Although Battle Royale games like Fortnite are incredibly fun and satisfying, they’re equally as competitive. Staying on top of these games can be a bit of a pickle, especially if you’re new to the arena.  On the bright side, you don’t have to sit and watch as your opponents blast you to death every time. There are plenty of settings you can tweak to bring out the beast player in you.  One such setting is mouse sensitivity. 

Let’s break down why mouse sensitivity is critical, and most importantly, how to use a sensitivity calculator to convert your mouse sensitivity to Fortnite or any other game. We recommend syncing Fortnite with a super-efficient, and professional gaming training tool like 3D Aim Trainer to improve your aim in Fortnite, and overall gaming skills.

Why Mouse Sensitivity is of the Essence in Gaming

Even though other settings influence your aiming ability in FPS games, none does so quite like your mouse’s sensitivity. It determines the distance your mouse needs to travel to accurately move and position your crosshair in Fortnite and other shooters. Compared to low sensitivity settings, high sensitivity mouse settings make performing large camera angles at high speeds seamless but make it difficult for you to maintain mouse precision or make small adjustments. 

So, between high or low sensitivity, which is better? Although this is largely a matter of preferences and the game in question, high sensitivity is the way to go on Fortnite. This is because building is the most important element in this game and high sensitivity settings make your mouse more responsive to the directional adjustments you need to make in the process. For an enjoyable building and shooting experience on Fortnite, set your mouse sensitivity between 20 – 28 cm/360. 

In Fortnite, a low mouse sensitivity lowers your building speed and agility, which can decrease your chances of winning. The correct mouse sensitivity in Fortnite is important because it: 

• Enhances your building speed and agility
• Enables you to react appropriately 

Simply put, the right sensitivity allows you to attain your true potential in gaming. But how do you identify the perfect sensitivity for you across all games? Well, you could always try experimenting with your game of choice and then measuring the circumference you’ve moved your mouse using a ruler. Although this method works, it is time-consuming. Moreover, the results may be inaccurate.

Another way to determine ideal mouse sensitivity would be to review the sensitivity the best players use. There are plenty of websites that will give you all the information you need about Fortnite pro players settings so you can sync one on one with your favorite Fortnite player game settings, but keep in mind what works for one person may not work for you. 

Having said that, the best and most efficient way to go about finding your ideal sensitivity would be to use a mouse sensitivity calculator such as mousesensitivity.com.

How to Use a Sensitivity Calculator to Convert Your Mouse Sensitivity to Fortnite

As the name implies, a mouse sensitivity converter is a tool you can use to switch or change mouse sensitivity between games. It allows you to take the in-game sensitivity of one video game, and transfer it to another game for maximum efficiency. For instance, if you are playing CS: GO, you can transfer the exact same sensitivity settings you are using to Fortnite using this mouse sens converter.

How to Change Sensitivity for Fortnite

Most Fortnite mouse sensitivity calculators are pretty straightforward to use. To change mouse sensitivity for Fortnite you will need to key in the following into the mouse sens converter:

• The name of the game you want to convert mouse sensitivity from to Fortnite
• The Dots per inch(DPI) of the mouse you are using 
• The mouse sensitivity you use in the said game 
• The name of the game you are converting to (Fortnite)
• The DPI of the mouse you plan on using to play Fortnite 

Once you enter the above information, sens converter will automatically display the converted sensitivity values.  If you don’t know the DPI of your mouse but plan on using it for Fortnite, you can always input default DPI values. However, if you plan on using a different mouse for Fortnite, ensure you check its DPI out.

The Benefits of Matching Mouse Sensitivity Across Different Games

Learning how to change mouse sensitivity for Fortnite, and maintaining the same sensitivity across all games you like to play within the same genre is beneficial because:

1. It Strengthens Muscle Memory

Remember the first time you ever played a video game? You had to start by learning the controls, and after several sessions of being killed by your opponents, things began getting easier.

After several weeks, every move that once was difficult became effortless, and you could even do it without concentrating. All this was possible because of your muscle memory. Muscle memory is built through constant repetition of the same actions and moves. When you use the same mouse sensitivity settings across all your games, you improve your muscle memory because your brain creates a neural pathway that allows you to execute the same mouse movements with minimal to no conscious effort.

2. It Enhances Your Gaming Capabilities

With improved muscle memory comes the decreased need for concentration on your mouse movements. You don’t have to waste any time getting used to your gaming mouse whenever you switch to a different video game because your brain already knows what to do. This enhances your gaming capabilities and significantly increases your winning streaks on Fortnite because you have more room to focus on other important aspects of the game instead of mouse movements.

Other Ways to Improve Your Fortnite Performance

Now that you know how to change mouse sensitivity for Fortnite using a sensitivity calculator, here are other ways to improve your performance in this coveted Battle Royale game:

Invest in a Good Mouse

A quality mouse is paramount to your performance on Fortnite. Be sure to invest in one and while at it, ensure it’s a gaming mouse. This is critical because while a normal mouse usually has 1,000Dpi, a mouse specifically for gaming may have up to 4,000Dpi. It will also feature specially positioned buttons to make your experience even more smooth-sailing. 

Besides DPI, the most important factor to consider while shopping for one is the size. It should be at least 66% of your hand’s length so you can aim accurately and with ease. Also, ensure you consider the type of sensor. Gaming mice can feature either optical or laser sensors. Optical mice are more popular among gamers because they are more reactive, and do not exhibit lag. Other important features to look out for while shopping for a gaming mouse are its weight, and whether or not it’s wireless.

Turn Off Mouse Acceleration

If you have never tried to tweak your mouse settings, your mouse acceleration is probably on. To improve performance, and maximize the benefits of matching your sensitivity for Fortnite, you need to turn it off. 

Having your mouse acceleration on impacts the way it responds after you move it because Windows is trying to assist you. Although this feature was incorporated to improve your mouse’s response, it can get in the way of you winning by altering the action you intend to perform when you move your mouse. 

So, always ensure you turn it off not just for Fortnite, but for all other games you love as well. To turn this setting off, do the following:

• Go to mouse settings
• Click “change mouse settings” 
• Click “additional mouse settings 
• Click on “Pointer options” on the dialogue box that appears
• Turn off acceleration by unchecking the “enhance pointer precision” box, and then click apply and okay to execute the changes

Use a Professional Aim Training Tool

Playing Fortnite repeatedly is good for your muscle memory, but if you are looking to boost your aim and overall Fortnite gaming skills, you will want to use a professional aim training tool. 

This is because when you play Fortnite repeatedly, you spend most of your time running around and looting instead of practicing your aim or fighting opponents. But when you use a professional training tool like 3D Aim Trainer, you get to improve your overall Fortnite performance because they mainly focus on the mentioned aspects. You also get a plethora of gaming scenarios you can try out to improve your skills.

This is particularly beneficial if you’re looking to improve a specific skill. With this tool you can select one scene and use it to train over and over again. For instance, if you usually find it difficult to take down your opponents while they’re on an elevated area, you can use an aim trainer to practice your aim at elevated targets over and over until you build muscle memory for such a shot.

Update Fortnite Mouse Drivers

You also need to ensure your mouse drivers are up to date if you are to enjoy the full-fledged benefits of matching mouse sensitivity settings. 

To update mouse drivers manually, visit the manufacturer’s website, select the latest drivers available, and update. Make sure the drivers are compatible with your mouse’s model hardware and the version of Windows you use.

Master Other Settings

Although mouse sensitivity is inarguably necessary, there’s more to Fortnite than just sensitivity settings. That said, now that you can match your sensitivity settings across different games, you have one less thing to worry about while playing Fortnite. This allows you to master other settings and take your opponents down effortlessly and satisfyingly.

Join the Pros and Improve Your Fortnite Skills Today

Mouse sensitivity settings can be significantly different between unalike gaming engines and sometimes between games sharing the same engine.

In the past, it used to be that the only way to change this sensitivity was only through the manual, the circumference-measuring method described earlier, or by comparing the sensitivity of pro-gamers. But now we have mouse sensitivity calculators. Thanks to this tool, you can seamlessly change and maintain the same mouse sensitivity for Fortnite and any other games you love and enjoy a smooth gaming experience regardless of the title.

Need more pointers on how to improve your aim at Fortnite? Learn the professional way by joining 3D Aim trainer today.

The post Mouse Sensitivity 101: How to Match it for Fortnite Using a Sens Converter appeared first on 3D Aim Trainer - Training for FPS Games Blog.

The Ultimate Guide to Improving Reaction Time

Picture this: You are one of the last characters standing in the Battle Royale, Apex Legend. The only thing standing between you and winning is one opponent.

With utmost caution, you parkour across the roof looking for positional advantage. As you set yourself up, you catch a slight movement of your opponent, quickly raise your gun but before you could pull the trigger, “BOOM” you’re dead!

Sucks, right? That’s what happens when your reaction time in video games is slow.

On the bright side, reaction time is something you can improve, and in this article, we’ll show you how to improve your reflexes and reaction time.  We’re also working on a reaction time test tool you can use to track your progress.

What is Reaction Time?

