How to get good at shooters

[Ghost]

Ok, no matter how hard i try or however long i practise my aiming never get better on FPS games. Whenever i play multiplayer games like Call of Duty or Medal of Honor online i always get beaten badly. I hardly ever get a decent headshot on someone, or they always end up shooting me before i even see them.Is there any trainer programmes out atall? I am desperate to start winning instead of always losing so much :p:

[Cloudw4lker]

Play counter-strike for a while, don't spray, don't use cheap guns (AWP, Autosniper) and aim for heads. I did this for a while and played other games and now I'm a lot better. Also play with other good people, I played with really good people on a wacraft 3 server and I was about 1:1 k:d but when I go to random servers I can easily get 10:3 or so.

Note: In CS there are NO bullets, regardless of what you might think, bullets hit instantaneosly so don't lead them. In games with bullets you have to lead based on how long it takes (distance, bullet speed etc.) These skills will still be helped from CS you just need to think about it a bit more.

Also note: UT2004 and other games that are "futuristic" like it will not work the same because there are made up guns where you jump around a lot and spray everywhere instead of the modern warfare games where you have to go slowly and crouch to pull off a headshot.

[Phone(6644)]

play the CZ counter strike edition, it emulates a multi-player and the good thing is you can set the difficulty. You prob allready know this but one invaluable skill i learned was to optimize how quick you click the mouse to fire bullets, if you time them right your accuracy ramps right up. Good Luck!

[Yuneek]

Thanks Cloud and Phone - has been a help to me as well.

[Nova]

If you have the old Unreal Tournament (works with UT2004 too, but I prefer the old one for that), do sniper arena or instagib matches. I played sniper arena in UT99 for a few months and after a while I ended up joining the #1 clan. I haven't played in over a year and a half and no one's beaten my record yet, so it does work. You'll end up being very good at strafing and dodging, and your accuracy will improve a lot. :thumbup:

Alternatively, you could just do a shock rifle arena match and try nailing shock combo's while staying on the move. That helps a lot too, for accuracy at least.

[Gaim Mastr]

Get a good mouse. Must be optical, never a ball. Better mouse = smoother crosshairs for shooting at a distance.
Set up your hotkeys. I always change my various keys around in terms of what does what so that I can switch guns, run, jump, shoot, etc. without having to move my keyboard hand around too much.
Have a low ping rate. The higher your ping, the more lag you have, even if you don't always see it. This comes in when you shoot someone from a distance, but they don't get hit. It's because you lagged a pinch and the enemy was actualy one step ahead of your crosshair.
Some games, such as MoH, are known to have bugs where sometimes you can empty entire clips into someone's head at close rage and they won't die. It's a game bug, not a player bug.
Rampant cheating on all public servers. If you're playing on a public server of any kind, many of the other players are using something extra to give them an unfair advantage. Everything from wallhacks, foliage hacks, bright player skins, custom crosshairs, scopes on guns that shouldn't have scopes, aimbots, speedhacks, etc., they're all out there. So if you seem worse than others on a public server, it could be due to various cheat's they're using.

And finally, the BEST way to get better is to find one or two reputable clan servers with a low ping, and play on them all the time. Follow the various clan members around when they're on your team and see what they do. When you die, kick back in spectator mode for a little while and watch how other good players do. There are always lots of little tricks you can do in the games that don't include any 3rd party hacks or cheats.

[Fzoulcmbyl]

My advice has a little different approach to it.

Download the demo for any of the Rainbow 6/Ghost Recon games.

Setup a MP game "Terrorist Hunt", with the Max amount of Terrorists.

The Rainbow 6 games will more or less teach you "Patience" + "Accurate" shots.... you learn "Short Burst" shots... and the fact that you don't have the luxury of being sprayed with bullets, and still be going full speed ahead... ala Rambo.

Now the computer AI isn't going to substitue the real player, but you will definately learn to be more accurate, and it will be in a "controlled" evironment.

After you get good at patient, controlled, shots.... try moving through the level at a quicker pace... see if you can barge into a room, and react faster than the computer AI...AND get a good upper body/head shot.

When you can do that, then your relfexes and timing should be good enough to start some online MP matches...... and at first, you should look for matches that advertise "Newbie MP" or "Beginners only".

