First you turn off mouse acceleration, make sure you have a somewhat decent mouse with a high pull rate and laser (use a ball and i'll hunt you down! :P) use a reletively low DPI, I personally prefer 1600 (from my love the diamond back) It's easier to adjust your mouse sense up in the game from a low DPI, then having to adjust down from a high DPI.
Second don't be afraid of using your entire mouse pad/mat get a feel for when you're near the edge and don't list before in combat, also it helps to practice to make swift (twitch) movement to make a 180 degree turn, knowing how fast and how far you have to move to make that is a good start.
Also can I just take the time now to say that it would help a ton if you where actually able to write a sense number in NS2 ? and not just have the console'ish slider for sense ? this is a pc game after all.(it might be in the game, i'm just to dumb to not figure out it has another name then in cs :P)
Another thing I found semi useful, is when playing skulks, try and mimic the movements you have troubles with when you're marine, it gives a good feel and idea how the alien can move during the part where you have troubles with them, so you can better predict and track them later.
i.e. Adjust your crosshair in relation to your strafing.
Don't try and counteract your movement with your aim because you'll just under/over shoot. Instead utilise the movement as part of your aiming style. Be lazy with your crosshair.
Use whatever mouse you feel comfortable with - if the mouse feels awkward to you, it will affect your aim.
Take a look at the Ratpadz mouse pads - I wouldn't go back to anything else.
I prefer a high sensitivity level with a heavy mouse (currently use a G9 with all the weights)
This is mostly for movement and 180 degree flicks rather than actual aim - this will take some practice as you dont want skulks or marines getting in behind you. I'm all wrist and fingers with very little to no arm movement
Now I come from the world of competitive quake 3 which is quite a bit faster than ns2, so everything is a little slower and easier to hit.
Aiming to me is a bit more about 'feel' than a science. Try and avoid drastic changes to your settings unless you're really bad, subtle changes is the way to go.
Another thing you can figure out is if you're playing against the same person - you can learn their behaviors (ie. Player A has a tendency to always jump to the left, player B jukes twice to the left and rushes right, etc) just like poker tells. Having good player prediction has a huge impact on your aim and your overall KDR (if youre into that)
And always remember "DON'T PANIC" - just relax and overtime it will slow down and get easier and your aim will improve. Jumping around and spinning around aimlessly only makes you an easy snack.
There are 3 things that are totaly a musthave to aim well or better:
1. a good chair - sit straight
2. a good mouse mx518/G500/DeathAdder/Zowie EC it must be OPTICAL and needs a refreshrate of 500 HZ atleast.
3. positioning of ur mousepad till it feels good - if it doesnt feel good for you its the wrong position or maybe the wrong pad at all
and theres another point but doesnt work for everybody - the sensitivity! actually mine changed to rare input and the lowest amount the gameoptions does offer (1.0)- while the DA is running on a 1800 DPI @ 1000 HZ refreshrate.
also adjusting the FOV and maybe changing to the lefthand option (atleast for other games as long as NS2 does not have the option for) can help alot .
I read an article recently that I can't find now, but it gave a really useful suggestion. To figure out what sensitivity you should use, practice aiming at a still object and strafing. This can be a corner, or a far away object. I just used the little display on an Extractor from far away to practice this. You want to strafe while aiming at the target. If you have a hard time staying in target, then adjust your sensitivity until it feels comfortable. Then try playing a game with that and see how it works out.
And the last thing I want to mention is that once you pick a sensitivity you need to stick with it. In the end, it's what you're comfortable with and what you get used to. Switching sensitivity forces you to relearn how to aim every time you do it.
Play with game sound off. Just like in CS no sound allows you to practice the focus on the visual parts of the game that is not possible with sound on. Not only does this improve reaction time and visual identification but also your ability to place and track targets. In the cal days for CS it was good to do this once a week.
For those that never have try it out for a day. Your mind is forced to focus only on visual information to survive and so your able to train your eyes and coordination much more effectively.
Everyone here has left solid advice, so I'll just leave mine and maybe it will support others, as I am too lazy to read it all.
Things that I find helpful:
o Small Crosshairs
o Knowing your enemy
o Adjust your sensitivity so you can track targets with "natural mouse speed." For example I used to set up my sensitivity so I could hold my crosshair steady on a corner as I strafed. Though that was for Counterstrike mainly the same approach can be used for skulks. Obviously the distance you set it at is key. I would adjust for something like 10meters or less.
o Plotting Trajectories - This works incredibly well with shotguns as you can let them blink/leap and their location in time can be predictied with some accuracy. Shotgun timing is something you can become comfortable with as well to really nail it home.
After that its all practice practice practice. Muscle memory is amazing.
