How To Use The Mouse To The Best Of Your Ability (a.k.a. How To Be A Better 'First Person Shooter') [Text-Only]

[Text-Only - This Post is Text-Only Mode, for now. I may return to this posting and add Screenshots or Images at a later time.]

I was browsing around in the Steam Forums [forii?], where I like to try and answer Technical Questions and give Suggestions about Gameplay and Tips - and I recently answered a query someone had about using the Mouse in Fallout 4 (arguably a 'Shooter' game for the most part) and how it seemed difficult for them to aim in the game (it is possible to utilize an Automated Aiming capability called V.A.T.S., in Fallout 4 - but the game can also be played 'in real time' without it, playing as a First Person Shooter would be played, similar to games like Overwatch, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Battlefield, and more).

So, I answered with a somewhat-lengthy reply, trying to be helpful and informative, letting them know where to do things like change the Settings of the Mouse and the Sensitivity; really trying to show them that there needs to be a 'personalization' of the Mouse Settings, if they wanted to utilize the Mouse, as a gaming tool, to the best of their ability (to "let your ability shine through the Mouse" as it were).

I thought it might be nice to share my answer here too, then - to share with others that may be wondering things like:

"Why am I having so much trouble aiming/killing in <game name>?"

"Why does it seem so hard to kill people <in a Multiplayer game>?"

"How can I improve my gameplay in Multiplayer/Player-Versus-Player?"

...and similar questions.

Thus, here was my reply in the Forum... Perhaps it can be of some use to you:

-----

If I may pop in, as a 'First Person Shooter' since Wolfenstein 3D (1992), and having won some Local Tournaments in the past (UT99 and Quake III Arena); you really need to find your own personal 'mouse sensitivity'…

(I used to do 180's while running to 'check my six' or headshot the player behind me - which they didn't like of course, heh)

Note that this must be adjusted for every new mouse and potentially every new game. This is the only way to truly have a movement and reaction time/rate in the game that you personally feel comfortable with.

There are a few places you must adjust it:

- in Windows (Settings>Devices>Mouse [for Windows 10])

- in Mouse Software (that disc that comes with the Mouse that everyone ignores, or the manufacturer’s Drivers and associated 'Software Configurator' of some type for the mouse from their website), where you can also Keybind different keys or combinations to your Mouse, if it can do so, and set DPI gradations/steps.

- in the Game (Options or Settings)

Again, I cannot helpfully stress this enough; try to do this for each and every game you play – it is amazing in how it can personalize your comfortable movement/scan/hit rate.

It is really possible to 'hit anything' in a game, if you make your own personalized changes to all of the above.

Some people like to move their mouse a lot, slowing down the movement into smaller gradations for sniping and tight movements.

Some people like to move their mouse very little, using mostly their fingers and hardly turning their wrist (these types usually switch DPI settings as-they-move, for sniping and tighter movements).

Both are arguable for usage and both can utilize the DPI settings/changes possible on modern mice.

You must find your own movement type and movement rate, set by those three locations previously stated.

Once you set the mouse how you like it - whether you switch DPI settings on-the-fly (to make your character scan slower or faster, switching between scoped and non-scoped, for example) or whether you keep one DPI setting and alter how fast you move the mouse – you will find that you can aim/scan/hit a lot better (and also not get tired as fast).

Tip: Don’t forget to turn off any Mouse Acceleration (The kind that moves your mouse pointer farther on the screen if you move the same amount of space on your desk, only faster)… This only adds to the difficulty in scanning/aiming and makes it harder to build up muscle memory for your mouse (such as, "I move my mouse this far, and my view onscreen moves this far").

The only recourse, other than doing the above and taking all of the above steps, is V.A.T.S….(at least, to be totally comfortable and 'reach your full potential' with the Mouse (wow this is starting to sound like an Infomercial, sorry about that haha))

But, try to have fun exploring it – find “You” in your mouse movements – and have fun learning how “You” play!

-----

Note, Dear Reader, that I am not trying to 'be pompous' or 'brag' here, with this posting... I merely stated my 'qualifications' at the beginning, to show that I learned a lot over time and that I had personally found some effective ways to improve playing, with the Mouse (especially in the past). 

I do not wish to sound like to 'know everything' as well - and indeed can learn more - I just wanted to share what I did learn over time and hope that this might help others out, too. If you are an experienced FPS player ('First Person Shooter gamer'), then you no doubt already know most of these concepts (or have figured them out on your own). 

I should state that I am also nowhere near as good as I once was [being 40 now, alas, age occurs to all..]. Where I once could out-shoot almost anyone, regularly doing 180s-to-instant-headshots (as stated previously), I now regularly get my butt handed to me in games like Overwatch, CS:GO and the Battlefield series of games [although I can still get Top Spot on The Board at times! heh]. 

Still, I wanted to try to help others... and I hope that this posting helps anyone improve their mousing (and killing/winning), if that is what they desire to do. 