Before we look at how to improve reaction time, what exactly is reaction time? Also known as response time, reaction time is the voluntary and purposeful response to an external stimulus. It is how quickly an organism (in this case, you) responds to external stimuli.  It is a complex process but often happens within a fraction of a second. Here are the three main types of reaction time:

• Simple reaction time: This involves reactions to only one stimulus. This type of reaction is typically very quick. An example of a simple reaction time is when athletes respond to the starting pistol during a sprint.
• Complex reaction time: Also known as a choice, this type of reaction time involves a variety of stimuli and responses. Since it involves processing a lot of information at once, a complex reaction time takes slightly longer. An example of a complex reaction time is when a soccer player has to keep up with the ball movement, as well as the movement of other players.
• Recognition reaction time: Also known as the selection, this involves various stimuli and responses – just like complex reaction time. However, the subject has to respond to only one. The other responses are just a distraction.

Factors that Affect Your Reaction Time

Your reaction time varies as a function of factors like:

Stimulus Complexity

The more complicated the stimulus, the more information your brain has to process and the longer it will take you to respond. For example, when a bright light hits your eyes, you automatically close your eyes because the stimulus is simple.

But if somebody slaps you out of nowhere, it takes you time to respond because first you didn’t expect it, and second, you have multiple options.  You could either hit them back, or walk away, and it takes your brain a minute to process the best course of action.

Stimulus Familiarity

It is easier for you to respond to a stimulus you’ve responded to before than it is to a new one. This is because, with a familiar stimulus, you already know what to do, so your brain has minimal processing to do.

But when it’s a completely new stimulus, your reaction time will be lower. For example, when playing a first-person shooter video game you are used to, you’ll have a quicker reaction time because you’re well versed with the map’s layout, you know where to expect enemies, hence you’ll be on your guard when approaching enemy territory.

But when it’s a new video game, it takes you too many sessions of being killed by your opponents before you get the hang of it. How long you take before you can develop the fastest reaction time depends on the complexity of the game. With tactical shooters like Valorant and CSGO, the most important elements to master include the map layout, enemy positions, and rotations.

The Stimulated Sense

The sensory modality triggered by the stimulus also affects how fast your reaction time will be.

Generally, it’s easier to respond to an auditory stimulus than a visual stimulus because the former requires less processing. In a layperson’s language, you have the fastest reaction time when sound is the stimulus than when you are responding to a visual or felt stimulus.

State of the Organism

Your state of mind and body when a stimulus is triggered is the most important factor in determining your response or reaction time.

The stimulus might be simple, and you might be even familiar with it. But if you are not in the right state, your reaction time will be slower.

For example, if you are fatigued while playing a video game, your reaction time will be slower. Other factors that affect your reaction time through your state of mind and body include:

• Temperature (reaction time is slow when it’s too hot or too cold)
• Exercise
• Distractions
• Arousal
• Stimulant or depressant drugs
• Illness
• Alcohol
• Relevance of stimuli to survival
• Age (your brain naturally slows down as you age)
• Fasting
• Gender
• Direct vs. peripheral vision
• Physical fitness
• Breathing cycle
• Learning disorders

How to Improve Reaction Time in Gaming

Your reaction time in gaming is the thin line between beating and losing to your opponents in video games. The faster you press that mouse or controller, the faster you’ll pull the trigger on your opponent. In that light, here are some tips on how to improve reaction time for gaming:

1. Warm Up

Cold hands mean slower reaction times and reduced dexterity. When it is cold, your muscles are usually stiff, and it becomes difficult for you to concentrate, let alone reacting appropriately. Before you hit the start button or even enter your gaming room, warm up first. If it is cold, take a cup of hot coffee or tea to get the temperature going.

Consider getting a hand warmer or a heat bag and regularly rubbing your hands at regular intervals in between gaming breaks. Alternatively, you could get a pair of quality gaming gloves since they are designed not only to offer excellent traction but also to retain palm heat.  

2. Ease Off the Distractions

Most pro video gamers game in dimly lit rooms, with professional headphones. Although they may have company, the room is usually very silent. This to an amateur or a non-gaming individual might not make sense. However, the tranquil environment helps the gamer attain faster reaction times.

That said, one way to improve your reaction time in gaming is to remove any distractions in your gaming environment. Shut the door, put your headphones on, and turn off the lights if necessary so your only focus is the game in front of you.

Also, although multiplayer gaming is fun, it is wise to play in single-player modes when trying to improve your reaction time in gaming. This is because having your teammates constantly talk into your headphones will only slow you down. So, remove any distractions, practice alone, become better, and then join in multiplayer gaming modes when your response is much quicker.

3. Get Enough Sleep

We know we sound like your mom right now, but getting at least eight hours of sleep will significantly improve your reaction time on Call of Duty: Warzone, Apex Legends, or whichever FPS game you are trying to improve your reaction time on.

As mentioned earlier, it takes a shorter time to respond to a familiar stimulus than a new one. That said, when you sleep enough, you give your body enough time to rejuvenate. Likewise, enough rest gives your brain enough time to process whatever you practiced during the day.

These experiences are moved to your long-term memory, which means the next time you’ll need to respond to a similar stimulus, your reaction time will be faster. This is because your brain is already familiar with the process and knows what signals to send immediately.

Besides, enough sleep means better focus, and better focus in video gaming is always a win and will go a long way in increasing your reaction time. So, invest in a comfortable mattress, and as much as it is hard for avid gamers to hit the sack, try to sneak in at least eight hours of sleep. While at it, check out this podcast for some active ingredients you can use to boost your reaction time naturally

4. Try Regular Concentrated Practice Sessions

As cliché as this sounds, practice actually makes perfect. The more you practice, the better your reaction time will be.

Note that concentrated practice is when you focus on becoming better at one particular skill in gaming, instead of all of them. Set aside at least two or three hours, figure out gaming elements that affect your reaction time, and dedicate yourself to improving them.

While trying out concentrated practice, be sure to watch how the pros do it. If you look up to one specific pro, watch their videos to see how they execute a reaction you are trying to learn. Another excellent option is to sign up for gaming courses.

5. Invest in Quality Gaming Gear

You might try concentrated practice, get rid of all potential distractions, and even hit the sack for more than eight hours. But if your gaming monitor has a slow refresh rate or you are using a below-average mouse, your reaction time will still be poor.

Invest in quality gaming gear. If you are a PC gamer, upgrade your gaming rig by getting a quality graphics card, a monitor with a refresh rate of at least 144Hz, and a mouse that fits comfortably in your palm (and tune its DPI settings).

Also, remember sound is critical in video gaming. It helps you detect where your opponents are and even what they are doing. So, while looking for quality gaming gear, make sure you get yourself a pair of quality gaming headphones as well. They should be super comfortable, because you’ll have them on for prolonged periods, and feature crispy clear sound delivery.

You don’t have to blow a hole in your bank account just to get high-end gear. There are some pretty excellent affordable options in the market. You just have to do a little digging to find them.

6. Don’t Sweat It

Lastly, remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day, and so is your reaction time. You cannot try concentrated practice today and expect to be a pro tomorrow. So, don’t stress yourself if you don’t have the fastest reaction time after one practice session.

If you stress yourself over it, you may experience burnout, which doesn’t help to improve your reaction time. Keep in mind it takes time, regular practice, utmost dedication, and regular assessments using the 3D Aim Trainer assessment to improve your reaction time in gaming. Also, note that the fastest reaction times occur when you expect the unexpected. If you’re prepared for an encounter, you’ll react to it swiftly. That is why it pays to have exemplary map knowledge in gaming.

Improve Your Reaction Time with the Pros Today

Your reaction time in video games is the difference between winning and losing to the opposing team. We highly recommend you try out all the tips on improving reaction time above and combining them with pro training at 3D Aim Trainer today.

Take the Reaction Time Test

We have created a dedicated Reaction Time Test to help you improve your speed. Use the test to warm up and sharpen your skill before starting any aim training routine or any game.

The post How to Improve Reaction Time for Gaming. 6 Ways to Have the Fastest Reaction Time appeared first on 3D Aim Trainer - Training for FPS Games Blog.

Even though it has been here for over three years, Fortnite, a battle royale game, shows no signs of slowing down. According to Statista, the online survival game had 350 million players around the world as of May 2020. This figure is set to increase exponentially with the recent launch of Chapter 2.

This means even more competition for Fortnite enthusiasts.

So, if you’re looking to beat the competition, you must master the best Fortnite settings because your weapons alone won’t cut it. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the best settings for Fortnite PC and the console presets to choose from.

To maximize your prowess, be sure to check out our Fortnite Aim Trainer Guide.

The Best Video Settings for Fortnite 2021

Fortnite is a fun and competitive game with casual yet stunning video and graphic settings. Here are the best Fortnite pro settings for video starting with the display subsection.

Display Settings

These might be standard settings, but they impact your gaming experience. Here are the best settings for Fortnite in terms of display:

• Window Mode: The Window mode setting allows you to tweak the size of the game window. Always opt for full screen since it renders a higher FPS and provides a more immersive experience for PC gaming.
• Resolution: Usually, Fortnite’s game engine automatically regulates the resolution. But for the best experience, your resolution should match your PC’s monitor. Most monitors are typically 1080p, so it’s best to stick to this for optimal performance.
• Frame Rate Limit: When it comes to gaming, the higher the FPS, the better. However, keep in mind that the FPS is often predetermined by your PC’s refresh rate. That means you can only view as many frames as your monitor’s refresh rate allows. Setting “unlimited” on Fortnite when your monitor supports only 60 Hz is a waste of energy. So cap Fortnite’s frame rate limit at your monitor’s refresh rate.

Graphic Settings

Graphic settings on Fortnite will significantly affect your gaming experience. That is why you need to ensure you use the best possible settings.

