Should YOU drive from the cockpit? [Part 1]
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- čas přidán 31. 05. 2024
- Video contents:
00:00 - u wot m8?
01:18 - Visibility
03:09 - Control
05:11 - Not all chase cams are equal
05:57 - (don't) shake what your momma gave you
06:17 - Immersion
07:34 - pls no bully
08:19 - Troller of cons
08:54 - Regarding the bonnet, here's my thoughts on it. As for the bumper? Well, you can dump 'er.
09:18 - Watchu think?
Music used:
Downtown Walk by | e s c p | www.escp.space
escp-music.bandcamp.com - Hry
![Have YOU lost your cockpit virginity? [Part 2]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/pl_OaEXAmBQ/mqdefault.jpg)
![Have YOU lost your cockpit virginity? [Part 2]](/img/tr.png)
Part 2 can be seen here; czcams.com/video/pl_OaEXAmBQ/video.html
Cockpit camera on controller is really helpful, being able to see where the wheel is pointing and how much it is rotated allows you to make more subtle adjustments than on chase cam, it also let's you catch oversteer earlier and more accurately, I think in general it does make you quicker
If it's animated correctly. Also having hand animations helps too, because beamng for example is weird.
@@wydua2049 wierd its the opposite for me
Yes, especially in games like speed sensitivity filter like DR2, whre at different speeds it's not obvious how much wheel rotation you have right now. In other games like Racedriver Grid or Dirt 3, bonnet camera works better for me.
my thoughts exactly
How do you see that through the hood of a car?
“Cockpit virgins” 1:06 - I feel like this needs to be a band name
read your comment the second he said that lmao
Or like the cadet crew for virgin Airlines
I always preferred driving from the trunk
Say no to trunk driving ! 😅
Honestly ever since I started sim racing I have found my comfort zone to be the Bonnet camera. Its the same as the cockpit function wise and better vis
Better visibility makes it OP’d.
This is basically cheating
@@Joshua-by4dc if its wrong why does it feel so right
@@jerry250ify it doesn't feels right, it feels easier, is two different things
@@Joshua-by4dc I play to have fun and be good at the game. I find the interior distracting so I use the ideal setup for me
The answer is yes. I used to have nightmares where I was perched on top of my own car, just driving through town.
That sounds like one hell of a fever dream 😂
In what FOV did you dream in while perched on top of your car?
Mr bean????
@@NexuJin 400
See, my nightmare is trying to drive from the backseat. I either have really long arms to reach the front, or I have a separate steering wheel and pedals. Either way, the cockpit gets more in the way of my visibility. So I drive chase cam in games
I've been a cockpit guy my entire sim life, up to and including using the cockpit view in GTA V once it was offered.
Too little FOV for cockpit cam in an open world game like GTAV
@@installshieldwizard3017 It's fine for single player. I don't play online.
@@installshieldwizard3017 older GTA titles had mods to change FOV.
I have been too always a chockpit guy
@@installshieldwizard3017my old GTA clips show far it can be modded, including entirely custom view for bikes.
I think bonnet cam is the best of both worlds
The one where you only have UI? I absolutely cannot stand it. I will take chase in arcade, cockpit in sims, but never hood/bonnet. I have no sense for the size of the car relative to my surroundings in that mode and I find that in tight maneuvers with little spacing that just ends up being a disaster. Also everything appears stiff all the time, so it is hard to have a sense for what my suspension is actually doing, which either chase or cockpit will do.
To me, it just feels uniquely awful.
@@101jir No, you see the bonnet with that camera, you know exactly how big the car is and where it's going.
IMO, Roof Cam is the ultimate. It the combination of bonnet view and the higher view of 3rd person. Unfortunately not many games have this view except gt7 and Assetto Corsa.
@IvanNOFX Oh right, yeah that works.
I fully agree
Honestly, i drive using the cockpit view 99% of the time. Not only it is more realistic, but i get a better understanding of what the car is doing, and how much i'm steering (i use a mouse to steer, so this is important), but i'm just more used to it.
Loved the video my guy, your channel is a hidden gem, i'm loving every video.
Also, something that really helped me with racing sims was to watch more experienced drivers teach stuff. For example, the channel "viperconcept" teached me a lot on how to drive, setup the car, and much more. Do recommend it if you're interested.
wow using mouse to steer in Dirt Rally 2.0 sounds crazy but if you are enjoying and having fun, thats all that matters.
@@riazhasan1199 Exactly, haven't tried Dirt Rally 2.0 yet (the laptop i use has a 256GB storage lmao), but i might have a wheel when i do get arround to play it 💀
@@riazhasan1199 I guess it's not that crazy since I used to use a mouse to steer in Half-Life Rally mod and it worked surprisingly well. Honestly probably gives you more degrees of precision than a thumbstick if you're used to it.