I always like helping others and teaching others what I can... "The wiser mind mourns less for what age takes away than what it leaves behind." ~ William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

SYITG

Fallout 4 - Things The Game Doesn't Tell You Or Explain To New Players Very Well (in Point Form) [UNDER CONSTRUCTION / LIVE UPDATES]

[Note.: This post is 'LIVE' and 'UNDER CONSTRUCTION', as I continue to add more data and Tips and Example Screenshots to it eventually... I decided to make it available now however, to assist those playing Fallout 4; especially those just starting out - seeing as there was a Steam Sale on (Welcome New Players, heh). I will be adding more Text and Tips and Screenshots and More and this post cannot be considered 'finalized' until after I add a 'Final Footer Image' to the posting (see some of my other posts for examples of this type of 'end image' I put in my posts). Please excuse changes as they occur and temporary mistakes and spelling errors, which may show up should you return to this article while it is under development. Enjoy, however - I hope you find something helpful to you - and have fun in Fallout 4!]

At the 3000 Hours Played mark now, I'm having a ton of fun playing Fallout 4 [as I always say, 'spending too much time Working On Settlements and ignoring the Main Storyline'] - but I wanted to share a bunch of things that I had to 'figure out on my own' in the game, or that I saw others had to (in forums, etc)... There is a kind of Tutorial in the first town/area in the game, and when you first start out some things are explained, and when some things are 'unlocked', but not much is explained in detail after that (there are some Instruction Screens the first time you Lockpick or Hack A Terminal). Below then, are a handful of concepts, in point form, that I wanted to share; especially for New Players, that the game doesn't quite cover (or 'cover enough'):

• If it says "You lack the requirements to create this item" ... and you have the requirements and Perks listed... there can actually be more Component requirements (build materials needed), you have to SCROLL DOWN on the Requirements List (labelled "Requires") to see them - for example, on the PC you can place your Mouse Cursor over the item requirements listing and Scroll the Mouse Wheel, to reveal the other Required Materials that are not showing. It should show a downward-facing chevron (looks like << ) to show that there are more of the list to see

• How to Holster your Weapon: Hold R for a moment (on PC, by Default); the same key as you have set for Reload (The game walks you through Aiming and Reloading, but does not seem to cover Holstering)

• Weapons do not need to be Repaired in Fallout 4, but Power Armor can be damaged and need Repairing at a Power Armor Station, which can be found in Towns and Settlements, and can be Crafted in Workshop Mode as well (they require two Perks/Skills; Armorer (Rank 1) and Local Leader (Rank 2))

• How to use the VANS Perk so that it shows the 'Trail to Follow': (See my article on V.A.N.S. ... hold Q for a bit, then put away Pip-Boy right away with TAB and the 'smoke trail to follow' should be left behind)

• You can adjust the Difficulty at any time in the game, even if it is just temporarily (such as if you are ill and can't fight as well for a while). To change your Difficulty, bring up the Menu while playing (Escape on the PC), then go into the Settings, then into the Gameplay category, changing the Difficulty in there, from Very Easy all the way to Survival Mode (where you have to Sleep, Eat and Drink to stay alive and everything is ultra-hard to kill!). The chance for Legendary Items (and the Legendary Enemies that carry them) increases with the Difficulty - but you can also increase the chance of Legendaries by simply going further South and East, increasing the Difficulty of the Area/Mobs/etc - be careful!

• If you TRADE with Dogmeat he can carry Items like all other Companions can (he can also wear Dog Apparel, such as Dog Armor or Dog Collars, if they are found in The Wasteland)

• You can increase how much Robot Companions can Carry, depending on what parts you build them with (need Automatron DLC to build a Robot that can be your Companion [to 'accompany you on your Travels']), watch the "Carry Weight" Amount as you choose parts and put your Automatron together

• It is "ok" to Drink 'the regular Water that is everywhere', it will still heal you a little; it is just Irradiated and causes some Radiation Exposure. If you are playing Survival Mode and have a container such as an Empty Bottle or Milk Bottle, you can also fill these containers at Streams or other bodies of water, to Drink or Cook with

Don't totally ignore Cooking (although you totally can, if you want to). Cooking various icky parts and gooey bits that you find in The Commonwealth not only heals you, most of the Recipes also give you 'Buffs' - temporary increases in various Stats - and things like Breathing Underwater or the ability to Carry More... Cook All The Things!

