Hello,

I know this issue has been discussed many many times, but I'd like to explaine why I use chase cam view.
As for the developers the chase cam is only for force analyses, and many others think it's 'non realistic' etc. etc. Well, I disagree...

First reason why I use chase cam is, because if I use any other view (in car or between frontwheels) I get seasick within 15 minutes. The cause of that isn't me, but the bumpy way the image is moving. It should simulate the bumps in the road, but in real life it's not like that. In real life my brain and eyes compensate the bumps and my focus stays on the same spot all the time. Try reading this and simultanyously tumble your head a little, you see? Your eyes automatically stay focusses on the textline and you can read without any problems.
The image of LFS though, just bumps up and down... anything but realistic

Second reason why I use chase cam, is because although LFS is al simulation, what it doesn't simulate is real G-forces on my body. And what many of you reallife racers will agree on is that at least 50% of knowing how the car behaves comes from your butt. To compensate that in LFS, is in chase cam you can see how much the cars slides through the corners and if it has over- or understeer.

That's why I use the chase cam, and I don't agree with people who think it's a silly view. (as if between the front wheels is realistic)
And I find it very usefull to add a mirror to it, so I can see on which side I should hold some space for my racingmates..

So far the complaining peace.
I think there is a way to make incar view more attrackting.

Possible solution 'Reason One':
The centre of the screen should almost be bump free, and more bumping effect when closer to the sides. This way the natural steady focus is simulated.
It means the camera still bumps, just like it does now, but the focus point is steady, in other word, the camera alinement is fixed on a position on the road. 99% of the time the driver looks in the direction he wants to go or is going. So the focuspoint of the camera should follow the road as close to the horizon as you can see. This way you get a much more realistic head and eye movement. (and I don't have seasickness anymore)

Possible solution 'Reason Two':
At the sides of the screen, have some glow effect. Something like what is used in 1st person shooters to show from which direction you were hit. The more G-force is generated the more glow is visible. As if the side of the screen is a G-force measuring system. Top of the screen is front of the car, bottom of the screen is rear of the car. And left and right according to the cars left and right offcourse.
This way you can see skidding by a decrease in G-force on the front or back of the car without taking your eyes of the road.

Untill these features are implemented, I will use the chase cam view and as an easy fix for the 'I don't know where my racemate hangs out' a mirror would be nice. It should not be much more than flipping a bit somewhere, as the code is already there for the other views.

Quote from BoneCrusher :

The cause of that isn't me, but the bumpy way the image is moving.

Wrong, must be you. I never ever got seasick from playing LfS, or any other game for that matter.

Also, IIRC you can reduce the bumpyness somewhere in the options, but it just escapes my mind how exactly to do so.

Still, I for one wouldn't mind if there were mirrors in the 3rd person view.

Quote from BoneCrusher :

First reason why I use chase cam is, because if I use any other view (in car or between frontwheels) I get seasick within 15 minutes. The cause of that isn't me, but the bumpy way the image is moving. It should simulate the bumps in the road, but in real life it's not like that. In real life my brain and eyes compensate the bumps and my focus stays on the same spot all the time. Try reading this and simultanyously tumble your head a little, you see? Your eyes automatically stay focusses on the textline and you can read without any problems.
The image of LFS though, just bumps up and down... anything but realistic

Turn down the view movement settings. I do because the shaky view eventually gives me a headache, and I find it slower with it on anyway. No need for warping the image.

Quote from BoneCrusher :

Second reason why I use chase cam, is because although LFS is al simulation, what it doesn't simulate is real G-forces on my body. And what many of you reallife racers will agree on is that at least 50% of knowing how the car behaves comes from your butt. To compensate that in LFS, is in chase cam you can see how much the cars slides through the corners and if it has over- or understeer.

The camera moves in the cockpit view too, so you can see if you have over or understeer - based on the steering input, sound, force-feedback, your line and where the cockpit is pointing. Approximately 90% of the 'feel' of a real car comes through the seat, but it's perfectly possibly to train yourself to use the sim feel too.