Woah, I didn't even know one could use mouse steering. Sounds whacky, would love to see it sometime!
@@janbo8331 It is kinda whacky and weird at first, but to me (a person who drives lots of fast cars, but also trucks and cruises arround), the mouse gives higher precision and doesn't make the car wobble like a keyboard. Recommend trying it out :)
Hoodcam is best. The computer screen acts as like the windshield, using cockpit without VR is like driving behind a windshield that’s behind another windshield.
Games like ACC and WRC 10 have a "dashboard" cam that works really well...
Hoodcam master race! Also when using a wheel, cockpit view feels quite distracting because there's another (asymchronously moving) wheel in your sight.
no the windshield acts like a windshield. The monitor acts like your eyes. Aside from that hoodcam has always felt awkward for me personally.
@@LeetTron5000
No your eyes act as your eyes
@@andrewburnert89 you can turn that off in most sims
Oh YES this video is ultrawide, No black bars like usual, Thank you Sir Bad Driver for blessing me with a rare ultrawide video
How annoying is this problem! I have a 21:9 screen and so much content (black barred to 16:9) is unwatchable without resorting to crappy zoom extensions, Even stuff on the commercial streamers is often pre broken. Yuck. (no disrespect aimed at DoaBD)
@@ChrisFaa Even movie studios cannot upload trailers properly in their native aspect ratio.
As a general rule, in arcade racers I use 3rd person camera and in sim racers I use the cockpit camera.
As an additional argument to your points, the 3rd person camera also provides you with a lot of unnecessary information, which can make it harder to focus on that tunnel.
I started recently playing proper sims with a proper wheel but a lot of people like me grew up playing on console with a controller and chase cam was 90% of the time the default. I've been playing RBR, AC and SLRE and I prefer the cockpit because you get the sense of speed and you have to rely more on the feel of your Force feedback on each individual car which has helped me with cornering and learning the cars capabilities. I also find it very rewarding to look at a cinematic replay and see what my car was doing and what mistakes I made from the spectators view.
I have always been a chase camera guy, but after seeing this will give cockpit camera a go. Thank you for making this.
don't betrai the brotherhood :), be strong stay chase
Have fun man. It takes a while for your sensors and brain to get used to it, so try to stick with it for a while.
Ha Ha Ha@@CaramidaruAndreiBogdan
Yea, I was a chase cam driver for years until I got serious and upgraded to a direct drive wheel and pc, it was tough but I was used to it in about a week or so, now it's the only way I drive, funny thing though on this topic, I did some testing after years of straight cockpit driving I drove chase for a week straight, got used to it and my times dropped, not significantly but technically I was faster by tenths. I'm back to cockpit but i think this whole debate is subjective and to each his own but I don't knock chase cam drivers if that's their thing
GRID was the game that got me into sim racing, also the first game that I started using cockpit camera. It just looked and sounded so good using that view with that game. I never went back to any other cam view. For any racing games/sims.
Same here man
@fredothebrother1704 Gotta love some old school GRID. I have a full blown racing sim now. Mostly AC and rFactor 2
I started to really notice the differences when driving a trophy truck on a very rough trail in BeamNG. At first I thought that the chase cam was way better, because the car was bouncing so hard I couldn't really see where I was going. Then it hit me: since a real driver couldn't see much either they would've gone slower, and wouldn't have wrecked the car every 100m like I did.
But I think we should also keep in mind that a static 2D cockpit cam gives us less information than the "VR" cockpit we have in real life or some better simulators, and that precise maneuvers from the cockpit cam might be harder than irl. Stuff like driving up ramps or parking in a narrow spot for example
Correct. A lot of racing gamers tend to drive way too fast than they or any race driver would ever attempt in the real world. Majority of racing games having poor deformation adds to this.
You are right about the 2D cockpit cam views in older sims...
This is why when I do drifting, I use chase cam, and when I'm playing something like a truck simulator or something, I'll use the orbit cam or free cam to see where I'm parking and such...
being in the centre of the vehicle gives me more info on what the rear wheels are doing and i think its very helpful
I used to drive at either bumper cam or hood cam, which gives a stronger feeling of speed than cockpit cam - so when i first tried switching to cockpit camera, i crashed all the time, because i didnt realize how fast i was going. I finally decided to not care about what time i finished, and instead just try to drive as slow as i needed in order to stay on the road, and to my surprise, i finished several seconds faster than my previous record. From that day onwards i have ALWAYS used cockpit cam 👍
There's no extra practical benefits switching from bumper/bonnet cam to cockpit though.
@@shira_yone When you feel like you are going slower, you have more time to react. At last it feels that way to me.