• The RED Bar in your Health Bar (that is normally GREEN) is the level of Radiation you have acquired. It 'takes up space' in your Health Bar, because you cannot be "100% healthy" with Radiation Exposure, just like IRL, actually (in-game Radiation must be removed with RadAway or by a Doctor at a Clinic (who takes it away for a small fee))

• The Water Pumps that are built at Settlements give 'Pure Water' from underground (it counts as "Purified Water" as it comes from underground where it has been protected/filtered from radiation by the land/ground, similar to how it would be IRL). The Water Pumps can be drunk from directly (like a Water Fountain) or the water can be bottled to drink later (if carrying empty bottles/etc) if you are playing in Survival Mode; you don't have to go all the way back to The Vault to get "Pure Water" [something I was doing in Survival Mode all the time - if you didn't know this, you can always run/travel back to Vault 111 to get "pure water" from the fountains there - I was filling my Bottles there in Survival Mode, heh]

• To Build in a Settlement, go up to the Workshop Bench (always 'mostly red' colour, with 'tools' on it and usually located somewhat Centrally in the Settlement) and Activate/Use it. If you are "Allied with the Settlement" (helping them out or have already helped them out by Completing a Mission for them, sometimes it requires killing all enemies nearby) it will open Workshop Mode, allowing you to Build in the Settlement area

• To Scrap in Workshop Mode (to 'break down an item/weapons/armor into Components you can use for Building Materials), look at it (drop it on the ground if you are carrying it) and hit SCRAP. Walk around a Settlement as soon as you can utilize Workshop Mode, looking for anything that you can Scrap in the area, for use as building materials. The items you Scrap all get 'broken down' into Components, which are the building materials themselves, the 'things you construct other things with' - everything being stored in the Workshop Bench itself as Inventory

You do not have to Scrap everything 'manually'/'one at a time'. Just STORE or put Junk Items in the Workshop Inventory ('trading with the Workshop Bench', called "Transfer") and when you want to Build something, the Workbench calculates if you have enough Junk Items to break down into enough Components to build with. It will show what you want to build as GREEN if you have enough estimated building materials to construct the thing you are trying to build. (You may also need certain Perks to build some things, watch the Requirements list)

• People can 'steal' your Power Armor... Raiders can Steal your Power Armor if they come across it in The Wasteland, for example. Settlers can even take Weapons out of nearby Crates/Containers to use, when attacked. To avoid losing your Power Armor, take out the Fusion Core from the Power Armor ("Transfer") when leaving it, so that it cannot be used by anyone else (it is like 'taking the keys out of your vehicle') [NPCs don't seem to carry/use Fusion Cores on the Armor]. However there have been stories of cases where Settlers will take a Fusion Core out of a container in a Settlement and throw it in a nearby Power Armor Suit and run off with it to Defend the Settlement! Crazy. Although most of the time, the Settler will simply 'get out' of your Power Armor after the Settlement is Defended - still, take out Fusion Cores from your Power Armor when you leave it, so that noone (for the most part) can take your Power Armor and you can always find it where you left it.

• If Items and Containers around you are 'glowing green' or looking like they have 'pip-boy radar on them', this is a result of the Highlighting from the Scrapper Perk. Any items that you 'Tag for Searching' for (eg. when trying to Build something and you didn't have enough materials, you can "Tag the Components for Search") will have this GREEN highlighting when the Pip-Boy detects you are close to an Item in the world that is made up of that type of Component (eg. Steel or Plastic).
  To turn this 'containers glowing thing' OFF, open the Pip-Boy and go to the Junk page in the Inventory tab, and change to component view by clicking on the Component View button at the bottom ('C' on PC).
  Then in this view, go through the Component types and clear the Tag For Search by doing it again on the Component type.
  Then, your 'Highlighted view' from the Scrapper Perk is turned off and Items and Containers will not 'glow green' around you anymore

• Speaking of glowing green, unless you want your vision to be green-ish and REALLY BRIGHT every time you crouch (Sneak), don't get Night Person Rank 2 (Perk). Although the Perk does state that you'll get "Night Vision when you Sneak", unless you really want to be able to see really well (and slightly green-ish) in the dark or when you Sneak, hold off on Rank 2, or watch some videos on it first, to see what it looks like. [To some, the Bonuses are worth it - and they don't mind the way it looks - but personally, I did not like how the Night Vision worked/looked - it 'spoiled' the darkness and tension of nighttime in the game for me, on that character; and since Rank 2 of the Perk and the Vision are tied together (you cannot have one without the other), I personally avoid Rank 2 of the Perk, for now]

• If you Exit the game (in any way except using ALT+F4), the game will Save your progress as an "Exit Save". Then, when you start up the game again and Load the Exit Save, it will [should] Delete that Savegame. Note that if you try to Exit the game with the Pip-Boy up, the game cannot Save your progress when you Exit to the Main Menu or the Desktop (be careful in Survival Mode!)

• Don't forget to periodically see what Upgrades you can perform on your Weapons (to do more Damage) and Armor (to withstand/absorb more Damage) at Weapons Workbenches and Armor Workbenches. Some Modifications require Perks to 'know how to do them'; check the Requirements as you go through your Weapons and Armor, to see what you need to make them better

Tip: If you are having trouble killing things, look for ways to improve your Weapons to do more Damage and your Armor to protect you from it - with Modifications at Armor and Weapon Workbenches! Also, the further South/East you go, the harder (higher level) enemies you will face. Tread slowly, go back over areas you have been, to see if anyone has 'moved in' and left items/money around. Stick to the 'NW' as long as you need to (especially in Survival Mode)...

