Why do the "Pro's" use bumper cam?

  • Thread starter Thread starter machschnel
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I use cockpit for every car I can, otherwise for Standards, I use roof.
With bumper I can't see where the rest of the car is in relation to the apex.
 
I'm a big fan of the in-car cockpit view, and use it where ever possible.

I'm not a pro (if such a term can be applied to anyone who plays this game - I'm not aware of anyone getting paid to play GT5 outside of the development team), however I have completed all the licence tests to the Gold standard, all done using the interior in-car cockpit view. While I can understand that some people perceive there to be a performance difference between the in-car and bumper cam views, technically there is no gain other that what the player is more comfortable with.

Without getting into the whole 'mine is better than yours' debate, the reasons I use the in-car view where possible are as follows:

  1. Better immersive experience for me
  2. Easier for me to judge apex and turn in points due to added points of reference
  3. Its closest to an on road experience the game currently offers me
I should note that I've never driven a car in real life where I've been pinned to the front of the car and expected to drive it, so my experiences perhaps don't tally with some other players of the game.

Just to give you a point of reference, if you are still reading - In reality I'm 6'4" and drive an Impreza. When I sit in my car the seat is as far back as it goes. There is no height adjustment but the tilt adjust is as low as it goes and the back is fairly upright. When I sit stationary and look out through the windscreen, I can see quite easily the rear view mirror, the wipers, the dashboard, the top half of the steering wheel, the dials through the steering wheel (speedo, rev counter, fuel and temperature gauages) and the associated ancillary controls such as the wipers/lights/indicator stalks. I can also see my offside mirror (nearest to the drivers seat). I can't see the nearside mirror or the left side of the windscreen (sit on the right) without turning my head 5 degrees or so. I can see the top of the bonnet scoop but thats about it externally.

When I'm driving, all this periphery detail is still there, its just that I don't see it as I'm driving - my focal point is the road ahead. When I check my speed, I look down at the speedo (thats framed by the steering wheel) and then look back up. When I check my rear view mirror, I focus on the mirror and then back onto the road again.

Now to the game - I sit there and everything is in focus, very much like it is in real life - I can see the steering wheel, I can see the controls (either on it or through it), I can see the road ahead and depending on the car, I can see the rear view/nearside mirrors. As I start to drive, the cosmetics around me disappear as I concentrate on the road ahead, only coming back into focus when I look down to check speed etc. Therefore to me, the in-car view in the game is as close to the real driving experience as I get from driving my car.

One thing that this debate does bring to mind is that given the large number of people playing with the bumper cam, PD could have got away without putting even more standard cars into the game, as for these people the effort spent modelling the interiors is a pointless and time consuming exercise. If PD had dropped the whole notion of interior views, the game would probably have been out 4 years ago and still had overa 1000 cars in it.
 
Bumper view is just the fastest way to play. And if you want to be a "pro" at a GAME, then you play whatever is the best way, whether it's unrealistic or not has no bearing. It's a game.


That said, I much, much prefer cockpit view
 
Didn't read whole thread yet, but to OP, It isn't a "bumper cam" that's why.

It's more like looking out of the windshield than having a camera on the bumper. It's been proven in a thread on here somewhere, a guy mapped out exactly where the so-called "bumper cam" was. It was inside the cockpit, center of car, angled down a bit, looking right through where the virtual windshield would be. The car moddel isn't rendered though. It's like the TV screen is the windshield, it's just centered, not off to one side or the other.

It is easy to see for yourself, just do a few experiments. Look where things are on the screen in relation to your point of view. It isn't a bumper-cam, it never was.
 
I use Bumper Cam & no Race info and No map visible, on the nordschleife doing top speed you need your wits about you and you need to know every single corner ( the actual corners and the relative angle of steering to get you through it safely ) and you need to know every single corner off hand.

The sense of accomplishment after doing 16 player lobbies with 10 laps and no assists with no race info or map is one that can never be beaten ( unless you've done the nordschleife irl )
 
Have always driven gt using bumper cam as it allows me to position the car with more accuracy than any other view. Tried other views but it's not the same.
 
I use the bumper cam for three key reasons:
1. That's how I've always played GT,
2. I don't distinguish between premiums and standards and
3. GT5 is lacking the sense of speed and peripheral vision you'd have in a real car, and I feel the bumper cam makes up for that slightly. To extend that a bit further, in real life I focus so hard on the road that I don't even see the dashboard or my hands, I just see what's outside. If you're driving a real car and paying attention to the cockpit, that's probably quite bad!

