Oh No, I've Become One Of Those People! What About You?

I picked up Dirt 3 last night and after and hour or so of the Dirt Tour I decided to shift gears (GUIZZZZ C WUT I DID DERE? OMGLOL!!11!11!) into the multiplayer. That was jolly good fun and all, and I eventually came across the hardcore playlist. Hardcore mode disables all assists which is isn't too bad for me since I generally just use the racing line, full damage is turned on and -you might want to sit down for this one- cockpit view is forced on everyone. I've never enjoyed driving from the cockpit camera before, but on this occasion I actually had a great time! I spent the rest of my gaming evening playing the hardcore playlist exclusively. Online races in Dirt are already batshitinsane and the first person view just adds another layer of insanity. I am now officially crazy! However, I'm not going to start driving cockpit across the board though, only when I know the camera is locked on all players so that everyone has the same handicap of reduced visibility.
 
I was wondering what the general split around here is. What kind of camera do you prefer in racing games and why? As aforementioned, I'm now a big fan of the cockpit view when everyone is using it, but otherwise I'll use the zoomed out behind the car view. I feel like driving from the first person offers a different kind of challenge (though I don't feel any added realism factor) and it's nice to mix things up when you can.
 
P.S. I also enjoy all of the Gymkhana stuff in D3 though from what I can tell I may be in the heavy minority here.

Behind the back for me.

I am a big, big fan of the hood cam, you see a little of the hood but have an otherwise unobstructed view, when I'm using a wheel, it's the best, because it means your TV is the windshield, and it feels more realistic. 
 
When I use a controller (which is rare, but I'm prone to using it in Dirt and NFS) I prefer the view behind the car, just cause that's how I got used to playing with controllers.

I can't wait to buy high-end PC parts and MAX OUT D3 on a 27 inch monitor.... it's going to be a-mazing.

I'm generally not very good at racing games, so I have most assists on and the camera behind the back.

Gymkhana seems like exactly what I would want in this game.  I kind of want to buy this.  Anywho, Dirt is definitely the only series that has made cockpit view fun for me.  I used it in the Dirt 2 demo and it was pretty fun, but I still think I  might like behind the back better.

I prefer the "watch my driver driving the vehicle" view from Vice City. I think I just outcrazied you.

Deadly Premonition has taught me to always play games from the cockpit view if it lets me. Always!

Cockpit view for me. I feel like I have much more precise control that way. 

I prefer the "watch my driver driving the vehicle" view from Vice City. I think I just outcrazied you.

Behind the car view, I like looking at my vehicle. Especially when developers spend so much time making them look pretty and shiny. 
 
Fastpaced games like Dirt can be fun to see from a cockpit though, as it adds a bit of tension.  

In cockpit for me....The only racing game i play is forza3

Behind the back, because I can see more of my surroundings. 

Hood, behind-the-back, bumper and cockpit. In that order. I really don't like the cockpit, but I certainly see the appeal it could have.

i like the behind the car view. i like to see the car and what it's doing when turning and be able to see behind the car.

P.S. I also enjoy all of the Gymkhana stuff in D3 though from what I can tell I may be in the heavy minority here.

 
 I play in cockpiit view in Dirt 3 with assists off (ABS on) and difficulty 4 and automatic gearbox.
I also play Test Drive Unlimited 2  in cockpit view but with manual shifting , I might end up switching to manual on Dirt 3 aswell.

I usually play third person when driving but lately I've been going for realism.

Once I found cockpit, I ain't going back. Imagine F-Zero in cockpit view, fucking sweet.

I think hardcore modes are worth a shot in any game that offer it. COD 2 multiplayer with realism servers was some of the most fun I've had with a shooter online. You were basically dead from one shot if you didn't stop you're bleeding. 

In most driving games, if you choose cockpit/hood view willingly you're crippling yourself.

In most driving games, if you choose cockpit/hood view willingly you're crippling yourself.

I love playing from the cockpit (HAHA, COCKS), but for drifting i need better situational awareness.. The Gymkhana stuff is almost unplayable to me if i'm not in the behind-the-car perspective :-/ Makes me feel a bit shit really. But I probably am anyway.

Once I found cockpit, I ain't going back. Imagine F-Zero in cockpit view, fucking sweet.

