Body pisitioning/form

[moonbogg]

So, my buddy has been frustrated that he is not better at BF3, so i suggested that he pay attention to his "form" (for lack of a better word). I stated that it is important to ME that I be sitting straight with plenty of leg room, elbows resting on armchair rests, hands not too close together or far apart, keyboard and mouse being on same level and not in one of those god forsaken pull out drawers etc.
So he bought a desk. Do you agree that form is important for gaming performance?

 

[BladeVenom]

Sitting in one position all the time isn't good for you though.

 

[QuantumPion]

I don't know if proper posture will improve your in-game performance...but it sure is more comfortable and will allow you to play longer without discomfort

 

[coldmeat]

I sit at almost a 45 degree angle at my desk, facing towards the left, with my feet up on my sub under the desk, left elbow on the chair rest, right elbow on the desk. With a claw grip, I don't need to move my hand to move the mouse, just my finger tips.

I'm not sure if it makes me better or worse, but it's a lot more comfortable than sitting straight.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

Tell him to buy a bigger mousepad and lower his sensitivity. Doing this years ago turned me into a whole new player.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

You just need to hone your focus until you forget about everything else and then choke on your own spit because you forget to swallow... at least that's what used to happen to me when I played well at something.

I think being supported is more important than sitting up straight/exact angle/distance of arms/legs

 

[QuantumPion]

Tell him to buy a bigger mousepad and lower his sensitivity. Doing this years ago turned me into a whole new player.

Heh some say to do just the opposite. Higher sensitivity = less travel distance = faster movements. Depends on personal preference I guess.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

comfort goes a long way. One side benefit of a big mouse pad is I can use one corner as a coaster

 

[destrekor]

Heh some say to do just the opposite. Higher sensitivity = less travel distance = faster movements. Depends on personal preference I guess.

Very much a personal thing - and also play-style or even game-dependent.

Some are more accurate with wider sweeps of the mouse (low DPI/sensitivity), which engages more of your arm (if positioning/posture is correct); other people are most accurate when barely twitching the mouse.

In a game like BF3, with multiple classes (and if you play them all), sometimes it helps to be able to switch on the fly.


I still need to play around with settings, see if I can't eek out anything more. I've heard, if your the type to prefer the making exaggerated movements with the mouse (compared to high twitch, minimal movement), it's best to have in-game sensitivity dropped to the absolute minimum, and using a higher DPI setting.
Though I think my sensitivity in BF3 is set to a pretty low value on the slider, with raw mouse input, and I'm gaming with somewhere between 1200-1800 DPI more often that not (can't recall what I settled on forever ago) when playing.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

Heh some say to do just the opposite. Higher sensitivity = less travel distance = faster movements. Depends on personal preference I guess.

It's far easier to build muscle memory with large movements of your arm than it is of your fingers if you're playing claw style. My accuracy in BF3 is over 24% and that's using predominantly assault rifles and carbines. I fire a lot of shots, I miss very little. Accuracy of 24% is enough to get you banned outright on some servers because they think you cheat.

I just used to play FPS games for like 8-13 hours a day back in college and that muscle memory has stayed with me for the last 7 years.

 

[DeadFred]

I think good posture and ergonomics definitely help.

Tell him to buy a bigger mousepad and lower his sensitivity. Doing this years ago turned me into a whole new player.

Ive tried that but it absolutely kills my wrist, arm, and shoulder after any extended play time. I guess Im just too old for that. Most pros do play that way though.

Heh some say to do just the opposite. Higher sensitivity = less travel distance = faster movements. Depends on personal preference I guess.

Higher/faster sensitivity definitely works better for me.

 

[destrekor]

I think good posture and ergonomics definitely help.


Ive tried that but it absolutely kills my wrist, arm, and shoulder after any extended play time. I guess Im just too old for that. Most pros do play that way though.



Higher/faster sensitivity definitely works better for me.

I think the soreness/fatigue would go away after an adjustment period. Remember, anytime you call up muscles, ligaments and tendons that aren't used extensively, and you thoroughly abuse them for hours on end, tends to produce a certain amount of discomfort.

My hand/wrist/arm took awhile to adjust to a proper grip but also a natural ergonomic position with my G700 mouse. I would have mouse fatigue after less than an hour of play when I first got it, but now I can basically game all night if so desired.

