[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:
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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!
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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
