Which CAM view do you guys prefer? Why?
- Thread starter Armand Manga
- 124 comments
- 10,630 views
- 2,509
- Lancaster, PA
- Satomiblood
Bumper cam for me. The HUD is best in this mode, you get a dedicated rearview mirror, and a wider sense of what's in front of you. Also, I use the Brake notification and this is the mode that allows me to see it the most clearly. The other views still have their merits, though. I do switch it up from time to time, but always end up circling back to bumper cam.
- 3,177
- St helens, merseyside, England.
- crazybuttocks198
- Crazybuttocks19
Bumper is best. Analog rev counter. Can look behind. Look who's left right of you. Also I feel being closer gives me better field of vision
- 2,308
- Iowa
- pfei
I am a dash cam fan. Assetto Corsa's is perfect. You can see the dials but it doesn't take up your whole screen. Sébastien Loeb Rally EVO, DiRT Rally and DiRT 4 have great dash cams, although a bit too close to the windscreen. Both DiRTs also allow some limited (GTS-style limited) seat movement. Project CARS with its moveable seat means you can get the perfect view.
I am not a fan of full cockpit in any game due to the fact that you are covering up a lot of your flat screen with things that you really don't focus on in real life. It seems cockpit is only realistic for VR are with triple screen. So in GT since 1997 I have always used bumper cam.
However, due to my lackluster results in the FIA Manufacturer Series, where I have been driving way below my level (especially in qualy) I have begun searching for answers. One thing I did was try out cockpit view. Thank goodness I picked Subaru because the cockpits are very low on the intrusion scale.
I was very surprised by the results. By being farther back than in bumper cam I sense I can feel the car dynamics better. I have found it much easier to power out of corners without provoking oversteer vs. bumper cam. In bumper I feel like I am the last part of the car to feel oversteer, even with my G29. In cockpit I can feel the oversteer earlier and correct easily. It is allowing me to be more confident on exiting corners and getting the power down, especially in the Gr. 3 WRX. I wouldn't say I'm at the point where it's a revelation for me but it does give me some confidence going into the second half of season 2.
Any other long-time bumper users out there that have switched to cockpit for this reason? Maybe it's just all in my head. My top lap times are nearly identical but I am more consistent with cockpit; i.e. I can be very close to my fastest lap on a consistent basis.
I am not a fan of full cockpit in any game due to the fact that you are covering up a lot of your flat screen with things that you really don't focus on in real life. It seems cockpit is only realistic for VR are with triple screen. So in GT since 1997 I have always used bumper cam.
However, due to my lackluster results in the FIA Manufacturer Series, where I have been driving way below my level (especially in qualy) I have begun searching for answers. One thing I did was try out cockpit view. Thank goodness I picked Subaru because the cockpits are very low on the intrusion scale.
I was very surprised by the results. By being farther back than in bumper cam I sense I can feel the car dynamics better. I have found it much easier to power out of corners without provoking oversteer vs. bumper cam. In bumper I feel like I am the last part of the car to feel oversteer, even with my G29. In cockpit I can feel the oversteer earlier and correct easily. It is allowing me to be more confident on exiting corners and getting the power down, especially in the Gr. 3 WRX. I wouldn't say I'm at the point where it's a revelation for me but it does give me some confidence going into the second half of season 2.
Any other long-time bumper users out there that have switched to cockpit for this reason? Maybe it's just all in my head. My top lap times are nearly identical but I am more consistent with cockpit; i.e. I can be very close to my fastest lap on a consistent basis.
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- 539
- Ohio
- OnlySlightlyBad
- OnlySlightlyBad
For sport mode, I use third person so I can see where cars are next to me mid corner. It's more to avoid contact than anything, and after years of playing forza like that, I maintain my pace fairly well. In single player I use cockpit view. In quali I switch between third person and bumper. Mostly bumper if it's a track I am not very good at, so I can learn braking points and apexes slightly better.
