Nice Rosberg Video Explaining Driving View and Position

I see way too many (almost everyone actually) use a wayyyy too high cockpit view. People are so picky about realistic physics, ffb, FOV, even sounds, but then just about everyone uses wayyy too high cockpit views. I dont know if people do this because they dont know, or if its just for the sake of "easier visibility and car placement". Also, please, dont go by these helmet cam videos you see on youtube, they are nothing like reality. I saw one of red bull though that was pretty good, all others were to high and downward pointing though.


Nico Rosberg himself, explaining his seat position and how he cant see crap in front of him lol


0:44 - 0:55 secs

"Its always difficult sometimes to see where you are going because your sitting so low in the car. So very often I even have to lean upwards a little bit with my head, to see the corner or something depending on where I am on the track."


1:38 - 2:05

"Its also a very very small area, like im looking JUST above the steering wheel" "Then also there is the display right here, which is JUST below where I look to see where I am going."

.

Basically the wheel is in his face, just a tad (literally a tad) lower so that the display/rpm lights are JUST under his vertical centre of view point. Also, its a straight on view point, not these heightened and downward angled views we get in every game it seems (including the real sims).


Ive seen some VERY good cockpit views with custom cam/free look cam adjustments, im not talking about fov but the actual placement of the eyepoint and the angle its pointed at. The one in the following picture is pretty damn good actually, but the height should ideally be just a bit higher. It should be raised a tad so that the bottom edge of the top sidewalls are visibile, rather than just the top edge of them. Ignore the real low FOV, im not talking about that here, im talking about eye height level.




In the following video, in terms of height, although not perfect (needs to still be lower), this guy has a pretty realistic view, eye-level height wise. I wish you could straighten the angle of the cam more, so its less looking downwards and more straighter and head on looking, but his view is still more realistic BY FAR, than most peoples, in terms of eye level height position.

Put your hands out in front of you like your grabbing a wheel at 9 and 3, now align the vertical centre of your hands with your chin, itll be something like that, basically you cant see beyond the wheel until about halfway past your vertical centre view point. Therefore your view is very low and you are always naturally looking very far off into the distance, because if you try to look close you cant, you will just be staring at your wheel or inside your cockpit. To see the ground in front or to the sides of you, it would have to be quite the distance away. This can make car placement and accuracy difficult (just as it does so in real life, even Nico said it, and I can definetely attest to that), but the immersion it offers is awesome, plus its HONESTLY how it is in real life, and anyone can set a low view point, doesnt matter if you have a large or small monitor, whether you have 1 or 3 monitors, etc.

The view point height level thing is of course to your taste, i just wish I saw more real views like in the picture and video above (again im talking eye level height/how low your body and head are sitting in the car, not about FOV).

One thing that sadly isnt adjustable, unless you mess around with cam files, is the viewpoint angle/tilt. It should be pointing just about straight off into the horizon, or alot closer at least. Instead our cams are always pointing downwards towards the ground.

If the video above had the angle/tilt of the cam a little straighter head on facing, rather than pointing downwards, and then the view point was dropped downwards a little more it would be even better WOW, but I give him credit even for the view he uses in that video, very good height wise compared to most people.


p.s. Just watched the video again in fullscreen at 1080p, damn it looks soo realistic and IMMERSIVE.

 

allso, turn off the steering wheel and arms, make it feel less gamey

and you'll worry less about input lag.

 

Or, alternatively, just don't care how others like to drive. I don't mind anyone wanting a more comfortable or easier-to-drive perspective. Like I don't mind anyone enjoying an arcade racing game.

 

Each to their own innit!

 

I think that modern formulas are bit odd in this regard as they on one hand have lot of safety features, but then driver can't see where he is going, which sound to me at least something that might zero quite many of safety aspects.

It is still good info and as it is so in real car one seeking for realistic experience should at least try that, certainly can't be very fun to rear end car that appeared from nowhere, but if real thing is as crazy, then simming should replicate that.

