New racers- Whats with the perspective mashing?!!

I am a racing junkie - and I can't be the only one who's noticing this:

I have not played a current gen racing game and been happy for quite some time. Modern racers are really messing with the perspective too much. Back in the days of RollCage this was alright, it was a new thing, and gave an interesting effect.

But, I was watching my other half play the latest Need for Speed yesterday. Back in the day this game was a very respectable franchise. (Porsche Unleashed absolutely rocked and was the peak of goodness if you ask me!) but yesterday I was horrified as in normal conditions the perspective was thrown out the window and the car was drawn like it was squashed and things flew at you like you were going at 50,000 mph. Why? other than this the graphics look quite nice. Desperate to resolve the issue I was hoping (in vain) that there was an option to turn this off. Oh well.

I first felt the dissapointment on the WII when Excite Truck and the other very similar truck game used it. It wasn't so bad in this case, just kind of fits with the game, though I still would rather it not be there.

What else have I seen it in? Motorstorm. I can't control that game no matter how hard I try, and using the speed boost stretches the screen like i put a magnet on my telly. (OK, not quite, but the image just distorts to feck and destroys the fun for me.) Anyway, Motorstorm COULD be fun, if I could control the vehicles. (Frustration!)

and also Formula One on the PS3. that game looked horrid!? (Someone tell me I can turn off that perspective stretching tunnel-vision view?)


Back on the Xbox360, I remember disliking PGR3 (sold it back after I bought it) but right now that is the beacon of current gen racing games. (OK, theres PGR4 but I haven't played that yet- not sure it's out yet? I don't have an X360 anymore!)

I know for a fact i'm not the only one who thinks this since I'm quoting Evak: "Test drive unlimited is the only game I've seen give a believable sence of speed."

Which leaves me waiting for Gran Turismo 5.

Come on - there HAS to be something I can play now? I've completed Test drive, (well, as much as I can offline. Online doesnt bother me too much as I don't have an interest in being hit by lightweight cars that weigh 5000 tonnes.)

It seems my genre of choice is falling apart!

I worked on Rollcage2 and the FOV warping was due to the game not feeling fast enough without it. If you watch the external replay cameras the cars are actually moving quite slowly compared to how it feels in-game. Take the FOV warp off and the game is pretty sedate.

Try a more realistic sim like R-Factor or Live for Speed, neight of these have the FOV warping thing and both feel really fast. Also a rally sim like Richard Burns Rally feels fast due to the amount of scenery whizzing past 6 inches away, and the knowledge that one crash = race over.

There are very few racing games that are good on the PC (and even less on the Mac ). I find that whilst the graphics improve, the handling of the car/truck/van/cloud decreases to a point where you have to start turning a couple of years of where you want to turn - Need For Speed:Porsche Challenge was a case in point (that was an awful game).

The latter ones were much better, although the best racing games was Need For Speed 2-4. Unfortunately they are no longer playable on XP.

I would like to try Test Drive Unlimited at some point (I presume they've released a patch now?)

TDU isn't really all that good, the car physics are still very arcadey and not that much fun, and the dull road layouts don't help either.

For accurate but fun driving physics RFactor and LFS are easily the best, light years ahead of games like Dirt and TDU.

Yes. Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge on an Amiga Emulator or Diddy Kong Racing on a N64 emulator.

Hmm, I never had problems with the handling on that game! :)

Vorderman- i'm not looking for realism. I dont mind the FOV effect, just dont use it to the point where it looks like youve hit lightspeed! :-) TDU was nicely done if you ask me, though even the hardcore mode (when you complete it) is simply just lower gravity- which kind of sucks.
Rollcage and Rollcage stage 2 were fantastic games. the FOV was nicely used in it, even though excessive at times. (Any idea where I can get a copy of RC stage 2???! I'd love to play that beasty again!)

MrTAToad- the TDU patch did nothing for the game really. :-(

FD: haha, good old times.


...I guess the thing i've been waiting for most in the new current gen gaming era hasn't arrived yet. They keep boosting the graphics but the games continue to plain suck. :-(

Ridge racer 7? what the HELL were they thinking? I'm going to slide around sideways on ice around tarmac tracks. Ew.

I'm not looking for realism at all.

Oh and Live for Speed is an awesome sim. I have a two table setup with a force feedback steeringwheel. Awesome fun.

Still doesn't beat a weekend rallying though. X-D

Still wipes saved games then, eh !?

I never had that happen. what i DID have happen was my account get 49% complete and $999,999,999 and a crapload of news stuff in. (one said I had travelled a negative number of miles!?)

Do you mean in a game or in real life?

Real life.

I don't have a license, but I was lucky enough to be allowed in a few vehicles on private land- and I did well, too. (Don't get me started on that- the greatest day of my life X-D)

I've disliked all sim type games since I learnt to drive and take my car out and drive spiritidly. One reason for a wide angle FOV in modern games is that if dome right, it enables you to see the corner coming up sooner too.

If you drive or race real cars, the first thing that you have to do is read the road ahead. In a sim you have your head locked, no peripheral vision and a narrow field of view in the monitor. In otherwords your almost blind, can't see corners till you hit them, cant read the road ahead where your going to be.