:thumbup:



Fzoul

[Lou Cypher]

I'll have to agree with Fzoul on this one, R6 and GR are probibly the best training ground for close combat fighting there is. Another thing you can do is get a friend or two and host your own privite game and practice, practice, practice.

Note: Theres a map in R6 called "Two story kill house", if you want to get good at close combat this is it.

Lou :globe:

[Phone(6644)]

Just realised your in england, if you do have CounterStrike play on UK2beginer servers. They kick anyone who is not very good aka a nOOb. Im also pretty new to it all and usually find myself mid table - play the same couple of maps all the time so your not wasting half your concentration on wondering where you are.

[DanTheManPR]

My secret:

Play a bunch of different types of shooters. I play CS and UT and Halo 2 and HL2 deathmatch a lot, and the different playing experiences will improve your l33t skillz faster than if you just play one type.

Also, experiment a little - shoot at walls to help you understand where the bullets go. And when you do get into a gunfight, concentrate on your crosshairs rather than your movement. But don't forget about strategy - straight shooting will get you far, but some thinking will put you at the top.

And most of all, have fun; because the more fun you have, the better you do. If I find myself getting frustrated (especially in CS), I usually quit, because it affects my performance (which makes me more frustrated!).

[DanTheManPR]

One other thing - in games like CS, where you have to wait out the round when you die, watch the good players closely - they know what they're doing.

[Logan]

I listen to Led Zeppelin, U2, or anything else that I'm really in the mood for. For some reason, music always makes me play shooters better. Kind of takes the mood out of a game, but maybe I end up having more fun with the music.

As far as "raising your game" so to speak, I did that years ago with Unreal Tournament (the original, haven't played any of the newer ones). There were two maps, Morpheus and I forget the other one (it had a big spaceship that you all faught on) that were low gravity. Aside from making the experience a lot of fun and allowing you to jump all over the place, it did something rather unexpected. While most FPSs are primarily concerned with the two dimensions (keeping everyone walking on the same plane), when you can jump around and hang in the air for a long time, the game is suddenly taking into the third dimension. Now, you have a lot more to keep track of, and you start to get a sense of how to place shots. It also helps train you to lead and keep your crosshairs on target, as you're flying around all the time.

Also, learn to get your keyboard controls to be second nature. I find that when I'm playing, I'm not worried about walking or strafing, I'm concerned only with my mouse. Getting to that point is pretty easy, just place a "bunny hop" game that requires a lot of jumping around. Pretty soon motion in-game will become second nature, and you can focus entirely on where your gun is pointed.

[Ojnod]

I always heard it is best to learn from people better than you.


...therefore don't listen to fzoul. :p:

[Cloudw4lker]

While most FPSs are primarily concerned with the two dimensions (keeping everyone walking on the same plane), when you can jump around and hang in the air for a long time, the game is suddenly taking into the third dimension. Now, you have a lot more to keep track of, and you start to get a sense of how to place shots. It also helps train you to lead and keep your crosshairs on target, as you're flying around all the time. Tribes 2 does the same thing with it's jetpacks and I find both very good with that.

Another thing, there are some games with cheap things they do, like in CS: S if you have just moved and stop your shot will god perfectly straight but all other fps's don't have that.

If you do have HL, get the specialists. It is a VERY fun game that makes you look cool even if you suck (see fzoul below).

I always heard it is best to learn from people better than you.

...therefore don't listen to fzoul. Some one call the fire department cause you just got :fire: !

[EO_Tech]

Iv been playing Medal of Honor Breakthrough for a year now and here are some tips:

1. If you like SMG's or MG's on ether sides place the cross hairs and the top of there head.
2.tHEN if you use a BAR it packs a punch so does the MP-40.

3.With rifles am at the mid section...(particulary at the Nuts)>

4. Also the german Mauser k-9 is exseptional for close quater because it has 10 shots so its good while it last.

[Torsion]

Heres a way to train up. Get Unreal tournament 2004 and start practicing against the easiest bots. Work your way up when you get comfortable. This will help you train twitch reflexes and learn how to use a map to your advantage. Then you can use these skills in other games to be a better player.

