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!!!
I have to laugh at all the "real hardcore racers" who claim "I use bumpercam to set fast lap times" because as they (and the OP) say "The cockpit view gets in my way and I cant see everything".
Well, I am guessing you are neither a "hardcore racer" nor you have you ever set foot ina real car - street or race version.
The A pillars do get in the way, there are all sorts of obstacles and intrusions, there is poor rearward visibility, there are refective surfaces in the way, you cant really tell where the corners of the car are pther thanby instinct and experience.
In short, driving a car is full of all sorts of obstructions and imperfections that only contribute to the impact on lap times etc.
BTW, how "real' do you think the physics really is if you are driving a car from a view point
ahead of the steering axle? Your pivot point, edge perception and total view
advantage should disqualify all your times
If all you are after is "fastest laptime" why even bother playing the game - just get a TRON-like game andtry "go quick" - it wouldnt really matter what "car' you where piloting anyway, as the unique nature of the cockpit, the view the blindspots etc is totally lost on you if every car has the exact same perfect 12' above the road surface 3 feet ahead of the front axle view.
You answered your very own quesiton with the statement
'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."
Interesting - does this not in fact PROVE that the "fake unreal bumpercam" is a totally unnatural and arbitrary advantage?
I purchased a Fanatec for Forza3 knowing that it was going to be compatible with GT5 when it came out. Used it in Forza with cockpit view exclusively and really liked it. I thought if it's this good in Forza, GT5 with out a doubt will be Awesome! Sadly 2 year old Forza kicks GT5's butt in cockpit view. The shaking and bouncing is absolutely rediculous and unrealistic! It's almost like they used scotch tape to hold a camera in place when getting footage for rendering the cockpit view. Also, I am sure the head shake is why the epilepsy and seizure warning was put in the very beginning of the game. Considering all the work they did to get the interiors spot on, I really think they dropped the ball with the drivers view and how it is represented.
Actually, the "shaking and bouncing" is 100% spot on in the absence of a full simulator chassis.
Whil eyou and others may think that because your eyes and head compensate in "real life' the view is exagerated, if youhave ever been behind the wheel of a 600bhp car that is gaining traction and pulling ahead at a rate of knots youwould understand that while you eyes do compensate for the motion and your head and neck do naturally brace yourselves, the entire experience is still immense and the car pulling one way or the other combined with the G-forces on your arms and your body moving and the whole event the ability to quickly process what is going on, manage the controls and get the "job of controlling the car' done is still a very large challenge requiring concentraiton and effort.
If the view was not shaking and requiring your to hold the wheel and concentrate on the events unfolding (manhanding a ZR1 RM through the Cork Screw) exactly how much of a "real-like challenge" would it be if you could one hand the event while reachign for your milk and cheetohs and glancing at the World Cup on the telly next to you?
High speed driving is NOT a simple or stressfree task.