The game: SIMSpace v8.0 - a star trek style starship flight sim
So I'm drawing the bridge interior in 3D, with floor, ceiling, left and right walls. the view screen fills the front wall. the camera is located near the back of the bridge looking at the screen. 4 Control stations are arrayed across the bridge close to the main screen.
I'm shooting for the top 2/3rds of the screen is the viewscreen, and the bottom 1/3rd is the displays for the control stations, that the player can click on. Gameplay is similar to a sub sim like silent hunter.
I've adjusted everything so it looks ok, but the bottom inch of the screen is wasted real estate. all it shows is the floor and the pedestals that support the control consoles.
Should I leave it like that with the 3D rendered look, but wasted screen space, or should I adjust it so the bottom 1/3rd is the displays and the top 2/3rds is the main screen, and lose the 3D detail below the displays? Bigger displays could be easier to read, could display more info, and could allow for bigger buttons that are easier to click on in the heat of battle.
So its sort of an eye candy vs functionality issue.
A big view screen is highly desirable, so cutting it size to just half the height of the screen is not a very desirable option.