Plus, UT2k4 is an excellent game so dont feel bad about buying it :)

[Gunner]

I've played MoHaa Breakthrough Demo for about 14 months. I learned to play with a rifle by watching the best at it. Like, if your like me and use a rifle/sniper, make your shots count, dont just randomly shoot, if your in a rifles only clan like i am, when they shoot at you and miss, you stop, aim, the shoot, or when their shooting at you, time their shots, so that when they shoot, you step left/right so they miss you, its just something you have to work at, and try your best. Im in mohaaSH now, cuz our clan moved from demo to FULL so, the older games do teach you how to aim, and not just spray and pray like most ppl do.

[tacoking]

All I have to say for Call of Duty is play. The longer you play and go at it, the sooner the experience will come. I use to make stupid mistakes and I used to have 3 times as many deaths as I did kills when I first started. While now, I still do make a few stupid mistakes (mainly when anger takes over me), I know score 3 times as many kills then deaths.

[Ghost]

Well i got my new MX510 mouse yesterday, and i have a slightly better aim. But guess practise makes perfect. Cheers to those peeps who suggested getting this mouse, it is dam sexy and smooth. :thumbup:

[0x64657200 0x6A61636B616C00]

Develop Tourettes syndrome.
And fashion some system to inject Jolt / Bawlz beverage into your system which will leave your hands free.


/sarcasm:Off

[wildwildwest301]

You just have to play call of duty, agreed. Its all practice in that game. Its really all abotu practice in any game come to think of it. I am a very good Rainbow player but not very good at Halo, its just practice with the game.

[Happy Chris†man]

Practice makes perfect (or at least improves), it’s true. There’s no substitute for experience.

Iron sights games like Call of Duty that let you look down the barrel can especially require familiarity to do well. The more you play, over time, the better you’ll be.

Miscellaneous tips for standard FPS (where you use a crosshair and your gun’s drawn down in a corner of the screen) I’d throw onto the pile include...

Tweak your crosshair. If you have the option in the menu, go for the least obstructive possible. Unless your brain’s just wired up so that you need a quarter-of-the-screen-sized crosshair or you can’t see that well in real life, choose something tidy.

Play with bots (offline). Even older shooters typically have bots you can download and play with. The Quake II demo’s a good example. Many of its bots come with installers and if you set them as hard as they can play (which I recommend working up to), they can give you a decent run for your money. Most AI can get predictable after a time, simply because there’s no comparison with a human player, but this is the best way to at least go from ranking consistently along the bottom to near the mid range when you play online.

Realize that few games aim exactly the same way. Different games have different physics, so learning to whomp with a shock rifle in Unreal Tournament (which requires a good amount of lead-timing sense) will not fully prepare you for sniping in Desert Combat (my favorite Battlefield 1942 mod) (http://www.desertcombat.com). There are similarities between most shooters that you can carry over, but don’t be crushed when intricacies vary from title to title. Most Quake-3-engine-derived games (Return To Castle Wolfenstein, Star Trek: Elite Force, et cetera) use nearly identical aiming code, for example, but there are eccentricities of the Half-Life engine that take getting used to when a Q3 aimer decides to play some Counter-Strike.

Relax. Remember you’re playing a game. Digital death isn’t fatal, so don’t fear it. If you have your mouse sensitivity set high, you see an opponent, and you let adrenaline make a panicked monkey out of you, run, get your head together, and then get back in the fray. Calm players that make a habit of staying that way, like calm soldiers in real life, live longer. Even as you improve, you’ll enjoy things much more if you learn to laugh it off, win or lose.

Realize that it’s not all about aiming. The most honest among good gamers has an arsenal of (non-cheating) tricks and maneuvers to fall back on. The most obvious include learning the maps, watching your six (checking behind you frequently), wearing headphones, and rocket jumping (literally boosting your jump height with carefully-timed rocket launcher shots) in some arena-themed titles.

I’m planning on getting in a little Counter-Strike, Desert Combat, or both tonight at some point. Don’t be afraid to say “Hi Happy” if you see me on a server, even if we’re on opposing teams. If it doesn’t come when I’m in the middle of a firefight (when I can’t take time to read text), I’ll give you a “yo” back, at least.

Happy hunting. http://pages.cthome.net/slappy/salute.gif