GPL: Confessions of an arcade racer :-)

Mmm... I was fiddling around with the views while thinking about my wish list post when I realised I quite like the F10 view. Yes, I know it doesn't give the "being there" feeling of the***pit. But the sense of speed -- especially if you hunch over the steering wheel in a position guaranteed to bring a smile to an osteopath's face -- is rather impressive, especially at 800x600. It also gives you a much better view ahead and helps predicting the course ahead. So much so that I find -- to my embarrassment -- that after a few laps I managed my first lap (just) below 1:12 :-) I've now returned to using the***pit view but I keep itching to press that F10 key. Help, I am a sick man ;-) Andrew PS I realise there's nothing wrong with driving using the external view. It's a game and if it works for you it shouldn't matter. But in my heart of hearts, it's cheating!

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> Mmm... I was fiddling around with the views while thinking about my wish > list post when I realised I quite like the F10 view. Yes, I know it > doesn't give the "being there" feeling of the***pit. But the sense of > speed -- especially if you hunch over the steering wheel in a position > guaranteed to bring a smile to an osteopath's face -- is rather > impressive, especially at 800x600. > It also gives you a much better view ahead and helps predicting the course > ahead. So much so that I find -- to my embarrassment -- that after a few > laps I managed my first lap (just) below 1:12 :-) > I've now returned to using the***pit view but I keep itching to press > that F10 key. Help, I am a sick man ;-) > Andrew > PS I realise there's nothing wrong with driving using the external view. > It's a game and if it works for you it shouldn't matter. But in my heart > of hearts, it's cheating!

It's not cheating anyone except yourself. Your cheating yourself out of the experience the 3d***pit delivers and you will never be as fast from that view (well, I very much doubt it anyway).

Byron, I've discovered that the F10 provides more "stability" and I've actually driven faster laps in this view than from the "in***pit" view. Is it possible that, when switching to the external view, we are also toggling into a different driving "mode"? I wonder if Papyrus have done something here...i.e., is the external viewpoint possibly an for an "arcade" mode in the finished game? Curious. > It's not cheating anyone except yourself. Your cheating yourself out > of the experience the 3d***pit delivers and you will never be as fast > from that view (well, I very much doubt it anyway). -- Bruce. (At home)

I think it's a variety of things. For a start the external view is smoother for me on a P200mmx (same in N2-3dfx). It's also easier to see rather than "feel" the car start to get away from you. I suppose you might argue that it's gives you a better view of your car and makes up for some of the input you're missing from the real thing. But even with my nose pressed against the monitor, it's not as immersive as the***pit view, and that's what counts as much as the lap times. Andrew

>Is it possible that, when switching to the external view, we are also toggling >into a different driving "mode"? Not in so many words, but the frame-rate is higher - that might account for yourimprovement. Joe