Most FOV guides give you a list of numbers to copy. That can not work. The right FOV for a 27 inch screen on a desk and for a 55 inch TV across the room are completely different.
What you need is the method. It takes a tape measure and two minutes.
What the FOV does
The field of view is the angle of the world that the game draws on your screen. Set it too wide and everything looks small and far away. Corners seem to arrive early, the car in front looks further than it is, and you brake by guessing.
Set it right and the screen works like a window. Things are the size they would be from the seat of the car. Your braking points and your distance to the car in front become things you can judge, not guess.
This matters more than people think. In a real car, you place the car by looking far ahead and trusting what you see. If the picture lies about distance, your eyes learn the wrong references.
The price is that you see less to the sides on a single screen. That is the trade.
How to change the FOV in Automobilista 2
- From the main menu, open Options.
- Go to Camera.
- Open the Field of View section.
- Set the value for the cockpit camera, then the same for the helmet camera.
- Go on track and check it. You can change it from the pause menu too.
Each camera has its own slider. That is different from most sims, where you have one number.
| Camera | What I would set | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cockpit | Your calculated value | This is the one you race with. It has to match your screen |
| Helmet | Same as cockpit | Same eye point with the helmet effects on top |
| Bonnet | Calculated value, plus 5 to 10 if you want | No dash in view, so a bit wider still looks fine |
| Bumper and roof | Leave near the default | Not seat positions. There is no correct value |
| Chase | Leave near the default | Arcade view. Use what looks good |
| Speed sensitive FOV | Off | It changes the FOV with speed and ruins your braking references |
The correct FOV for your screen
Automobilista 2 runs on the Madness engine, the same as Project CARS 2, and the slider is a horizontal FOV. That is the angle from the left edge to the right edge of the screen.
Careful with calculators. Assetto Corsa and ACC use a vertical FOV, so a number from those games is far too low here. In any calculator, take the horizontal result, or pick Automobilista 2 or Project CARS 2 if the game list has them. The background is in my sim racing FOV calculator guide.
Or do it by hand:
- Measure the width of the picture on your screen, without the bezels.
- Measure the distance from your eyes to the screen, in your driving position.
- FOV = 2 x atan(width / 2 / distance).
Here it is worked out for the common sizes. Distances are from the eyes to the screen.
| Screen | 50 cm | 60 cm | 70 cm | 80 cm | 100 cm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 inch 16:9 | 56 | 48 | 42 | 37 | 30 |
| 27 inch 16:9 | 62 | 53 | 46 | 41 | 33 |
| 32 inch 16:9 | 71 | 61 | 54 | 48 | 39 |
| 34 inch 21:9 ultrawide | 77 | 67 | 59 | 53 | 43 |
| 49 inch 32:9 super ultrawide | 100 | 90 | 81 | 74 | 62 |
| 55 inch 16:9 TV | 101 | 91 | 82 | 75 | 63 |
Look at how much the distance changes it. The same 32 inch screen is 71 degrees at 50 cm and 39 at one metre. This is why you get the screen as close as you can, right behind the wheel base if the rig allows it. A close screen gives you a correct FOV and a wide view.
If the correct value feels too narrow
On a small screen far away, the right number can be under 40 and you feel like you are looking through a letterbox. Two things, in this order:
- Move the screen closer. Ten centimetres is worth several degrees.
- If you can not, add 3 to 5 degrees. Not 20. A small cheat keeps the distances almost right.
Seat position
FOV and seat position work together. Get the FOV right first, then move the seat so the picture is useful.
The seat keys are not bound by default on every setup. Go to the controls, find the seat adjustments (forward, back, up, down) and put them on keys or on a button box. Then set it in the car:
- Height: your eye line should be where the eyes of the driver would be. You want to see the top of the dash and a good part of the track over it.
- Distance: move back until you see the top of the steering wheel and the dash display. Not further.
- Mirrors: on a single screen you will not have both. Use the virtual mirror for the one you lose.
The game saves the seat per car, so you do it once for each car you drive.
Head movement and helmet settings
In the same Camera menu you have the options that move the view around. On a monitor, I would turn almost all of it down.
| Setting | What it does | What I would run |
|---|---|---|
| Head movement | How much the view moves with bumps and G forces | Low on a monitor. The horizon should stay still |
| G force effect | Pushes the view back and forward under braking and throttle | Low or zero |
| Look to apex | Turns the view into the corner | Zero on triples and VR. A little on a single screen if you like it |
| Helmet leaning | Tilts the helmet view in the corners | Zero if it makes you feel sick |
| Show helmet | Draws the visor frame | Off. It only covers the picture |
The reason is simple. Your own head and eyes already do this work. When the game adds a second layer of movement on a fixed screen, the horizon moves and you lose the fine detail you use to feel the car rotate.
In VR it is another story. The settings for that are in my Automobilista 2 VR settings.
Triple screens
Automobilista 2 has proper triple screen support, so you do not have to stretch one picture across three panels.
- Turn on the triple screen option in the graphics settings and open its setup.
- Enter the visible width and height of one panel, the bezel width and the angle of the side screens.
- Set the cockpit and helmet FOV to the value for the centre screen only. For a 27 inch panel at 60 cm that is 53, not 150.
If the side screens look pinched or stretched, the measurements are off. People on the Reiza forum often get a better picture with a side angle a few degrees lower than the one they measured, so try that before you change anything else.
More on the hardware side in my guides on the right triple screen monitor angle and triple monitors against a single ultrawide.
Problems and fixes
| Problem | What I would check |
|---|---|
| Everything looks slow with the correct FOV | Normal for the first hour. The speed is real now. Give it a few sessions |
| I can not see the apex or the mirrors | Move the seat back and up before you touch the FOV. Then add 3 to 5 degrees if you still need it |
| The dash fills half the screen | Seat position again. Raise the seat a little and move it back |
| The side screens look stretched on triples | The triple screen values are wrong. Measure the visible panel width, the bezels and the angles again |
| The FOV keeps changing when I go fast | The speed sensitive FOV is on. Turn it off |
| The slider does not go low enough | Sit closer to the screen or move the screen over the wheel base. A lower FOV on a far screen is never right |
More Automobilista 2 settings
- Automobilista 2 graphics settings
- Automobilista 2 wheel and FFB settings
- Automobilista 2 controller settings
- Automobilista 2 driving tips
- Coming from the older game? The method is the same in my Project CARS 2 FOV settings.
FAQ
What is the best FOV for Automobilista 2?
The one that matches your screen. Take the width of the picture and the distance from your eyes, and use the formula or the table above. For a 27 inch screen at 60 cm it is about 53 degrees.
Is the Automobilista 2 FOV horizontal or vertical?
Horizontal, like Project CARS 2. Values from ACC or Assetto Corsa are vertical and do not transfer.
Where is the FOV setting in Automobilista 2?
Options, Camera, Field of View. Each camera has its own slider. Set the cockpit and helmet cameras.
What FOV should I use on triple screens in Automobilista 2?
The FOV of the centre screen alone, with the triple screen option on and your panel sizes, bezels and angles entered in its setup.
What FOV should I use on an ultrawide?
A 34 inch 21:9 screen at 60 cm is about 67 degrees. At 70 cm it is about 59.
Should speed sensitive FOV be on?
No. It changes the picture with speed, so your braking references move. Turn it off.
How do I move the seat in Automobilista 2?
Bind the seat adjustment controls in the controls menu, then use them in the car. The position is saved per car.