Came here to say that I prefer bumper cam for the sense of speed
@@rasmusl2067 Games are supposed to be fun, so i can definitely see why you prefer bumper cam 👍 Cockpit cam gives me much better immersion though, so now i prefer that, and find it very unnatural/awkward to see from different angles...
I way prefer chase camera if my goal is to be as quick as possible.
Having a view where you can se exactly where your car is relative to the road and seeing further across the stage makes my racing line and setting myself up for upcoming corners way easier.
Although I like the immersion and thrill of being in cockpit mode
Agreed on all points, the biggest benefits to me are the increased feel of the body roll and over/understeer which you mentioned, they make precision driving much easier. However, when drifting in arcade racers like FH5, I prefer chase cam...mainly because it looks cooler.
I personally prefer bonnet cam over cockpit, but in some cars, particularly race cars with easier to read Tach's/shift lights/speedos etc. Playing hud off in cockpit cam is transcendental.
For me, i always loved cockpit driving for the immersion {hud off}, then watching my replay afterward to validate my driving decisions after the fact. It made the whole experience more complete; getting the immersion of realistic driving while actually racing, then enjoying the replay value seeing what i did right, and where i failed. Two times the satisfaction with this approach (active and passive)
I also find the cockpit cam makes it MUCH easier to gauge elevation changes and react accordingly. Usually the chase cam is high enough that aside from hills, you only notice these subtle changes as the car is already going through them
Man made nastiest sim race content, and thought we wouldnt notice it... Great video!
Finally someone actually explains cockpit view Ive always used the overhead view but I really never found any reason to try cockpit since I always found it worse but now I wanna try it
How has this sub- 1.5k views? This is a wonderfully made video with a lot of work put in. Especially love stuff like what you show at 04:52. I'll also be showing the comparison from 02:12 to anyone who needs a comparison of those two views.
Keep up the good work, I'm glad our community has people like you.
Thank you so much for the kind words! Glad you appreciated the work I put into it 🙂
Whenever I play a racing game with cockpit view, I like to turn of the hud accept the racing line and rely solely on the dashboard of the car.
SWINGMAN4LIFE :) - Started Simracing 2009 in chase and still use chase/swingman where I can. Can I do cockpit? YES, did in variouse forces cockpit championships be it Drit1/2, Iracing etc..but if I can take chase I am most comfortable and at my fastest pace in chase.
Personally I can catch and hold a slide mutch better in chase than in cockpit, so for me the point in the video I would have to disagree. I am "half decent" in both and for me, chase is easier.
My summary (applys for me only) between chase vs cockpit:
PRO>>>>
- During a fight ( circuit racing ) my spatial awarness is a lot bigger than even full triples/VR guys, I can attack/defend a lot better with said information;
- Car placement for track limits is easier in chase; (remember all of this are what I think, it;s not a rule for all)
- For me it's easier and less tiredsome to do long runs, be it long stage rally's or long stints on track;
- In Dirt 1/2 I am half decent with chase - examples
czcams.com/video/gCugW09O7HU/video.htmlsi=4J4rNAecj3PBQjRZ
czcams.com/video/Vm388Oq4h8g/video.htmlsi=Mcbdz2Nv3pLIBbGu
- Also in some sim racing tittles also in chase I can be half decent
czcams.com/video/QpufqL-g-tY/video.htmlsi=_Z7nI1kpeN5qP2P8&t=3326
CON>>>>>
- as pointed in the video be it track/rally there are circumstances where cockpit you have better undertanding of the corner, in rally example is provided here. On track being from swingman/chase it's harder to be consistent on hitting the apexes or requires more practice than in cockpit to achieve that consistancy
- you will be bulied racing from chase :)), I don't care I have fun in chase no matter what everyone else thinks
- if you get coaching for track or in general talk with team mates their brake markers will vary WILDLY from yours. OHH I brake and change of asphalt, but change of asphalt will feel dif from cockpit (FOV depended, cause not all cockpit cams are the same when you introduce FOV) and swingman, so always I have to choose my own brake markers/ques;
- some car/sims have weird chase/swingman;
Awesome video, I know some ALIENS that hide that they race in chase (the ones that don't do twitch streaming) also at some LAN events, RAceRoom Malaysia there was one finalist representing the minority in chase cam :)).
Ty
I used to be a chase camera type of person, however that really started to change once I started wanting more out of the driving experience in sim racing games. At first keyboard wouldn’t cut it anymore, then controller felt alienating. Once I got a wheel, I couldn’t bring myself to go back to chase camera and not going to lie - I think I forgot how to race in 3rd person in sim racers altogether. You’re definitely right though, people should play these games however they wish but at the same time it’s fruitful to be open to other ways to experience the game.
