I try to help myself and look up ways to improve, but the only thing I consistently see is “practice.” Well, I have for about half a year now, and I honestly see 0 improvement. Is this the case for a lot of people? Are the stories of people becoming great DPS players through dedication and effort just a very small minority? More than anything, I’d like some insight into why what I’m doing isn’t working and how to fix it.
More specifically, I’m talking about DPS characters and aim. Before you point out my level, this is a smurf.
Not every one can be a pro, no matter how hard they practice. I’ve played since launch and I’ve always been an average player and I don’t think any amout of training or practice is going to fix that. Sometimes we have to know, understand, and accept our own limits.
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I played brainlessly in high gold on my main for 2 seasons. Barely improved at all, I would hit Plat each season but that was it.
I then started watching Pro’s and taking an interest in the game in terms of climbing. I quickly realised my positioning and overextending was criminal.
I started focusing on not dying more than I did getting kills as DPS, I flanked smartly with Tracer and I paid attention to the enemy’s ults and cool downs.
I climbed to Master in just over a season. My elims per life went from 2 to 5, my overall contribution on team fights was drastically improved to a level I didn’t realise I could reach.
Yes you can improve, and yes you can stagnate and play brainlessly. It depends how seriously you take it.
However, your aim will not improve a great deal unless your sensitivity is all wrong. The one thing I notice about my own game that hasn’t improved, is my aim. This will be a limiting factor if you aim for the very top.
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You’ll eventually reach the limit of your mechanical skill. You can always improve positioning, communication, and map awareness.
I think your problem is that you are improving but so is everyone else. What I’m saying is that for example in season 1 someone in gold might be as bad as someone in bronze this season but because everyone was worse in season 1 it balances out.
I simply don’t accept that. I have to be doing something wrong, unless this kind of situation happens to most players.
Also, my sensitivity is 4.0 at 800 DPI, will within the area of acceptable. No pointer precision, etc.
Your aim is dependent on your reaction speed.
A slow reaction speed means you are less able to react to small changes in movement accurately.
Go to Human Benchmark on Google and take the speed test. I average 180-190 ms depending on time of the day. A GM DPS main will be around 170-180 ms.
A lot of pro’s manage anywhere from 145-165 ms.
The average is 215 ms, typically what you would expect then from someone in Gold as a DPS.
The slower your reaction speed, the better your game sense better be to make up for it. It is also the reason you won’t drastically improve your aim.
I think I’m a bit better than I used to be, but I have never claimed to be very good. I think the most important part is if you’re having fun. If you’re not having fun, then that’s a much bigger issue than getting better.
What he said is true. Everyone has a limit to what they can physically do.
Fine and gross motor control, information processing speed, and reflexes are not constant for everyone.
However, there are some ways you can skirt around these issues to an extent. For example, crosshair positioning:
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By keeping your crosshair at head level at all times, you will more reliably land headhsots.
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By putting it in places where enemies are likely to pass through, you rely less on your ability to rapidly move your crosshair to the right position before taking a shot.
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By clearing an area that you’re moving into, methodically moving your crosshair through the places where enemies are likely to be as soon as those places come into view, you’re more likely to notice people as soon as they’re visible and have a better chance at getting the first shot off on them.
You get the idea.
Regarding improvements on your play, you need to pick out specific areas where you’re weak and work on those. Don’t try to improve every part of your game at once. It won’t work.
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I saw something mentioning that test in another thread way back. On off days, I’m about 220-230ms, at my very best I can manage 190-200 ms. Seems I need to find a way to improve my reaction time then.
Alright its hard to tell what direction you’re taking to improve.
I honestly have played many a gamr that features champions with a set amount of skills. I have learned value in basic skills handling champions. Learning to build them properly. Or even just synergizing with other mechanics.
In this case Overwatch has a set amount of maps and mechanical skill in one hero. So it is safe to assume you have reached the pinnacle of your chosen hero. So take my advice with a grain of salt. For I have always had an advantage in these champion games. Be it a top view point and click of a moba or a 3d first person shooter such as this.
Try expanding your horizen and expose yourself to different things. Do not just learn the tricks of one hero learn as much as you can and see how each hero fits you. Do not just play a hero for a bit and make a flat out decision to hate said hero. Actually dedicate some time to understanding them. Watch how others use these heros. Notice and understand player mistake. Know what strengths each and every hero can bring to the table alone and how they could further be supported for a strong tactic. I recently became stronger by exploring and utilizing other heros. Heros I thought were useless but still potent.
My main three used were Torb Sym and Winston. I now have expanded my roster using Hanzo, Bastion, Sombra, Mei, Lucio, and Junkrat for certain points of a certain map. Sometimes its just preference on the routes I take or my defensive positions. Other times its because of how players mostly choose. But I never leave myself at a disadvantage I alway try to gain the upper hand and not only kill an enemy but foil their setup and make the game a nightmare for troublesome opponents to win.
My other advice is basic playstyle. Is your positioning good? How often do you cover routes and escapes? Do you oftem times check hiding places? Do you pay attention to team position? Hows your communication? Do you understand how long it takes to charge your ultimate and how you might more easily get it on demand?
There is a lot of factors involved with this that I simply cannot explain them all but you have to start practicing good habits. Bad ones will only further hinder your gameplay.
Things like you listed, I’ve learned a long time ago. It’s mostly keeping track of people in very close range where they constantly leave the screen, and reacting to movement further away.
Extremely fast movement and strafe spam (which literally everyone does at a diamond level) completely ruins my DPS play. Given most of my favorite characters are DPS, I have to find a way to fix this.
Also, for reference, my main account is level 902 with close to 1000 hours. It has an SR peak of 3442, but that’s playing almost exclusively support, and I’m not ok with that.
Speaking of aim I can suggest a pro tip that helps heavily with aim.
Professional players do drills before they ever start any practice or warm up matches. One good way to improve aim is joining an arcade match for headshots only. Or making one yourself with these specific settings.
Take away time limit. Or kill count goal. Set a max number of bots to Ana. Set the gamerules to headshots only. Select a hero that can bemefit from headshots such as Mccree Widowmaker Hanzo and even S76. This method even works with Roadhog for his shotgun or hook combo to learn how to maximise his damage. The Anas cannot kill because they have no headshot function which leaves the player all the room in the world headshooting moving bots.
Do this for 30 minutes to an hour. This is how pros drill for their heros. They do this daily as their gamrplay must be treated like a routine regiment.
May I ask who your top three played are? Even as support your skillsets from those heros should flex into other heros.
I am just assuming you have picked one dps and are stubbornly sticking to it. Which actually hinders progression more than people think.
honestly you can be amazing, but if your group is a bunch of fumbling shiftless morons, it doesn’t matter how good you are, you can only carry the game so far.
It varies between fatigue, sleep, caffeine, diet etc.
But there is an absolute limit you will have. I have off days where I will get 210 ms, but I know at my best i’m around 180ms
If you know all the tricks, but you feel you’re still not improving, it is possible that you’ve reached the peak of what you can do.
Look up a video by Iostux on youtube called Aim Secrets: How long does good Aim take?
He actually just made it yesterday and it goes over how the gaming is a skill like any other and it actually takes the average person a while to improve. The people who are really good at the game have years and years under their belt of other FPS. Your aim will naturally improve over time but it’s more important to work on your gamesense and positioning if you want to be better at the game.
Both accounts considered, top three would be Tracer (90 hours), Mercy (80), and either Soldier or Zenyatta third (both about 75.)