Regarding mouses, the G500 is a very bad idea, it's a fantastic mouse for everything, but not at all for gaming. The sensor is not centered, but the worst is: it has hardware mouse acceleration that you can't disable. Logitech knows the problem but can't (or didn't and probably never will) fix it.
I've read about this hardware acceleration flaw but I tested it like 50 times or so and I can't seem to make that happen. I love me G500 and I can assure you that the one I have does not have this problem. I only got this mouse 6 weeks ago or so so it might be a new version (new hardware/firmware?).
And that the sensor is more to the top position of the mouse... well can't say I have a lot of trouble with that but I suppose some people could.
When my aim sucks, I just go play a few rounds of something that is more movement and aim intensive (zdaemon, quake live, etc).
Then I come back to NS2 and I feel like the game is in slow motion, so targeting/tracking becomes a lot easier.
Been a gamer for years but I'm still horrible at them in general! I consistently have aweful k:d ratios in NS2 games even though I feel like I help the team more than the average joe (though I admit I kamikaze into hives just to see what's going on quite frequently).
i can track aliens with my croshair well, but the problem is where you see them is not where they are.. this is most noticeable against lerks. i need tips on that more then anything else
I feel like there's something odd too, Drowningw. Not in a bad way, just that I can't figure it out. I'll target a Lerk and fire with the crosshair on it and miss but I also seem to miss when I lead the shot. I have better results just avoiding them. lol
I feel like there's something odd too, Drowningw. Not in a bad way, just that I can't figure it out. I'll target a Lerk and fire with the crosshair on it and miss but I also seem to miss when I lead the shot. I have better results just avoiding them. lol
yeah, i can kill a fade easier then a lerk for some reason.
Regarding mouses, the G500 is a very bad idea, it's a fantastic mouse for everything, but not at all for gaming. The sensor is not centered, but the worst is: it has hardware mouse acceleration that you can't disable. Logitech knows the problem but can't (or didn't and probably never will) fix it.
I've read about this hardware acceleration flaw but I tested it like 50 times or so and I can't seem to make that happen. I love me G500 and I can assure you that the one I have does not have this problem. I only got this mouse 6 weeks ago or so so it might be a new version (new hardware/firmware?).
Some people can't notice the acceleration too, regarding a new model of the mouse, I have no idea. But the old topic on Logitech's forums have no update, I also asked to the support of Logitech weeks ago if it was planned, and it was not
I feel like there's something odd too, Drowningw. Not in a bad way, just that I can't figure it out. I'll target a Lerk and fire with the crosshair on it and miss but I also seem to miss when I lead the shot. I have better results just avoiding them. lol
Can your repro those hitreg issues in a video? I've tried this many times (each new build) and so far I've found the game to be completely pixel perfect with the hitreg, when I examine the frames when I shoot. Especially now that the jittery animations have been fixed. Literally 1 pixel outside the model outline is a miss and one pixel on the inside of the model is a hit.
Or are you talking about being hit around corners? That is not hitreg, that's lag compensation at work
I am by no means good, but my kill/death ratio has improved a LOT just following these few tips.
-- Stick together.
It is highly unlikely you will be able to take on two skulks by your self (or even one)
-- Leading the shot
Shoot in front and leading the target, try predict the aliens movement.
This is particularly important with shotguns.
-- Keep distance from other Marines.
Don't bunch up, stay a few feet away.
Most alien attacks are close range, and once a skulk is on you it is really tough to hit them.
So keep your distance from other marines and shoot at the skulk attacking that marine.
Hopefully other marines will do the same for you.
-- Keep distance from Skulks.
You are in trouble once the skulk is upon you.
Long lines of site, the further away you can see the skulk the more shots you can get before he gets close.
-- Reloads
Keep your weapon reloaded but time your reloads well
Reloading while a skulk is on you means you are dead
-- Onos/Fade Kills
A good Onos/Fade player will run in reek havoc and then run out to get healed.
Keeping a full clip and staying near his retreating point means you can often run them down as they try retreat to get healed.
Many people will also aim for the Gorge that is often following to heal.
Comments
wut
Second don't be afraid of using your entire mouse pad/mat get a feel for when you're near the edge and don't list before in combat, also it helps to practice to make swift (twitch) movement to make a 180 degree turn, knowing how fast and how far you have to move to make that is a good start.
Also can I just take the time now to say that it would help a ton if you where actually able to write a sense number in NS2 ? and not just have the console'ish slider for sense ? this is a pc game after all.(it might be in the game, i'm just to dumb to not figure out it has another name then in cs :P)
Another thing I found semi useful, is when playing skulks, try and mimic the movements you have troubles with when you're marine, it gives a good feel and idea how the alien can move during the part where you have troubles with them, so you can better predict and track them later.
i.e. Adjust your crosshair in relation to your strafing.
Don't try and counteract your movement with your aim because you'll just under/over shoot. Instead utilise the movement as part of your aiming style. Be lazy with your crosshair.