Speaking of Killing Things, here is how to fully utilize the Suppressor (the Weapon Modification attachment that actually works really well in the game; but it is more 'realistic' than 'silent'...).

Note: Knowing how to attach a Suppressor to your Gun requires the skill/knowledge, represented by needed the "Gun Nut" Perk of different Ranks (needing Rank 2 for attaching a Suppressor to Pistols and needing Rank 4 for attaching a Suppressor to Rifles)


Here are some Tips for shooting enemies (even groups) with a Suppressor on your gun - and staying undetected (silent):

» Shoot from a distance
(the Suppressor reduces sound, but is not "Silent", just like IRL)

» Headshot for instant kills
(most of the time, aim manually to help this, as the chance to miss is always present in V.A.T.S. With good aiming, that single shot can always be spot-on)

» Stop attacking your enemies for a moment
(they will look around at first of course, but if you don't move and don't shoot, they will not know what the hell is going on and if you wait longer, they will eventually even stop looking "thinking it was the wind/rats/etc")

» Repeat, killing the second enemy, and so on...

Try to remember that if you shoot too frequently, they can hear the direction (suppressors aren't silent, just like IRL) or can see the puff of smoke or something, because they eventually figure out where you are BUT ONLY if you keep shooting when they are Cautious and looking for you. If you stop shooting when they are looking for the source of the sound/attack, you will be ok. Remember, "low and slow...".

• Weapon And Armor Attachments (Modifications made to Weapons and Armor at Workstations for each) can be taken off of Weapons and Armor you find and put on your own favourite pieces/items... As an example, take a 'Weapon you found on a Raider' to a Weapons Workbench and choose a lesser attachment/modification than what is present on the item. In this example, if you want a "Hardened Receiver" that is on a Weapon you found, choose one further 'up' the List of Modifications, such as a "Standard Receiver" and 'build' it on the Weapon you found; then you will be changing the Attachment and receive the "Hardened Receiver" Modification in the form of a small box 'kit' in your Inventory that you can then use on your own Weapon! Simply go back to your favourite gun at the same Weapons Workbench and see if you can put the new Weapon Mod ("the Hardened Receiver" with higher damage output) on your favourite gun

• If people around you are glowing (looking, for example, red or green) and look like they have 'lines through them' as well, you may have a helmet of Power Armor that has the "Targeting HUD (Heads-Up Display)" on it as an Attachment/Modification. This effect is visible even if it is only active on a Companion's Power Armor Helmet. Simply remove or change the Targeting HUD Modification of the Helmet at any Power Armor Station, to disable the effect.
  If people around you are glowing red or purple-ish colour (looking like 'smoke' or 'fog' around them), you may have eaten some Food or taken a Drug that has the "Detect Enemies" effect (eg. Berry Mentats). [It is similar to the "Detect Life" effect in Skyrim]
  It will cause anything living to have a red fog or smoke effect around them. This is to aid in your detecting enemies nearby (it even shows through walls). This red effect will go away after a time, on its' own.
  Note that if you have a Companion that has eaten Berry Mentats, or has the Targeting HUD Power Armor modification, this will affect you as well.

[......I am going to add to this post, as I remember things that I already have forgotten and can't seem to bring back up at the moment to throw in here; but I still hope someone finds these concepts and Tips helpful - especially new players to the game..... Have fun with Fallout 4!]

Fallout 4 - V.A.N.S... What Does It Do? Why Would Anyone Want To Take/Use It? [Explanation with Example]

I saw someone ask this in the Official Steam Forum, wondering why someone would even pick the VANS Perk (the Skill to use it) while levelling. I wanted to come back here and post, as a Quick Tip perhaps, a short explanation on what V.A.N.S. actually does (and how it can be helpful to players).

Briefly summarized, V.A.N.S. is a Perk of Intelligence (requiring only 1 INT to Unlock) that lets the V.A.T.S. interface 'show you the way' to your marked objective/quest/mission location. An example I recorded of how it looks, is below:

Recorded aboard The Prydwen, this is a short example of how VANS looks in Fallout 4.
(Reduced size, framerate and quality, to fit Upload requirements at Steam)
Click to see slightly larger Full Size

On Steam, at http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=966498722

To use V.A.N.S., simply hold the Hotkey for opening VATS for a short time (eg. on PC, instead of hitting 'Q' quickly once, to enter V.A.T.S., hold it down) - let go of the 'Q' key, after about two full seconds or so - even if the Pip-Boy has not fully opened yet. Then hit 'TAB' to close the Pip-Boy right away, once the 'green trail' is seen.
You do not need to move or turn at all, until after closing the Pip-Boy fully (for example, I do not use the mouse at all to use V.A.N.S., on PC, I just open the Pip-Boy with 'Q' and close the Pip-Boy with 'TAB').
[Perhaps this will help those having issues with opening/closing/viewing the 'trail'...]