• Brightness: You always want to have your brightness set at 150% in any game, and Fortnite is no exception. It allows you to see enemies clearly, even in dark areas.
• View Distance: The higher the view distance, the easier it’s for you to spot your enemies and their building activity. This gives you an upper hand as it allows you to plan your next move wisely. Since the view distance doesn’t affect the frame rate, set it to epic.
• 3D Resolution: The best Fortnite settings in PC for 3D resolution is 100%, but since it affects the FPS, it’s better if you keep it between 25% and 75%.
• Shadows: Shadows enhance the visual appeal by increasing depth perception. They also make it easier to spot enemies in the dark. However, they suck the life out of your GPU and affect frame rates dramatically. So, unless you have a powerful GPU, it’s best to turn shadows off in your Fortnite pro settings.
• Anti-Aliasing: The higher this setting is, the smoother the visuals. But just like shadows, anti-aliasing negatively impacts performance. So, setting it to medium or below is the best way to go.
• Textures: For texture, you’ll want to go with medium or low on Fortnite for those extra frame rates.

• Effects: Effects make your gaming experience fun since they give more details in certain scenarios. For instance, they make explosions more detailed. However, they cause extra visual blur which affects your ability to see your target clearly. They’re also more taxing on your graphics card than shadows and textures. So, it’s best if you turn them as low as possible.
• Post Processing: This setting enhances graphic quality by directly adding filters and effects to original Fortnite images. Although it makes them more realistic, it’s better turned low because medium to epic post-processing levels on Fortnite darken your scope’s vision, making it difficult to see far.
• VSync: Turning VSync on ensures full FPS is always rendered so no tearing occurs. However, it causes input lag because for every picture rendered, you are at least one frame behind between the input you give and what’s displayed. So, it’s better turned off.
• Motion Blur: Motion blur doesn’t affect FPS but it’s best if you turn it off because it can make it difficult for you to see when moving at high speeds.
• Show FPS: You always want this one so you can see how many frame rates you’re working with during the game. Show FPS makes it easier for you to tweak and identify the best Fortnite settings on your PC. It allows you to enable various settings and then try them out to determine the impact they have on your frame rate.

Most video settings on Fortnite affect frame rates and in a competitive game like this one, you need to have a high FPS. So unless you have a powerful GPU or if you don’t mind low FPS, the best Fortnite pro settings when it comes to display and graphics are medium and low.

Fortnite Pro Audio Settings

Audio is critical in any battle royale game. With Fortnite being among the most competitive in this category, you need to use every element to your advantage. With the right audio settings on Fortnite, you can tell the direction your enemies are coming from and even what they are doing. Check out the best settings for Fortnite when it comes to audio:

• Music: In-game music makes gameplay fun, but it can be quite distracting. It’s better turned low or off.
• Sound Effects: Now this you want to leave on. Make it 75% or higher because it includes important sounds such as chest volume and your enemies’ footsteps.
• 3D Headphones: If you’re wearing headphones, turn this setting onfor 3D audio. It increases sound quality, making enemy detection through audio easier and enhances your gameplay experience.
• Voice chat: Want to hear and talk to your teammates? Leave this on. If not, then it’s okay to turn it off.
• Subtitles: Not essential, but it doesn’t hurt to leave them on.

Fortnite PC Mouse Sensitivity Guide

Having the right video and audio settings is critical, but it’s only half the battle. It’s best to optimize your mouse sensitivity settings on Fortnite because it greatly affects your aiming ability.

It’s also a pretty expansive subject. But to break it down for you, here are the best Fortnite pro settings for mouse sensitivity:

eDPI: This means effective dots per inch. It is the best way to determine the best mouse sensitivity for Fortnite since it takes into account in-game sensitivity values as well as mouse DPI. As a result, your 360-degree spin distance remains constant. Most professional Fortnite players use an eDPI between 35 – 70, which is equal to 18.4 – 9.2 inch mouse movement when performing a 360° camera rotation.

Sensitivity X-axis: Sensitivity on the X-axis sets the pace for mouse movements in the horizontal axis – the left and right cursor movements. Note, the higher the sensitivity is, the more accurate you’ll need to be and the lower your fault margin. There are no right or wrong Fortnite pro sensitivity settings because it all comes down to your preferences. For instance, Bugha, one of the best Fortnite pro players sets His X-axis sensitivity at 5.0% (40 eDPI) while Mongraal has his at 9.0% (72 eDPI)

• Sensitivity Y-axis: Sensitivity on the Y-axis affects up and down cursor movements. Again, it’s all about preferences But most players keep it in line with their X-axis value..
• Targeting Sensitivity:  To boost aim accuracy when aiming down sights most pro players have a target & scope sensitivity between 30% and 50%. When it comes to Scope Sensitivity, a sweet spot for sensitivity is between 30.0% and 80.0%.

Fortnite Pro PC Keybinds

Just as with mouse sensitivity, the right keybinds set you up for success on Fortnite. That is why we made sure to include keybinding settings for Fortnite PC in our guide:

Movement Keybinds

• General movement (forward, left, backward, right): WASD
• Jump: Space bar
• Sprint: Left shift
• Crouch: Left+ Ctrl
• Auto-run: Equals (=), F4, or any easy-to-access function key

Combat/Weapon Keybinds

Here are ideal Fortnite PC keybinds for combat:

• Target: Right mouse button
• Fire: Left mouse button
• Reload: R/G/Y
• Use: E/mouse wheel up
• Harvesting tool: 1
• Weapon slot 1: 2
• Weapon slot 2: 3
• Weapon slot 3: 4
• Weapon slot 4: 5
• Weapon slot 5: 6

Building Keybinds

Building is what makes Fortnite stand out among other battle royale shooters. Mastering the right keybindings for the task is one way to get yourself to the top.

• Wall: X
• Floor: V
• Stairs: C/mouse button 5
• Roof: F
• Trap: Y/5
• Crouch while building: Left+ Ctrl
• Repair or upgrade building: Tab button
• Rotate building: R
• Change your building materials: Right mouse button
• Edit: G
• Select edit: Left mouse button
• Reset building edit: Right mouse button

How to Change Fortnite Settings on PC

Fortnite might be a cross-platform game, but it reigns supreme on PC due to the versatility it offers on this platform.

Now that you know the best settings for Fortnite PC, how do you change them? Well, it’s pretty straightforward. Simply follow the steps outlined below:

• Go to the lobby. (that’s where you select the match or challenges you want to play.)
• Click the sandwich icon on the upper right corner to unveil the extra settings we’ve highlighted above.

Best Fortnite Settings for Console

When it comes to console-play, the best Fortnite pro settings vary depending on the platform you are using, which is why we’ll focus mainly on controller settings. Usually, there are four preset options to choose from:

• Builder pro: This is the most competitive default controller option. It links your building activity with your controller’s triggers and bumpers. It’s the best configuration because it allows you to easily access your building sets. It also gives you an upper hand. Why? Well, you can seamlessly outbuild your enemies, and then take them out from your high fort. This configuration is a perfect fit for Fortnite players who rely heavily on buildings.
• Quick builder: This is an easier version of builder pro. Like its variant, it gives you access to building materials, editing interface, and similarly lets you outpace your enemies in building. But as you’d expect, it’s not as detailed as the latter.
• Combat pro: This is for the aggressive players. As the name suggests, this controller configuration focuses more on combat. It’s perfect if you are a sharpshooter and love taking down your enemies without much hassle.
• Old school: This configuration is based on third- and first-person shooters. It’s ideal for beginners who are still learning the ropes of Fortnite or veteran players who hate the complexity that comes with the controller settings highlighted above.

Practice with 3D Aim Trainer Academy

Learning the best pro Fortnite settings is the key to beating your competition now and in the future. We’ve included some of the best settings for Fortnite PC above, but there’s more to becoming king in this battle royale shooter game than just learning the settings. You need to master what works for your favorite Fortnite character, obtain the best skins, and even easily see the weak points of your enemies. 

Start your training today in our online arena to become a pro Fortnite player.

The post The Best Fortnite Settings for Enhanced Performance on PC and Console appeared first on 3D Aim Trainer - Training for FPS Games Blog.

A Glossary of Aiming terms in FPS Games

Let’s dive in to the ultimate glossary for aiming and FPS games

Aiming Down Sights

Also known as ADS is a popular method for players to fire weapons in FPS games, which is usually operated by clicking the right mouse button. This click technique translates In real life too when a gamer raises a rifle up and places the stock right inside the shoulder area, and then leans their head down so they can see a straight line over the top of their rifle. This usually increases accuracy in most shooter games. Nonetheless, it can be limiting in terms of vision and situational awareness as well as mobility, especially in games where you need to be constantly moving otherwise you’re an easy target. The main benefit aside from accuracy is that it only needs a short amount of time to change weapon position.

Arm Aiming

Is when you move the mouse with your arm instead of your wrist. This technique is especially handy when you need to cover more ground and try to combat fatigue during long gaming sessions where recruiting large muscle groups in your arm will maintain your stamina for the duration of your shooter game. Aside from endurance and coverage, mouse sensitivity is another determining factor in whether to opt for arm aiming or wrist aiming. For example, playing on low mouse sensitivity (50cm/360 to 80cm/360)demands using arm aiming as the best technique, while limiting your aiming with wrist movements to only minor corrections, this guarantees covering a larger distance on the mousepad with small in-game movements.

Arm aiming is basically handy in making large, but accurate turns to get your crosshair as close as possible to the target, then use your wrist to make small adjustments plus track your target (for wrist aiming, scroll further down).

