Aiming by Sock

Firstly, there is no magic sensitivity: there is no setting that will instantly turn you into a gaming god. Secondly, the most important thing is consistency: changing settings, tweaking things, is all fine and well for the first few weeks you play a game, but after this time you should really settle into a sensitivity you feel comfortable with; this is not to say that you shouldn't ever change, just don't try to switch from high sens to low sens if you're performing well.

The most important divide between sensitivity is that of high and low: a low sens gamer most likely uses his whole arm to move; a high sens gamer uses his wrist. Low sensitivity gives a greater “buffer zone” for mousing errors, that is when you move your mouse in the wrong direction, it does not go as far off course as it would were you using high sensitivity; the benefit of this can be found in games which require, above all, tracking: such games include RTCW, Quake (Lightning gun, machine gun, plasma gun), although it is far more noticeable in the slower paced rtcw, some advantage is stilll to be gained in quake.

High sensers, as stated, use their wrists to aim: they rarely lift their arms off the surface, unless very large movements are needed. This type of aiming is most beneficial when you are faced with landing 1 shot, (railgun, rocket launcher, shotgun, Counterstrike(?) ). This may seem strange, that a high sensitivity would help you in counterstrike, however, it is true: there is a large downside however, in that it takes a much greater time to become accustomed too; with a low sensitivity one can gain proficiency in weeks, however with high sensitivity, map knowledge and movement become far more important. To aim with high sensitivity, many strafe with the opponent, matching them in their movement, thus negating the need to move their mouse at all. As stated regarding low sensitivity, it is much easier to misfire with high sensitivity, hence the longer learning period, however your reaction times will improve: with low sensitivity, your reactions are nerfed in that there is a limit to how fast you can move your mouse; with high sensitivity the opposite is true, your reactions may cause you to move your mouse too fast (being jumpy with high sensitivity is not a good idea).

Now, to decide one which style you should use, you must consider the game you are playing, how long you intend to play, what you personally feel comfortable with, what your hardware willl allow. If you are playing, for instance, a game such as Enemy territory, it would be wise to use a low sensitivity: the enhanced tracking abilities will aid you greatly, and you will improve at a faster rate. With a game such as Quake, the decision is a lot more difficult: the benefits are almost equal between both styles. Although most counterstrike players use a low sensitivity, i would recommend playing with a higher sensitivity: your wrist movements are a lot more accurate than your arm, and your reaction times will be improved, both essential parts of aiming in counterstrike.

Once you've chosen your style, try to become accustomed to it: run around maps, try trickjumping, but most importantly PLAY, play the game that you want to become good at; public servers are fine, but if you want to be a good clan player, then clan wars are where you should be. Many players simply think practise is “practise”, but that is not true; practise is only practise if it's the right kind of practise. If you want to become the best dueler in quake, you need to play duels, and lots of them, against players better than yourself: raping noob ffa servers will get you nowhere. This may seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how many people get stuck playing a game type that isn't related to what they want to become good at. Try to put yourself in difficult situations aswell, in counterstrike, if you want to merely improve your aim, put yourself in positions in which you are disadvantaged against a better player: if you find yourself camping, rush, try to rely soley on your aim, it willl improve with time. Of course, you should also pay attention to the other factors of your game: map knowledge, movement and patience are gaming virtues in themselves.


Written by Sockeh friday 20th januari 2006
© Peon Productions


Found it on my HD, he prolly never finished that guide so I took out the only part he did finish.