Guild Wars 2

Like a few others have suggested, just play in windowed mode and adjust the window size to your FOV needs. I have mine windowed into a thin rectangle and probably get at least a 100 degree FOV this way. I can’t play it with their bad default setting of 65, as it gives me headaches and anxiety. Seriously, it’s almost claustrophobic.

As a side note, using the windowed mode definitely feels like a competitive advantage in s/tpvp and WvWvW, as you can see who’s coming up on your sides a LOT better.

vitigis.4160:

As a side note, using the windowed mode definitely feels like a competitive advantage in s/tpvp and WvWvW, as you can see who’s coming up on your sides a LOT better.

Yeah, just like using 3 displays, so would you want to punish them too? i don’t get the meaning of this statement sorry.

vitigis.4160:

Like a few others have suggested, just play in windowed mode and adjust the window size to your FOV needs. I have mine windowed into a thin rectangle and probably get at least a 100 degree FOV this way. I can’t play it with their bad default setting of 65, as it gives me headaches and anxiety. Seriously, it’s almost claustrophobic.

Does this give much of a performance hit?

@Vzur – no, it did not give me a noticeable performance hit at all. Even if it did, I’d rather play with toned down effects than to get a headache after looking at 10 minutes of their default claustrophobic view.

@MrNobody – My point wasn’t about punishing anyone…it was a point of fact that I find PVP in general easier with a wider FOV, for obvious reasons.

I tried going back to full screen mode a couple of times and can really feel the disadvantage on tight maps…..plus a pounding kittening headache.

/edit
The only disadvantage I can see from using a widescreen windowed mode is the lack of ability to adjust in game Gama.

Another major advantage is not having to use Alt/Tab ….makes it easier to keep Netflix streaming on my other monitor that way

This horrible camera is, in my opinion, a good reason to leave Guild Wars 2 for good. The camera just ruins the game, why did Arena Net put all that work and effort into a super-awesome world if we can’t see it?

I don’t see how anyone can possibly defend the camera in this game as it currently stands, it needs more settings options, especially concerning FOV, and the ability to scroll back further for large characters.

yeap the camera could use some fixin, hope it will be addressed sooner than later.

Camera makes me sad. Working on my 3rd alt now trying to enjoy the game and listen to all the dialog. I have to stop for a moment every now and then to look up and see where I am at and observe the environment. As others have claimed I also feel sick after playing for a while – especially if I drive afterwards

Lithos.9560:

This horrible camera is, in my opinion, a good reason to leave Guild Wars 2 for good. The camera just ruins the game, why did Arena Net put all that work and effort into a super-awesome world if we can’t see it?

Maybe this is why they added vistas? :/

Vzur.7123:

Lithos.9560:

This horrible camera is, in my opinion, a good reason to leave Guild Wars 2 for good. The camera just ruins the game, why did Arena Net put all that work and effort into a super-awesome world if we can’t see it?

Maybe this is why they added vistas? :/

Really? So all we are suppose to do is stare at the floor while we play, then occasionally look up at the beautiful world that Arena Net put years into making?

is this the reason i sometimes feel nauseous when playing this? not just the looking at the ground thing, but the other camera related stuff people are also talking about in this thread? especially doing jumping puzzles or having to turn alot to attack stuff? because ive played alot of mmo’s and never got nauseous before. or maybe it is something else.

The very first time I played I experienced a pounding headache and nausea. I never connected my ‘illness’ to the game tho. About a week ago I was scanning through the forums and saw one of the threads explaining FOV issues. CLICK! I have been sick for a month! and now I know why. I didn’t play GW2 for most of last week and I was finally feeling better by Friday. I truly love this game, and want to enjoy the environment and artistic mastery. I tried playing in windowed mode and that does help with the sickness feelings, but what a crying shame I can’t truly enjoy this beautiful world. Sigh. I want to play, but I am slowly giving it up.

You know who has artistic integrity? Starving Artists.

I agree with Migo, I do feel some nausea while playing…and I never really noticed it until now. I guess Guild Wars 2 will die like other MMO’s if Arena Net does not fix this.

I doubt GW2 will die, only wish I could play. I still keep trying to play so I mostly end up standing around I’ll jump to a place I want to explore, get in quick, and run in a straight line with no looking around unless I find a vista or space that is safe for breathing. Big fan here, hanging in there for now. I was wondering if the vertical point of view being low could be handled independently of the FOV? My poor Asura knows the dirt and ground textures very well. (Half the time from being downed If they could fix that one thing a lot of the frustrating overall camera control issue would be improved.

Playing an Asura is a nightmare. Feels like the game is shoving my head into the dirt.