If you've played Skyrim, it is similar to the Clairvoyance Spell in that game, as it will then illuminate a 'trail' that looks like a tube of smoke along the ground, that you can follow (but in Fallout 4 it is 'Pip-Boy Green', as opposed to 'SKYrim Blue').

While this doesn't seem needed as Fallout 4 has both Map Marks (on the Map in the Pip-Boy and at the bottom of the Screen in a Compass) and Floating Markers (that can be seen on Doors, above NPCs, etc). V.A.N.S. is helpful in a slightly different way. It shows you the 'Main Path to take' to get to your Marked Objective/Quest/Mission (as in, "go to this Street and use this Road").

For example, if you are jumping around in the back hills or lost in the skyscrapers of Downtown, it will guide you out of where you are with the 'green steam trail' and show you how to get back to the main roads, then it will illuminate which way to go from there, too.

The Map Markers that are normally available only show the 'overall' or 'general' Heading, like a Compass (N, E, W, S) and not 'how to go around this thing in front of you' or 'how to get back to the main road first'. Those last concepts are where the usefulness in V.A.N.S. shines; in how it can guide you from exactly where you are, first around whatever is in front of you (to the nearest main path), then how to go on from there to your next objective.

Try it out on your next Character perhaps - and have fun in Fallout 4!

Quick Tip: Fallout 4 - "Get Rid Of Someone You Don't Like" in Your Settlement (Without Killing Them or Using Cheats) [Suggestion, Text-Only Mode]

Just wanted to share something that came up, in answering a Question someone asked in the Official Steam Forum for Fallout 4 - in case anyone has a Settler in one of their bases that they really, really don't like...

A person asked in the Forum, how to 'get rid of' Jezebel', whom for those who do not know, is a Robo-Brain type automatron, from the Automatron Official DLC. Without getting into any Spoilers, I'll just say "she has an attitude"...

However, because she is a Resident of your Settlement, you cannot easily get rid of her, as attempting to just kill her will set all of the other Settlers gunning for your head in retaliation/defense.

Also, although she can be Assigned to the Task of, say running a Shop at the far end of Town and 'stay there', she is not of much use in that respect - because Robots cannot run Shops/Stores [sadly].

I thought of using her to start a Supply Line (so her Task/Job will take her out of town almost all of the time and you'll rarely ever have to see her) - and saw that another helpful Fallout 4 player thought of the same thing - and already posted it as a Reply in the Discussion...

Still, I could add (as a Tip perhaps); that you can 'send her away' even more so by first Moving her to a Settlement that you rarely go to (using the MOVE menu bar command, at the bottom of the Workshop Mode interface).

You could Move her to Oberon Station perhaps, or The Slog [those are where I normally send 'people I don't like' lol] - anywhere that you normally don't 'check up on' as much as you do your other Settlements...

Then, after that, Assign her to become a Provisioner and start up a Supply Line (using the SUPPLY LINE menu bar command, in Workshop Mode) between the starting place of where you sent her ("far away") and another place you rarely go to - that way, you will REALLY never have to see her again!

[Actually, you may still run into her, as you run into your Provisioners if you journey into the paths between the Settlements you have Supply Lines set up for - but still, if you pick two remote places that you don't really visit often as her Supply Line nodes (start and end points), then you'll really rarely ever bump into her]

Either way, I hope these ideas help any of you 'get rid of someone' you don't like, from a Settlement (and you don't want to kill them or use cheats/commands to do it). Have fun in Fallout 4!

MSI Afterburner and AMD Gaming Evolved (Powered by Raptr) - Working Together In A Tense Harmony [Tutorial Of A Workaround]

I have been using Raptr (the AMD-Sponsored version, called AMD Gaming Evolved) for a while off and on, more dedicatedly since December now and have been having a lot of fun with it. In this article, I'll show my 'Workaround' steps for getting MSI Afterburner and Raptr (G.E.) to work together. It's odd, but it's easy. Enjoy.

There are a bunch of reasons why gamers would want to run MSI Afterburner along with Raptr/GamingEvolved: the added Overclocking capability, Fan Control, Buffered Gameplay Recording, and more.

At first, I noticed that when trying to run MSI Afterburner, together with Raptr/GamingEvolved, they both just looked at each other and said, "Nuh-uh.." and walked away... sometimes taking the game with it. After looking it up online, it seems that many people have wanted this and had this problem. So, I took it upon myself to see if I could find a Solution (or at least a Workaround) for this odd interaction - and I did!

I share it with you now, my dear readers and fellow gamers, so that you can utilize the potential of these two programs together (and mention the steps for the workaround, in hopes that it will help the Developers of these useful applications possibly ease their mutual tension between them, in future updates, perhaps).

