FOV view Default

[Randy1]

I spent couple hours using the Beta 80 FOV default setting in AH2 using Trackir.  I used AH2 because of the ease of finding air to air fights.

The first thing you note is the 80 fov makes the cockpit frames very large.  At that size they have an amazing amount of blind spots just due to the frames.  Time and time again, when I was following a red through a maneuver, the frame on the P-38 front glass, blocked the view of the red.   After awhile the next problem is the eye strain and general uncomfortable feeling I will call it at 80 fov.   Using the rocket ladder for the P-38, the circle barely fit the glass at a proper head position.

I switched to 90 fov.  The eye strain was noticeably less even after several hours.  The frame hiding a red was still a problem but much more manageable.  The gunsight image looked good.  The instrument panel was easier to see.

In my setup the 90 FOV was a better compromise than 80.

Anybody else try the Beta default 80 FOV for an extended period of time?

[bustr]

I did testing with 60 and found that the 100Mil reticle was real life size and you never needed zoom but, blind areas with TR unless you also maneuvered to augment your head movements. I was gunnery testing offline and lost the drones about 1\3 of the time. Tracers looked like tracers.

80 was better while allowing gunnery without zoom unless I trying to pick out things on the ground. Tracers were still visible like AH2.

90 was a nice compromise for TR, none zoomed shooting much of the time while needing zoom more for seeing at long range and ground objects through the clutter. Tracers were visible most of the time but were a smidge smaller.

100 I needed to use zoom more than with 90, some long range shooting at 600 to verify the con's angle of travel. And like 90 just a smidgin of feeling crowded using TR. Tracers were visible about half the time.

106 relieved the crowded TR feeling but, required zoom to really resolve cons from background clutter and to pick out most objects from the clutter on the ground. Tracers are the easiest to see if you are shooting into empty air long enough to build up a visual stream. Tank round tracers depending on the round require practice to know where to look so you can acquire the tiny bright dot.

Past this point bye bye tracers,  you need zoom for everything, and get yourself a dot as your gunsight reticle so you can see through the reflector plate.

[CSI147]

I'm finding that 90 works well for me too.  When I zoomed in and adjusted for the top dials to be partially seen, I also picked up 2-3 fps.  Not sure why but it seems less dials equals up tick in fps.

[hitech]

Changing you FOV would have absolutely zero impact on hiding icons.
Bar width is still the same relative size to the distance the plane travel's when it is behind the bar.

HiTech

[Randy1]

Changing you FOV would have absolutely zero impact on hiding icons.
Bar width is still the same relative size to the distance the plane travel's when it is behind the bar.

HiTech

I see what you are saying but it is like having your hand in front of your eyes.  The closer you move the hand to your eyes the less you can see.

[FLS]

I see what you are saying but it is like having your hand in front of your eyes.  The closer you move the hand to your eyes the less you can see.

You have TrackIR, you can easily look around the cockpit frame.

[Lazerr]

You have TrackIR, you can easily look around the cockpit frame.

Not everyone does however.  Maybe a better default field of view should be set,  rather than having new players in a game with a ton to learn already,  to figure this out also.

Mine was immediately set back to 106 in AH3. 80 is way too close up.

[ImADot]

Isn't 80 pretty much the norm for all the other flight games/sims out there? Doesn't seem to be an issue for them.

[FLS]

Not everyone does however.  Maybe a better default field of view should be set,  rather than having new players in a game with a ton to learn already,  to figure this out also.

Mine was immediately set back to 106 in AH3. 80 is way too close up.

I realize that but you can still move your head with buttons, hat, or keyboard. I expect everyone who is used to a wider field of view will set it to their preference.
 
There are advantages to the 80 degree FOV like higher frame rate and bigger targets so you can argue that 80 is better, depending on what you feel is important.

[Lazerr]

I realize that but you can still move your head with buttons, hat, or keyboard. I expect everyone who is used to a wider field of view will set it to their preference.
 
There are advantages to the 80 degree FOV like higher frame rate and bigger targets so you can argue that 80 is better, depending on what you feel is important.

I always wondered if the guys that tank a lot use smaller field of view to help make tanks larger and easier to see.

[FLS]

I always wondered if the guys that tank a lot use smaller field of view to help make tanks larger and easier to see.

I seen posts about that, 60 -70 FOV IIRC.

[Randy1]

Not everyone does however.  Maybe a better default field of view should be set,  rather than having new players in a game with a ton to learn already,  to figure this out also. . . .

Well posted.

From an eye candy point of view the lower FOVs are the thing but from a practical game play standpoint, the higher FOV is better.
In a P-38, a minimum setting of about 95 will give you full coverage in a back and up view however the shooting resolution stats to suffer above 90.

If it stays the same or even lower, it doesn't matter to experienced players but as Lazer posted it is just another beginner's problem to deal with.

[Chilli]

Okay, this is going to piss a lot of folks off but..........  what about icon arrows (tiny little one's)?  You could turn them on  or off if desired.

In the few discussions that I have had along this subject, I have learned as HiTech and others have said, the truth is your views are no more or less disrupted.  What is lost with lower FOV, is peripheral vision only. 

Having said that, placing tiny arrows that revolve around the edge of the screen would greatly help lower FOV players keep track of enemy  outside of the periphery of their FOV.

A secondary function, like the F11 target selection could also bold a particular enemy arrow, and thus would identify it's location outside of the periphery as opposed to other enemies not of interest at that time.

Yes, this would appear to be a high tech radar solution that does not fit well with WW2 aircraft, but would simply function as one of those things that helps to compensate for things like no gravity or human eyeballs with 3 dimensional input.

[hitech]

I see what you are saying but it is like having your hand in front of your eyes.  The closer you move the hand to your eyes the less you can see.

It's dosn't work like that, changing the field of view does not bring your hand closer, it is like looking threw a zoom lens at your hand , then adjusting zoom. What is in the back ground will not move as compared to your hand by zooming a lens.

HiTech

[bustr]

Is this like saying our head is a camera, FOV changes the focus while the Pgup\Pgdn, arrow keys changes where the camera is located in the cockpit? And the numpad, mouse or TR changes where the camera is pointed?