RLD.7439:

The camera and FoV need work. But they’re not going to change it. Ya I was floored too when I read this. Not going to fix something that thousands want fixed… wow just wow.
Throwing away potential is like throwing away money. Too bad

I must have missed this. Where was it said that the camera isn’t going to be re-examined?

To be honest with you, I’m only really holding on for a change in the way the camera works and if that’s never going to happen then I will be shelving GW2 and moving on. That sounds melodramatic, I know, but it doesn’t matter how glorious a world looks if the eyes through which you see it are broken.

I agree the camera FoV and zoom are probably the worst of any mmo i’ve played. The majority of my actions are rotating the camera constantly because it is so close you can barely see anything. Another huge issue is anet built a gorgeous world that has structures that go extremely high such as orr but you will never get to truly appreciate it because like the OP said the camera is so poor that you will be looking at the ground the majority of the time. It’s such a waste to have all these big structures that will never truly be seen

I’ve been playing the game for over 500hrs and this is 1 of the big disappointments and from an earlier post I don’t think it will change. Over that time i’ve never heard anyone praise the camera only put it down

defektive.3540:

RLD.7439:

The camera and FoV need work. But they’re not going to change it. Ya I was floored too when I read this. Not going to fix something that thousands want fixed… wow just wow.
Throwing away potential is like throwing away money. Too bad

I must have missed this. Where was it said that the camera isn’t going to be re-examined?

To be honest with you, I’m only really holding on for a change in the way the camera works and if that’s never going to happen then I will be shelving GW2 and moving on. That sounds melodramatic, I know, but it doesn’t matter how glorious a world looks if the eyes through which you see it are broken.

on the first page of this thread you can find the link to the official response on it, but basically , its a case of EGO from the main devs because they say there is nothing wrong with the current FOV , and they wont change it because it hurst their “artistic intergrity” ( wich has been proven to be BS as not one single texture tiltes or stretches even at 100 degree FOV )

so basically, were suffering from a case of the jay wilson plague " im right you are wrong deal with it" that some developers seem to be suffering now a days, there are literally THOUSANDS of people suffering from recurrent migraines from the game but nope…nothing wrong with their camera its our pcs/eyes ……/rollseyes

just do like i do, keep checking to see if they plan to fix it, but otherwise ll not be playing , i dont play a game to feel ill afterwards

A lot of people dislike the camera. For me it’s the camera issues + right clicking targets. I don’t know how many times I’ve had tough situations swung my camera around for the final kill and “Why am I targeting that mob? OH GOD DON’T PULL MORE! &@(%&#!” That targeting on right click when I swing my camera makes me ‘frowny-face’.

I’d like the camera fixed, and either sticky targeting, or right click no longer targets and attacks. Most likely sticky targeting.

Actually I find myself curious why the first person view was removed.
Granted it’s not viable for combat, but when I find a really amazing view, I’d love to be able to SS it without my character being in the shot.

i usually play in eyefinity so i don’t get the whole fov thing horizontally but the vertical fov is just….terrible.

I tried a 6 screen eyefinity, had to borrow the screens and cables but it was worth it just to see it not improve the vertical fov at all even with 3 extra screens above my own the view was too narrow.

and i was hoping that would have solved the issue for me but it didn’t, it helped thats for sure but no where near enough, what is the vertical fov? 35-45 deg? either way it is way to narrow.

for me it ruins pvp not being able to zoom out from my character further is also a major annoyance and one i’m struggling to deal with.

I really hate games that don’t let me zoom out to a more suitable level.

fov in this game is just like staring through pinhole.

Going to add my voice here that the camera needs more flexibility. Being very hard to look up at landscape/large creatures is definitely a shortcoming.

I trust they’re still tweaking it.

Lithos.9560:

Vzur.7123:

Lithos.9560:

This horrible camera is, in my opinion, a good reason to leave Guild Wars 2 for good. The camera just ruins the game, why did Arena Net put all that work and effort into a super-awesome world if we can’t see it?

Maybe this is why they added vistas? :/

Really? So all we are suppose to do is stare at the floor while we play, then occasionally look up at the beautiful world that Arena Net put years into making?

Didn’t mean to suggest that I approved of the idea, but that does seem to me like what they were going for. They must have realized there’s so much scenery people wouldn’t see, while playing. And why don’t we see it? Because of the lousy camera angle and FOV.

Chiming in to say I’d love to see this fixed, or at least an option for players.