Short Version first (for the impatient or those that "just want to know c'mon", and those with ADHD - both parties of which I belong to myself), then a Long Version, explaining the steps further and possible reasons why this entire interaction may be occurring:

Short Version

• Run RAPTR_GE (set the Overlay for any corner but the Upper-Left)
• Run Game (wait a moment to let the Overlays for RAPTR_GE load, if Enabled)
• Run MSI_AB (which Defaults to using the Upper-Left for its Overlay)
• Sit With  Mouth Open For A Moment

Long Version

Here are the steps I found for getting Afterburner and Raptr working together in a tense harmony**, figured out after much testing of settings, and games, and reboots, and re-installations, and more...

Initially, I found it ran much better while running Bandicam (in the background, not 'doing anything' with it); but after updating all three programs and GPU drivers since beginning Testing, it seems that the extra step of running Bandicam (and having it just sit there) is not needed anymore. So, here are the 'New and Improved', simplified steps for getting these two useful programs to work together:

• Run AMD Gaming Evolved / Raptr and Login
• Make sure MSI Afterburner is not running
• Run your game
• Let AMD Gaming Evolved / Raptr load its Overlays
  (I suggest the Lower-Left corner (I used that for testing the below games), but eventually tried the Lower-Right as well, and I believe any will work, as long as it is not the Upper-Left corner [as MSI Afterburner uses that region for its Overlay by Default])
• Run MSI Afterburner and choose/have your settings for Fans, Overclocking, Gameplay Recording,etc
• Go back to your running game and let these programs detect the game and load up fully
  (you should see the MSI Afterburner overlay [by Default, in the Upper-Left] and the Raptr/GE overlay load in its corner you selected - and you should now be running Afterburner and Raptr together!

1. Note that some games can have MSI Afterburner running already (I have noted some below, in a list); but for the most part, it will result in either the GamingEvolved/Raptr GameDVR not loading, or the game simply crashing [at least, it did in my testing].
2. Note also, that you should try not to lose Focus of the game (ie. don't ALT+TAB out of the game or click outside of the window if in a Windowed Mode) or close any of the programs (eg. don't close MSI Afterburner and leave your game and Ratpr/GE running - it will likely crash the game [at least, it did in my tests]).

That's it!


Hopefully, you are now running MSI_AB and RAPTR_GE together, seeing the overlays for both and are able to have the benefits of both; Buffered Game Recording, Game Time Tracking, Fan Control, and even Overclocking.

Note: If running the RAPTR_GE recording buffer and the MSI_AB recording buffer at the same time, game performance will be affected - but it is possible if you wish to do so - I did it in my Testing.

Now, I am not a Programmer, nor am I a Developer for any of these programs or companies; so I am not 100% sure why this 'works'. It seems to be mainly a Workaround [to me], as it should not require running a multiple almost-competitor programs, with seemingly-close functions/overlays/etc all at once [and initially, Bandicam had to be running in Minimized mode]. The only reasoning I can find (in my superficial estimation), is that there are functions/calls that the programs are making that interfere with each other 'just enough' to make this all work together in a 'tense harmony'**. I say this because it does not work near as reliably, if you run MSI Afterburner first, the games first, or other variations of this.

[At least, it did not work those ways on my system, at the time of this writing and testing - I realize that every system configuration is different, and offers differing obstacles to these two programs working together. I feel it is an immense task as it is, to have each of these programs running one at a time on such a multitude of systems and difference of hardware that exists - my compliments go out to the Developers of both of these useful programs, regardless]

To try to be a little more specific, perhaps it is 'working' because there are functions/calls that these programs are doing, that are actually conflicting with each other - but they do so in such a fashion, that the end result is that they each stake out their territory and 'dont mess with each other' - each working in their own little Overlay or Recording areas, each performing their programmed functions, but with a sideways eye held in the direction of the other applications...

Regardless of how this Technomancy is working [remember it was even more 'odd' initially, with having to run Bandicam for some reason, at the same time], I tested it with multiple games now and it appears to be a repeatable process with reliable output (as long as you don't look at your computer too long in the eye region) - thus, I wanted to share it here with you all.

Games The Above Procedure Was Tested With: 

DNW = Did Not Work

AB = can have MSI_AB running already (before game is started)

22 = Error 22 was experienced (intermittently) 

• Minecraft

• Battlefield 4

• Battlefield: Hardline

• Planetside 2

• Just Cause 2

• World Of Warcraft

• Simcity (2013)

• Hitman: Absolution

• Zombies Monsters Robots

• Left 4 Dead

• Left 4 Dead 2 - AB

• Team Fortress 2 - AB

• Counter Strike: Global Offensive - AB

• TESV: Skyrim - AB

• Batman: Arkham City - AB, 22

• Tomb Raider (2013) - AB

• Torchlight - AB

• The Secret World - AB

• Need For Speed World - DNW

• Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 - DNW (reliably)