You can only really learn the line through playing the track till youve learnt it by doing it over and over. In real life you can usualy work it out visualy the first time because you can see it before you get to it.

One of the reasons for having the hills on each side in the original fun racer track was so that you could see right across the track and have some idea of its layout as you came down from one side making it easier to read ahead and drive a little more naturaly.

Doesn't happen much in games with really large tracks untill recently, they tend to be flat for more efficient draw in and culling. But if you play hill climb and down hill events in say forza you sill notice you can really feel the flow of the road and in many ways its more fun than relatively flat tracks.

I'm just frustrated that of all the three next gen consoles, two have gone back (the Wii I want back, but I dont expect to play racing games on that ;) )

I have bought pretty much all the racing games available while i owned them, and TDU was the only one I thoroughly enjoyed and to this day only PGR3/TDU remain on my mind despite me disliking PGR3 when I had it.

TDU is the only game I did not sell/take back to the store.

Need for speed looks like it could have been fun, but the FOV is so stretched you cant judge when stuff is coming towards you because they warp when you steer the tiniest little bit. It's a rediculous FOV, not just a wide one. like, SupermegagigaWide.

Anyway, grumps over for now. I hope to see some decent racing games soon, as it is now I've used the ps3 like 3 times since my other half bought it 2 months ago.

Or maybe we need to make a kickass new racing game that gives the feel of speed without giving a distorted FOV Evak? ;-)


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I still have more fun playing our racer than these modern racing games. too much mould, they're getting old.

I played TDU all the way through on my 360. I even got the achievement of having driven on every inch of road. :)

You should give Forza 2 a chance. It is a great game. It doesn't do the perspective mashing (if I am understanding what you mean by this).

I tried PGR4 and thought the controls in that game were a little wacky and off.

I just took Dirt back to Blockbuster last night, had it for about 9 days. It is a pretty good, but not good enough to warrant paying $60 for it. I will wait till I can get a used copy for $35.

I was very, very dissapointed in Dirt. it was like driving in fast motion, you tap the acceleration and the cars dart forward. im not looking for realism but it just felt wrong.

Can't try Forza2 but I suspect should i get my hands on another x360 (next year now probably) I will like it. I'm frustrated that I got rid of my x360 at present!

I bet the cinematography in Fast and the Furious has something to do with it.

Forza and Gran Turismo are calling you ...

I have to wait for GT, and I dont have an X360 anymore :-(

Never mind, i'm gonna get onto the steering wheel again later. (LFS)

What do you think about Flatout/Flatout 2?

Not the most realistic game maybe, with people flying out the windshield and all, but I had lots of fun with it.I think they only mess with the FOV when you hit the turbo boost button, and add some motion blur round the edges, which makes the boost feel much faster than it is.

Is the FOV problem different on 16:9/10 screens and 4:3 screens. Would make sense if the FOV was wider on widescreen monitors.

Ragnar

Flatout 2 was okay for a short while (multiplayer was rather buggy).

Unfortunately it uses StarForce.

As Vorderman says download the "Live for speed" demo. You can activate all the tracks and cars by purchasing online. I've just come back from Japan and played GT4 on my nephews PS3. If you like race sims then LFS is for you.

http://www.lfs.net/?page=downloads

Gnu

I already use LFS, registered. thats what I use my wheel with.

The FOV isnt related to widescreen/normal screens, its just a widening of the FOV as things get faster.

Flatout was alright. thats a few years ago now and ive all finished it (difficult!)

I used to power slide around abandoned car parks. I had a lot of fun.

I might be interested in PC gaming but for me, part of the driving fun is your bunch of gears and steering wheel, you don't really want a mouse.

for me the fun is the G's and feeling the camber and bumps in your butt dyno, feeling the slightest give of the tires as they deform on the outside as you go around the corner and modulating the throttle as you sense one start to give, and when breaking feeling before the corner the weight thrust forwards losing the grip on your rear tires (RWD) or blipping the throttle to keep the revs stable and keep the car in balance before you turn.

There's just too much communication when driving a racing sim, A racing sim is like wearing a really thick condom in bed lol. Just doesn't communicate what is happening at important end.

Quote of the day!!!

Live for Speed and the different rally games are the only games today that don't believe that "super smoothy blurry tunnel vision" (like any racer is on drugs heck) is the way to go ...

What one really needs is one of these to properly play a race sim.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRdF0wOBi4w

Don't know the price, but I do know it's in the "If you have to ask, you can't afford it" category.

Another vote for LFS here.

heh looked up the Force Dynamics 301 and found the price in Wired.

Force Dynamics 301
$30,000, www.force-dynamics.com
What good is a realistic-looking hot rod if you can't feel the gs? Cash in your kid's college fund and snag this full-motion simulator. Its industrial strength servos allow it to pitch, roll, and elevate your body through three different planes of movement. Slam into a turn and you'll feel it in the pit of your stomach, as the 301 pumps out 2 gs of vertical force. One caveat: This 650-pound behemoth is hard to lug up stairs and may disturb anyone who lives below you.
Killer Accessory: A 50-inch projection screen that twists and turns right along with you.
Games it handles best: Live for Speed, Nascar Racing 2003, and GTR (PC).

Thats it! I'm opening a savings account. NOW.

Feck me! :O