- 2,308
- Iowa
- pfei
Now after perusing old threads on GT Planet & Reddit covering cameras in GTS and other simcades and sims I now realize why I have less aversion to cockpit cam, even given the fact that GTS cockpit cams are woefully inadequate in that you can't remove the driver arms and there is no FOV adjustment besides the +/- 5 height/depth... It all comes down to my TV and how far away I am.
I was already familiar with optimum distance from screen depending on resolution and size. 18 months ago I moved from a 42" 1080p to a 55" 4K. I now sit closer to the TV. A few months ago I also changed my "cockpit" (don't laugh - an ironing board and a kiddie Winnie the Pooh chair) so that I am now sitting lower. That has the top of my wheel protruding into the bottom of the screen a bit.
@azrilnazli has pointed out the advantage of being close to the screen to make cockpit cams work. The thing is, with my 42" Full HD it was impossible to be very close to the screen because of pixelation and cockpit cams just made the track hard to see. It messed up my braking points, my situational awareness and my overall perception of what was happening in cockpit cams.
Now that I have a larger screen with higher resolution and am sitting closer the cockpit cam clutter is much less offensive. I even went back and messed around with the DiRTs, AC and PC2 and found that those cockpit cams are also more comfy with my current setup. I can clearly see the track despite having 35% of the screen covered with things that would not "block" my view in a real car.
I also stopped the car next to a landmark on various tracks (start of rumble strip, start of barrier, start/finish line etc...) and switched between the various GTS cams. It is quite obvious that the cockpit cam has the POV sitting further back, and that the bumper cam roughly has your eyes around the front axle and much lower in height. That is why I feel the car better with cockpit cam. Basic geometry shows you that the closer to the front of the car you are the less you will perceive oversteer. Bumper cam is fine for me in FWD and 4WD cars but in RWD cars I am much more consistent in cockpit cam because I can perceive oversteer earlier and its visual effect is greater.
Unfortunately, GTS cockpit cam leaves much to be desired due to the small amount of customizations we are able to make to the HUD, POV and seating adjustment. However I got used to it pretty quickly and it's made driving much more enjoyable and consistent for me. I really need to see a part of the car in front of me. Roof cam is way too high and feels completely unnatural. Bumper cam is too low and oversteer catches me out too often in that view.
I'm not trying to say "everyone needs to buy a 4K TV and change to cockpit". But those who do have a large high-resolution TV might want to give it a try. You never know, you might like it. I absolutely hated cockpit in GTS until I gave it a chance.
I was already familiar with optimum distance from screen depending on resolution and size. 18 months ago I moved from a 42" 1080p to a 55" 4K. I now sit closer to the TV. A few months ago I also changed my "cockpit" (don't laugh - an ironing board and a kiddie Winnie the Pooh chair) so that I am now sitting lower. That has the top of my wheel protruding into the bottom of the screen a bit.
@azrilnazli has pointed out the advantage of being close to the screen to make cockpit cams work. The thing is, with my 42" Full HD it was impossible to be very close to the screen because of pixelation and cockpit cams just made the track hard to see. It messed up my braking points, my situational awareness and my overall perception of what was happening in cockpit cams.
Now that I have a larger screen with higher resolution and am sitting closer the cockpit cam clutter is much less offensive. I even went back and messed around with the DiRTs, AC and PC2 and found that those cockpit cams are also more comfy with my current setup. I can clearly see the track despite having 35% of the screen covered with things that would not "block" my view in a real car.
I also stopped the car next to a landmark on various tracks (start of rumble strip, start of barrier, start/finish line etc...) and switched between the various GTS cams. It is quite obvious that the cockpit cam has the POV sitting further back, and that the bumper cam roughly has your eyes around the front axle and much lower in height. That is why I feel the car better with cockpit cam. Basic geometry shows you that the closer to the front of the car you are the less you will perceive oversteer. Bumper cam is fine for me in FWD and 4WD cars but in RWD cars I am much more consistent in cockpit cam because I can perceive oversteer earlier and its visual effect is greater.
Unfortunately, GTS cockpit cam leaves much to be desired due to the small amount of customizations we are able to make to the HUD, POV and seating adjustment. However I got used to it pretty quickly and it's made driving much more enjoyable and consistent for me. I really need to see a part of the car in front of me. Roof cam is way too high and feels completely unnatural. Bumper cam is too low and oversteer catches me out too often in that view.