Therefore, I use the bumper cam. Of course if I'm bored of grinding Indy I'll use the cockpit just to mix it up slightly (i.e. it gives me something else to look at), but that's about it.
 
I use "bumper cam" but I've always called it windscreen view since I first saw it in ridge racer in the arcades. I find it more realistic because when I'm on a track in real life, I don't pay any attention to the inside of my car, it might as well not be there. This is why I don't use cockpit view, if the view could be changed to not include the distracting wheel and hands, I might give it more of a chance but either way cockpit view feels like I'm remotely driving the car in a game, but bumper view feels more like the same view I see in real life and feels more like I'm connected to the car.
 
Bumper cam is good, but ALL car's have the same level of suspension rate... Wtf? Even an F1 car has the same level op suspension rate as a stock car... They gotta fix that...
 
Bumper cam is more realistic than internal views. End of story. When you drive, what do you focus on? When I drive my view isn't filled with a dash and rear view mirror. I see those when I focus on them. What I see is the road ahead and the cars in front.
 
To the OP:
This has been the most consistent view throughout the series. Although I enjoy cockpit view they have to include it for every car for me to learn it, because I cannot adjust my driving habits between standards and premiums.
 
neema_t
I use the bumper cam for three key reasons:
1. That's how I've always played GT,
2. I don't distinguish between premiums and standards and
3. GT5 is lacking the sense of speed and peripheral vision you'd have in a real car, and I feel the bumper cam makes up for that slightly. To extend that a bit further, in real life I focus so hard on the road that I don't even see the dashboard or my hands, I just see what's outside. If you're driving a real car and paying attention to the cockpit, that's probably quite bad!

Therefore, I use the bumper cam. Of course if I'm bored of grinding Indy I'll use the cockpit just to mix it up slightly (i.e. it gives me something else to look at), but that's about it.
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I totally agree with this ^^^ 👍 for all of the above reasons :D but, especially agree with the last statement about being bored when grinding and using cockpit view :)
 
I use bumper cam on standards, and sometime on premium but just if i want to do a faster lap time..i guess because i'm not distracted by the interior.
I have more fun with the cockpit anyway, maybe because i don't have a wheel
 
Bumper cam user here, the steering wheel/hands in cockpit don't bother me, it's the lack of field of vision... In real life (racing and everyday) it's EXTREMELY important to LOOK FAR AHEAD and the sharper the turn the worse cockpit view limits this (think the back to back hairpins at Indy roadcourse... you would be peering across the dash and looking partly through the side widows with most cars in real life!).

Imagine trying to race with your head locked looking only directly forward, even in modern F1 and Nascar cockpits/seats there's still some ability to swivel (and of course move your eyes).

You might say bumper view has the same limitations, and it's true to an extent, but the field of view feels much broader side to side. Maybe it's from using it for so long but I can also feel the best connection to the car with it (closest to what I get when racing in real life). I can also judge the position of the car relative to the track much better (vs having the car interior there for reference). Only way cockpit might work for me is w/ 3 screens but that ain't happening.

+1 to all the comments regarding focusing on the ROAD not the CAR
 
when i played my first gt game i used the view to see the whole car. but now i just seem to set faster laptimes in the bumper view.
 
I drive with the three different setting cockpit view,even the bumper view,
doesn't feel any wrong at all to Golding all license test ,all special event, & seasonal event.
I think this topic is no need to discuss anymore, just take what you want.:)
 
On a side-note: is it possible to lower the "movement" of the bumper cam? Especially during braking maneuvers, that is.

It wasn't that excessive in any other GT. :(
 
I use the hood cam. It just rides so smooth. The cockpit and bumper cameras are all really jumpy and they bounce too much for me' the hood cam is perfect though.
 
All of my fastest hotlaps are done in cockpit view.

Once you get used to it, it's rather easy to relate your car to the surroundings.
 
RattyMcClelland
I dont know any driver who sits on the bumper and drives.
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I don't know any driver who sits in a cockpit holding a wheel, then has a digital representation of his hands on the wheel projected in front of him.

