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How to play FPS games if you’re over 30

theguardian.com

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Re: How to play FPS games if you’re over 30

#61

Post by yamtaddle »

vkou wrote: post #25
nawgz wrote: post #13

This article seems like pandering. > Medical studies suggest that reaction times peak at 24 and go downhill from there But if this peak is by a few percent, then why would a 35 year old be bad at video games? Also, if reaction times peak at 24, why would we be playing "superhuman teenagers", and not... superhuman early 20s? Side note - I think in NHL hockey they see early 20s is the most athletic / fast / skilled tim…

Because the explanation, of course, is very simple. Kids have a lot of free time, adults not so much, and practice time is the biggest factor in being good at almost any competitive activity.

Yeah, it's a whole lot harder to put 20+ hours a week into a game for several weeks on end, which is what it usually takes to get pretty-good-for-a-non-pro at a multiplayer FPS, when you're middle-aged with a job, a spouse, and (especially) kids. And still trying to have any kind of IRL social life whatsoever. Only really do-able if you're willing to give up most other interests for that period, and probably sacrifice some sleep, too.

Re: How to play FPS games if you’re over 30

#62

Post by doodlesdev »

Xeoncross wrote: post #14

All I want to know is where are the servers with the adults on them? I have enjoyed the more realistic FPS, but the kids running around everywhere just cussing at everyone or using aimbots kind of kills the fun.

Play Squad or some similar game such as Arma. Games that are a bit more slow paced attract older and more patient players. I could never go back to playing Call of Duty or Battlefield after playing some of the more strategic slow paced shooters.

Re: How to play FPS games if you’re over 30

#63

Post by PyComfy »

snarfy wrote: post #7

I play Unreal Tournament 2004, Unreal Tournament 4, Quake Champions, and Fortnite. I'm 47 years old. I'm by no means the greatest aim, but I can hold my own against semi-pro players, players that typically compete for money in tournaments. I'm often accused of being a bot. some tips: 1. Good equipment. I have 240fps monitor and wired gaming mouse. I thought I had it good with 60fps monitor but it makes a world of dif…

34yo here, got called a cheater constantly, even by "top" players. Despite using a slow sensitivity myself, i would say that slow/fast sensitivity or wrist/arm aiming doesn't matter; I have seen plenty of people being very efficient with each technique. Just use what you are the most comfortable with. Something specific that tremendously helped me is putting fingers on each side of the mouse to lift it a little, the mouse is no more touching the mousepad, only your fingers, that way i can stop moving much more precisely. You no more think about aiming with the mouse but with your hand. When i need a slower sensitivity, i just lift the mouse higher. In the past i was playing with a CRT monitor at 160hz, now i am playing with a IPS monitor at 144hz (LG 27gl850-b); i have seen no difference in performing at KovaaK aim trainer[1]. Something that actually made a difference is where the sensor is located under the mouse. More the sensor was toward the back of the mouse (toward the wrist), more my aim was degrading. I also once tried a vertical mouse (Trust GXT 144) and did my best score ever in tracking, it was like holding a pen.

[1] https://store.steampowered.com/app/824270/KovaaKs/

Re: How to play FPS games if you’re over 30

#64

Post by [deleted] »

yosho wrote: post #58

36 year old here, I've gotten Diamond in both Overwatch and Apex Legends and was an LEM CSGO player. - I don't think reaction times matter as much as people think it does, positioning, movement, and general crosshair placement matter a lot more as does map knowledge and situational awareness. - Having good equipment is pretty standard these days, a good GPU and gaming mouse + keyboard is almost a must have as well as…

[deleted]

Re: How to play FPS games if you’re over 30

#65

Post by dartharva »

post_break wrote: post #20

Easy, play Doom eternal, get good, and then every other FPS feels slow as molasses.

Does it really? I've found that playing Doom Eternal normally increases the chances of getting my ass handed to me in Counter-Strike. Most mainstream shooters are extensively built around mechanics like cover shooting and burst firing that Doom tends to completely shun and even punish at times. Play too much Doom and you'll be accustomed to just breaking into the middle of the field and throw caution and covering into the wind, which is a great way of getting killed in seconds in games like CSGO, Battlefield, Apex Legends, Valorant and CoD.

Re: How to play FPS games if you’re over 30

#67

Post by kipchak »

subjectsigma wrote: post #32
Xeoncross wrote: post #14

All I want to know is where are the servers with the adults on them? I have enjoyed the more realistic FPS, but the kids running around everywhere just cussing at everyone or using aimbots kind of kills the fun.

I am 100% resolute in my opinion that turning off comms in online games and treating your teammates as if they were really advanced bots improves every game. If I want to play a game with someone I will call my friends on Discord and ask if they want to play. nearly every game I play has a workable ping system so if I am playing with random players, that's how I communicate. Otherwise I don't want or need the validat…

Maybe I'm being overly sensitive but knowing that people are yelling at me but I just cant hear them feels weird.

Re: How to play FPS games if you’re over 30

#68

Post by programd »

Xeoncross wrote: post #14

All I want to know is where are the servers with the adults on them? I have enjoyed the more realistic FPS, but the kids running around everywhere just cussing at everyone or using aimbots kind of kills the fun.

I second some of the recommendations here for "Hell Let Loose" or "Squad" as places with a more mature player base. People communicate and cooperate much better in those games. Slower more cerebral gameplay though with occasional chaos, but very rewarding.

For the more fast moving twitchy games these days I mostly don't care about my Kill/Death ratio that much. I like to just mess around and explore different tactics, try playing with only specific or unpopular weapons, outsmart other players, that kind of thing. It's easy to be a sniper and get head shots, much more fun to be a sniper and get sneaky headshots with a revolver. I'm much better at all that then twitch shooting. It's even more fun when some veteran pulls some clever tactic on you that you haven't thought of. Great opportunity to learn and pull it on some unsuspecting youngsters in turn. Much more fun then pure run-and-gun.

Big open world games like Battlefield are great for messing around like that because the environment is complex and varied, and frankly nobody cares if their team wins or looses. So most people experiment and laugh at their failures. As always though there's a minority that are just dicks but they're easy to ignore.

BTW, is it just me or is "Hell Let Loose" a direct descendent of the old Reality Mod in Battlefield 3? Some of the mechanics seem awfully similar.

Re: How to play FPS games if you’re over 30

#69

Post by shortstuffsushi »

coding123 wrote: post #8
shortstuffsushi wrote: post #5

Is this intended for people new to FPS? I've been playing since early teens, coming up on 32 now... still consistently in the top while playing the handful of shooters I play. Perhaps it's because I'm not playing the twitch shooters though? I mostly play Battlefield.

I agree, I am super suspect of this article being true. Most of it is about training time. And Teens have much much more of it, given summer vacation, or, just not having any responsibilities ever.

I would say any decline I've noticed is due to "training time," yeah. I will sometimes go a few months without playing... jumping back in will take me a few rounds to get back to "good," and I feel a similar slope when I start new games. I imagine if I played from end of work til sleep every night like when I had time as a kid, I would probably be as then-me, if not better.

Re: How to play FPS games if you’re over 30

#70

Post by shortstuffsushi »

superbaconman wrote: post #30

The article misses probably the easiest way to level up: Join a team. A four-stack is almost always gonna have a leg up on a team of randoms. Playing a game consistently, with the same squad, form group dynamics and strategies that are much more difficult to execute with a first time squad.

In my experience, beyond just performing better, you'll tend to feel better. Soloing forever is not very enjoyable in team games, in my opinion.
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