It is because the pivotal point of the camera is between your characters eyes. And when you try to zoom out to have a large view of your surroundings, you tend to end up with the camera above your toon (looking down through your toon’s eyes at the ground).
This is even more of a problem with Asura. The camera options need at least a vertical offset for the camera. And preferably a way to rotate the camera’s direction too (atm the camera always looks at your toons head).
Another problem with the current setting is that anytime the camera gets blocked by a wall or the ground (when looking up) close to your character, you end up looking at the back of your head.
Imo, current camera setting is the worst part of this game. On my asura I avoid certain encounters because I know that I will mainly be busy fighting the camera.

Luigio.3265:

so basically, were suffering from a case of the jay wilson plague " im right you are wrong deal with it" that some developers seem to be suffering now a days, there are literally THOUSANDS of people suffering from recurrent migraines from the game but nope…nothing wrong with their camera its our pcs/eyes ……/rollseyes

Thats exactly what I think the problem is.

I don’t believe even for a second that the reasons that they posted were in any way, shape or form genuine. They are just simply trying to cover their kitten for their arrogance, which i honestly don’t even know why they bothered? Maybe they felt in a combative mood that day and decided to pick a fight with their customers/fans? I don’t know, and we might never will.

The biggest disappointment probably comes from the fact that I had a lot of respect for ANET, I thought that they were above all that nonsense, I believed that they were those developers that TRULY cared for their fans and customers and would never stoop so low as to lie so blatantly in to our faces about such a common issue.

I guess I was wrong, it’s kinda of sad now. Because now when I read some new update or a post from ANET, I no longer can just simply believe it, and just simply trust ANET like I used to, now I have to look on everything cynically and understand that they are just as full of kittens as any other development studio and what Im most likely reading is PR piece of nonsense.

If it is still not clear to anyone how buggy FoV is i made some test with custom resolutions:

- At 1600*1200 it looks fine, it might be 65 degrees.
- At 1920*1200 it looks bad, it adds little on the side, maybe 67°? … and cut your vertical FoV badly
- At 1920*828 (a custom res to try getting 90° of FoV) it adds large chunks on the sides, but only squish the vertical FoV a little. I’m playnig with this currently, it feels better, but i misss UI space badly, and it is a little like wearing a visor all the time.

http://imgur.com/a/Jcn1E

What i couldn’t try is to make a screen with 3 monitors at 1920*1200, or a wopping total of 5760*1200.
In my opinion this will look exactly like a single 1920*1200, multiplied times 3 horizontally.
I’ve found this and it might confirm it http://i.imgur.com/DLcin.jpg

If you have 3 monitors can you test a screen at such resolution and compare it with a screen with an equivalent proportion on a single monitor at custom res of 1920*400?

I’m pretty surre they are going to look different, bugging on the single monitor for istance, but i’d like a proof to show them

defektive.3540

- Add Object fade for non-colliding obstructions (trees, bushes etc.)

Oh that would be amazing! Without a doubt the second worse problem I have with jumping puzzles (the first being my own impatience), is the difficulty I have getting my camera to juuuust the right angle so I can actually see the jump I’m making. I’m thinking of moments like trying to see through the leaves in Dark Reverie. And that’s on top of the issue of trying to see anything when you’re close to a wall or other object. I posted in another thread about how I can’t even complete Troll’s End on my Norn due to being unable to see where I’m going, and the feeling of motion sickness I got from the way the camera was moving in the tight tunnel area.

I do hope we see some improvements in the camera, and soon. As for the question regarding FOV affecting the integrity of the art, I do think this is a visually stunning game, just as GW1 was, and I can absolutely empathize with an artist’s desire to have his art viewed as he intended it. But frankly, when the look of the game begins to negatively impact the playing of the game, then I think there’s a failure there that has to be addressed.

there is also a bug reported on the bug forums relating to FOV calculations for widescreen monitors/resolutions

apparently if you play in 4.3 aspect ratio , the FOV is better , the calculations or fov adjustment for widescreen seem to be off, someone did the calculations/tests on the thred but so far ANET hasnt officially responded if its actually an issue

EDIT: seems the panel did answer this today, i will give the link the the transcript, also happens to be one of the most upvoted/liked answers so it seems we might get a slider or tweak after all, wich would be great, id love to keep playing this game , its gorgeous

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/external?l=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2Fgaming%2Fcomments%2F11mz4k%2Fi_am_a_programmer_for_guild_wars_2_amaa%2Fc6nuoo1

They really need to add a FOV slider. You miss so much of the environment because the camera is so narrowly focused. While the ground is pretty—sometimes—I’d much rather see more of the sky.

Please give us a FOV slider!

Would the petty community managers please stop closing down all the “frivolous” threads and take a look at something important here in this thread?

The FOV is currently set around 45-50 for widescreen resolutions.
16:9 and 16:10
If you compare the FOV for 4:3 resolution you will see how it should be.

