Seat height (assuming cockpit view)

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by BoothJoe, Aug 5, 2016.

  1. BoothJoe

    BoothJoe Registered

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    I'm curious where others here set their seat height. I typically use 0 in F1 car, but that creates some insurmountable problems for me on such tracks as Suzuka and COTA where I just can't see the apex until I'm right on top of it. This causes me to turn in early because I get antsy. Early turn-in leads to over-correcting and that leads to the ass-end leading the car down the track. Experimenting with Suzuka and COTA, I find at least a 1.5 second faster laptime setting the seat to something like +50. Do the real F1 drivers make any adjustments to their cars when they run tracks that have blind corners? It kind of feels like cheating to raise the seat. So I thought I'd ask what others do.
     
  2. wgeuze

    wgeuze Registered

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    A simple case of suck it up and deal with it, should be the same for everyone. Their seating position is what it is. Remember, they are not bound to viewing the world through a (single) monitor and look for that apex before turning.

    Ive seen too many occasions where people claim to be simracers and when a track has two blind corners they start using tv cam.... Thats just looking for excuses when it becomes too realistic all of a sudden..... Disable driving controls for everything other than cockpit would be so good to have so people start learning to drive instead of looking for excuses at the first chance.

    Rant over :p
     
  3. BoothJoe

    BoothJoe Registered

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    Totally unnecessary rant. I simply asked what other people do because it is adjustable in RF2. And I asked if in real racing any seat adjustments are made on the real, actual cars. I didn't say anything about using the tv cam. I didn't say anything about using aids. Your attitude is what drives people elsewhere. It's not unusual. The "suck it up" arrogance of established sim racers is simply incredibly offputting. It's the reason I don't race online...because I don't want to have to deal with that ugly arrogance.
     
  4. bwana

    bwana Registered

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    I simply adjust seat height to match steering wheel heights,mine and ingame steering wheel.
     
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  5. wgeuze

    wgeuze Registered

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    In real life racing, suck it up, it's the same for everyone, is what you'll get to hear. If you think that displays utter arrogance, fine :)

    Even the taller drivers in F1, still see ****, compared to a normal (road) car. They might go from little, to a bit less little, depending on their length. Seat adjustments, don't think so.
     
  6. MarcG

    MarcG Registered

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    I adjust the height to suit, I wouldn't take 0 as the definitive "everyone must use this setting" because in real life drivers are different heights and use specially moulded seat fittings so they're all unique in their own way.

    I personally don't like when devs and/or mods limit the seat adjustment as everyone uses different monitor setups, fov etc. Limiting makes getting a useful seat position quite difficult in those circumstances.
     
  7. wgeuze

    wgeuze Registered

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    You bring up an interesting point. Sure, the adjustments for seat height and position should allow you to match your rig/setup. While using 0 isn't a definitive truth for everyone, maybe BoothJoe is, inadvertently, running settings not matching his situation causing less vision than there already is.

    Indeed, matching up the virtual steering wheel and your own, hoping that you have a formula wheel of sorts is your best bet. Your horizon should lie roughly above the edge of the nose, that is about it. I hope people use this freedom to set what is realistic and matching their rigs. If you gained 1.5 seconds by going crazy with seat settings, that is what I have a problem with. If you have identified that and still stick with the vanilla settings because it matches your stuff and reality better, you certainly have got my vote.

    This video might interest some, it really isn't all that great from a visibility standpoint :)
     
  8. stonec

    stonec Registered

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    Yep, what you see out of a real F1 car is minimal, I've heard several sources quoting that, though the seat-of-the-pants feeling you get from a real car does partly compensate for this lack of visual cues. rF2 at seat height 0 is supposed to reflect the real seat position, at least for ISI mods.

    But no way should you be 1 second slower with a realistic seat positioning even if the corner is blind, it's either a lack of practice or skill. For example in iRacing the seat is very low and all competitors are forced to use the exact same view, but I doubt the pro drivers lose anything from seat positioning.

    But to answer the question, I believe most "pro" drivers in rF2 do raise the seat slightly, simply because it's more comfortable to see more of the track when you drive.
     
  9. Ho3n3r

    Ho3n3r Registered

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    You can adjust your seat position in iRacing.
     
  10. wgeuze

    wgeuze Registered

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    Fun detail, I read it just this week as I was doing some lapping with the new MX-5, they limit the seat position movement to "avoid cheating"
    using crazy values. I really applaud this to be honest, if your setup/rig is requiring crazy values for it to be right, maybe you need to make hardware
    adjustments.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 10, 2016
  11. Ho3n3r

    Ho3n3r Registered

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    Agreed.

    I don't think any hardware adjustments would compensate for seat height shortcomings though.

    And maybe it's the only car, but the McLaren 2015 F1 car is adjustable, although it always feels unnatural to be too high with any car anyway.

    I like the rFactor 2 FSR 2014/15 seat adjustments - you have a very limited range, but you can still make it suit your needs to a point.
     
  12. wgeuze

    wgeuze Registered

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    Seat height shortcomings is something which I don't think applies. If you can't shift the seat any higher anymore, either this means your
    monitor is positioned too low in comparison with your steering wheel, or you are trying to stick your head through the roof :p

    Speaking of experience, I have a temporary monitor stand where the monitor is off in height (it is a bit low). I can compensate this freely, even in iRacing, but I'd rather
    do a better job of setting up my monitor so I don't need to fiddle with every car I want to drive. The less time spent fiddling, the more time spent
    on track I think!
     
  13. green serpent

    green serpent Registered

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    Not sure If I'm stating the obvious here, but I set my seat position so that my gauges (i.e speedo, taco) are clearly visible through the gap in my steering wheel. I had to modify my TV unit so my LCD sat a bit lower in order to make this possible.

    Not to derail the subject, but for whatever reason the FOV calculations that I have done online just don't seem to be realistic to me(it spits out 30°, which I feel is too narrow. When I sit in my car IRL, I imagine my 55" screen sitting on the bonnet about a meter away from my eyes. I'd like to do it more accurately, but taking a guess, I think that about half of the rear vision mirror would be visible, some of the side mirror and some of the sun visor.

    What I've done in game is set a semi realistic FOV (45°), and then move my seat position way back so I can see about half of the rear vision mirror, and move it up so I can just see the roof. I've tried tonnes of different combo's, and so far this feels the most realistic and immersive. I probably have the best car control in bumper view, but this is coming very close.
     
  14. Lazza

    Lazza Registered

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    You might want to check your figures. I just did some calcs on a calculator and in my head (warning! warning!) which suggest a 16:9 55" screen would be 128cm from your eyes for a 30deg vFOV. So your correct figure could be a bit higher, if your screen is a metre away.
     
  15. green serpent

    green serpent Registered

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    I sit approx 130cm away from the screen. No doubt the reason it feels odd is the lack of peripheral vision, as I've only got the single monitor.
     

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