap time info...
 
I would love to be able to use cockpit view (as I'm all about getting as real an experience as I can), but it just doesn't work in GT5. Here is why:

1. The shaking. I don't care what anyone says, that much visual shaking is just wrong on a game display. In the real world, your brain takes input from several sources and creates the reality you experience. In the case of a moving car, that includes the inner ear and vibrations felt through the moving car chassis. With only the visual cues and no other sensory input to validate it, the brain can become confused...causing vertigo, motion sickness, or headaches, or at the very least an overall unpleasant experience.

All PD needs to do is include an option to limit the visible shaking. Problem solved. (It would also be nice if they tied in audio cues in the sub-channel that matched on-screen track variations...for those of us with butt kicker type systems).

2. There needs to be a way to move the POV both forward/backwards and up/down, in addition to the view port size (zoom).

3. The wheel and hands. Holy crap I hate the wheel and hands! Besides taking up valuable CPU (or GPU) cycles to render...I HAVE MY OWN HANDS AND STEERING WHEEL TO LOOK AT. :)

Fix those 3 issues, and cockpit view would probably be pretty nice...and I could use it like I do on PC simulators. Until then it's just another piece of over-hyped marketing tripe. ;)

Weedhat
I must admit, I race using the bumper cam. Also I was pretty dissapointed with the updated HUD options... turning off the dials is useless when using bumper cam, as is turning the whole lot off! I just want to get rid of most of the lap time info...
Click to expand...

Agreed. Like many things with GT5... right idea, but completely wrong approach. :)
 
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When I am ahead in race, I sometimes use the cockpit view and I find it distracting. With the bumper cam, I know where the apexes of the corner are, I can control the car better and it improves my overall laptimes (sometimes up to 2-4 seconds quicker).
 
Tommy_861
My problem with cockpit view? It makes me physically nauseous. The shaking etc just makes me sick (I also cant play FPS games for this reason). The other thing is its just not as "realistic" as you may think. if you're not physically in the car youre losing your peripheral vision, in real life the view is not so cluttered as when its crammed on to a 40 inch screen. The Bumper cam almost seems more realistic to me in this respect.
Click to expand...

Im back to the bumper cam too. Tried the cockpit and jsut couldnt get used to it. When im in my car I dont notice the cars A post or bonnet. I kinda focus a little forward on the road and I have to move my eyes / head to read the dials or look in the mirrors.
Like people say cockpit view is a little cramped. Will be interesting to see what multi monitor pans out like though!
 
I mostly agree with the OP about the usefulness,
but c'mon and you can zoom in so you don't see the complete wheel and hands,(press start, quick options you know) and it's fun, I love the shaking!

But yeah I use bumper view mostly, but the disadvantage of that is you can't look over bumps and hills (like on the ring), so hood view would be more awesome :)
 
I feel most comfortable with the cockpit view. Its not perfect but I only use the bumper or roof cams when I have to drive a standard car.
 
I'm probably one of the few who actually goes faster while on cockpit view than any other view. I can't understand it, but I have a better feel of the car when in the cockpit view, and a better sense of the limits. It's hard for me to understand, but I've done tests on a few cars, tracks, and I'm always faster in the cockpit view.

So to me, its NOT overrated, and useful for me.

To calan- imagine how criticized PD would be if they included the cockpit view with no hands and no wheels on the TV display. They can't NOT include them. Realism= showing what is there, and what is there are wheels, dashes, hands, etc.
 

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