LMP cars and cockpit view: a perfect nightmare

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Canada
Toronto, Ontario
bleepedy_bloops
This week they have a Gr. 1 race in Sport mode and I once again try my hand at LMP racing. I drive in cockpit view exclusively. The car I'm using is actually a juiced up version of one of / if not THE quickest LMP cars available, it's the Nismo....it's a gift car and the specs are higher than the "stock" version, and the driving view is horribly bad, even with the view adjusted for rider height etc which I do with every car I use.

Any tips on how to drive these cars in cockpit view? or is it just a matter of getting used to it?
 
You have to feel comfortable in the cars you decide to race in. I've never been able to accept the cockpit of the Peugeot 908 for example.

Like many I spend many many many hours in the TS030 in the GT6 seasonals and its marginally better there so I accepted that but many times when its a critical race I default to bumper cam.

I feel the Mark Webber 919 is also ok but not great.
 
The Sauber Mercedes is another good one but it's not one of the faster Gr. 1 cars, at least when I'm driving it. :)
 
No real driver would drive these cars with the limited FoV that cockpit mode offers on track at high speed. Hate to say it but the most 'realistic' view is not cockpit! Pick a view (many of the really fast guys choose bumper) that gives you the widest FoV that you can stand!

One day, when we all race VR, this will no longer be the case, but until then..!
 
OP's problem is the whole reason why I stick with Group C cars or the Audi VGT as now I'm used to racing only on cockpit view(feels so much better than hood cam, for some reason), even though I know they aren't competitive.
 
You're right, the cockpit view for the newer and modern Gr.1 are unusable imo for clean and close racing. PD need to come up with solution for cockpit users, and full VR function and triple screen support are the best choices imo. As much as I've tried to use bumper view, I don't like it, absolutely no feeling for the car. Hood view is a bit better, but sometimes to high for my taste.
 
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The thing is, LMP cockpits are very restrictive for the drivers's view in real life. It is one of the reasons why there were so many open LMPs in the early 2000s (before they were nerfed by regulations into non-existence) even though a closed one is better aerodynamically.

In sport mode though, you will be at a major disadvantage against bumper and hood cam users and no FOV adjustment options could change that. It is true that FOV adjustment needs to find its way to GTS but the sometimes heard opinion that bumper cam is more realistic is just an excuse.

What is a bit irritating in GTS is that different LMPs use entirely different FOV settings, for example the 919 and TS050 are similar in that regard while the TS030 and R18 ultra are similar to each other and the R18 '16 and 908. 919 and TS050 are well drivable in a race, the TS030 not so much.

Because of the long hood, the Nismo is the absolute worst in cockpit view for me.
 
Group C cars are great, everything else is terrible. I've given up trying. A tiny window that seems miles away from the front of the car, and two huge wheel housings that look completely out of proportion.
 
The thing is, LMP cockpits are very restrictive for the drivers's view in real life. It is one of the reasons why there were so many open LMPs in the early 2000s (before they were nerfed by regulations into non-existence) even though a closed one is better aerodynamically.

In sport mode though, you will be at a major disadvantage against bumper and hood cam users and no FOV adjustment options could change that. It is true that FOV adjustment needs to find its way to GTS but the sometimes heard opinion that bumper cam is more realistic is just an excuse.

What is a bit irritating in GTS is that different LMPs use entirely different FOV settings, for example the 919 and TS050 are similar in that regard while the TS030 and R18 ultra are similar to each other and the R18 '16 and 908. 919 and TS050 are well drivable in a race, the TS030 not so much.

Because of the long hood, the Nismo is the absolute worst in cockpit view for me.
Open cockpit lmp's were not "nerfed" into non existence. The regulated-out advantage they originally had was a quicker driver change and no requirements for air conditioning. The rules came in and changed the fate of them for safety reasons, that being driver protection. This is not really on topic though but I just saw that and thought about the reasons behind their disappearance. But they would be a lot easier in cockpit view for this game that's for sure.

Edit- spelling
 
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I used to drive cockpit view only for a long time, but in GTS, the lack of fov adjustments and in some (most) cars horrible reflections on the windshield, I switched to hood view for pretty much all cars besides the X2014jr, X2014st. and F1500t-a.
 
I felt the same about the Porsche 919. I usually drive cockpit view exclusively, but the 919 had me make an exception to drive in bumper view. Too fast, too limited in visibility.

But you know what...in VR, the LMP cars feel fantastic! Even though the view is still limited, being able to turn your head and experience a sense of depth makes up for it.

When you've tasted VR, regular pancake mode sucks. Here's hoping VR will go mainstream and we get the whole of the next GT in VR.
 
Open cockpit lmp's were not "nerfed" into non existence. The regulated-out advantage they originally had was a quicker driver change and no requirements for air conditioning. The rules came in and changed the fate of them for safety reasons, that being driver protection. This is not really on topic though but I just saw that and thought about the reasons behind their disappearance. But they would be a lot easier in cockpit view for this game that's for sure.

Edit- spelling
Yes, they were buried because of driver safety but that was in 2014 or so when there were no open LMP1s left anyway (I think).
But if I remember correctly, there have always been advantages in regulations for open LMPs that were taken away (talking from memory here, I'm not entirely sure about that). I didn't find a whole lot about it but for example, the open Audi R8R in 1999 was allowed to use wider tires than the closed R8C and this was because organizers wanted to compensate for the aerodynamic disadvantages of the open cars.

When Audi moved to a closed prototype from R15 to R18, they stated as the reason that because of smaller engines with less power, aerodynamic efficiency had gotten more important.
I felt the same about the Porsche 919. I usually drive cockpit view exclusively, but the 919 had me make an exception to drive in bumper view. Too fast, too limited in visibility.

But you know what...in VR, the LMP cars feel fantastic! Even though the view is still limited, being able to turn your head and experience a sense of depth makes up for it.

When you've tasted VR, regular pancake mode sucks. Here's hoping VR will go mainstream and we get the whole of the next GT in VR.
How long can you race in VR? Is the mask comfortable enough for, say, a 60min race? Is it a problem that you cannot see your steering wheel?
 
How long can you race in VR? Is the mask comfortable enough for, say, a 60min race? Is it a problem that you cannot see your steering wheel?

I can do VR Time Trials for an hour straight, no problem, so a 60 min race would be fine for me. The headset is pretty comfortable once you get used to it. In VR, you can't see your real wheel, but you "feel" that you do, because you see your virtual hands on the virtual wheel, so it feels great! You can see your whole body and feet on the pedals, but the feet animations are pretty crappy...
 
I can do VR Time Trials for an hour straight, no problem, so a 60 min race would be fine for me. The headset is pretty comfortable once you get used to it.
Cool!
In VR, you can't see your real wheel, but you "feel" that you do, because you see your virtual hands on the virtual wheel, so it feels great!
What I meant is if you need to use more buttons than you usually do in GTS (DRS, hybrid boost, double clutch for starting,...) or if you even use a button box, it could get difficult in VR. Some kind of augmented reality solution would be cool for that.
You can see your whole body and feet on the pedals, but the feet animations are pretty crappy...
Didn't think about that, but yes, that's cool. Hope they get the feet animation dialed in the next generation then.
 
You mean the Nismo that one with FF traction? I really would like to see someone driving it in race C, I mean, that front tires burn away fast... no box stop probably impossible.
 
You mean the Nismo that one with FF traction? I really would like to see someone driving it in race C, I mean, that front tires burn away fast... no box stop probably impossible.
I tried it once and didn't do very well, and I haven't seen anyone else have any success with it either.
 
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