Paul Jeffrey
Premium
Sector3 Studios have previewed a new Depth of Field (DOF) effect due to be added to RaceRoom Racing Experience in the upcoming new patch, showing off a surprisingly effective visual enhancement to the title.
Depth of Field is nothing new to racing games, however this particular post processing effect has been missing from Sector3's flagship title until now, and as the preview images show, its inclusion has a devastatingly positive effect on the game visuals. According to Wikipedia, Depth of Field is described as "the distance between the nearest and farthest objects in a scene that appear acceptably sharp in an image. Although a lens can precisely focus at only one distance at a time, the decrease in sharpness is gradual on each side of the focused distance, so that within the DOF, the unsharpness is imperceptible under normal viewing conditions". The idea behind the effect is to simulate the way real trackside cameras focus on objects and vehicles out on track.
The new feature due to be added to RaceRoom greatly enhances the realism of replays within the game, and should prove a hit with those of us keen on creating own on screenshots of the cars in action throughout the game.
Sector3 have confirmed DOF will also be available in Free Camera mode (although players will have the option to disable the feature if they so desire). When enabled, players have the ability to enable "Manual DOF Mode" using a pre mapped button, giving the ability to adjust the DOF width, position and blur intensity using a mix of both the mouse buttons and scroll wheel.
Understandably DOF settings will not apply in cockpit view.
The latest update is still in under testing and development, with no confirmed release date other than the customary "soon".
RaceRoom Racing Experience is available to download on Steam for free, with a small selection of cars and tracks available at no charge. Additional cars and tracks can be purchased via the in game RaceRoom store.
Check out the RaceRoom Racing Experience sub forum here at RaceDepartment. We have the latest news, community discussions, useful mods, custom setups and of course, our excellent Racing Club. Head over today to see what all the fuss is about...
Do you like the new DOF setting in the above images? What do you think of the graphics in R3E? How does the game stack up visually to its sim rivals? Let us know in the comments section below!