The aiming skills that can be mastered with arm aiming are

• Tracking
• Flicking

The main pivot point is located between your elbow and wrist for the larger part of aiming and mouse movement,  2/3 closer to the elbow than the wrist, while a second pivot point is in the wrist for fine-tuning and accurate crosshair placement.

Bullet Hell

A subgenre of shoot ’em up or shooter games: variously termed manic shooters, maniac shooters, these games required players to keep away from overwhelming numbers of enemy projectiles and called for nonetheless greater steady reactions from the participants. Bullet Hell video games arose from the want for second shoot ’em up developers to compete with the rising popularity of 3D games: large numbers of missiles on screen had been intended to affect gamers. Often the screen is completely covered with waves of projectiles in a bullet hell game.

Bullet Sponge

A bullet sponge is a character or object that takes quite a large number of bullets or another projectile to kill. It is a slang term that describes more the annoyance of players who are firing at the character or object for the purpose of destroying it in order to advance in the game.

Circle Strafing

An advanced movement technique in many first-person shooter games where the player utilizes both thumbsticks in console or mouse and keyboard controls on PC to attain a constant circular motion around his enemy while maintaining a steady aim on that target. This practice minimizes incoming fire from the target’s teammates, as any misses are likely to hit and harm their teammate, it basically helps avoid counterattacks while attacking at close range. The player keeps moving in and out of the opponent’s field of view while allowing him/her sustained fire on the opponent. It is particularly useful against opponents that hurl visible projectiles. Circle strafing is also effective in herding a large number of enemies into a compact group as they all attempt to follow the player, and if the group is mixed, has the added benefit of being almost certain to start an infight.

Claw Grip

As the name suggests, a claw grip basically is when you arch two fingers in a claw-like position over the mouse buttons without making any further contact between your palm and your mouse. This position permits more control and pressure over mouse movement which is ideal for fine tracking and micro-adjustments from your wrist. However, it will cause fatigue amongst players more than other grips simply because you’re operating mostly with your accessory muscles.

Dead Zone

A part of the screen in PC games in which the camera is controlled via free look where the mouse cursor can be positioned to lock the camera in place. The dead zone can be adjusted in some games such as Fortnite and COD Modern Warfare.

esports

Organized electronic sports competitions around video games on PC or console, often played for a cash prize and recognition. Considered by many to be one of, if not the first real esports competition, The Red Annihilation event (1997) kicked off and left an immediate imprint. 

FOV

An abbreviation for Field of View is the extent of the observable game world that is seen on the display at any given moment in first-person video games. It is typically measured as an angle, although whether this angle is the horizontal, vertical, or diagonal component of the field of view varies from one game to another. A higher FoV means you’ll have more peripheral vision, but can result in distortion effects when set too high.

The FOV may change depending on the aspect ratio of the rendering resolution. In PC games and modern game consoles the FOV usually increases with a wider aspect ratio of the rendering resolution.

Frames per second (fps)

The rendering speed for any game on your screen is measured in frames per second. The faster a game’s framerate, the smoother it appears. Both 30fps and 60fps are considered standard, but FPS games need to run at higher frame rates to avoid making players feel disoriented.

Grinding

A popular activity that has dominated the video game culture recently, it’s basically performing a repetitive and time-consuming action in video games in general and FPS games in specific before being able to advance. Prevalent in online games, where it is alternately considered an annoying waste of time or an enjoyable necessity, depending on the player’s attitude. Many PC games have taken steps to reduce the ‘grind’, including doing away with traditional ‘leveling’ systems or allowing the player to temporarily ‘boost’ themselves to match the difficulty of NPCs in a given area.

Head Glitch

A Head glitch is when an FPS player hides behind cover where the top of their head is the only showing part, yet has a full vision and can fire freely at enemies without obstruction.

Impact Marks

An option that determines in which detail bullet marks on surfaces should be rendered. Usually, for maximum performance, it is best for this option to be turned off.

Kill-to-Death Ratio

Abbreviated KDR / KR is how many enemies on average you’d take out before being taken out yourself. The term is quite popular as a benchmark amongst FPS Players in regards to their gaming skills. 

Keybinds

Applying keybinding functions to a mouse to improve efficiency while playing the game. Learn more about Keybinding.

Level Scaling

A technique in FPS games where the player advances in level, which alters the attributes of his/her character or opponents so that there is a similar challenge in combat. If the player character is several levels higher, either the enemy would be amped or the player’s abilities downsized in order for the challenge to have balance.

Mouse Acceleration

Since the distance of the cursor on the screen is highly dependent on your mouse speed movement, mouse acceleration is when your cursor moves further depending on how fast you move your mouse on your desk. Mouse acceleration is not recommended for FPS games, especially due to the fact that it depletes your muscle memory and makes your gameplay more inconsistent, and reduces your aiming precision.

Muscle Memory

Is a form of memory that involves reinforcing a specific motor task into memory through repetition. You need to train your body to get into the same position consistently resulting in more accurate shots time and time again. You should practice this in both training and competition environments to replicate the feeling for each type of condition.

No-scope

A technique in first-person shooter games used to attack a target by quickly aiming down sights on a weapon and shooting immediately This largely pertains to sniper rifles, when you quickly scope and take a shot with it. Quick scoping gets more accuracy than no scoping.

Peel

Peeling is when you are aiming to save one of your teammates. This is usually done when a character stops fighting their current target and instead uses their abilities to help their teammate.

Quick Scoping

Primarily means to shoot without scoping in, especially when using a high-precision, long-range gun such as a sniper rifle. This is usually very hard to do because the shot when no scoping is very inaccurate. 

Ragdolls

It controls the animation accuracy of dead body physics. But it stresses the CPU not the GPU. Still if you have an older PC set it to “low”.

Sight Picture

Is the visual relationship between the front and rear sight when aiming properly. Sight pictures differ greatly depending on what sighting system the rifle is using, but across the board the shooter should focus on the front sight, thus making the closer rear sight out of focus.

Third-Person Shooter

Abbreviated TPS is a subcategory in 3D shooting games with the camera looking out from behind the character, especially the character’s shoulders. It is very close to First Person Shooter Games the only difference is that the player’s character is visible on-screen during play.

Vsync

Vertical synchronization is a graphics technology that synchronizes the frame rate of a game and the refresh rate of a gaming monitor. One of the Vsync downsides is that it may cause input lag. Tearing occurs when the refresh rate of the monitor is not in sync with the frames per second.

WASD

Refers to a keyboard control scheme usually used to move a character. W is for walking forward, A for strafing left, D for strafing right, and S for walking backward. Wrist Aiming: Is controlling and moving your mouse with your hand instead of your arm. So you’re using your wrist to make fast and precise cursor movements. Wrist aiming is crucial for fast reaction times and increased accuracy over small distances. Wrist aiming is essential when playing on an extremely high mouse sensitivity (1cm/360 to 30cm/360), where it’s likely to just use your wrist to aim, with minimal arm movement. This is due to the fact that a small mouse movement performs large movements in the game, while small wrist movements will spin a big distance.

The post The ABC of Aiming in PC Games appeared first on 3D Aim Trainer - Training for FPS Games Blog.

4 Pro Crosshairs for CSGO, How to Select the Best One

Choosing the right type, no! The best CSGO crosshair to play with may seem like a matter of personal preference; however, there are many aspects you should take into consideration before making that decision. Understand that fitting yourself with the right crosshair could help you learn game mechanics a lot faster and give you a slight edge in combat over your opponents. Even amongst pro players, there are many interesting differences between CSGO pro crosshair selection. In this guide, we are going to take a closer look at everything regarding the right crosshair for CSGO from types to overall settings.

Types of CSGO Crosshairs: Reticle Shape

First, let’s take a look at the different crosshair shapes available. 

CS:GO is unique when it comes to setting up your crosshair as it allows a wide array of customisations through console (default key ~) use. Taking into consideration all the different settings we have, only a few valid options are then available to choose.

The Cross Shaped CSGO Crosshair

Probably the most common amongst all crosshairs and arguably the best crosshair for CS GO, regardless of what game you’re playing. This is not surprisingly the most popular choice amongst pro and casual players. The cross is very diverse as it allows players to be accurate and retain proper vertical target alignment. Last but not least, CS:GO makes it possible to have a dot inside the cross, giving you high accuracy, while visual obstruction is mostly dependant on opacity and the chosen length of the lines of the cross itself. 

The cross is advised for most beginning players, as it is just an excellent and versatile choice. It will also serve you well in future FPS games to come. 

This reticle shape is used for the vast majority of real-life scopes and attachments, which shows how effective it is.

Examples:

(To get this crosshair, copy and paste the following in console: cl_crosshairalpha 255; cl_crosshaircolor 1; cl_crosshairdot 0; cl_crosshairgap -2; cl_crosshairsize 2; cl_crosshairstyle 4; cl_crosshairusealpha 1; cl_crosshairthickness 1; cl_crosshair_drawoutline 0;)

CSGO Dot Crosshair

Also common, but harder to use. To get the most out of this crosshair, a certain amount of experience in weapon recoil is necessary as crosshair bloom will have virtually no effect. If you are using a dot as your crosshair you won’t have any reference for vertical target alignment, which can be a drawback for beginning players. Although this crosshair provides you with the most screen real estate and thus almost no visual obstruction, it comes with disadvantages that can only be combatted by understanding recoil patterns and in general, having a solid aim.

