I could be the worst online gamer, in the world. Please help.

I enjoy playing playing games online. i do ok at RTS games like WiC and CoH but am just hopeless at FPS games. I dont think i have finished an UT3 DM with more than 7 kills yet and usually end up last in warfare mode. Im the same on Crysis and Stalker.

I seem to stand shooting the opposition but they never seem to die, i on the other hand die fast. What am i doing wrong? Is there anything, any tips that could help me improve? Would changing my mouse speed help, or even turning down gfx settings? It really is getting embarassing now.

Maybe i just am totally useless at these games.

FPS is the hardest possible form of online gaming so dont expect it to be easy. I've played shooters my whole life and I'm usually among the top scorers no matter what game I'm playing even if I've never played that game before. Its not really something you do wrong but you've just not probably experienced enough. Play something like CS and get good at it. After that not FPS game is too hard.

FPS is the hardest possible form of online gaming so dont expect it to be easy. I've played shooters my whole life and I'm usually among the top scorers no matter what game I'm playing even if I've never played that game before. Its not really something you do wrong but you've just not probably experienced enough. Play something like CS and get good at it. After that not FPS game is too hard.

I have tried CS:S, i was useless at that too lol. maybe i just need to face facts that i really am no good at FPS games. Slow reflexes lol.

"fear not the man who practiced 10,000 kicks, but the man who practiced one kick 10,000 days"

in other words keep practicing, don't give up, and you will get better.

I can only give you some general tips whereas the rest comes from practice, and i would definetly disagree with FPS being the hardest type of gameplay. Keep in mind, most of my tips will be more relative to CS, mainly because i find that CS is the FPS standard nowadays.

1. Dont pound down your mouse 1 key with automatic guns(unless you KNOW you can like with an MP5 in CS), instead, pulse it by clicking and holding, then letting go, this all lasts about 1-3 seconds.

2. Its better not to stay still when shooting(unless sniping), try and do whats called a dance of death. In games like CS, that involves shooting a little bit while strafing left and right constantly. If you find that your accuracy is too off, you can strafe left and right but with a split second pause in between to let the fire rain down on your enemy, giving you the needed accuracy.

3. When sniping, well, its different for each situation, ill try and give you a run down. First, if your behind a corner, and you have no idea what is on the other side, and your holding a Sniper, its best to jump out from the corner and take your shot as soon as you land. Second, when sniping just in a stationary location, make sure to stand perfectly STILL(especially in CS) when shooting, or else the accuracy gets funked. There is some other ones, but i figure there all obvious, like snipe in good concealed spots where you are not open to all sides.

4. Practice. And if still want additional help, you can look at pro replays of any of the games you play. It wont necessarily help you in terms of being good at weilding your gun, but it might teach you some interesting things like good spots to be in, places to throw your nades, and maybe even how to shoot some guns.

Thats all i can really think of at the time, but really, FPS is a game of practice, strategy, and teamwork(at least when you get into scrims/clans/leagues). Because ANYONE can shoot, or atleast they can learn, but when it comes to teamwork, its a different story. GL HF in all your FPS adventures.

Oh, i just re-read your post. When it comes to hardware, IMO, i find that it does help. Going from some 20 buck microsoft mouse to a razer deathadder + a good mouse pad as pretty amazing for me, so if you need a new mouse, go for gaming-grade(mouse pad too). Now when it comes to settings on your GFX, the more FPS = the better you are. I cant see myself playing an FPS below like 20-30 FPS because its undoable simply, for me. So if you're gettin low frames, do what ever you must to get up to that 60 FPS or so.

When it comes to mouse speed, yes there are some standards/averages among people, but really, its to each their own. Usually its like when sniping = very low sensitivity, when shooting = higher sensitivity(possible to switch INGAME with on-the-fly sensitivity changing- gaming grade mouse has this function). Personally, i used to play at 7-9, but i recently dropped downt o about 3-5 simply because i feel it adds added precision/accuracy. Find your sweet spot though and stick with it.

Thanks for the words of encouragement. Maybe i should have mentioned i am 30 years old, been playing games since pong with the paddles.

I will practice though, thanks.

"fear not the man who practiced 10,000 kicks, but the man who practiced one kick 10,000 days"

in other words keep practicing, don't give up, and you will get better.

foggy666

Hah, thats a sweet quote.