The only way to fix the FOV is to download the tool that lets you change it.
Just go to the widescreen gaming site and get it, www.wsgf.org

You think Anet would fix something as simple as this but it looks like they just going to ignore it.

edit: well the reddit Q&A seems to show we might get a FoV slider or fix soon…

This is something that hinders the enjoyment of the game and really needs to be addressed immediately.

Here’s a solution. If you’re tired of focusing on the ground then try focusing on the sky. Hopefully they’ll be working on a fix while your head is in the clouds. Glad I could help.

Run in window mode, use all the width and make the window height about 2/3’s the screen or whatever you like. There ya go.

We should not have to “compromise” and go into windowed mode. The game’s camera should be calibrated correctly for fullscreen.

Just did that large event in Mount Maelstrom, boss fight with FANTASTIC FoV and Camera Distance. God it was 20 minutes of heaven. My eyes could breath! And I could see the huge beautiful volcano I was in.

Then of course afterwards, stuffed back down into my Asura Clown Car point of view… why Anet?

PeteyPen.7136:

Here’s a solution. If you’re tired of focusing on the ground then try focusing on the sky. Hopefully they’ll be working on a fix while your head is in the clouds. Glad I could help.

Trying to look at the sky usually involves me giving my char a colonoscopy.

Lithos.9560:

We should not have to “compromise” and go into windowed mode. The game’s camera should be calibrated correctly for fullscreen.

Agree. I purchased a large monitor for a reason.

Lithos.9560:

We should not have to “compromise” and go into windowed mode. The game’s camera should be calibrated correctly for fullscreen.

Yes you should, yes you should. Or you can wait for eternity. Your choice.

Villious.8530:

Lithos.9560:

We should not have to “compromise” and go into windowed mode. The game’s camera should be calibrated correctly for fullscreen.

Agree. I purchased a large monitor for a reason.

EXACTLY! You make an excellent point there, because of the horrible camera our expensive computer peripherals are going to waste! Yet another reason Arena Net need to stop doing nothing and work on the camera.

they are looking at it, the answered this on the live panel the other day, and they need to find out if there is actually bugs with the widescreen calculations before starting to add/tweak stuff, if we dont get some response on that in a few weeks, then we can bring the issue up again , but its been answered posted the link to the transcript here on this thread a few posts above this one

Well, hopefully they can fix this soon

Lithos.9560:

Well, hopefully they can fix this soon

I think they can easily fix the problem, they just don’t want to.

They are looking at it but they are looking for a bug.
I really don’t think it’s a bug. It was done by design.

GW1 was also very focused on the floor. So much that most skies didn’t even have zenith. There were clouds on the horizon and that’s it, because we couldn’t look above in 3rd person anyway.

In GW1 though we could zoom out much further. And we had 1st person view to help when we were stuck in such place where we couldn’t see anything else than the back of our head.

I don’t know if Arena Net is working on this now, or they refuse to fix it and allow their game to cause people nausea, and make them stare at the floor…

i cant find it now, but i know for a fact that someone did the calculations and tests and found out that the game IS having some sort of wrong calculation for widescreen rendering resulting in a much narrower field of view than for 4.:3 monitors , so there is something funky about it though i admit i dont understand it all very well

Luigio.3265:

i cant find it now, but i know for a fact that someone did the calculations and tests and found out that the game IS having some sort of wrong calculation for widescreen rendering resulting in a much narrower field of view than for 4.:3 monitors , so there is something funky about it though i admit i dont understand it all very well

True, but that bug lowers the fov to 65, if they fix the bug it would only increase the fov by 10 degrees, hardly praiseworthy.

+1 for adding a FOV slider, or some way to configure this.

I play on a 30" monitor (I know, first world problems), which really exaggerates the tunnel-vision effect from the narrow FOV. I literally can’t play for more than an hour at a time without starting to feel dizzy/sick. I end up tabbing out and surfing the web throughout my play session to give my eyes a break. I have never, in nearly 20 years of playing countless 3D titles, ever had this happen to me in another game.

I’m all for you guys standing by your artistic vision, especially when you’ve obviously put so much effort into creating a beautiful world, but something’s got to give. I know I’m in the minority, but I’m guessing that making your customers physically ill wasn’t on the list of things you set out to accomplish with this otherwise fantastic game.

The problem has been acknowledged and that’s the first important step toward any resolution. (Did you see what I did there? skitten) Cause for optimism: +1

Edit: Wait, why did ‘* s_n_i_g_g_e_r *’ fall prey to the profanity filter?! Oh, I see. Good lord. Lucky that my name isn’t kitteninson, eh.

Edit: D_i_c_kinson. Oh dear.