FOV Opinions Please

[Ian Cameron]

Have played around with FOV settings since the beginning. Have used the calculators, one suggests 31, one says 35 and another says 59 according to my monitor size and position from me.
Width 19" Height 10.5" Distance to eyes 30". None have felt right.
So I decided to try and go for a more natural look as you would see behind the wheel. Set FOV to 65
set seat position to how I think it would look. Have uploaded a video for some feedback on this, apologies for quality it was recorded using frapps, and forgive the spin off. Also used is FaceTrackNOIR.
Not my best lap but I go more for realism than breaking records, although any feedback on this would be appreciated.

 

[Kjell Eilertsen]

The flaw is the fact that we are viewing a virtual world through a flat panel, None of your numbers get around this limitation, all of the fov's are affected by it, and none within some pretty wide numbers are any more or less "real" then the others.

That aside, You are claiming something is 100 per cent correct and when it isn't or if it doesn't fit the users ideal you state they are doing it wrong.

I could move my chair much closer, It ain't going to matter a damn. What suits is what suits.

I was about to write a longwinded reply, but it's evident that you don't want to understand, you just want to be right. Noone here has been telling you to run any setting you don't feel like, whatever floats your boat go with it, I don't care

 

[Metla]

I was about to write a longwinded reply, but it's evident that you don't want to understand, you just want to be right. Noone here has been telling you to run any setting you don't feel like, whatever floats your boat go with it, I don't care

The issue is that I understand the concept 100 percent and simply don't buy into the dream. Its not exactly complicated or previously unknown.

For the record I always have a fair crack at the so called correct fov when Im setting up a game,but the inherent flaws motivate me to make a user defined adjustment to enable an enhanced user experience.

 

[Kjell Eilertsen]

The issue is that I understand the concept 100 percent and simply don't buy into the dream. Its not exactly complicated or previously unknown.

If you did, you'd know that it is math and not a dream, end of.

 

[MrPix]

I have been on the 'Immersion' wallet cruncher for nearly 10 years now and each step I take put me closer to never retiring!.... but I just can't afford to go to the real track 3 or 4 times a week, so in that respect and in comparison, it's quite cheap!

With one small screen, using the mathematically correct FOV is very difficult to get used to without something like TrackIR (caveat: there are other head tracking systems available) to allow you the freedom to see more at the right perspective... and that's all it is, the right perspective and what your brain will accept.

I'm a big fan of doing things the right way, but not to the point where it spoils my enjoyment, I have been called pedantic, but I think I'm just picky!

I have been on a journey with FOV and when you add the means to look around you naturally, it makes a lot more sense to everybody. I don't use TrackIR now but used to with a single screen and also when I went triple 24"... I now race on a 170° 26.5"radius 84" (diag) 21:9 screen from a nominal distance of 26.5" and the ratio to real life is 1.09:1 so almost there for a 1:1 mapping, my vFOV is 64° and hFOV is about 111° and the immersion is about as close as I can get considering the just under 1mm pixels.

I'm just about to retire my screen and PJ to go for a 55" curved 4K TV to get the picture sharpness back and to add the detail back in as 1920x822 is no good for my 'picky' need as a graphics whore! If I lose too much immersion by doing this, then I'll just stick the TV in the living room and pop my PJ back on the wall

My point is.... what matters is my enjoyment, not the technical aspects of whether it is mathematically correct. If you are 'picky' like me, then this matters somewhat and even at nearly 1:1 with a life size windshield for me to look through, sometimes I have to tweak an extra 5° as the in car view is not correct in game to make it feel right.

I didn't publish the FOV calc for people to argue about it and it's use, it's there so that you don't have to try to figure out arc tangents and sines etc.... e.g. "do the math", but only as a guideline. I have been inspired by many a fellow sim-racer over the years, my first adaptation was in the mid 1980's when I stuck a recaro seat on an office chair base and made a pedal set and wheel from the guts of a joystick to play 'Stunt Car Racer' on the Amiga 500... in cockpit view.. so when I saw ZeosPantera's explanation of FOV on one site or other I jumped in with both feet!

At the end of the day, do what makes you happy, but be wary, happiness in sim-racing is darn expensive if you let it take hold!