(To get this crosshair, copy and paste the following in console: cl_crosshairalpha 255; cl_crosshaircolor 0; cl_crosshairdot 1; cl_crosshairgap -999; cl_crosshairsize 1; cl_crosshairstyle 4; cl_crosshairusealpha 1; cl_crosshairthickness 1; cl_crosshair_drawoutline 0; cl_crosshair_sniper_width 1; cl_crosshaircolor_b 0; cl_crosshaircolor_g 255; cl_crosshaircolor_r 0;)

The Square Shaped Crosshair

Not widely used, but a solid choice nonetheless. The square shape is commonly used in CS GO in combination with crosshair bloom. Also, the square itself is made very small so when standing still, it’s similar to using the dot. This tends to be used by people who spray their guns often up close, while always wanting to be as accurate as possible from a distance. The idea is that while spraying (and praying) you have less visual obstruction towards your target. With crosshair bloom turned on, it gets some vertical alignment, although as a reference it’s a lot less reliable than the cross. 

On the pro scene, you will rarely see this being used, so if you are not used to this kind of reticle shape, it’s not recommended.

Example:

(To get this crosshair, copy and paste the following in console: cl_crosshairsize “0.5”; cl_crosshairthickness “5”; cl_crosshairusealpha “1”; cl_crosshairalpha “200”;  l_crosshairgap “-5”; cl_crosshair_drawoutline “0”; cl_crosshair_outlinethickness “0”; cl_crosshairdot “0”; cl_crosshairstyle “4”; cl_crosshaircolor “5”; cl_crosshaircolor_r “50”; cl_crosshaircolor_g “250”; cl_crosshaircolor_b “50”;)

The T-Shape Crosshair

The T-shape crosshair trades a bit of your vertical alignment for more screen space, which is why quite a few players are slowly adopting this setting. However, just like the square crosshair shape, it’s still rare to see a pro player using it.

Example:

To activate the T-shape, just head over to the crosshair section in the settings menu. See below for a short guide on how to find it.

1. Colours and Alpha (aka opacity).

Now we have to take a look at the colour and opacity of our crosshair. 

When it comes to choosing the right color for your crosshair, there are a lot more don’ts than do’s. The general idea is to choose something bright so you can always spot it instantly. Bright green, yellow, blue, cyan, .. The color you choose must have good contrast with the ones already in the game. Don’t go for a black crosshair; you won’t be able to hide in the dark anymore. Don’t choose white or flashbangs will become your worst nightmare. 

Opacity is an entirely personal preference as it only changes the visibility of the crosshair. The less opaque (lower the Alpha), the more visual obstruction you would get. If you’re very comfortable with the position of your crosshair and if you’re very familiar with the game in general, then you should increase the opacity of your crosshair, so you never miss a frame or tell. For beginner-level players, it is advised to start with a very visible, bright crosshair with low opacity, that is guaranteed to be the best CSGO crosshair.

2. Crosshair bloom (aka static or dynamic crosshair)

Choosing a static or dynamic crosshair determines if crosshair bloom is turned off or on respectively. Crosshair bloom is for some players very helpful and for others just annoying as it manages whether or not your crosshair visually shows how accurate your next shot will be. This means as you crouch, walk, run, jump or shoot; your crosshair will change the size to let you know how accurate you are.

Most pro players play without crosshair bloom as they understand recoil patterns and the general weapon mechanics. Still, there is a good amount of pro’s who prefer it turned on.

If you are a beginning player, it’s advised to always have this option on, at least until you get a good understanding of CS:GO weapons.

Summary

Taking everything into consideration, we notice that for players at beginner level you really can’t go wrong with the classic cross, with or without a center dot or bloom enabled, it is %100 the best CSGO crosshair. Enabling crosshair bloom will make sure you get visual indications into the mechanics of your guns, which is, when starting a game, essential—accurate, excellent vertical target alignment aid, highly visible.

As your knowledge and experience progress and you feel yourself getting very comfortable with certain guns, you should for sure try out some other shapes and setups. Make sure that the reticle shape you choose fits your gameplay. You all about going up close and personal, try the square. You all about one-tapping heads, can’t go wrong with a dot.

1. Setting up your crosshair, a quick tutorial

First of all, we’re going to head over to the settings menu, then select the game tab and finally scroll down to or click the crosshair section. Here we can select what type of crosshair we can select:

By selecting any of the ‘Classic’ crosshairs, we get a more advanced menu which will make it a lot easier to explain all of the options made available to us.

The classic crosshair menu should look like this: 

Here you can play with a wide variety of options. The visual aid will show you your crosshair in different surroundings. Alternatively, you can also use the console to change the appearance of your crosshair. 

If you have other suggestions for the best CSGO crosshair selections, do leave a comment below.

Enjoy & go ham!

The post Best CSGO Crosshair appeared first on 3D Aim Trainer - Training for FPS Games Blog.

What is mouse sensitivity and the difference between DPI & eDPI

Mouse DPI (Dots Per Inch) is a hot topic among gamers as many are searching for the best mouse DPI settings for numerous FPS games. Still, this is fundamentally wrong as it only covers one part of the story. The important thing they should be looking for is the in-game mouse sensitivity also referred to as effective Dots Per Inch (eDPI).

In this article I’ll dive deeper into this topic, what DPI actually is, the misconception around it, and the relation between DPI and screen resolution. 

Furthermore, what eDPI is and the basics on how to synchronize this between 2 different games having the same in-game mouse sensitivity as a result. So, without any further ado, let’s dive right into it.

What is mouse DPI (Dots Per Inch)?

I’ll start with an example, imagine your mousepad is divided into 1 by 1-inch segments as shown below. Each segment is divided into a grid. Your mouse DPI settings determine how fine this grid is. If you assign the settings to 800, this means that each segment is divided into an 800 by 800 grid, each intersection represents a dot.  In the case of 800 DPI, the dots are 0.03175mm separated from each other.

When you move your mouse, the sensor jumps from one dot to another depending on the direction of mouse movement, this is referred to as a “count” The higher the mouse DPI settings are, the denser the senor grid will be and the more screen space your cursor will cover when moving your mouse 1 inch = the higher your sensitivity will be.

When represented like this you might conclude that the denser the senor grid is the more accurate your mouse movement is processed, and you would be right if this was the full picture, but it isn’t as we haven’t taken screen resolution into account.

The relation between mouse DPI and screen resolution.

Every screen has a certain pixel resolution like 1920*1080 for example. This means that there are 1920 pixels in the width of the screen and 1080 in the height which gives a total of
2.073 million px.

What I need to know to prove my point is the pixel density or pixels per inch (PPI), therefore I need to know the screen size, for example, 24 inch. In that case, the PPI is 91.79px with a pixel size of 0.276mm, this is also the smallest amount you can move your cursor on the screen as it represents the size of 1 pixel.
If we compare this with our DPI density of 0.03175mm we can conclude that it is no use to increase our DPI in order to increase our cursor accuracy because the DPI grid density is already x8.7 times higher than the pixel density of our screen representing the minimum amount of visible cursor movement. You can state that the pixel/count ratio = 0.1147 In order to have mouse skipping, which is moving your mouse 1 count without visibly moving your screen cursor 1 pixel your DPI should be below 90 DPI having a pixel/count ratio above 1.

Note that this is only true for 2D desktop movement as we haven’t taken the in-game sensitivity and FOV value into account.

eDPI / 360° Spin distance

The reason why eDPI is the better method to determinate mouse sensitivity compared to DPI alone is that it takes your in-game sensitivity also into account making it possible to synchronize this across different games, meaning that your 360°-character spin distance is always the same no matter the game. This is not the case when just synchronizing your mouse DPI settings, making it in fact useless to do.

But since there is no standard when it comes to in-game sensitivity values and since most games are applying different methods to calculate the sensitivity effect resulting in a different outcome, it is nearly impossible to figure this out on your own, and that’s when a sensitivity calculator comes in handy. The most famous one and by far the best is www.mousesensitivity.com, some of its features are behind a paywall so not everything is free, but the feature you need to determine your eDPI is 360° distance which is free for all games.

Below I’ve added a practical example for converting Overwatch to Apex Legends.
All you need to do is select Overwatch from the drop-down and fill in your in-game sensitivity for Overwatch, which in this case is 6.1 same goes for mouse DPI settings which are 800 for this example. (highlighted in blue)

From the “Convert to” tab (highlighted in red) simply select the game you want to convert to, so for this example Apex Legends and the result will be shown immediately below (highlighted in the green).

The 2 values that you need to look for are the sensitivity which is 1.83000 for Apex and the 360° distance which is 11.1773 inch which is the same for both games resulting in the same 360° spin distance. 

The eDPI for this case is 800 (DPI) / 11.1773 (360° Distance) = 71.57 eDPI.

But it’s a lot more convenient to just refer to the 360° spin distance which is basically the same as both parameters, DPI and In-game sensitivity are taken into account.

As a result, your in-game mouse sensitivity (eDPI) is synchronized between the 2 games as you just need to put in 1.83 as sensitivity value for Apex Legends and you are done!

I hope you find this quick guide about Mouse DPI settings useful,  in the next article I’ll take an in-depth look into the mouse synchronization part, taking FOV into account and why it’s important. I might even share a secret to cut your warmup time in half and make you overall a more consistent aimer just by adjusting your DPI in a very special way!

The post Mouse DPI Settings & eDPI appeared first on 3D Aim Trainer - Training for FPS Games Blog.