I just hate how I cannot move my head around the cockpit like I would in real life. When there’s a bump on the road I’d like to lift my head a little to see better, and when my vision is obscured by the A-pillar I’d just move my head a bit to the side, but I can’t. :(
Yes, it's too artificially constraining. It's always reminding you that it's a sim. Chase cam is like driving a slot car; it's obviously a toy, but you're still controlling it. It feels more natural.
Can VR headset help here? - I would love to try it.
buy a quest 3
@@randomguydoes2901
Tempting. Love to try it in a driving game.
Yea try vr, its actually awesome but long stints become uncomfortable, you get hot, sweat even with fan on you, lenses start fogging up, someone comes in room and scares the chit out you, but it's the most immersive your gonna get
Genuinely thought you’d be a significantly bigger channel with the quality of this video
Good work!!
I personaly always drive in cockpit vieuw but if im chasing high leaderboard times i usualy switch to bonnet/hood cam as it helps me focus more, although thats only for 4wd and fwd cars, for rwd drive cars i always stick to cockpit vieuw as that helps more with the feel of where the car is pointing as you mentioned.
(also quick note, found you channel a few days ago and im realy liking your content, its informative and high quality you whould epext from the bigger channels, keep it up!)
Oh man! a 21:9 video played back on a 38 inch 21:9 display is absolutely gorgeous
Apart from the awesomeness of the video, I honestly truly appreciated the balance between the background music, the game sound and your voice. Although there were some issues with the bit rate. The general feeling of the video is pleasant
Thank you! Balancing the audio to the best of my ability (as someone with no formal audio training) is something I strive for, so I'm glad you noticed and appreciated it.
Came from a lot of arcade games starting back with NFS 3 Hot Pursuit and from there on I somehow naturally went through trying out new cameras. Although I must say I found myself mostly using the chaser cam when using a controller. Except for Grid 2. For some reason I needed to sit right on the bonnet and I played this game a frickin lot!
But after a while I first got the DFGT before switching over to the G29 and both of those wheels were not only reason enough for me to switch to cockpit - but also really got me into sim racing. With a controller I didn't really want to give them a shot.
Anyways! I'd also say giving different cameras several tries and some time each try is not a bad thing to find out what fits you most. Especially when going to new or different types of racing games/sims.
Nice video! Cheers~
It's funny the original Road&Track Presents: The Need for Speed had a pretty elaborate interior cam. It even showed you shifting gears, it had working instruments and rear view mirror.
But the combination of mechanics wasn't new. It got borrowed from the original two spite scaling (not truly 3D rendered) Test Drive games, which as it turns out, were developed by the same people. Those Test Drive games ONLY had an interior view. The amount of simulation they packed into those is sort of impressive for being made for very slow computers of the 80s, including the 1MHz Commodore 64.
i've been a GRID player for many years, two of those were because i didn't own another game for my ps3 because i've used to live at the middle of nowhere
i've picked up dirt 3 on humble bunde, and several years later when i got a decent computer to run it i've stuck to cokpit camera because i wanted to challange myself, but it turns out that i was helping myself 😂
i've been on and off on cockpit in grid legends because of the AI drivers screwing me around, i know it's an arcade game, but to me it's still a car game, and it's been fun, when the AI isn't too easy or too hard...
i'm excicted to play dirt rally 2, i'm still a controller player, but i think that this info will make me look at cockpit camera in a different light, thank you so much for the video
Cockpit cam basically just giving a natural version of what we already use to in real life.
I found this really interesting, thank you. I've played and continue to play racing sims and my camera choice varies depending on what I'm playing however I'm currently playing a lot of Forza Motorsport with controller and the chasecam. If I got my wheel out again (its been put away for a while - T500) I would definitely use the cockpit/bumper but after watching this I might give it a go even whilst using the controller.
Nice video, thank you!
Thank you, glad you got something out of it!
As I mentioned towards the end, it's great with a controller, and while I haven't played Forza it seems like the kind of game that would benefit from it.
it’s actually crazy ever since I was a little kid. I’ve always preferred cockpit camera. If it was in the game I used it even on arcade racing games. It was always so much better.
Me too, my first cockpit camera experience was with test driver unlimited on the PS2
i love how overly positive you are during the video, and how you still support people playing how they want it’s very inviting to someone like myself trying to get into sim racing
Glad to hear that, Joseph! Have you started driving in any sims?
Thank you for uploading in 21:9 finally my ultrawide gets utilized.
I got you, chief 👌
Very nice video, subbed just for the content approach. I only play with cockpit view (no wheel animations ig) when Im on the wheel, I cant play with anyother. But if I change systems and play with a controller I automatically can play with the chase cam. Its so weird, but its like that for me. I do love the cockpit view + wheel ❤❤
Excellent video man, very insightful, offers a nice new perspective (pun intended)
Oddly relaxing and pleasant to watch as well
Thanks man, glad you enjoyed it!
can't agree more, nice point. too be honest i'm chase cam person & now willing to try & change the cam i'll belived it's will whole new experiece on dirts rallying. thanks to make such a good topics.
