The optimum in realism would be achieved if the eye is the exact distance from the screen to get the same fov as the game is set to. That way, it most simulates you looking "through a window" to the 3D world.

However, a comfortable viewing distance, at least for me, puts the fov at around 40 degrees, not 90, so I would really be missing a lot of off the screen detail.

[edited by - Waverider on December 27, 2002 5:30:39 PM]

True fake 3D can only be achieved by stereo 3D googles :-)

ToohrVyk
-------------
Extatica - a free 3d game engine
Available soon!
Click here to learn more

I played Tribes 1 with the FOV jacked up to 120, and played beautifully. The only problem was I had some difficulty identifying smaller targets at long range when they were right under the targetting reticle (aka center of screen)... but that is what the Zoom 10x is for.

_Danneman_, as you have been told so far... it is a problem of a 3D world being represented on a flat 2D surface. With an inverse hemispherical screen (aka round and bent towards the user), we could do it realistically, but not any other way.

Yeah, I think NOLF''s game FOV is > 100, I prefer it little bit lower. Btw, is it me or do you also think the boxed containers in the submarine hangar level don''t look right. Deus Ex had proper sized containers, NOLF makes it look like I''ve shrunk to miniature size. I used to set fov to 60 in my editor but I set it to 80-90 now. There is an equation for correct fov however it doesn''t feel right visually. If I remember correctly it overshoots the fov resulting in fisheye effect, so some good old fashion tweaking is necessary. I think human vision fov is 120 but that would be too fish eyed in a game. What happens when fov exceeds 180 deg? The view flips upside down and you zoom in on the scene again.

A FOV of 90+ is way to much for a realistic image on a standard PC monitor. From about 60 upwards, you'll start to get distortions. You can go higher on a 16:9 monitor or TV.

The ultimate solution: buy this...

quote:
What happens when fov exceeds 180 deg?

You cannot get a FOV of 180 or more using the perspective projection typically used in 3D graphics. The image flipping upside down is a sign of the projection algorithm malfunctioning. In reality, some extreme fisheye lenses can get FOVs over 180°. The only way to simulate those is by using multiple renderings and creating a composite image, or specialised non-standard projections.


[edited by - Yann L on December 29, 2002 3:37:30 AM]