From Valorant Sensitivity to Gaming Gear. The Full Setup Guide

Valorant Settings and Choosing the Right Valorant Sensitivity

Mouse sensitivity is overall a personal preference, and while some players have high sensitivities (20cm / 360° Turn) and others quite low (60cm / 360° Turn) there are some guidelines when it comes to Valorant and for the best Valorant settings you should take into account before choosing or changing your mouse sensitivity.

a.      The Time to Kill (TTK) is very low, meaning that you die in a split second when taking damage. This means that when an enemy pops-up outside your field of view (FOV) he has a major advantage over you as he sees you first and most likely going to take you out if he doesn’t mess up his aim.

b.      Targets in Valorant are quite small and the hitboxes aren’t very forgiving as they just cover the hero’s body mesh. This means that you need to accurately aim and there isn’t any room for error when it comes to first shot accuracy as the spread and gun recoil kicks in quite fast for most guns, making it harder to correct when firing.

Having these in mind we can confirm that Valorant settings in terms of sensitivity tailor more towards low rather than high values.

The reasoning is, when you are flanked and the enemy pops up behind you or even outside your FOV, the chance that you die is extremely high in an evenly skilled match-up.

Having the possibility to turn your camera 320° in one mouse swipe won’t help you win the fight as it’s probably over by the time you’re on target due to the very low TTK.

When it comes to Valorant sensitivity, the lower the sensitivity the higher the room for aim error.

When the 360° turn distance is doubled (20 => 40cm) so is the error margin for over and under aiming your target because the in-game camera moves twice as slow when performing the same mouse swipe.

Overall, when being used to a low sensitivity your first shot aim accuracy will be higher compared to high sensitivity.

What is a low Valorant sensitivity?

 To put it in figures, everything between 35 – 50 cm / 360° is considered “low.” However, this depends on the space you have available on your desk and the size of your mousepad.

When placing your mouse in the middle of your pad, it is recommended to make sure you have at least 25 cm of space all around between your mouse and the edge of the pad, in order to be able to perform a 200° mouse swipe starting from the middle of your mouse pad to not impede your hand movement. It goes without saying if your mouse sensitivity is above 45 cm more space is required.

If you don’t have that kind of mouse space available, try looking for other available solutions in order not to hinder your mouse movement and negatively affect your in-game performance. 

In regards to your scoped sensitivity multiplier, it’s recommended to set yours to ‘1’ as that means that your scoped sensitivity matches your ADS sensitivity which is better in terms of consistency. Most Pro players opt for this setting as well, with a couple trying lower Valorant settings to get that more precise feeling with scoped weapons. The average scoped Valorant sensitivity setting sits at 0.97 right now.

Gaming Gear Setup for VALORANT on PC

The best Valorant settings to boost your aim, aside from having a PC that runs the game smoothly at 144 frames per second 4 other devices are important when it comes to gaming.

a)      Mouse

The mouse is the most important weapon a PC gamer can have to conquer in FPS games, it almost unequivocally determines the effect on your in-game aim and performance. Do not underestimate the powerful performance of a progressively engineered mouse. So if there is one thing you shouldn’t try to save on, it’s a decent gaming mouse from a leading brand!

When it comes to improving your aim at Valorant, getting your crosshair as fast as possible on your enemy’s head with the lowest amount of effort is crucial to be successful in this game due to the low time to kill. Hence, one of the most important characteristics of your mouse is its weight. That is due to the fact that every time you move your mouse or change its direction you need to overcome the inertia (resistance to acceleration) and the static friction first. The heavier the mouse is, the higher inertia and static friction, the more force you need to apply to get it moving or change its direction.

This might sound far-fetched but the difference between a 150 gr mouse or a 75 gr mouse is huge as you need to apply almost 2 times less force to get it moving. And this is very important when it comes to muscle control.

In order to have maximum control over your mouse movement, and consequently maximum accuracy, the difference between the initially applied force to get it moving, and the continued applied force to keep it moving should be kept to a bare minimum to make the transition as effortless as possible.

Imagine you need to push a 100 kg bag of sand, the initial force you need to apply to get it moving will be a lot higher than the continued force you need to apply to keep it on the move. This is because you need to overcome the static friction first between the bag and the surface, the more the bag weighs the higher the initial push needs to be. This is the same when it comes to moving your mouse and why it’s important to keep the weight to a minimum.

Another aspect that contributes to inconsistent mouse movement due to resistance is the mouse’s cable. To keep it simple, get rid of it and buy yourself a wireless model as the cable creates unwanted drag that forces you to always re-adjust the applied force you put on your mouse as the drag force continually changes depending on the position of the mouse on your mousepad. A mouse bungee is just a half-baked solution, as the cable still acts as a sort of spring making it harder to move your mouse towards the bungee and easier to move it away which basically doesn’t solve anything.

Wireless gaming mice are becoming more and more affordable, and since this is the most important piece of equipment you have as a gamer, investing in a premium quality 2.4ghz wireless gaming mouse is the smartest decision you’ll make. The next thing that is important is the sensor of the mouse.

Knowing that moving your mouse 5 cm always results in the same crosshair displacement is a must when it comes to building your muscle memory. A great optical sensor is the best choice and makes a world of difference in your aiming performance. Great performing sensors are the Logitech HERO sensor or the PixArt PWM 3360. Both are known for consistent results and can be found on numerous mid to high budget mice. Do not buy laser sensors as they tend to have “false mouse acceleration”.

Last thing to mention is the fact that Valorant doesn’t require a lot of input compared to MOBA’s, so don’t buy a mouse with 100 buttons on it as it just increases the weight and the chance of misclicks.

b)     Mousepad

When it comes to mousepads there are 3 things you need to look out for.

a.      Size

Make sure your mousepad is big enough so you can perform at least a 200° mouse swipe starting at the center of the pad and still have a couple of centimeters to spare. XXL pads that provide space for your keyboard is also something to think about as you don’t struggle with keyboard placement that rests half on your mousepad.

b.      Control or Speed

A lot of manufacturers sell 2 types of mousepads, a speedy type which has a very fine cloth top layer and control type with a rougher top layer. Which type you should buy is actually up to you, but I do recommend to test them both out before choosing one as there is definitely a difference.

The speed version provides less static friction due to the smooth surface, making it easier to start moving the mouse but harder to stop it, see it as a gliding on ice, it takes no effort to start, but it is to stop as the inertia works now against you. This tends to overshoot your target rather than undershooting.

The control version provides basically the opposite, easier to stop because of the rougher surface but harder to start as the surface provides higher static friction compared to the speed version and requires a bit more force to keep it going. Anyway, the most important when it comes to your mousepad is maintenance! Clean your mousepad regularly and give it a bath with some soup and rub it gently with a rag.

Dust is your worst enemy and exponentially increases the static friction of your mousepad in no time! I recommend cleaning your mousepad at least every 2 months to keep it in shape, you will be amassed about the difference between a clean and a dirt mousepad.

c.       Edges & thickness

Check if the edges of the mousepad exist out of rounded stitching, else it will start to irritate the skin of your underarm quite fast.

c)      Monitor

Eye-hand coordination is everything when it comes to aiming, so the more information your eyes are receiving at any given time, the better. That’s why a 144hz (or higher) refresh rate monitor is a must when it comes to aiming. Compared to a 60hz model your aim feels a lot smoother and the feedback you are receiving is more instant, I cannot stress enough what difference it makes when it comes to your aim and in-game performance.

The monitor is the 2^nd most important piece of equipment you have as a gamer and if you haven’t upgraded yet to a 144hz piece, then do this now! 144hz TN models are quite affordable these days, so I highly suggest getting one. If you want better contrast and colors an IPS panel is your best option but in combination with a 144hz refresh rate is also the most expensive.

d)     Keyboard & Input Device

The least important attribute in this list for a gamer is your keyboard. Yes, a mechanical keyboard feels better and has on paper better response times, but in practice, it makes little difference compared to a rubber dome one. So, if you covered all the rest, and still have money to spare, go and get yourself one! Otherwise, make sure you spend your money on a decent gaming mouse or monitor first!

We hope this guide to Valorant settings and choosing the right Valorant sensitivity was helpful. Don’t forget to check out our Mouse DPI Guide

The post Best VALORANT Settings for PC appeared first on 3D Aim Trainer - Training for FPS Games Blog.

Consistent aim between 3D Aim Trainer and it’s 10 supported FPS Games

Consistent aim between game and 3D Aim Trainer. This video clip demonstrates true consistent aim between a supported game and our 3D Aim Trainer platform. This is accomplished by synchronizing both in game mouse-sensitivity and (FOV) field of view between game and 3D Aim Trainer. If you want to learn more about the science behind all this and the positive effects on your performance as a gamer, we invite you to continue reading and take a look at the following video clips.

CLIP 11 | Consistent aim for superior muscle memory

The video clip demonstrates the result of dedicated aim practice by using the same consistent aim to build great muscle memory and hand-eye coordination.

When we talk about aim we talk about motor learning or muscle memory and more specifically about hand-eye coordination, which is the coordinated control of eye movement with hand movement and the processing of visual input to guide the hand, that in our case guides the mouse to our target in video games. It goes without saying that for training your muscle memory and hand-eye coordination, consistency is key. Think of it like shooting a basketball, when you shoot consistently from the same distance, you get the feel of shooting the ball from that distance so your average aim accuracy will go up. Needless to say, after a while your accuracy will raise when shooting from that distance since your motoric skills have increased through consistent aim practice, and this is no different for aiming in video games.

When you play with the same consistent aim over and over again you will get a feel for it too. As a result of this, your average accuracy will skyrocket and the time it takes to get your crosshair on a target will drastically go down, since you won’t need to compensate that much for over or under aiming.

