XiD
01-13-2010, 06:32 PM
PC gaming is an interesting thing, mainly because the advantage of the mouse is so huge that it overshadows its console brethren in skill-cap. In order to fully explain why mouse sensitivity is so important, I will use a comparison between consoles and pc gaming to exemplify why it is so important to have a good, low mouse sensitivity.
When you play on a console game, you are using joysticks to handle your aiming. This is problematic. This is because the joystick comes with a limitation: when you push the joystick in any direction, you eventually cannot push it any further - you are hitting the plastic of the controller.
Why is this significant? After playing FPS games for more than a decade, sometimes at high levels of play (COD1 in CAL-M [we almost beat compLexity once!], ut2004 in cal-i + TWL before it sucked and became corrupt), I can tell you without a doubt that low sensitivity improves your aim. When you have to physically move your mouse a large distance (read- 2-3 inches) to turn 90 degrees, it means you have tons of control. Finesse aim and twitch becomes easier as you have less chance of making a mistake and overshooting your target with a high sensitivity.
So back to the consoles - why is this relevant? Because on a console, you cannot move your mouse further. Your joystick goes only so far. So you have a tradeoff of very low sensitivity (and thus absolutely killer aim) but then you can't turn worth a shit, meaning you'll be shot in the ass more times than you can count. Or, you have high sensitivity, with tough precision aiming, but you won't get jumped as much.
Luckily, us PC gamers don't have to worry about this. We simply move our mouse more physical distance across our desk, as rapidly as we can, to achieve this same 180-degree snap turn that the low sensitivity console player cannot do. This means that good players actively use, or seek to use, low (or lower) mouse sensitivity than originally seems comfortable. You CAN work yourself to get used to low sensitivity - it just takes time, patience, and effort on your part. I can absolutely guarantee that if you lower your senstivity, over time, you will have a marked improvement in accuracy.
Sometimes when I switch to sniper, I will lower my mouse dpi to get uber-low sensitivity. Sometimes I don't (since I use such low sensitivity anyway), but the point is, snap/twitch becomes immensely easier when you have a low sensitivity. Give it a try.
When you play on a console game, you are using joysticks to handle your aiming. This is problematic. This is because the joystick comes with a limitation: when you push the joystick in any direction, you eventually cannot push it any further - you are hitting the plastic of the controller.
Why is this significant? After playing FPS games for more than a decade, sometimes at high levels of play (COD1 in CAL-M [we almost beat compLexity once!], ut2004 in cal-i + TWL before it sucked and became corrupt), I can tell you without a doubt that low sensitivity improves your aim. When you have to physically move your mouse a large distance (read- 2-3 inches) to turn 90 degrees, it means you have tons of control. Finesse aim and twitch becomes easier as you have less chance of making a mistake and overshooting your target with a high sensitivity.
So back to the consoles - why is this relevant? Because on a console, you cannot move your mouse further. Your joystick goes only so far. So you have a tradeoff of very low sensitivity (and thus absolutely killer aim) but then you can't turn worth a shit, meaning you'll be shot in the ass more times than you can count. Or, you have high sensitivity, with tough precision aiming, but you won't get jumped as much.
Luckily, us PC gamers don't have to worry about this. We simply move our mouse more physical distance across our desk, as rapidly as we can, to achieve this same 180-degree snap turn that the low sensitivity console player cannot do. This means that good players actively use, or seek to use, low (or lower) mouse sensitivity than originally seems comfortable. You CAN work yourself to get used to low sensitivity - it just takes time, patience, and effort on your part. I can absolutely guarantee that if you lower your senstivity, over time, you will have a marked improvement in accuracy.
Sometimes when I switch to sniper, I will lower my mouse dpi to get uber-low sensitivity. Sometimes I don't (since I use such low sensitivity anyway), but the point is, snap/twitch becomes immensely easier when you have a low sensitivity. Give it a try.