I'm not trying to say "everyone needs to buy a 4K TV and change to cockpit". But those who do have a large high-resolution TV might want to give it a try. You never know, you might like it. I absolutely hated cockpit in GTS until I gave it a chance.
- 1,637
- Bristol
- MrCrynox
- Mr Crynox
@Pfei It's funny because thanks to you I tried a different view when playing WRC7, as previously I played all games in cockpit view. The only exception to this was all of the previous Gran Turismos up to GTS, and that is only because all of the cars have interiors now.
I agree with your view that cockpit view on GTS is the best, I can feel the car better too.
On WRC7 I can achieve much quicker stage times using bonnet cam and can see so much more of the stage, it's like I'm playing a different game.
But after experimentation I have found that I still mostly play other games using cockpit view. I think what its taught me is that despite personal preferences it's worth trying different views on each game as different developers have a different implementation/interpretation of the views so some are better than others.
And of course the size & resolution of your screen can have an impact too.
I went a different way to you, I recently traded a 42in 1080P TV for a 27in 1080P HDR PC monitor. Why ? I felt that I just went along with the crowd when HD displays came out and bought a massive tv, I realised after a while that I was subconsciously moving my head to look at the lap/time counter etc which was annoying me. Small things. I'm much happier with my smaller display, to me it looks much better, (pixel density), and it's much more comfortable for viewing. All the games feel much quicker too. I'm sticking with this until 4K HDR monitors become a reasonable price.
Just my 2 cents worth
I agree with your view that cockpit view on GTS is the best, I can feel the car better too.
On WRC7 I can achieve much quicker stage times using bonnet cam and can see so much more of the stage, it's like I'm playing a different game.
But after experimentation I have found that I still mostly play other games using cockpit view. I think what its taught me is that despite personal preferences it's worth trying different views on each game as different developers have a different implementation/interpretation of the views so some are better than others.
And of course the size & resolution of your screen can have an impact too.
I went a different way to you, I recently traded a 42in 1080P TV for a 27in 1080P HDR PC monitor. Why ? I felt that I just went along with the crowd when HD displays came out and bought a massive tv, I realised after a while that I was subconsciously moving my head to look at the lap/time counter etc which was annoying me. Small things. I'm much happier with my smaller display, to me it looks much better, (pixel density), and it's much more comfortable for viewing. All the games feel much quicker too. I'm sticking with this until 4K HDR monitors become a reasonable price.
Just my 2 cents worth
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- 1,637
- Bristol
- MrCrynox
- Mr Crynox
Well if you think about it, (depends how old you are), we all started out huddled around small screens, so perhaps we are used to them. For me, 27in is big enough, I will try to never go beyond it from now on. I certainly find it easier on my eyes and more enjoyable. A monitor looks a lot sharper too.
Oh, and, behind my pad!
- 274
- England
- ruzzwald
I used to prefer bumper cam back when that was probably the most well thought out options in games and also the cars graphically were meh to look at anyways
I prefer the hoodcam now because I like to see the car I’m driving, I can see a lot around me be quite precise about where my car is,
I also think I like this more since the F1 games came out cos Tcam is my favourite view to race in those so hood is the equivalent
Also in cockpit view it’s too restricted playing on one screen you just can’t see enough around you
I run radar on gtsport which also massively helps my awareness so havin no mirror isn’t a problem I can usually spot incoming carnage on the radar
I prefer the hoodcam now because I like to see the car I’m driving, I can see a lot around me be quite precise about where my car is,
I also think I like this more since the F1 games came out cos Tcam is my favourite view to race in those so hood is the equivalent
Also in cockpit view it’s too restricted playing on one screen you just can’t see enough around you
I run radar on gtsport which also massively helps my awareness so havin no mirror isn’t a problem I can usually spot incoming carnage on the radar
- 94
- Buenos Aires
- ORMA_Ofuscor
- 1,840
- United States
Same here is I used to run the bumper cam because of the mirror. I switched to the hood cam as it actually is the most realistic view of what you see as a driver out of a windshield.