 

[clamum]

I never thought about getting a bigger mousepad. Mine is relatively small right now, and the one I use at work is quite huge compared to any other mousepad I've used before (we have two like 24" monitors we use). I don't like high sensitivity since I tend to jerk too much and miss way too much. I bet a bigger mousepad and lower sensitivity, which I like, would help a lot for me. :hmm:

 

[moonbogg]

I have a huge mousepad and use moderately low sensitivity with DPI set to 800. Maybe I should lower in game sensitivity and increase DPI for the same travel but with more accuracy. Sniping long distance requires very precise, small movements. I only play with one sensitivity for sniping and machine guns, but will switch to a lower one for heli gunning and sometimes a higher one for tank turrets.
This is the first FPS game this guy has ever played. I tried to explain that hes 15 years behind me in experience (since he is comparing himself to me since we play together) so he shouldn't be too hard on himself. I told him to watch his mouse sensitivity.
Oh, and yes, having a high accuracy gets you banned. I have over 30% on the M98 and a crappy one for everything else, but I have ban issues once in a while for that.

 

[ixelion]

I agree with lower sensitivity, I figured out how to get zero mouse interpolation in BF3, and my performance his improved a great deal. Muscle memory is less of an issue with low sens since mouse movements are more predictable.

For zero interpolation you need a sens of 24% at a base of 200 DPI, halve the sens as your dpi doubles i.e. 400 dpi 12%, 800dpi 6%, 1600 dpi 3% etc

Since ADS reduces sens slightly I like to increase by 1%-2%

800dpi at 8% is working out great so far.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

I have a huge mousepad and use moderately low sensitivity with DPI set to 800. Maybe I should lower in game sensitivity and increase DPI for the same travel but with more accuracy. Sniping long distance requires very precise, small movements. I only play with one sensitivity for sniping and machine guns, but will switch to a lower one for heli gunning and sometimes a higher one for tank turrets.
This is the first FPS game this guy has ever played. I tried to explain that hes 15 years behind me in experience (since he is comparing himself to me since we play together) so he shouldn't be too hard on himself. I told him to watch his mouse sensitivity.
Oh, and yes, having a high accuracy gets you banned. I have over 30% on the M98 and a crappy one for everything else, but I have ban issues once in a while for that.

All the single shot sniper rifles in BF3 I have over 44% accuracy with. I have an 11x18" mousepad. It's actually not a mousepad it's a hard rubber self healing xacto knife cutting mat. You can buy one far cheaper than you can a comparable mousepad.

 

[12andy]

Form. Comfort. Experience.

ESReality has a ton of articles/ threads on this with a wealth of info.

If my memory serves me correct:
- beyond 800 DPI on a 24" screen is nothing more than a marketing gimmick in terms of "accuracy" (pixels aren't being skipped at all)
- for 1:1 pixel-mapping, ensure that the Windows mouse-speed slider is set at the middle (6)
- for most people, turning mouse acceleration off will help with developing muscle memory
- lower sensitivities help with reducing the risk of RSI, as you're utilizing less of your hand and wrist muscles for movement

It's always amusing watching newbies play with their brand-new, uber-DPI mice, only to see them overshoot/ overtrack their targets by a mile, shooting wildly all over the place.

 

[coldmeat]

Form. Comfort. Experience.

ESReality has a ton of articles/ threads on this with a wealth of info.

If my memory serves me correct:
- beyond 800 DPI on a 24" screen is nothing more than a marketing gimmick in terms of "accuracy" (pixels aren't being skipped at all)
- for 1:1 pixel-mapping, ensure that the Windows mouse-speed slider is set at the middle (6)
- for most people, turning mouse acceleration off will help with developing muscle memory
- lower sensitivities help with reducing the risk of RSI, as you're utilizing less of your hand and wrist muscles for movement

It's always amusing watching newbies play with their brand-new, uber-DPI mice, only to see them overshoot/ overtrack their targets by a mile, shooting wildly all over the place.

When do you see this?

 

[12andy]

When do you see this?

Quite often in Quake Live/ Warsow, or in games which require finesse mouse control and allow for first-person spectating.

It's all-too-easy to spot a newbie by watching how they move and aim.