Over time your muscle memory will be so developed that it will become more a controlled reflex then an active thinking process leaving you sometimes amazed at how fast and accurate you have become.

CLIP 1 | Synchronizing mouse movement between game and 3D Aim Trainer

Based on your input (in game sensitivity and CPI) our trainer calculates how much distance your mouse needs to move to perform a 360 spin in the selected game. Then our trainer will match the same distance by adapting its own in game sensitivity (called lookspeed) so that both mouse sensitivities are perfectly synchronized. Meaning you have the exact same mouse movement as in your selected game.

Before continuing, let’s address the commonly misused term DPI (Dots Per Inch) for expressing mouse-sensitivity. While this is a commonly used term by people and gaming manufactures, It should be CPI or Counts Per Inch. Or in other words, the number of counts a mouse registers when moving one inch. We use “Counts” instead of “Dots” Just know they refer to the same. So when moving your mouse in a desktop environment 1 mouse count represents 1 pixel of your display.

So if your display has a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels your mouse will register 1920 counts if you move your mouse pointer in a straight line across the display. However, in video games, it all depends on your in game sensitivity, the higher the sensitivity is, the faster you turn when performing the same mouse movement. So by combining mouse CPI and in game sensitivity you get a certain mouse-sensitivity that can be expressed in a 360° spin or turn.

In other words, the distance your mouse needs to travel for your character to turn 360 degrees to see the whole environment, this is usually measured by inches or centimeters. The amount of counts the mouse will move is the same 27457 for both 3D Aim Trainer as game meaning that the distance the mouse travels is equal in both clips.

Our 3D Aim Trainer has adjusted its in game sensitivity to match the sensitivity of the game so when the mouse travels 27457 counts our 3D Aim Trainer turns exactly 360 degrees just like the game, meaning that both mouse sensitivities are perfectly aligned. Still, synchronizing this distance alone won’t necessarily give you a consistent aim between game and 3D Aim Trainer.

Reason is, while your 360 spin might be the same, that doesn’t mean your visual information is. If you look closely at the clip above, you will notice that the displayed image of the 3D Aim Trainer moves faster than the one in the game. So while your mouse and hand are moving the same, your eye isn’t getting the same information. This will be further explained below.

CLIP 12 | Synchronizing Field Of View (FOV) between game and 3D Aim Trainer for a Consistent Aim

When we talk about Field Of View, it’s about what you can see as a player on your display.

Field of view is the extent of the observable 3D environment that you see on your display at any given moment and is measured as an angle in degrees. This video clip demonstrates that our aim trainer will adapt to your preferred field of view, giving you the exact same viewing angle you experience in your game.

We will dig deeper into this topic, going from the visual projection, to the effects on your hand-eye coordination and consistent aim. In many video games you can change your field of view in the options or console menu. Changing your field of view has a major impact on your viewing experience.

CLIP 2 | Difference in viewing experience between a 90° FOV and a 120° FOV

Both 360 spins are matched but the field of view is different. In the top clip the FOV is 90 degrees and in the bottom clip it’s 120 degrees. In the top clip the targets are larger but you see less of the gaming world (1/4^th) meaning the image moves faster when both sensitivities are the same. In the bottom clip you see more of the gaming world (1/3^rd) and the image moves slower but this comes at the cost of significantly smaller targets than in the top part of the clip, and are therefore harder to hit. Needless to say this also has an impact on your hand-eye coordination, since in most games field of view and mouse-sensitivity are independent from each other. Meaning that changing your field of view is potentially changing your hand-eye coordination.

CLIP 3 | The effect on your hand-eye coordination when using a different field of view

The mouse moves the same distance regardless of the field of view. So while your hand and mouse are moving the same, the visual input you are getting from your sight is quite different. In this particular example the distance the mouse needs to move is 2188 counts to hit the center of the barrel regardless of the FOV, which is 90° degrees for the top clip and 120° for the bottom one. However, the position on the screen of where the barrel is displayed isn’t the same at all.

In the top clip the barrel is positioned at 4.43 inch from the display center while In the bottom clip the barrel is positioned at only 2.56 inch from the display center!

As a result of this your hand-eye coordination is disturbed when changing the field of view.

In case of changing your FOV from 90° to 120° your muscle memory will still have the habit to move your hand and mouse 2188 counts when seeing a target at 4.43 inch from the display center, like it should when the FOV is 90, but because it’s changed to 120 this would result in an under-aim. Increasing your FOV causes under-aim and decreasing your FOV causes over-aim which is the opposite effect.

CLIP 4 | The relation between field of view and under / over aiming

In the top clip the FOV is 90° but I move my mouse to match the distance of where the barrel in the bottom clip is displayed which has a FOV of 120°. And vice versa for the bottom clip.

This shows the difference in mouse and hand movement when changing your field of view.

The mouse in the top clip needs to move 1450 counts to match the distance of the barrel in the bottom clip while the mouse in the bottom clip needs to move 3850 counts to match the distance of the barrel in the top clip. This is a significant difference in mouse movement, and is a direct result of the 30 degree difference in field of view between both clips. This causes severe under or over-aim, depending if you increased or decreased your field of view. To get a better understanding of how this is possible, you first need to know that FPS games are using a rectilinear projection method (image bending) in combination with a wide field of view to create peripheral vision and perspective for a sense of depth. This makes our mind believe we are looking at a 3D environment while it’s just the 2D flat surface of our screen.

The following video clip illustrates several examples of a rectilinear projection with different fields of view from a front and top perspective.

CLIP 5 | The rectilinear projection method used in FPS games to create peripheral vision

From the top perspective you can clearly see that the rectilinear projection of the gaming world looks like an arc circle and has the largest radius in the first image which has a 90° FOV and the smallest one in the last image which has a 133° FOV. Also note that the position of the display leans the most towards the center in the last image. This is because they need to be projected 43° degrees more of the gaming world in the last image than in the first one. But since the display size remains the same 27 inch, the only solution to create more space is to move the display more towards the center of the circle creating a larger arc to give the user a 43 degree wider viewing angle (133 degree). While in the first image the FOV is only 90 degrees meaning that the display can lean more towards the edge of the circle creating a smaller arc because of the 43 degree smaller viewing angle. This also implies that the circle radius gets smaller when the FOV gets higher. If the FOV would be 180 degrees the display would be placed in the center of the circle and would have the same size as the diameter. This explains why a wider FOV causes a higher cylindrical shaped image.

As the FOV increases, the display moves more towards the center creating a larger circle arc.

This forces the displayed image to bend more into a cylindrical shape, creating more image bending and depth because the distance increases between the top of the arc and the display center as the FOV gets wider. But since our display is a 2D flat surface that can’t create real depth but only the illusion by creating perspective, the image will start to distort and somewhat collapse when you overdue the FOV increase. It feels like the image is bowed inwards as if someone is pushing a needle or pin into the center. That’s why this effect is also called “pincushion distortion” which makes objects at the edge of the display unnaturally large in scale and will tend to misestimate the size and shape of objects, giving misleading visual information since the objects will rescale and significant decrease in size when turning towards them.

Pincushion distortion can have a negative impact on your visual input when it’s heavily noticeable.

CLIP 6 | The visual impact of the pincushion distortion effect in FPS games in relation with field of view

While it’s the same object, there is a significant difference in scale and shape between the object projection at the edge of the display and the one in the center, even with a 90° FOV it’s still noticeable. When the FOV increases the image is forced to bend further backwards and the scale difference between both projections builds up very fast, distorting the image and starting to mess with your visual input.

Again, the wider the FOV => The more bent the image is => The greater this effect will be.

That’s why it’s important to find for yourself a good middle ground between what you want to see of the environment at any time (FOV) and the amount of image distortion that occurs with it.

The field of view is not only influencing our visual information, but mouse behavior as well.

In fact, mouse movement in FPS games isn’t linear at all because of the rectilinear projection method  causing image bending, and that’s where the “problem” lies.

This clip below will demonstrate mouse behavior in a 3D environment with different fields of view.

CLIP 7 | Mouse behavior in FPS games in relation with field of view and consistent aim

To demonstrate this effect I’ve written a script that simulates linear mouse movement in combination with an overlay that equally divides the display into a percentage, so 0% represents the center of the display and 100% the edge. When the clip starts most people without any background assume the crosshair will move in a linear fashion. On it’s journey from 0% to 100% there isn’t any linear movement to be noticed. Instead, it keeps accelerating until it reaches the 100% mark representing the edge of the display. Also the acceleration itself isn’t linear, but increases more towards the 100% mark. When we see this from the top perspective it’s also clear why.

If we take a look at the circle arc representing the image then we can clearly see that the track object follows a linear turning path along the arc and that the decrease in distance between the display and the track object (or arc) is directly proportional with the crosshair acceleration, as illustrated in the video clip between 50 – 100% the distance decrease per mouse count is a lot higher than between 0 – 50% and so is the crosshair acceleration. As usual is the crucial factor in this all, field of view as it determines the image bending and so the arc curve.

The wider the field of view => the more the image will bend => the more the circle arc will curve

=> the greater the distance gap will be between object and display => the straighter the object will close in towards the display edge => the higher the crosshair acceleration increase will be towards the edge => The more deviation there will be from linear mouse movement. So to do some myth busting, this also means that you cannot synchronize a linear mouse movement like a 2D desktop environment with a 3D environment like a FPS game across the whole field of view, but only with one point on the display.