I use the radar but have actually gotten to where I use the elapsed time for the driver behind me and it tells me a lot more as to the proximity of the driver behind me than the radar does.
With the elapsed time, radar and hud side indicators indicating a car alongside I do not feel that I am any more of a disadvantage by not having the mirror.
- 7,755
- Yorkshire
- ScapeGoat4U
- WhippingBoy
I prefer dash cam, but there's not one in GTS. My second choice is in car but with the steering wheel & arms animation turned off, which again isn't in GTS. So, I tend to go for in car view with the adjustment all the way forward/down to hide as much of the wheel & arms as possible. However, because of a bug or bad game design (don't know which), I can't use in car view in race cars or those with fully customizable gear boxes as I hate the tranny whine & turning it down doesn't work for that view. So, my next choice would be bumper cam, but that view is also bugged with the tranny whine issue, which then forces me into roof cam where turning the tranny whine down actually works. Practically none of these things are an issue in any other sim or game.
cjr3559
Premium
- 2,791
- Ohio
- cjr3559
I prefer dash cam, but there's not one in GTS. My second choice is in car but with the steering wheel & arms animation turned off, which again isn't in GTS. So, I tend to go for in car view with the adjustment all the way forward/down to hide as much of the wheel & arms as possible. However, because of a bug or bad game design (don't know which), I can't use in car view in race cars or those with fully customizable gear boxes as I hate the tranny whine & turning it down doesn't work for that view. So, my next choice would be bumper cam, but that view is also bugged with the tranny whine issue, which then forces me into roof cam where turning the tranny whine down actually works. Practically none of these things are an issue in any other sim or game.
I agee on all points, but last time I played I could turn down the awfully grating transmission noise in cockpit view.
- 97
- Richmond, Virginia
I run a 28” 4K monitor directly behind the wheel. Based on the FOV estimates I’ve seen for GTS and how far back I sit, I need to sit closer or go bigger on the display.
I’m thinking BIG... I have a 55” OLED I may move.
Side note: I use 1080p performance mode instead of 4K. The improved draw distance and framerate is worth it.
I’m thinking BIG... I have a 55” OLED I may move.
Side note: I use 1080p performance mode instead of 4K. The improved draw distance and framerate is worth it.
- 2,509
- Lancaster, PA
- Satomiblood
I've actually been trying cockpit mode a lot more. I messed around with it in GT League as well as custom races. And I've been using it almost exclusively in lobbies. Road cars generally offer a better FOV than their Gr. counterparts. I find myself switching to chase cam on occasion as well.
- 1,424
- Kansas City/MO/US
- BallPtPenTheif
- BallPtPenTheif
PoV because then it feels like I'm there. Oh, for racing? Chase cam because I like to stare at my car.
cjr3559
Premium
- 2,791
- Ohio
- cjr3559
I'm with you on that! Can you try it again & confirm please? Maybe it is just a bug that some people get...
Unless the July update really *wows* me, I probably won’t be playing this for a while. Nothing really interests me.
I thought if you adjust the tranny sound it applied to all views. I could be wrong. Sorry!
- 662
- New Jersey
I second the hood cam. I always used bumper cam, mainly because it was the default view and it had the rear view mirror.
However, after watching a few of @05XR8 videos this week, I decided to give it a try last night .The result? The best qualifying I've ever run as well as having a solid night of racing.
- 1,622
- Mass UTC-5
- HugoStiglitz_420 and GTP_HugoStiglitz
Cockpit. It's the only view that is remotely realistic. There's a gigantic difference in visibility between cars which is exactly why the "I already have a steering wheel in front of me, why would I need to see another one on screen" is the stupidest argument ever made. It's literally irrelevant to what cockpit view is meant to simulate. Ideally, GT Sport would fully support PS VR but the fact remains, on a flat screen, cockpit view is the only realistic option and frankly I wish GT Sport was like iracing in that it forced everyone to use it because people using hood camera have an unfair advantage. People using chase camera have a huge disadvantage so I can't help but laugh at people who use that in a sim still.
