Customizable Replay Trackside Cameras

[GBO Possum]

I'd like the ability to change the settings on the existing trackside cameras and/or add my own cameras.

This would allow the camera to be positioned in location and altitude, including the ability to position off-track.

It would also allow the focal length, focus point and aperture to be set. Focus point should be able to be defined as "attached to the focus car" or "fixed distance". If "attached to the subject car", the car would remain in focus throughout the period of its visibility. If the focus point is chosen as a track position, then depending on the aperture, the subject car may come into sharp focus and move out of focus.

I'm thinking that the duration of use of a particular camera would be defined as the period of its visibility within the arc of view, plus or minus a user-specifiable margin. So the camera may switch on a short time before the subject car actually appears on-camera (around a corner for example).

I would like the quality of the sound to reflect the environment of the cars and camera, so if it's distant, the sounds would be lower, if it's in a valley, there would be an echo effect, if it's in an enclosed space (tunnel, bridge), a strong echo etc.

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But I don't want to have this over engineered.

I'm not sure that I want the complexity of dealing with moving cameras, and cameras with dynamically changing focal length and distance of focal point (aside from the case above), but you may disagree.

Please feel free to add your suggestions. This has complex implications for both developer and user. Neither of us needs it to be complex!

 

[GBO Possum]

This would include stationary "helicopter" cameras.

I'm thinking that the arc of visibility would be user-defined as zones around points on the track. One triggered when the car enters the "entry" zone, and the second when it enters the "leaving" zone.

Please add your thoughts as to what control you'd like to have.

 

[Wide Boy]

Why not just provide an app that lets you fully tweak replays?
Choose view type & target along with some basic slight adjustments to camera position & focal length or just make it easy say 5 levels of zoom, near to far.
Set it up & save for a dynamic replay, zooms in on the action, flick to rear view from car in front as you swoop up behind it etc.
If it ran on a PC could even render to video, PS3 would take hours to do it I am guessing.

 

[GBO Possum]

To get it to run on a PC would require redevelopment of a huge amount of GT. All the tracks, cars would have to be ported over. The dynamics of the cars also. Their sounds. The list goes on.

All I'm suggesting is the ability to tweak input parameters to the rendering, and of course provide a decent UI to do so. It's not a trivial issue, but probably orders of magnitude less costly than the PC proposal.