He mentioned tightening up the field of view as a speed tip he gleaned from online. So of course we all started messing with narrower FOV, with mixed results.
Like all good racers, I can't let someone else enjoy an advantage without procuring it for myself. So I poked around and found this this very useful FOV explanation/resources thread on Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/ ... =287241027
It gives a lot of attention to setting up triple monitors, which I don't have but others (Beerbuzz) do.
It turns out the correct field of view for racing sims is a function of your monitor size and your distance from the screen. That's it.
You can do the math and get a good baseline for experimentation, or use this stupidly simple online calculator that does the number-crunching for you: https://andyf.me/fovcalc.html
All it takes is 3 minutes and a tape measure—input screen size, distance from your eyeball to the screen, and the monitor's aspect ratio, it chugs out proper FOV for your setup.
For academic purposes I did the math myself, and results are in agreement with the andyf.me link immediately above.
Initial experimentation says: It works!
If you don't have triple monitors you'll want to set a good profile in your TrackIR, if you have such a device.
I applied the new values to NASCAR Racing 2003 and Project CARS.
Interestingly, my calculated value was 63 degrees FOV, and NASCAR I already had at 60.
Project CARS I had at 75, and dialed down to 63.
I went back and tried it in Asetto Corsa, but while the other two sims use horizontal FOV, Asetto Corsa uses vertical.
Initially a little disorienting, as this reduces peripheral vision. But my ability to gauge distance and accurately clip apexes improved markedly. This definitely improves my ability to see how tight or wide a given corner is, which tends to get flattened out considerably at wider FOV.
In Project CARS, which does a better job of depicting elevation changes, the results are profound.
I highly recommend a little experimentation. YMMV, but I like the results!
...and just in case you're too lazy to read, here's a handy YouTube video that sums up everything you need to know: Why this matters, how to adjust/set it up, and wipe this from your long list of reasons why you lost to Beerbuzz.