And more importantly, I don't know of any driver who gets in a cockpit and situates himself so he can see none of his mirrors. And don't tell me they don't use mirrors. If they didn't, they wouldn't be on the car as that's just needless weight.

Bumper cam isn't even really bumper cam in GT5. It is actually cockpit view without the cockpit. Same angle, same height, just no eye candy. And it does have one full working mirror, which is more than any other view. Posted this in another thread, but I wish I had a nickel for every time some guy caused a wreck because he was "immersed" in his cockpit view and had no clue of his surroundings.

Until tech advances to the point where we're all playing on VR headsets then cockpit view will always be just eye candy that is designed to fool people into thinking it's sim.
 
Dahlsim
+1 Ren831 👍

And in cockpit view the seat should be adjustable, just like rFactor or other Pc sims...
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It is adjustable...

Cockpit view is the most realistic hands down. Not perfect buy closer then all other options.

Who cares if you see the wheel, look at the road. Pluss the wheel completes the look of the interior and what about those DS3 users they don't have a wheel (lol)

Why do the "pros/many users use bumper cam?

Duh, cause it's easier to drive with a wider field of view, bigger rear view mirror, no "head movements" and finally because they have been driving with it for years and years before cockpit views were around, it's tough to teach a old dog new tricks, especially those who rely on all the advantages scared they will not be able to perform at the same level.

I drive with the cockpit view however on a tuff license test or special event, I use the hood cam.
 
TRC GeorgiaDawg
I don't know any driver who sits in a cockpit holding a wheel, then has a digital representation of his hands on the wheel projected in front of him.

And more importantly, I don't know of any driver who gets in a cockpit and situates himself so he can see none of his mirrors. And don't tell me they don't use mirrors. If they didn't, they wouldn't be on the car as that's just needless weight.
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I agree with you, the cockpit view seems a bit squashed to me. It's like they're trying to cram everything in. The view just isn't wide enough for me. I think with multi-screen it is great, but I don't have that much to spend.

Plus the shaky cam in cockpit view is unrealistic, since our view doesn't shake like that.
 
None of the views are perfect. Interior view would be nice with good head tracking and multiple monitors, but as it is it's not that bad, except seeing the mirrors is difficult. I suppose it should be an option to remove the wheel for the people who somehow manage to be distracted by it.

Bumper cam is NOT the same angle at all, it's much lower and farther forward, not just without graphics, it looks odd and it gives you a much better view of things you shouldn't be able to see if you were sitting in the car. The other views feel like they give you an unfair bird's eye perspective that makes hitting apices and driving in traffic much easier.

It has long confused me how people say you can see too much of the interior from cockpit views. When I sit in my car, I can see my dashboard, instruments, wheel, hands, vents, radio, gearstick, mirrors, side windows, even the passenger seat. All without moving my head at all. The lack of peripheral vision is the main problem. Adjusting FOV helps but just looks wierd.
 
Nobody has any right to talk about which view is more realistic unless they turn off the HUD first.

People use bumper cam because you get a better view of the road and your surroundings which leads to better laps. No big deal.
 
I myself use the HOOD view most of the time, since I know where the front of my car is while taking corners.
 
DIA1974
I should note that I've never driven a car in real life where I've been pinned to the front of the car and expected to drive it, so my experiences perhaps don't tally with some other players of the game.
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Have you ever driven a car with two cockpits? Your free to have your opinion, just don't rubbish someone else's, subtle as your attempt maybe.....

trollingannoyingfaggot.jpg


According to you, another steering wheel situated in front of the TV would somehow be more immersive?
 
if pd stopped the shaking of the drivers head at speed, sliding or rumble strips id use it all the time. and yes i know it shakes in real too but you'd be ready for it to happen in real life. and have a feature to move the seat backwards for more view is a MUST
 
I enjoy using the cockpit view while on my G27, but I think it is a disadvantage in some ways in actual races. It cuts of a lot of your vision of the road. For instance, those Super GT cars, you sit low in those things, I feel like a midget. I find myself trying to lift my head up and look over the hood when I'm going up hill (no head tracker for the loss.)

Bumper cam is just more efficient in the end, it gives you all the information you need to be able to drive fast. Accurate RPM readings, clear road vision, big rear view mirror, and your speed.

I try to just drive premiums for the cock pit; but when I hop in a standard car, I'll say that I'm very glad we got a bumper cam 👍
 

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