I started playing in cockpit view with FlatOut 2. It actually has my favorite camera mode, which isn't entirely cockpit view - it's from the same angle, but the camera sits right in front of the steering wheel. I find it rare that games actually have this view, but Drive Club did and it helped make it one of my favorite racers of all time. The reason I like this view so much is because I feel it's what you're actually seeing when you're driving in reality. When you're driving in real life, you're focused on everything on the other side of the windshield - the road in front of you, as you stated - and not the steering wheel or the dashboard itself. It's nice to still see a little bit of the dash and the hood of your own car, especially to take in all of the graphical effects like reflections and whatnot, but when I see the steering wheel, the driver's hands, the driver's side window, etc., I feel it's really crippling your vision. In a real car, you have to turn your head slightly to the left in most cases to look out of your side window. In a lot of racers, I think it's showing too much of the vehicle innards in cockpit mode. It does allow you to focus on the road in front of you and try to ignore everything else, but I really feel that's easier to do in real life than it is on-screen.
Right at 0:26 in this video is what I'm talking about:
czcams.com/video/67O0C3j1yf4/video.html
Very good points that I wasn’t aware of especially with the cockpit view and upcoming corners.
I find that chase cam is the hardest to drive. I usually start a new stage with the bonnet cam and then use a dash cam. Hopefully I can someday use the cockpit cam. Liked and Subbed.
2.7 K subs and producing bangers like this?! Awesome stuff man, keep up the good work, would love to see more videos like that !
Absolutely excellent video truth from beginning to end and nice point bringing up the bonnet camera it's a great compromise especially if you don't like dealing with the windshield wipers
My favorite will always be granturismo roof cam, sticks to the car like bumper/bonnet/dash cam, but mounted high up for greater visibility, I wish more games use it
Thats a very good explanation on why it's better to drive in first person view. I myself drive in cockpit view, but with switched off wheel and driver. The wheel and hands are distracting. And also, the cockpit view is great for narrow stages like greece with alot of rocks on the sides. You can maneuver much better through the narrow bits.
I love cockpit camera from very beginning. That is the same thing I first check for. Maybe for the same reasons as yours. And there is always a replay to watch your car from outside
Love seeing these type of documentaries where it's a subject not many people cover, like this one! I hope to see more interesting topics from this channel!
From my experience, both cockpit and third person camera views helps a ton on improving on your driving, I use cockpit view for initially driving the car and getting the feel of it, and third person to see how the car behaves and what should I change on how I drive the car.
It's extremely helpful especially in Assetto Corsa where on a controller you have little to no feedback, for example I sometimes I don't catch that I steered too much which made me understeer or sometimes I don't catch that the car rolls a lot which means I shouldn't be weight transfering too much. And from there I take notes in my brain on how I should treat the car by the characteristics of it and how it drives
I think that there's no downsides from both views, instead you should use both to get to know your car and understand it's physics so you can push it to it's limits, and to fully understand your car and how to drive it, there are a lot of driving techniques and driving styles out there to combat your car's downsides or to take advantage of your car's upsides.
Any racing game i play i always use the bonnet cam just cant seem to connect with the cockpit view to be honest but feel right at home on the bonnet, but one thing i am finding so frustrating right now is the new WRC the slightest touch of the scenery and the bonnet is flapping up making it almost undrivable in bonnet cam unless it fly's of and you get a nice clear view again to push on.
That's very true. Obviously its something that the real drivers have to contend with when it happens, but it is an advantage of the chase cam when it occurs.
I think the one where you're on the front of the car (not bonnet cam, the one that sits on the radiator) is best. Absolutely love it.
It's typically called the bumper cam but I'll have to start calling it the radiator cam 😁
I've been playing racing games on PC since the late 1990's, and whilst it's fun seeing your car in the chase-cam view, nothing beats cockpit-cam when going your fastest. Even when cockpit-cam don't offer any "benefits" so to say in terms of visuals, I "feel" the car better in the cockpit-cam than any other view.
Agreed! Out of curiosity, what racing games did you play back in the 90s? I had NFS SE and Monster truck madness on win 95 when I was a young boy, but that was about it.
Really good video, you brought up points I would've never considered. I play all kinds of cameras in casual simcade racers, but for sim games you just made me appreciate cockpit view even more.
I started in chase cam. But from efficiency and precision, cockpit is the way to go. With cockpit cam you can see exactly direction in which your car is pointing. Something that chase cam has problem with. IMHO you have a tinies bit of delay in a chase cam, between input and car reaction.