• Plants Vs Zombies (Steam and Origin) - DNW  

[Edit/Update: I did not initially test Hearthstone at the time of writing this post, but I have played it some since - and felt I must come back here and add that, in my experience with playing Hearthstone while running MSI Afterburner, there have been many occurrences of crashing, both of the game itself and the Blizzard Launcher [have been crashing]... Whether it is something at the moment with Blizzard's software, something with Afterburner, or something with Windows 10 (as I have recently Upgraded to it) I cannot say - but I wanted to make sure to let you know that if this is occurring with you (crashing when running Hearthstone and MSI Afterburner together) that It's Not Just You™]


By the way, if on your system, you just can't get these two to play nice together (but want to make sure and run at least Raptr/GE in order to track your gameplay or use the Optimizer, etc) - don't worry, you can do most of the functions MSI Afterburner offers with similar [also free] programs... If you purchased a video card from some companies recently, you may have gotten a disc with a similar utility on it.

For instance, EVGA has PrecisionX (you may have gotten no disc though and will have to go to their offical website). Club3D (new to North America, but they have been 'across the pond' for a couple of decades now) has RoyalFlush. Both of these examples offer Overclocking, Overvoltage and Fan Control (and PrecisionX offers Screenshot Capturing).

AMD Gaming Evolved (Raptr) of course offers both Screenshot Capturing and Buffered Recording of gameplay [Quality Tests of these GameDVR recordings, in future articles, Coming Soon™!]; but if you want the extra features that MSI Afterburner offers - and want these two programs running at the same time (for whatever reasons you may have) - I hope the above steps work for you. Enjoy... and See You In The Game!

[**Tense Harmony is the phrase I am utilizing in this article, because it is a tentative, fragile working condition: I found that if I ALT+TAB'd out of a game, it could cause this whole house of cards to come crashing down [the game could crash]. If I was running the game in a Windowed Mode, and I clicked outside of it for some reason (to look up something in the Intertubes, etc), it could cause the game to crash. Basically, any sneezing or farting of any type near the computer could cause this Workaround to asplode. Remember, that initiallyin Testing, trying to figure this all out, I had to run Bandicam as well, Minimized and 'not doing anything' - I mean, what the frell? I normally wouldn't even recommend, as a Former IT Professional, running multiple-different-and-for-the-most-part-competing [game recording] programs, each with their own functions and overlays... heck, I could have been called a heretic and forced to do Late-Night Tech Support, if I was still working, for suggesting to run multiple programs that all do the same thing for goodness'sakes, heh... Anyway, thus my phrasing utilized herein. No matter what though, I hope it works for you, as it did for me.]

And More: How To Pronounce "ASUS" (Text-Only Version)

This is a subject that is only lightly debated on the odd game or tech forum, and like the 'how to pronounce GIF' argument/discussions, I almost don't want to clear things up... but as with my earlier article on 'How To Pronounce "GIF"' [found here: http://gametipsandmore.blogspot.ca/2013/05/and-more-gif-is-pronounced-jiff-like.html ], I suppose with only this little post on this lowly blog that is mostly about games (with the odd article on editing), I won't really change things.. so here'goes:


The reason this came up at all, was that I am increasingly hearing people say their differing versions of how to pronounce the word in videos. Although most people seem to utilize either (i)"ay-zeus" (which sounds like saying, "Hey, Zeus [the Greek ruler-god of the sky], how are ya?"), or they say (ii)"ay-suss" (which sounds like a way of saying, "hey, sis, how are yah?"), some even say (iii)"ass-uhs" (which sounds like "Ask us a question" (with a silent k) or almost like "Asses" but with an 'ugh' at the end) [although I think that last version is just an excuse for some to say "ass" while at work, haha]. While I myself was mainly using the second version since I started working as a Computer Service Technician, there have been a couple of "Official" sources published on the intertubes since then.

Wikipedia, [arguably] a source of good information [I say arguable because 'anyone' can edit it to say almost anything, many people with their own agendas; but mainly it remains a source of 'good' info], lists phonetics for the word's pronunciation in their article as: (/ˈeɪsuːs/), which is closer to the first form (i) from above, than the others (but with a softer 's' sound than a 'z' sound)..

Engadget, a technology and-related-science information site, posted a video in 2010 [found here: http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/17/how-to-pronounce-asus-video/ ] which gives a "from now on"/Official way of pronouncing the company's name, from the company itself: "ay-suss", which is closer to the second form (ii) from above, than the others.

Prior to this, around the turn of the millennium, I myself was searching for some 'official' form of how to say the word, and the only source at that time was the ASUS website, which stated that the name came from the concept of the Greek mythological creature, Pegasus. This suggested to me (there was no 'official statement' on the website itself of pronunciation) to say, "ah-sus" (the second half of the name Pegasus), which is actually closer to the third form (iii) from above, which sort of sounds like "asses" but with more of an 'uh' sound near the end instead of an 'eh'. This is how I would type it: "ah-sus".

So where does that leave things today and how is ASUS actually pronounced, then?