Don't spray. Shoot in small bursts. Stay behind cover. Don't stand still in middle of an open field. Actually, never stand still. Keep moving all the time and you are harder to shoot. You've probably noticed how other players move all the time and it's hard to hit them.

One thing you want to stick by, is if you get stuck on a 1vs2, your usually dead, not always though. Try sticking with a teammate or two. You might not get the kill, butin most FPS today you'll get points or an assist. And its fun using teamwork

And i know what you mean by the "I shoot them and they won't die but I die fast" thing. in CoD4, especially with the Juggernaut perk..they just won't die.

Also, do your homework, i know your 30 but studying helps. Get online and watch videos of people playing, good or bad. For the good try to realize what their doing and how their doing it. For the bad...monkey see monkey NO do.

learn to dodge? and shoot while moving????

and go for HEADSHOTS! ;)

Also, if all else fails and you still do bad. Its hardly the point. you can suck and still have fun, which is the point, to have fun. I know its hard sometime to have fun when your dying, but if you always go with the I don't care its just a game attitude, your almost gaurantee'd to have fun no matter what.....unless your being spawn killed of course. that always sucksGokuja

you're absolutely right, i do have that attitude in DM games, i just feel bad if my team loses in team modes. I love the Warfare mode on UT3 but always seem to come bottom.

Some really good advice though, from all of you. Gotta love the pc board here, such a great bunch of gamers.

When I sucked at games long ago, I didn't have internet. I played LOT on single and lan though. I always thought that I will be supreme in FPS and especially Strategy. After I got the internet, I realized that it isn't so easy, but I had enough practice to become one of the top scorers after some playing. Now I play like one of the above posters, and still I get pissed of sometimes (grenade launcher...). But if you can get rid of this feeling and just play and play, and don't care, you will get better. Try to work on your reflexes and accuracy. Try to anticipate moves of your enemy. It will help a lot. After your accuracy is better, go for headshots.

Real name: Medve

What I find helps is staying with one weapon and enhancing your skill with it. For example in CS:S I used nothing but the galil and found myself evidently a stronger player as time passed. I know when you die its tempting to switch class and weapons thinking the grass is greener on the other side - dont fall into that temptation: Find your most suited playing style, find your suited class/weapon and stick with it! (You have no idea how much time Ive wasted by kidding myself into thinking I can be a great sniper)

Another problem which you might have (I certainly did) is panicing when you see an enemy player and end up running after him guns ablaze only for him to lead you a straight into a trap like a door planted with C4 or even simply just to pwn you with a single shot as he corners you. This is when you stop and really think about what you do, sometimes the best outcome is to simply leave that player, just dont think for too long or you're a dead man.

Finally the most important thing is confidence and concentration. (Again I had this problem.) Despite gaming being a method of relaxation and escapism, you still have to concentrate on that screen infront of you. When you're playing an FPS dont just walk around brainlessly hoping to come across an enemy player while thinking of which pizza you'll order tonight; wrong, you've got to think carefully about your actions: Think about where you want to go, think before you make a decision, is that decision necessary? You also have to control your confidence; I understand that when you get a mini-killing spree you get excited and tend to think of yourself as unstoppable; this is where you switch off and that concentration fades and essentially you start to get owned again. This is the same when you're not doing well and dying more than you should; stop and think about why you're dying, and concentrate on your next run trying to prevent those deaths.

As hardware is concerned, well as long as you dont have an awful rig, then you shouldnt be at any disadvantage. Having a supercomputer with an elite broadband connection isnt going to win you games; it'll definitely avoid those annoying lagspike situations which will sometimes mean a matter of life and death, but it wont enhance your skill as a player.

Dont worry, im not too great at FPS games myself, it took me quite a while to get into the swing of things. But with abit of practise and taking the advice people have posted here, you'll be on your way to being a fragging supremo :) .

I seem to stand shooting the opposition but they never seem to die, i on the other hand die fast. What am i doing wrong? Is there anything, any tips that could help me improve?

Frozzik

Well there's your first problem. You know how much harder it is to hit a moving target? If you stand still, you may as well change your name to Human Shield, dress up in a giant target and spend all your time typing 'please kill me' over and over.

