Wideview > Zoom Window

[LM]

Try this:
Set your FOV really low, but not so low you get ill if you look at it while running around in narrow hallways. (I personaly use 70 but I'm still adjusting and I think I can handle MUCH lower if I ease into it)
Then:
scr_zoomwindow 1
scr_zoomwindow_viewsizex 100
scr_zoomwindow_fov 90
Leave scr_zoomwindow_viewsizey at the default 20

You may notice that while the vertical fov in the zoom window is indeed 90, the shape of the window forces it to include much more than 90 fov horizontaly.

So, you may be saying... big whoop, what's so great about this?
Well until now, there was always a trade-off with high fov in that it devotes an inordinate ammount of space to the periphery of your view, not only showing your view to the side all stretched, but also devoting much of your screen to showing nothing but the floor beneath you. Meanwhile, the area of your view that is most important, where you are aiming, is horribly pinched making it much harder to use long range or Precision weapons.

The generaly accepted solution is to simply switch the fov when attempting to shoot an opponent at a distance, but I've always found this terribly disorienting, not to mention inconvenient since I have to press the key to zoom in before I can aim, and at that moment, I loose awareness of where exactly I am and what is happening around me.

I seriously doubt anyone uses the zoom window option right now because it's useless to try to aim in a tiny window, just as it's useless trying to aim in the pinched center of a high FOV!

But with a WIDE view in a thin bar rather than the square area of the screen, you waste less screen space showing the floor and sky, and devote more to the areas beside you where opponents are more often seen. Meanwhile your zoom view is always visible without having to switch to it in any way.

So what do you think?
Is the eye strain of glancing up and down between the two views too high a price to pay for the combination of situational awareness and accurate aim? I thought so too at first, but now that I'm getting used to it I don't really have to LOOK at my wideview window. I just kinda see it all the time while I aim in the lower part of the screen.

Is having your fov at a constant 70 not helpful to improve your aim? I'm convinced as I get used to it and tweak the hight of the wideview window and it's fov, I will be able to tolerate lower FOV in the main part of the screen.

Are you all already playing this way? If not, you should be. Seriously, just give it time to get used to it. All this time I thought the nex was useless to me as I just didn't have good aim. Well, my aim is still Pretty bad but the improvement is undeniable, and it's improved with all the weapons all the time! Meanwhile, nobody ever sneaks up behind me anymore. They still frag me from behind cuz I kinda suck ... but I can always see them coming!

[AceOfThumbs]

It's an interesting idea. Thanks for sharing it.

I tried it for a short time, but found that I didn't like having my screen height reduced. Many maps have floors at varying heights, so you need to be able to see above and below.

I've used the zoom window before with the default settings and also played around with various zoom controls too, but honestly I rarely use anything other than an fov of 130. On a really big map (usually only on CTF maps), I will hold a button for a quick zoom and then it is usually just to see if there is anyone approaching in the distance. I don't enjoy sniping much.

If you are trying to improve your aim, have a look at the post below for some tips that may be helpful:
http://forums.alientrap.local/viewtopic.php?p=34229

[LM]

I don't enjoy sniping much.

Not surprising with a 130 fov!

I gave 90 as an example for the zoom window fov because I thought that would be comfortable for MOST people. That is, with the window's FOV set at 90, you see everything in the window that you would see with a normal 90 FOV, PLUS extra at the sides.

I personally used to play with a 105 fov and just couldn't get used to using the wideview window until I boosted the window's fov at least that high. Right now I actualy have the wideview set to 115 fov since all that extra floor-view doesn't detract from the space I have to aim in anymore. If you could handle playing at a 130 fov, you might not have a problem using that as the fov of the window. Have you tried just upping the scr_zoomwindow_fov to 130? what you would see in the center of the window at the top of your screen is everything you would see when playing with a 130 fov, again, with added view at the sides of the window. It seems to me that'd be pushing it. The extra view to the sides will be very distorted, but it maybe it won't seem as bad to someone who's used to playing with the distortion of 130 fov.

I'm not trying to be pushy or insist that my way is best I'm just trying to make it clear the logic of how to tweak the window to show you everything you're used to seeing and everything you want to see without having to aim with everything in front of you all tiny like you normaly get with high FOV.

About the multiple levels... The thing there is that it's (mostly) determined by the geometry of the map... So if you know the map, you know when to look up. On the other hand, unless you're standing in a corner, there's always the potential for a player to aproach from the side or to circle around you when you're fighting up close. That's why I figure a wide view with more view to the sides is useful. As for the minimum of how much vertical view you want/need. That can be tweaked to your liking. And if you think the wide view gives too much priority to side view, you can even increace the height of the zoom window to sacrafice a little side-view for more space for vertical view. It was just a coincidence that the default 20 seemed perfect for me.

And when you look upwards, the wideview is still very useful since it allows you to see to the side while you're looking up. As a result, I've started running sidways through certain places. For example: In that hall with the mega-health on blood prision, I run through there sideways while looking up so I can be ready to shoot anyone trying to drop down on me, while the wideview allows me to see where I'm going and if anyone else enters that hall from either end!