@Claude said:

Once I found cockpit, I ain't going back. Imagine F-Zero in cockpit view, fucking sweet.

Holy crap, they should get on that, quick! Day one purchase for me.  But I enjoy both cockpit view and third person view. 

I'm not that great at driving games, so I generally tell direction by staying in 3rd person. It also was almost essential to use 3rd person back in NFS: HP2, because there was no explicit drift mechanics like Underground and every game since has had, so the drifts required more skill to make sure you didn't spin out. You had to know exactly which way your car was facing, hence my reliance on 3rd person.

I get an unholy disconnect from cockpit views in driving games... so no :(

If it is an option, I prefer cockpit view for sim-style games. For more arcade-style games, I usually prefer 3rd person behind the car. Originally, I started using it because it looks awesome, and there's that extra level of immersion. I've since gotten used to the positioning of the camera though, so if the camera is farther forward or backward, my depth perception gets thrown off. I'm sure I'd do ok with the hood cam in Dirt 3 though.

I generally like first-person but depending on the controls I go behind the back sometimes too.
 
I like the concept of cockpit, but I feel more natural in first-person as I find I just focus too much on the interior which is not something I do when I'm driving IRL (I assume more experience would make it less distracting).

Always cockpit view, or hood/bumper cam if that's not available.

I always use the cockpit view if it's available.  It just makes all the movements of the car make a little bit more sense to me.  I don't really find much benefit in being able to see everything around the car, and the only time it might matter I feel like it's stuff I wouldn't be able to avoid anyways like getting jacked while I'm in a turn.

I can't wait to buy high-end PC parts and MAX OUT D3 on a 27 inch monitor.... it's going to be a-mazing.

Welcome to enthusiasm. You'll soon realize the rest are actually the crazy ones.

Ass cam.  Car butts are sexy. 
  
I don't know what it is, but I have to drive from the third person camera--yes, even in racing sims.  Maybe I'm crazy, but it's how I do.

I don't think it's realistic but I preffer racing with hud off in cockput or bumper, no assists, and manual. That just gives me a greater feeling of accomplishment, and I have more fun like that. 
 
I am by no means the best at racing games, but in DiRT 2 I was able to get 1st place times on 1 track on both the 360 and ps3 versions of the game a couple of months after release. 

Hood cam always.

Behind the back, cockpit view feels weird and awkward for some reason. No game has really captured the feeling of sitting in a drivers seat without it restricting your view to much.

Behind the back. Cockpit view is awesome but I just can't drive like that. I use it when I'm fucking around though.

Behind the back. Without being able to see where the car is on the track, I lose all spacial awareness and hit objects more often.

Ass cam.  Car butts are sexy.

(HAHA, COCKS)

I used to play in third person, but I've been using the hood cam in Dirt 3 and I'm starting to like it more than third person. If I'm doing the gymkhana or drifting stuff, I feel like I need to see exactly what my car is doing though. 
 At first I really disliked the gymkhana and drifting, but it's starting to grow on me, probably until the next time I hit a gymkhana event.

If only they could implement head-tracking so you could easily look around in cockpit. Maybe Kinect can handle it, and umm...maybe if you strap a Move controller to your face that'd work.

I prefer the behind the back viewpoint, I like having more vision of the road even if it's less close-up. 
 
My first thought was that this thread was about My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I blame Alex's recent story about Sissy's Magical Ponycorn Adventure.

Always cockpit.

I always play in the cockpit and have done so with Dirt, Grid and Dirt 2, but I haven't played any of them online and probably won't. I'm not sure why that is.

I'm still an over the hood guy myself.

Behind the car, I like to see what I'm driving.

Dirt, specifically, is a game I can't play in any mode except cockpit. You need to be in the driver's seat to know when to turn and how much. Imagine if you were driving your car and replaced your windshield with a monitor that viewed yourself from far behind? Your reactions would be fucked.
 
The only exception is that gymkhana stuff. I can only do that at all from a rear view - but even then, I fucking hate that shit.

I love the Forza series, and always play in cockpit view with all assists turned off, except braking line. And I use the 360 racing wheel.
 
However, in Dirt, I find it nearly impossible to play with almost any of the assists off or the racing wheel. I'm just terrible at Dirt for some reason. I've been playing Dirt 3 with a controller and only auto-braking and auto-steering turned off, in the normal 3rd-person camera.