 

This is very interesting Spinelli. Good to hear what Nico had to say, it seems these guys can see a lot less than most people would imagine.

I agree too when you say about our driving view (in sims) needs to be flatter/straighter too look out more to the horizon kind of line, it`s definitely looking to far down imo and I usually try and adjust the view with the free cam option but it`s still not as I`d like it to be.

Good post though.

 

Fantastic video, thnx!

1:25 the carbon seat is hurting?, so you must put some foam there?, but you cannot put much foam?, cause foam is heavy?...LOL priceless...

(btw why they keep in race videos insisting on these silly soundtracks and dont let us enjoy the engine?)

 

IMHO if you set your seat exactly where it should be comparing real life drivers eyes you will receive tons of information less than them.

In my wall (projector) the second video (f3.5 at mid-Ohio) at 1080p is 66 cm high. The part between base of antenna and the track horizon represent 4 cm. Those 4 cm with a resolution of 1080p (for the most lucky of us) represent 65 pixels high. Comparing this small 65 pixels resolution to see the track vertically from hood to horizon, to what are able to see a driver in real life with eyes high resolutions at the exact same angle/position is not correct. One day we will have screens to the same resolution than eyes. This day, you'll be able to see exactly what a driver eyes see (and it will be great!).

So for now, the only solution IMO is to raise the seat to extend this small 65 pixels "window" to be able to catch more information from the coming track .

Sorry Guys, I agree with you for all of your post, but I felt I had to explain this problem I saw in all racing games for ages, even if resolutions are raising periodically due to technology, it still not perfect and in all case handicap us as gamer Vs real drivers (at least, it's my excuse ).

Edit: By the way, thanks for the Nico video! great to hear his point of view!

 

I drive only GT car,GT-FIA cars,road cars.....so i use a high cockpit view!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF5-K2mxHAY

 

Niiice! I liked the gloves lol

 

lol I don't think this is what he wanted to show. I think he wanted to illustrate my point of view

He seems to have a very accurate position when driving, like a real drivers, and due to screen resolution (65 pixels stay 65 pixels even stretched) he saw nothing, and he crashed, end of the demonstration, thanks adri84dj

Ok, I agree, bed time, forgive me!

 

Actually the lower you are, the safer you are, they can see where they are going, lets not go over the top. Sitting low protects you more from getting t-boned by another car and that car mounting the side pod or debris flying over/around the car's driver compartment.

 

Blasphemy!

 

So, go on tell us u never did it

 

I must say that I trust more Nico saying it is sometimes hard to see where one is going because sitting so low in car. Motorcycles have 0 safety stars, but as you can see so much more it is not as bad as it first sounds. There are active and passive safety, sitting low might increase passive safety, but it also limits view which reduces active safety.

I personally would choose active safety over passive safety as that is something I can do do something with, however that is not modern way, modern way is not to think, not to be in control, it is more of crashing will happen anyway so things are made to withstand the crash.

With modern cars A-pillars are huge, lorry fits easily behind one, those are good for passive safety but reduce active safety. Compromises of course, some cases compromises are better some cases worse.

Luckily with our PC's we don't really need to be bothered about safety in that sense, although it might improve quality of online pickup races if crashing might result broken arm or rib

 

Thats active safety.
When I quitted biking only car I could stand was a convertible. (I wish I stayed there)

Had a lot of unhappy moments with A-pillars, was lucky really, best for houswives (lol), mine included, active safety is underestimated, but then they gave us ABS !!!

 

Hm,

sure safety is important, but i think the main concern is to keep the center of gravity as low as possible.........

digi

Edit: What about incorporating the camera position in the cars physics? The higher the player is sitting the higher is the center of gravity, so you get automatically punished with slower lap times ;-)

 

nico says so too in the video...

 

I´ve edited my posting to make it more interesting