Since there has been an 'Official" statement, with example, we have no choice but to go with Endgadget's exposé on the issue, which gives the pronunciation of "ay-suss" (ii).
What is important to note here though, is that it is not just said the way it is typed here. In the video at Engadget's site, the woman demonstrating the Official way to say the word purses her lips when she says, "suss". Therefore, it is not just a plain "suss", it is more akin to "soos", which sounds almost like the Dr.Seuss name that is on all those kids' reading books.
If you ask me, this makes things a little more confused than it should be, because the sound [I don't know the phonetic symbol for it offhand but it is present in how French-speakers say the letter "Y" in their alphabet, with pursed or puckered lips] is almost exactly between "suss" and "soos", and yet it is neither of those.
At least the video does clear up one thing: the beginning of the word ASUS. It is not "ah" (short form of the letter A) it is more like "ay" (long form of the letter A). So then, the officially-demonstrated way of saying the company name is:

"ay" (almost, but not quite, the long form of the letter A) and then a sound that is exactly between "suss" and "soos" (with pursed/puckered lips)


That ended more complicated than I thought...



Personal Note/Opinion:

While that issue is now solved and 'written in stone', as it comes from ASUS itself (thanks mainly to Engadget), I have to end this post saying that I am left wondering why they changed the pronunciation from [what appeared to be] their etymological starting point. What I mean is: their website states the name came from the name "Pegasus", but [in English anyway] we do not say "peg-ay-suss", we say "peg-ah-suss".
Nevermind, I think I just figured out my own query, just by typing that in and saying it out loud: I believe that they changed the pronunciation from [how we say the mythological creature's name in English] "ah-suss" to something more akin to "ay-suss" to distance themselves from the sound of, well, "asses". I guess I can't say I blame them. 
I hope this article has helped, even if it only made things more complicated. That's helping, isn't it?

This has been a Public Service Announcement by The Game Tips And More Blog

And More: How to record with H.264/AVC/x264/x264vfw (MPEG-4 Part 10) so that your video clips will open in Sony Vegas and Adobe Premiere (Short Tutorial/Example Video)

Originally created to show an example of what to change so that your game recordings using the H.264/AVC/x264/x264vfw (MPEG-4 Part 10) codec will open up in Vegas, this also works for Premiere, Lightworks and other NLE's (Non-Linear Editors), for those who were having problems editing.

In this example*, I am recording with an x264vfw (Komisar's Unofficial, Black Logo) interface**, which sets up h.264/AVC encoding, used as an "External Codec" in Bandicam:

*Just a silly version of the video, sorry for taking up your time with this little joke

Summary of Video: Within the x264 Video For Windows interface, change the FourCC code that x264 is recording with [think of it as the 'UPC label' or 'QR tag' for the videos] to a code that these video editing apps can recognize natively. That's all.

Now, you should be able to import all your future game recordings into Vegas and Premiere without problem...

Ok, for a truly easy-to-follow video, that shows examples of how to set the code for Bandicam, Dxtory and Afterburner, look no further than here:

The true version of the video, showing how to adjust the setting required

As you can see, because the main setting to change occurs within the x264vfw interface itself, this change can be utilized no matter what game recording program you prefer to record with (Bandicam, Dxtory, MSI Afterburner, etc.)


**If you are using the 'Official' version of the x264vfw codec interface (Red Logo), the setting to change is indicated in this screenshot below:

»» Note: 
When editing the x264vfw codec with NLEs (Non-Linear Editors) such as Sony's Vegas line of products and Adobe's Premiere applications, you may experience artifacts such as 'trails' or 'corruption' unless you set the GOP setting to "1", which will make "Intra-frame only" encodes. This will encode frames that do not depend on surrounding frames, containing all necessary data within each frame itself (similar to how the MJPEG codec operates, requiring more bitrate/filesize, but MPEG-4 still uses less bitrate overall), which alleviates this problem.

This seems to only occur with Vegas, Premiere, Lightworks and similar products when using MPEG4, but does not occur with most other video editing applications (tested with Windows Movie Maker, CyberLink's PowerDirector, Nero Video, Avidemux, VirtualDub, etc), so you could always extract the portions of the video you want from your recordings with those, then import your portions into Vegas/Premiere/etc and finalize your video projects that way. However, to omit having to do that extra step, you can have your H.264/AVC (x264) recordings editable in Vegas/Premiere/etc by doing the following:

For the Official (Red Logo) x264vfw interface, add "--keyint 1" (without quotations) into the Extra Command area at the bottom
For The Unofficial (Black Logo) x264vfw interface, set the Maximum GO Size to "1"


***
A lengthy article, talking about recording with x264/H.264/AVC in detail (testing settings, recommendations for speed, etc.) can be found at the blog here:
http://gametipsandmore.blogspot.ca/2013/05/game-recording-with-mpeg-4-using.html

***

Have fun editing and See You In The Games!