I 100% agree with what you said in this video.
I find chase cam throws me because the car can rotate with respect to the camera, so you have to watch both the car and the track at the same time to keep to your line. With either cockpit or hood cam you are always looking exactly where you are pointing, so you can stay focused on the track.
I enjoy the bonnet cam personally, but I’ll have to do some more cockpit view to try it out! Your videos are really good man, I hope you continue to grow and gain support
Thanks, I appreciate it! Hope the cockpit goes well for you :)
Been thinking about thi to myself for a while, and always go back to cockpit for better feel and placement of the wheel. Chase looks cool, but usually end up driving more erratically and less smooth. Also, if you're good enough I'm sure you can do either and be just fine as well. And i totally agree about watching the replay later in chase 💯🫡
Well done, that was a very good video all--around. I've been sim racing with wheels for 20+ years now (with long breaks in-between). For a long time I used the bonnet cam, but when I got a proper seat setup I switched to cockpit and I'm never going back. I think there's a lot to be said about your seating position in terms of which camera angle works the best. Aligning the cockpit perfectly to your physical wheel makes a big difference in performance, immersion and comfort. The screen needs to be low enough. I think most people have their screen higher than their wheel which is very unnatural.
I was a hood/tv pod cam driver the whole time I've been racing, I decided that when I get Le Mans Ultimate, I'd start driving driver's eye view because that was the only thing that I hated going from sim to irl driving on the road where I usually just kept forgetting the right side of my car exists if that makes sense and I've been playing LMU in cockpit camera for the last 8 hours and I loved it and I got my pace back to a reasonable level for a new sim where I don't know either the cars nor tracks, I'm sticking with it long term and I can tell I'll only get better
For as long as I`ve been playing racing games (other than Mario kart), I`ve never been a chase cam person, electing instead to play in bumper cam (or hood cam where available, if there is no cockpit camera available. If there is one, that`s what I default to), unless the game is something vary arcadey like burnout or ridge racer.
The issue for me when I th thase cam has always been that having the car in view obstructs what`s directly in front of it (making it difficult to judge whether I`ll hit an obstacle or just miss it), while also making it harder for me to accurately judge the car`s trajectory, while fully seeing what`s coming ahead. Cockpit view doesn`t have these issues for me, and it helps with immersion. If I`m in a situation where I`m struggling in cockpit view though (particularly in race cars with horrible visibility), I usually going for hood/bumper cam, because while I loose on immersion, the visibility (and ability to judge the car`s position with maximum effectiveness) in unparalleled IMO
TY for your videos BD! To me this feels almost like a subjective argument ie 'whats the best way to cook a steak?'. I think it's a mindset thing; realistic experience vs a throwaway one, the thrill of the send or the want to improve or... sim vs arcade. Perfect example, if you end up in RBR with chase cam and a controller you took a wrong turn somewhere, be it google or expectations. I literally started RBR 3 months ago after restoring a G25 and smashing together a bunnings build with a 50" TV, so i don't know a great deal but this vod is definitely food for thought.
having a cockpit cam in the first place is what got me into simracing in general, GTR2 was unreal to look at when it came out! and id argue that the sound design is still top tier to this day.
The background sound in this video is awesome! Good editing choice
Cockpit camera is also hugely beneficial if you're having performance issues. Since a significant part of the screen is taken up by mostly static car interiors if you're having a hard time maintaining a steady 60 fps in chase cam, switching to cockpit mode will almost certainly get you there.
I started with Dirt 1 in chase cam, at some point changed to bonnet cam and felt much more at home because of the sense of speed, you dont get that with the chase cam. Then now with EA WRC ive switched to the cockpit (the one on the dashboard where you cant see the wheel). The sounds of this game are incredible and I find it very immersive the way you hear everything under the car and your codriver's voice is louder than on the bonnet.
Totally agree. I just want to add a bit to the conversation: the field of view. As a daily driver I can’t help but notice that FOV is often too wide in games compare to the reality and this causes the claustrophobic feeling. In real world a narrow FOV is not a problem because you can turn your head but I admit that for a single screen setup this can lead to losing some visual information and a bit of sense of speed. Solutions are VR, wide screen and triple screen.
Cockpit camera really helped me learn how to smooth steer/roll steer on a controller. Being able to see how the wheel moves on the cockpit let me understand unrefined my steering movements were, and now I can take corners with a lot more precision and it also feels nicer to look at my own driving.