Be a lazy aiming dude.
Take a look at the Ratpadz mouse pads - I wouldn't go back to anything else.
I prefer a high sensitivity level with a heavy mouse (currently use a G9 with all the weights)
This is mostly for movement and 180 degree flicks rather than actual aim - this will take some practice as you dont want skulks or marines getting in behind you. I'm all wrist and fingers with very little to no arm movement
Now I come from the world of competitive quake 3 which is quite a bit faster than ns2, so everything is a little slower and easier to hit.
Aiming to me is a bit more about 'feel' than a science. Try and avoid drastic changes to your settings unless you're really bad, subtle changes is the way to go.
Another thing you can figure out is if you're playing against the same person - you can learn their behaviors (ie. Player A has a tendency to always jump to the left, player B jukes twice to the left and rushes right, etc) just like poker tells. Having good player prediction has a huge impact on your aim and your overall KDR (if youre into that)
And always remember "DON'T PANIC" - just relax and overtime it will slow down and get easier and your aim will improve. Jumping around and spinning around aimlessly only makes you an easy snack.
1. a good chair - sit straight
2. a good mouse mx518/G500/DeathAdder/Zowie EC it must be OPTICAL and needs a refreshrate of 500 HZ atleast.
3. positioning of ur mousepad till it feels good - if it doesnt feel good for you its the wrong position or maybe the wrong pad at all
and theres another point but doesnt work for everybody - the sensitivity! actually mine changed to rare input and the lowest amount the gameoptions does offer (1.0)- while the DA is running on a 1800 DPI @ 1000 HZ refreshrate.
also adjusting the FOV and maybe changing to the lefthand option (atleast for other games as long as NS2 does not have the option for) can help alot .
And the last thing I want to mention is that once you pick a sensitivity you need to stick with it. In the end, it's what you're comfortable with and what you get used to. Switching sensitivity forces you to relearn how to aim every time you do it.
Sometimes, it's even pray and pray for me ;-)
For those that never have try it out for a day. Your mind is forced to focus only on visual information to survive and so your able to train your eyes and coordination much more effectively.
Things that I find helpful:
o Small Crosshairs
o Knowing your enemy
o Adjust your sensitivity so you can track targets with "natural mouse speed." For example I used to set up my sensitivity so I could hold my crosshair steady on a corner as I strafed. Though that was for Counterstrike mainly the same approach can be used for skulks. Obviously the distance you set it at is key. I would adjust for something like 10meters or less.
o Plotting Trajectories - This works incredibly well with shotguns as you can let them blink/leap and their location in time can be predictied with some accuracy. Shotgun timing is something you can become comfortable with as well to really nail it home.
After that its all practice practice practice. Muscle memory is amazing.
I've read about this hardware acceleration flaw but I tested it like 50 times or so and I can't seem to make that happen. I love me G500 and I can assure you that the one I have does not have this problem. I only got this mouse 6 weeks ago or so so it might be a new version (new hardware/firmware?).
And that the sensor is more to the top position of the mouse... well can't say I have a lot of trouble with that but I suppose some people could.
Set resolution to 640x320
Then I come back to NS2 and I feel like the game is in slow motion, so targeting/tracking becomes a lot easier.
-scheherazade
yeah, i can kill a fade easier then a lerk for some reason.
Can your repro those hitreg issues in a video? I've tried this many times (each new build) and so far I've found the game to be completely pixel perfect with the hitreg, when I examine the frames when I shoot. Especially now that the jittery animations have been fixed. Literally 1 pixel outside the model outline is a miss and one pixel on the inside of the model is a hit.
Or are you talking about being hit around corners? That is not hitreg, that's lag compensation at work
I am by no means good, but my kill/death ratio has improved a LOT just following these few tips.
-- Stick together.
It is highly unlikely you will be able to take on two skulks by your self (or even one)
-- Leading the shot
Shoot in front and leading the target, try predict the aliens movement.
This is particularly important with shotguns.
-- Keep distance from other Marines.
Don't bunch up, stay a few feet away.
Most alien attacks are close range, and once a skulk is on you it is really tough to hit them.
So keep your distance from other marines and shoot at the skulk attacking that marine.
Hopefully other marines will do the same for you.
-- Keep distance from Skulks.
You are in trouble once the skulk is upon you.
Long lines of site, the further away you can see the skulk the more shots you can get before he gets close.
-- Reloads
Keep your weapon reloaded but time your reloads well
Reloading while a skulk is on you means you are dead
-- Onos/Fade Kills
A good Onos/Fade player will run in reek havoc and then run out to get healed.
Keeping a full clip and staying near his retreating point means you can often run them down as they try retreat to get healed.
Many people will also aim for the Gorge that is often following to heal.