Keep moving - the more you move, and the faster you move, the harder you are to hit. In some games, you enjoy increased accuracy when standing still - so you need to learn how and when to stand, but some other games (like UT3) don't (I think?) penalise on accuracy when moving, so there's is absolutely no incentive to stand still at all.

Use crouch, lean and jump - similar to the above, you're harder to hit when you're a smaller target. If you're crouched, you're suddenly half the size and much harder to hit. If you're leaning out from behind cover, you may be one quarter the size. When jumping, you tend to move slower, but you're also at a height a lot of players don't adjust to quite as quickly as when you're on the ground - so jumping randomly can save your life. So can tapping crouch repeatedly. It's hard for someone to score a headshot when your head is bobbing up and down.

Learn the weapons - you need to know all the weapons and how to use them. Almost every weapon has a very specialised role, and using a weapon in a role it was not designed for - as an example, trying to hit someone at extreme range with a pistol when you have a sniper rifle - is not in your best interest. Die, respawn, die, respawn - that's fine, but learn.

Learn the maps - knowing the maps is the difference between being a good player and a great player. If you know where all the ammo pickups are, where all the health is, where camp spots are, where players/teams tend to meet and fight... if you know all these things, you're much better than if you didn't. It makes a huge difference. If you can anticipate an enemy around the corner, because it's a popular blind kill/camp spot, you go into the fight with at least even odds.

Rebind your keys - default doesn't work for everyone. I personally use arrow keys over wasd. I have a specific set of keys I use in every FPS, and I rebind my controls to them before I start playing. I never use defaults. Also alter your mouse sensitivity to something you feel comfortable with. Comfort is key. If you feel comfortable, you will just play better. I tend to go around 75% on sensitivity, but different people will probably tell you different things. Find something that works for you.

Use spectator mode - it's a powerful tool. Take some time out, either when you don't feel like playing or during respawn downtime, to watch other players. Find the top scorers and follow them. Watch what they do. Don't necessarily emulate - it often just doesn't work, but if you can learn a few of their mannerisms, it may help you a lot.

Find the newbie servers - they do exist, and they are full of people who suck just as bad as you do. Try and find them.

Practice makes perfect - it's a cliché, but it's a cliché because it's true. Keep on playing and you will get better.

If any of you guys play UT3 keep an eye out for me...... ReGii23.Frozzik

Oh I thought I might as well add; UT is very much a different game to the likes of Counterstrike. In UT, dodging is the more effective skill than aiming. You can get away with being a useless shot spraying rockets everywhere and still be an extremely effective player. Well in my view at least.

I enjoy playing playing games online. i do ok at RTS games like WiC and CoH but am just hopeless at FPS games. I dont think i have finished an UT3 DM with more than 7 kills yet and usually end up last in warfare mode. Im the same on Crysis and Stalker.

I seem to stand shooting the opposition but they never seem to die, i on the other hand die fast. What am i doing wrong? Is there anything, any tips that could help me improve? Would changing my mouse speed help, or even turning down gfx settings? It really is getting embarassing now.

Maybe i just am totally useless at these games.

Frozzik

Heres a few tips that i used to use when i started....

#1: Stay Out Of Open Spaces ( When Your Alone )

#2: Its okay to camp sometimes...but not for too long

#3: Play With Headphones To Be Able To Hear People Coming Towards You

#4: Keep A Close Eye On Your Radar

#5: If You Play Counter-Strike Source Or Games With Sprays ( Do Not Stay Still Looking At A Spray LoL )

#6: Stay With A Large Groupe But Do Not Go On "The FrontLine" Stay In The Back Of The Groupe And Wait For A Good Momment To Jump In

#7: Most People In FPS Will Try To Shoot You Through A Door Or Things Of That Sort But The Problem Is That They RELOAD Right After They Shoot A Few Rounds At You...So Wait Till They Started Shooting Then Quickly Run Out And Kill Them As They Reload....

#8: The Best Way To Get Better At A Game Is To Tell Yourself Its Just A Game , Getting Mad In A Game Is Like a Vicious Circle , The Madder You Get The Worse Your Gonna Play....

