How to improve your game?

[ZioFede]

After a couple of years, most adults are as good at moving & aiming as they are going to get, given their natural dexterity, but there is always room for improvement here:

• strategy & tactics
• map awareness
• weapon selection & usage
• power-up & weapon domination
• enemy players' style & tactics

And the small matter of configuration:

• base hardware
• hardware optimization for low latency (my favorite topic)
• connection latency & packet loss (damn my ISP, or yours!)
• best FOV & mouse-sensitivity for your style

But the hardest thing for me is adjusting my own lazy habits, after 15 years of FPS play. And having the discipline to run away from probable death.

You forgot a 200E mouse and all graphics set to lowest.

[Skaldy]

You forgot a 200E mouse and all graphics set to lowest.

Heh - yes, that's important. Although I can't live without shadows as they help with determining distance.

[Azarael]

€50 and all graphics set to highest. My opinion about deliberate use of low graphics to improve contrast is well known, and I don't afford such players the same respect.

[iRobot]

I do that in SC2, you can see cloaked units so much easier on low settings



My respect has fallen

[Azarael]

Don't care about SC2, just object to it in UT on the grounds that it's pure metagaming. The settings are there so that weaker players can play the game, not so that players can abuse them for improved contrast - to compete on a level playing field, I would also have to force my game to look like shit and I don't see why I should have to do that. I'm considering polling the best players - if use of this is widespread then I might as well allow the use of neon skins so that everyone has access to the same abuse.

[Skaldy]

I would hope most people don't really use low settings to improve contrast, only to get their FPS up. The forced fire effects are already hampering some ppl with older hardware.

What about the practice of disabling weapon bob and landing viewshake ?

[Azarael]

Disabling weapon bob / viewshake is fine, as is using hidden weapons in standard UT. Disabling the first two has a negligible impact on the appearance and feeling of the game and the last one evens out the view, which would otherwise differ between players of different in-game handedness. The only reason hidden weapons are disabled in BW is because of the iron sights mechanic. None of the previously listed options are comparable to Muddy Slime Mode or even worse, Lowest Texture Detail / Highest Character Detail, which in my book has the status of outright bullshit.

[iRobot]

Don't care about SC2, just object to it in UT on the grounds that it's pure metagaming. The settings are there so that weaker players can play the game, not so that players can abuse them for improved contrast - to compete on a level playing field, I would also have to force my game to look like shit and I don't see why I should have to do that. I'm considering polling the best players - if use of this is widespread then I might as well allow the use of neon skins so that everyone has access to the same abuse.

poll plz gooby

[iZumo]

I do that in SC2, you can see cloaked units so much easier on low settings

Oh damn I'm glad about my disassembling skills. They will never figure out private home-made cheat if done well to achieve things like that.


Also many trainers on the web are nicely unprotected so it's not hard to steal from them

[Butcher]

There are very nice tips here that apply to LDG and Freon servers:
http://www.wikihow.com/Play-an-Online-F ... on-Shooter
Enjoy!