In first-person shooter games, your accuracy is a huge part of the gameplay. First-person shooters heavily rely on both player’s skill and their equipment. Skill is acquired after hundreds of hours of gameplay whilst equipment can be used straight away to give you the upper hand. In this article, I will go through some of the factors that could improve your aim in FPS games.
Monitors and refresh rates
Some players swear by 144hz refresh rate monitors. 144hz monitors give players the smoothest movement in-game, allowing optimal tracking of enemy targets. They also present the fastest visuals to the player; which in some cases could lead to faster reaction times. With this, it is clear that a 144hz monitor can greatly increase your ability to aim.
Gaming mice
All good players use gaming mice, and so should you. These mice have more accurate sensors than regular office mice, making them much more precise for FPS games. Additionally, they often come with a variety of comfort features such as ergonomic design and extra buttons for key bindings (e.g., DPI switches).
What you need to know about DPI
Dots Per Inch (DPI) is a measurement of how many pixels are in an inch. High DPI mice use a sensor with more pixels, which means that using higher DPI will make your movement less accurate and makes aiming more difficult. Around a 300-400 DPI speed can be recommended for FPS games, but go as high as you feel comfortable with. Some gamers prefer high DPI purely because they like the way it feels to move the mouse; others use high DPI solely because they possess higher-than-average mouse sensitivity.
What kind of mouse pad should I get?
If you have decided on getting a mouse with a high DPI, then you should probably invest in a mouse pad as well. This is because high DPI sensors make the mouse move across the screen more slowly, which means that there is an increased chance that your mouse will catch on your desk and move slightly off-target. This can easily be avoided by using a good-quality mouse pad, such as the Corsair MM300 or the SteelSeries QcK.
Internet connection
Your internet connection directly affects your game’s ping (or latency), which will directly affect your ability to aim. For maximum aiming ability, try to reduce ping as much as possible. Using a fiber-optic internet connection can reduce your ping far below those of your teammates and enemies. Compare gaming fiber-optic broadband to find the right package for you. Internet connection heavily relies on your area so if you’re in the city you’ll have a massive advantage.
Game sensitivity and aiming
The aim is only one part of the in-game skill. You also have to consider your sensitivity and the player’s choice between raw aim and weapon accuracy. This choice is mostly influenced by your play style. Some players prefer to be able to score highly damaging shots all the time, they choose to aim with a high sensitivity, which means that their mouse will have a wide range of movement, allowing them to quickly aim around corners or fire rapidly at enemies from far away. The downside of using high sensitivity is that it makes you move your mouse more frequently than necessary, making it more likely for you to move off-target.
Other players would prefer to only aim with high accuracy shots and would choose to play with low sensitivity. They wait for their enemy to make the first move, and then they take advantage of the situation by firing accurately from a distance. The downside is that such playstyle requires you to stay quite still for extended periods of time; which, in turn, affects your ability to react quickly.
There are plenty of resources online that can improve your aiming such as 3D Aim Trainer. It’s available online for free. Using this a few times a day can rapidly increase your aiming skills in just a couple of weeks.
To improve your aiming skills, always try to find a balance between raw aim and weapon accuracy. Use your sensitivity either to move quickly across the map or to stay still for extended periods of time.
In summary, aim in first-person shooters is based on mouse sensitivity and your choice between raw aim and weapon accuracy. Keep these things in mind when playing FPS games.