This thread's brilliant, learnt a few things myself :)hama666

Me too :D, I think I gotta give MP a try after playing so many years solely SP , I love the PC gaming board, everybody is willing to help you, unlike other boards *coughs* systemwars *cough*

The best advice I can give you is to find a game you really enjoy. If your playing fps just to be really good and don't really enjoy it, your not going to get anywhere. So just find an fps that you love despite the fact that you don't win, and just keep having fun with it, and all the rest will come.

FPS is the hardest possible form of online gaming so dont expect it to be easy. I've played shooters my whole life and I'm usually among the top scorers no matter what game I'm playing even if I've never played that game before. Its not really something you do wrong but you've just not probably experienced enough. Play something like CS and get good at it. After that not FPS game is too hard.

Pessu

you are special

I used to suck also, I would have a K/D ratio of like .25, but now I am getting better, especially at CoD4. Just crouch and use the sites all the time :)

you'll get the hang of it, also a well place grenade throwing ability helps.

When you say stand and shoot does that mean stand still? Because that's not a good idea...rolo107

No I don't think thats what he means. Just that he can't stand it rather.

Keep practice and go for HEADSHOTS!mylilisky

Just an off-topic question. Do you guys believe that new posters are actually the reincarnate of past GS poster, long banned?I would like to think so, and so I say welcome...but not only that new guy named mylilisky, but welcome back!

Ok that was lame...but I guess I just felt like being lame

When you say stand and shoot does that mean stand still? Because that's not a good idea...rolo107

The secret to having fun with online FPS is to play Team Fortress 2.

I've never really liked online FPS. There's just a lot of little annoying things, and I just got sick of getting killed every time i turned a corner because everyone on the map had a sniper rifle and could headshot me from 200 yards away at a full sprint without looking down the scope.

TF2 has single-handedly fixed every single problem I have with online shooters. It explicitly tells you who killed you and where they were when they killed you, it makes it so snipers have to actually SNIPE, as opposed to just running around, and the classes are BRILLIANT. Not to mention the art style that compliments it beautifully, and in my opinion, 2Fort is the best level ever designed.

Aside from that, there's a famous saying about gunfighting:

"The secret to gunfighting is to take your time in a hurry."

Think about it.

~TCIND

When I started out I was abismal. I've found my greatest advantage is making myself unpredictable and just overall good tactics mixed with some rather rash on the fly decision. For example I just came out of a Crysis IA game where with zero armour damage I decided to jump off a building in the glimer of a hope that I would survive, it worked(barely, fell onto a small ledge) and after I recharged that guy tasted my bullets. Have you thought about joining a small gaming community? Most of the small ones that play for fun really won't care if your rubbish and playing with them on vent in a nice friendly atmosphere can increase your playing skill ten fold in next to no time.Platearmor_6

[QUOTE="mylilisky"]Keep practice and go for HEADSHOTS!Gokuja

Just an off-topic question. Do you guys believe that new posters are actually the reincarnate of past GS poster, long banned?I would like to think so, and so I say welcome...but not only that new guy named mylilisky, but welcome back!

Ok that was lame...but I guess I just felt like being lame

Actually, that is a very accurate asumption. They aren't even banned sometimes. They just need an account for trolling.

When I started out I was abismal. I've found my greatest advantage is making myself unpredictable and just overall good tactics mixed with some rather rash on the fly decision. For example I just came out of a Crysis IA game where with zero armour damage I decided to jump off a building in the glimer of a hope that I would survive, it worked(barely, fell onto a small ledge) and after I recharged that guy tasted my bullets.Platearmor_6

While that is a good strategy, the problem is you must first know what behaviour is normal.

[QUOTE="Platearmor_6"]When I started out I was abismal. I've found my greatest advantage is making myself unpredictable and just overall good tactics mixed with some rather rash on the fly decision. For example I just came out of a Crysis IA game where with zero armour damage I decided to jump off a building in the glimer of a hope that I would survive, it worked(barely, fell onto a small ledge) and after I recharged that guy tasted my bullets. Have you thought about joining a small gaming community? Most of the small ones that play for fun really won't care if your rubbish and playing with them on vent in a nice friendly atmosphere can increase your playing skill ten fold in next to no time.Frozzik

Try and frequent a clan server and if there a friendly bunch they might invite you on ventrilo or teamspeak.