Great video. I will always be a cockpit cam driver, but purely because it is far more immersive to me, more exciting, and just closer to what a real rally driver sees so I feel it's more realistic. It can be absolutely white knuckle stuff on some games, as you said, more intense. I currently play DIRT 2.0 exclusively. A couple of notes from my experience is that I seem to be pretty damn fast on the leaderboard at stages in Argentina and Monte Carlo because (I believe) the cockpit view gives you a far better perspective of where the nose and front wheels of your car are at all times which is super important on tight twisty stages. Conversely I am horrible at Finland and Greece, because, as you pointed out, I can't see over blind crests the way the chase camera drivers can, leading to me leaping into trees or rocks way too often! Also, wet and rainy conditions are a nightmare. The rain on the windscreen means you just can't bloody see ahead of you the way someone on the chase cam can.
I've always loved bumper or if available front screen view.
Absolutely agree, I felt the same when I was transitioning to an inside camera!
Really like how you say Play your way but try this way.. Cheers!
Thanks, glad you appreciated that particular part. It's important 😂
I like the bonnet camera the most, it gives perfect visuals but it also let's you know exactly where your lead wheels are so apexing corners an generally positioning the car is so much easier.
So good video. You made good points and arguments, and stayed in the healthy area of "gaming is suposed to be to have fun an a good time". I play sim-styled games in cockpit, and play Forza Horizon in close chase: because the world looks REALLY amazing in that game using that camera. Thanks for not being a gatekeeper.
Hood cam is just the best of both worlds ngl
Great overview. I have played Dirt 1, 2, 3 & 4, Dirt Rally 2 and WRCs 9, 10, Generations and the brand new EA WRC. Always use a wheel and never ever a controller. I first started with the chase view and with gaining experience overtime I've graduated to the cockpit and bonnet views. I think the cockpit view provides a more realistic experience because it's almost the same visual as driving real car. I also discovered that in chase view I had a tendency to miss my marks hitting the apex which usually meant driving way too deep into a corner. Cockpit view also reduces my tendency to over drive the car. I think if you try it and get used to it you will find your times going down. Last thing I thought of while watching the video is left seat vs right seat. From the cockpit it's a huge difference during cornering and hairpin braking. If you are an American who likes to Scandinavian Flick the right seat can be challenging. From the chase view driver seat placement isn't an issue.
Just discovered your channel, you are making great videos, keep going!!
Great video! good points, I'm convinced to try more 1st person now
Completely agree with everything you said! As a side note I would say that I always wanted to know what a real racing driver sees and feels. That’s why I started playing racing games. And the only way for me personally is cockpit cam. It’s the closest I will be to that experience. But you’re absolutely right about doing whatever makes the player enjoy the experience. Nice job!
Honestly, I think that's the best way to drive.
It's quite hard to reach the steering wheel when you're outside of the car.
Rowan Atkinson's skill set is an uncommon one.
"laughs in bonnet view master race"
Big Rally fan here. I also like all the other "serious" sim racers....I've always used chase cam because I like to see the scenery of the game, and like you said , it can let you see a little better of the road a head. However ! I have started using bonnet, or the cam that shows just the road and have found it to be a much better "sensation" for driving. And your right about "listening to the pacenotes better" that is so true.. It makes you concentrate and listen better, also, it makes you learn to understand how to drive the car better, but mostly, it developes confidence for cornering those blind corners....which is a big thing in Rally racing. LOL
As for the cockpit view. I find it distracting and unrealistic. I play on a 49" TV and I'm about 5ft away from it. It's like looking a two views, one through the TV screen, and then through the game cockpit. The bonnet or the open view is to me, more realistic because you really dont see the dash when your racing anyway because your so focused on the road...
As for the people who say anything other than the cockpit view is "cheating", well if it's cheating, then why did the game developers give us the choice? I think paddle shifting for rally racing is "cheating"... Its whatever floats yer boat ! And also, racing "purists" need to get a life. Its a game !!
good video.
I've played multiple sim racers with chase cam, and only on some sims do I find it better.
Depending on how the camera reacts to car rotation, it can actually be better for handling oversteer/understeer.
This depends heavily on the game, but in some games I find it superior, and as long as it's allowed in my leagues I'll be using it.
When I don't use chase cam I prefer the hood cam over cockpit cam.
I've actually been through all the phases on this. Starting with chase like everyone else, after a few failed attempts, finally moving into the cockpit. Moving into the cockpit camera feels hard, and like learning to drive from scratch at the beginning, moving back to chase feels straight up impossible. It definitely feels more responsive and immersive after the initial learning curve it definitely improved my times by a large margin.
Coming back to racing after a long break, I found myself having to readjust to the cockpit cam all over again.
On an unrelated note, after finally playing an arcade game (NFSMW05), I found the bumper cam, boosting the aggressive teen angst feel. For anything, at least semi-realistic cockpit is the king.