Quote from BoneCrusher :

That's why I use the chase cam, and I don't agree with people who think it's a silly view. (as if between the front wheels is realistic)

Do you agree with those that think both wheels and chase views are silly then?

Quote from BoneCrusher :

And I find it very usefull to add a mirror to it, so I can see on which side I should hold some space for my racingmates..

Perhaps, but I think you'll find chaseview will be phased out in time (my guess).



I have yet to see any glowing visors in real life to tell you of the G-forces, and I've never yet wanted or needed one in a sim.

Tristan, you are the multiquote master.

@ the OP :

What controller do you use ? Right now I am using my laptop's touch pad (sadly my G25 did not want to come along with me to the US ) and I still use the cockpit view even if I can't feel the FFB (when a FFB touchpad will be developed, tell meI'll buy one ! ). You can have an idea about the G-forces with the camera motion (if you keep it low, otherwise it hurts your brain ).
Since I used the touchpad, it has been like force training my eyes to "see" the behavior of the car. For example, I can now if one of my wheel is locked underbraking because the visual sense of speed would show so. Same for the understeer/oversteer, simply because I can figure out at which "rate" the car is turning. If the view doesn't move enough, I understeer, and the difference between a "neutral" rate tells me how bad it is. Same for oversteer.

If you feel more comfortable with the chase view, it is not a big deal. However, I find it very uncomfortable to drive with (I can't see the effects of my inputs). If I could suggest, for the in-car cam, some settings that will help you "see" clearer (it's the ones I use and I find it easier to sense the speed and the forces).

For all cars :
- Field of View to 110°
- Inclination to -5° (so that the middle of your screen is the horizon).
- Force motion, to about a third on each axis, except vertical G where is it half of the other values (so that I can still see something when driving on some kerbs).

Depending on the car :
- Put the Y axis value as close to the wheel as you can (to avoid cockpit distorsion), as long as you can still see the dials, and eventually lower the Z axis value so that you can see most of those (using virtual dials might not be a bad idea, since you will have to look down to see them, as in a real car).

Good luck !

+1 for mirrows in chase veiw

When i started playing LFS I started with chase view. The reason was the point you are making about seeing what the car is doing, and seeing who is driving next to you(which is more difficult with in car view). But I think the biggest reason was i always played arcade racers before (TOCA, NFS, TD) and in those games i played with chase view. It was the view i was used too.

Last year i decided to drive some races with in car view. I started with the open wheelers because there you can see the most with that view and now i drive every car with in car view. Funny thing is i can't even drive good anymore with chase view, so my conclusion is that you only stick to a certain view because you are used to it.

That might be true, but tbh I don't want to change veiw, I enjoy the veiw I use now, and as long as it ain't unfair (unless if it's a narrow AU course) I won't change.
But mirrows would help a lot, even if it's not the most needed thing.

i'd like it or look back in chase view.

I will try suggested settings, maybe it's a 'getting used to' thing. But yesterday I tried incar view again and I can hardly keep the FZR on the road (normally my laptimes are only a few seconds above WR).
Although I think the fixed viewpoint feature would be an unique one, and really cool in my opinion. Maybe when I have some spare time I will make a LFS video and write an image stabalizer for it, just to show the effect.

Quote from chavm481 :

i'd like it or look back in chase view.

I've already posted the solution to that to you, but maybe you missed it.
http://www.lfsforum.net/showthread.php?p=482328#post482328


If you don't want to waste two buttons to look back, use a rotating bind script :

Add this line to your autoexec.lfs script:

And download the two attachments below that are zipped to your ../lfs/data/scripts folder
And then bind one of your controller buttons to the alt f9 key in the controls menu in LFS. Pressing the button will look back (first, set up a custom view to look back like in my other post) and pressing it again will return to chase view.





Maybe this will help the thread opener to until a mirror is added to chase view. It helped me immensly in chase view. I love the chase view, it's great fun. I just got a G25, so I am learning that for now in cockpit, but I will always love chase view to.