All the best,
Paul (a.k.a. MrPix) http://www.projectimmersion.com

 

[Kjell Eilertsen]

I've not got the room for triple screen, which is why I went 21:9. I've dabbled with using FaceTrackNoIR both for facetracking and built my own 3 point LED cap, it works very well but I've stopped using it because even though it increased my immersion it sometimes made me confused as to whether the car was moving sideways or not, moving your head but not your eyes ain't 100% natural and with no feel of G forces on my body it's hard to tell sometimes if you are catching a slide or just slightly turning your head ><
So for the sake of consistency I have stopped using headtracking atm, I will however head out in an hour to pick up my Oculus Rift DK2, so next level of immersion is mere minutes away

I've not had a problem with running low FOV on a single screen though, I should be running 28,1 in AC but bumped it up to 30-31 just to add a little more side to side vision, and it feels great!
Using close to the correct FOV helped me catch slides earlier and more often, and got me much more consistent. I sacrificed side to side vision, but I've learnt to work around that using virtual mirrors, look right/left buttons and generally just racing fair and giving people space. I am rarely involved in accidents because I misjudged distance to someone behind/beside me, if ever. I think the gains from running close to the correct FOV heavily outweighs what you lose, but that's opinion.

 

[Metla]

Crazy big suits me just fine...

Photo is crap as can be seen, took it one handed with my tablet while trying to race...

 

[Ian Cameron]

I have read with interest every ones comments and tried various settings. mr pix's calculator says correct fov 24 for my 22" monitor 26" from screen have also adjusted my wheel and seat position in relation to screen but find this almost impossible to drive
so I set 5 degrees more to 29. This seems so much better and in conjunction with FaceTrackNoir which gives me a little more peripheral vision and also helps to see into corners. ( will post a Video soon when tested more ).
Image below represents what I see at 29 degrees.

The following image is taken as I see it and my wheels relative position, sorry about the quality.

 

[Cote Dazur]

@Kjell Eilertsen , looking forward to read your impressions after you experienced the DK2.

 

[Connor Caple]

I agree about getting the monitor as close to the wheel/user as possible. In fact, I usually move mine to the front edge of the desk when I'm racing which puts it about 12" behind my wheel. I think that's about where my actual windscreen is in the road car

It means I can have a very wide FoV without distortion - well, it looks right to me and the calculators usually agree within a few degrees of what I set from just 'look and feel'.

In an ideal world I'd have 3 x 40" 1080P monitors (instead of the current 1) configured at the correct angles and then feel like I'd got my peripheral vision back

 

[Bryan O'Connor]

Just tried that calculator. My FOV was 54 before, now it's 37!
I feel like i am watching an Empty Box video.... I also knocked 4 seconds off my PB in GT3 around Mugello

Witchcraft!

 

[Metla]

I've been running 26 for the last few days, its fine on the more open tracks but tricky on the tight ones.

Cursing the fact that I can't relocate my projector so I can move closer.

 

[Aris Teidis]

Low FOV values are much more drivable using RealHeadMotion for Assetto Corsa

 

[Ian Cameron]

Taking the point made earlier about getting a bigger screen, what size would you recommend? allowing for the fact I can get up to about 25 or 26" away from the monitor

 

[Aris Teidis]

Taking the point made earlier about getting a bigger screen, what size would you recommend? allowing for the fact I can get up to about 25 or 26" away from the monitor

I'm thinking to upgrade to a Sony KDL-32W706B, is the best gaming tv at 32''.

 

[Connor Caple]

I have a 40" TV about that distance away - I could easily switch it up to a 50" for more viewing angle, might do that next year.

 

[Cote Dazur]

Taking the point made earlier about getting a bigger screen, what size would you recommend? allowing for the fact I can get up to about 25 or 26" away from the monitor

I would recommend a 50 inch plasma, you can get one at a reasonable cost from Samsung, they offer a nice model without any frills with a spectacular image quality.

 

[Kjell Eilertsen]

I would recommend a 50 inch plasma, you can get one at a reasonable cost from Samsung, they offer a nice model without any frills with a spectacular image quality.

But doesn't plasmas usually have insanely high input lag?
Another thing to consider too is that the bigger you go the bigger the pixels will be, so at some point you'll start seeing the pixelated image when sitting this close to the monitor.

 

[Sebastian Wolff]

I for myself have come to the conclusion that low fovs (lower than 48) on a single screen are a no-go. I am using 56 since a while now and I am thoroughly enjoying the sim

 

[Ian Cameron]

I for myself have come to the conclusion that low fovs (lower than 48) on a single screen are a no-go. I am using 56 since a while now and I am thoroughly enjoying the sim

My fov should be 24 degrees for my 22" monitor despite what people say about "correct fov" I find this totally unnatural. I have set mine to 59 degrees 26" away and FaceTrackNOIR to help I'm getting a good sense of realism and sense of speed. After all this is a Simulator, to be as close to real as you can get, sitting with your face up to the screen with some of these fov settings is not real. When I sit in my car and even though I'm looking out the window I'm still aware of things around me and mirrors even though I cant actually see them until I either move my eyes or head (if you know what I mean). You can recreate that in AC.

 

[Ian Cameron]

However I still want a bigger monitor, so a 50" is probably too large was thinking of a 27 or 29" monitor. I've found an AOC monitor 28" for £155 seems quite good.
Would I be better getting a TV or a PC monitor?