If you are further away from the TV its hard to drive in cockpit cam. For my living room TV I use hood cam for better FOV. If I have the TV closer to me then I use cockpit cam because with the TV closer you can see more detail and approaching corners (closer to what you see our of a real car). Great video!
I noticed this problem in Forza Horizon 5. I couldn't seem to control my slides or drive on the limit of grip without oversteering. I didn't have this problem with any other titles and assumed it was just bad FFB from a controller centric game. However once I realized there was a drift camera option, I turned it off and... Viola. No more issues. It's all about locking that camera down in the cockpit to make full use of the sensitivity from your wheel's FFB.
my thinking on this, is that the cockpit cam looks more realistic, and has value in that. but the chase cam, can show visual information about the car that you would normally feel. force feedback doesnt fully cover this feel. and in fact, most force feedback is augmented to make up for that, but can never fully replace the feel.
Thanks, was about to gouge my eyes out and connect my nerves to the rear bumper so i can see in 3rd person, but you spared me the time 👍
You're welcome! Sounds like you dodged a very painful bullet 😆
So, I don't play driving sims, but I do play 6-axis space "sims" with Newtonian mechanics, and your advice here about "visual cues" in first person is even more relevant there. Without having your camera locked to the orientation of your vehicle, multiaxis spinning is functionally impossible to account for, but as soon as you jump into first person, (or, the way I usually build the spaceships, with a physical camera mounted as far back and high up as possible, rather than the immediate cockpit view, since the cockpit is usually buried somewhere in the center of the craft, for symmetry reasons,) you can intuitively tell which ways you have to counter-rotate to stabilize the thing.
Your whole argument that you don't have to "look back and forth" between your vehicle and the direction you're going when in first person, but you do with a chase cam, only becomes more relevant when slight deviations in your orientation also cause significant changes to your linear movement controls. But it makes perfect sense that your reaction time to being "off-angle" is going to be noticeably quicker when that angle is locked to your viewpoint.
Switched from bonnet cam to cockpit when I upgraded my monitor to 21:9. The extra special awareness on the sides helped with seeing apexs in the corners and moved the timing sheet and other info away from where I needed to look.
I've always done sim racing in chase cam and been belittled countless times by other sim racers demanding I use cockpit cam or else I'm unworthy or some shit, but they've never explained why they want me to use cockpit cam. This video makes very good points and has made me curious to try cockpit cam.
I'm glad to hear that, as that's exactly what my intention was! It's definitely worth at least trying.
I totally agree with you! Choose the camera setting thats the best for you, but don't be shy to try out cockpit or bonnet views and see for yourself if you might get better at handling the car and/or might have more fun because of the immersion factor.
I am currently playing WRC Generations with a Gamecube Controller and chose the bonnet cam. At the moment I can't afford a wheel so I rely on what I have and GC-Controller are great particularly because of the analog triggers for throttle and brakes in my opinion. I was always a fan of cockpit view and would choose it whenever I could.
If i had a wheel I would use it for WRC too, but I have to say, with the bonnet cam I have the most control over the car and still have a quite immersive feeling. I know, WRC may not be RBR, but in my opinion is has a lot of sim character and is not easy to drive (especially with a controller). But the cockpit and the bonnet cam gave so much more feedback than any chase cam could.
Also, keep up the good work, it was really nice video! Great pacing an writing! Thanks a lot!
Great video. I roll with the cockpit camera all the time. Purely cause it's more immersive that way. But the advantages of sim racing is you're racing from the comfort of your own home... Keyword comfort. Meaning it's your money. Do whatever makes you comfortable. Especially when it comes to equipment. You decided how you want to sim race. But if Immersion is what you're going for I would recommend the cockpit cam
Ngl, this video was great fun to watch. I was the same when I was young regarding chase view switching to cockpit. Though, I have become sort of a hood guy nowadays due to the added field of view and general visibility.
What a great video!! I tend to drive chase cam, but I mostly drive for fun and not really competitively, mostly BeamNG and Wreckfest, so the overall scenery has been more important.
This video has certainly made me interested in learning both though. Cheers buddy.
Great video and tips!
Don't even play racing games, just clicked on this randomly and automatically hit the like button for the ultrawide upload
the biggest detractor from using cockpit (or bonnet) view is that you can't really see what's around your car as well, like for example if you were to be racing with other players and you didn't know where they were in relation to you exactly. modern games tend to have some sort of radar feature or at least a spotter or something, but some games don't. however, as long as the other players straight up don't drive through you, with some practice you can probably still get a "good enough" feel of relative positioning
It really depends on the game for me. Wreckfest? Chase cam, no contest, you need to be able to see all the chaos going on around you. For everything else, I want to use cockpit, but I've found I'm usually significantly faster from the hood or roof cameras. Probably something about being able to see both sides of the car so I can place it on apexes better.