END OF EXTENDED GUIDE

CLIP 8 PART 1 & CLIP 8 PART 2 | Synchronizing mouse movement between desktop and 3D Aim Trainer

It’s still a common misconception among gamers to think that you can fully synchronize your in game crosshair movement with your desktop pointer. Part 1 of this video clip will demonstrate that this cannot be accomplished. While part 2 shows the best thing we can do to get as close as possible and that’s something we call “Reference point synchronization”. Basically this means that for every field of view you input, we calculate the best point on the display to synchronize both types of movement with. So that the overall deviation between 2D and 3D mouse movement sticks to a minimum.

To illustrate the fact you cannot synchronize your crosshair with your desktop pointer I have made two overlay’s, one for the 3D Aim Trainer representing “3D mouse movement” and one for the desktop environment representing “2D mouse movement”. I also made a central line where all values will be displayed so you can clearly see all results. It’s clear that 3D mouse movement deviates quite a lot from 2D mouse movement. 2D mouse movement has a linear pattern that divides all 1280 mouse counts equally across the display meaning that every 10% represents 128 counts. (When using a 2560*1440p display)

While 3D mouse movement has an irregular pattern that divides mouse counts depending on the used field of view. It’s impossible to synchronize both mouse movements across the whole display since they have a different movement pattern. But what we can do is synchronize them both with one point on the display. Therefore we calculate the best reference point for the field of view you input to bring the overall deviation between both types of movement to a minimum across the whole line like part 2 of the video clip demonstrates. To illustrate how reference point synchronization works I have made three examples, using three different reference points with the same 133° field of view to synchronize both types of movement.

The first example uses the 20% mark, the second one uses the 57.4% mark and the last one uses the 100% mark which is the edge of the display. The results speak for themselves, the 57.4% mark is the best reference point when using a 133° field of view, doing overall the best job in keeping the deviation between both movement types to a minimum across the whole display. The 20% mark is only a better choice between 0 and 38% of the display and the 100% mark only between 68% and 100%. Also note that the amount of mouse counts differs from 1280 when using the 20% and 57.4% marker as points of synchronization. This is normal since the lookspeed of the 3D Aim Trainer has been increased because the crosshair needs to catch up with the arrow of the desktop 75% and 42.6% faster than when synchronizing with the 100% marker. So to compensate for the increase in lookspeed, the amount of mouse counts needs to be decreased to make sure that the distance the crosshair travels remains the same, else the crosshair would just fly by the 100% marker.

And that’s what 3daimtrainer.com is all about, creating a consistent and controlled environment so you can train your hand-eye coordination, and obtain amazing aim for hitting that top spot on the leaderboard. 

The post The Science behind Aiming How to Achieve Consistent Aim via Motor Learning appeared first on 3D Aim Trainer - Training for FPS Games Blog.

The Complete Setup Guide for Apex Legends on PC

Before we begin our Apex Legends Pro Settings Guide, a quick overview of the popular FPS game. The free-to-play battle royal shooter from Respawn entertainment was first released it conquered the gaming scene at an unseen rate, and to this day it is one of the top FPS games out there.

This guide will help you in getting the best Apex Legends pro settings to guarantee you dominate leaderboards, the settings are adopted by top apex players. The guide also highlights a few common pitfalls regarding the aim and gear setup to help beginners avoid. But even if you are an experienced FPS gamer you might want to stick around cause some of these tips you probably didn’t know about either.

What are the Best Apex Legends Pro Settings

Mouse Sensitivity

1.      A good gaming mouse is essential for consistent performance and building your muscle memory. This is important in order to guarantee that every identical mouse slide you make has results in the same crosshair movement. Having a decent gaming mouse, preferably with an optical sensor (since laser sensors intend to have “mouse acceleration”) is a must and makes a world of difference in your aiming performance.

Great performing sensors are the Logitech HERO sensor or the PixArt PWM 3360. Both are known for consistent results and can be found on numerous mid to high budget mice.

When searching for a new mouse, consider buying a wireless model, today’s top tier wireless mice aren’t suffering from input lag anymore and have no cable drag which will improve your aim, especially when performing big mouse slides. If you are looking for a new mouse and have the budget for it, then the logitech G900 series are the benchmark when it comes to wireless performing gaming mice. 

2.      Make sure you use a mouse sensitivity that feels comfortable for you, to give a guideline range: everything between 8 and 24 inch to perform a 360° character turn will do.

A side note to consider: the lower your sensitivity, the higher your fault margin for over or under shoot will be when performing a “flick” shot towards your target. Most pro FPS players use around 13 – 17 inch. But before picking a mouse sensitivity keep the next guideline in mind.

3.      Make sure you have enough room to perform quick and large maneuvers with your mouse, so you can at least perform a 200° mouse slide measured from the center of your mousepad without lifting it from your desk. So having a large enough mousepad is essential for consistent gaming and a perfect aim.

If you cannot perform a 200° mouse glide without lifting, consider buying a bigger mousepad or increase your mouse sensitivity, because having to lift your mouse in the middle of turn is something you want to avoid at all times.

4.      If you’re comfortable with your current mouse sensitivity and want to convert it to Apex Legends make sure to check our Mouse Sensitivity Calculator.

Which is something I highly recommend since your mouse sensitivity remains the same and your build up muscle memory won’t get disturbed.

Stance & Positioning

5.      Make sure the elbow of your aiming arm is comfortable resting on your desk and always at the same position in relation to your keyboard and monitor, this will provide optimal stability and increase the precision of your aim as well as building up muscle memory (a corner desk is handy for this).

6.      Position your monitor so that you look straight into your crosshair and don’t place it too close to you since this increases the circle of your peripheral vision and can result in missing important information while gaming.

Specs for Game Performance

7.      Make sure that you always have the maximum frame rate your monitor can provide since it’s essential for your aim that the framerate is as stable as possible. If you don’t have consistent frames in Apex Legends, lower your graphics settings.

And if you want to have the best configuration for spotting enemies and minimum image clutter set up your graphics settings like this:

While most basic settings speak for themselves some which are considered Pro Settings for Apex Legends need some explanation

–         Field of View: Mine is set to 88°, but know that the “source engine” is using a field of view based on a 4:3 display ratio so this results in an actual horizontal field of view of 103° since I’m using a 16:9 display ratio.

–         Vsync: Vertical synchronization can be a real pain because it causes unnecessary input lag. As your video card keeps spitting out frames the Vsync option is literally waiting for the next frame in order to synchronize them with your monitor’s refresh rate so you don’t have any tearing, but it comes with input lag.

Nice to have for a single player game but unwanted for competitive multiplayer shooter games like Apex Legends so turn it off! (this doesn’t apply for G-sync or free-sync as both techniques are syncing frames with your video card instead of the monitor)

–         Anti Aliasing: The technique that reduces the cartel effect on texture edges, but comes at a GPU cost, mine is set to TSAA since i’m using a high-end GPU. But you can turn it off for maximum frame rate performance.

–         Texture streaming budget: Determines how many GPU-VRAM memory can be preserved for pre-caching textures, it reduces texture pop-ups since it pre-loads them up front. Make sure you set it in line with the amount (or less) of VRAM memory your GPU has to it’s disposal, else your frame rate will crash if you run out of VRAM.

Turning it off gives a slight performance boost at the cost of occasional texture popping.

–         Texture filtering: Short, it determines which color every pixel in a texture should have in order to get the most beautiful result. Set it to the minimum as it increases GPU load quite a lot.

–         Ambient Occlusion, (Dynamic) Shadow Detail & Volumetric Lighting Quality: Short, it determines how realistic you see shadow and lightning in the game, turn it off as it makes enemies harder to spot, and besides that your GPU takes a big hit for rendering all this eye candy.

–         Impact Marks: Option that determines in which detail bullet marks on surfaces should be rendered. Again turn it off for maximum performance but know the frame gain is minimal.

–         Model detail: Determines the texture quality of character models in the game. Set it to high as you want to see your enemy and his movement as clear as possible.

–         Effect detail: Set it on low since you want to reduce the frame clutter as much as possible so you can focus your target better. Besides it gives you a slightly better vision when running through smoke.

–         Ragdolls: It controls the animation accuracy of dead body physics. But it stresses the CPU not the GPU. Still if you have an older PC set it to “low”.

8.      Having a 144Hz monitor is also a great investment and will give your game and aiming performance a boost as the frame rate doubles the game feels a lot more fluent and so will your aim!

9.      Hearing your enemy and pinpointing their location based on footsteps and other sounds is a massive part of Apex Legends gameplay. It helps you maneuver in an advantageous position before you even see the enemy. That’s why investing in a premium-quality gaming headset is key!

10.   It goes without saying that a stable internet connection is as fundamental as game gear setup, preferably a cable lan  since wireless connections tend to have a lot more packet loss and are only half duplex instead of full like wired ones. (which means your PC cannot send and receive data packages simultaneously neither sense collisions.) aka. More lag resulting in less reliable aim, especially when encountering multiple enemies.

Conclusion

It’s not really rocket science to achieve what I considered Apex Legends Pro Settings, and that makes it a necessity to set them upright straight upfront no matter at what level you’re at to guarantee you win more gunfights than your opponents.

Make sure to visit the Academy today and improve your aim for Apex Legends. The next level would be to invite a friend or a foe to a duel on 3D Aim Trainer Multiplayer Games mode.

The post Apex Legends Pro Settings: Win more Gunfights with these Tips! appeared first on 3D Aim Trainer - Training for FPS Games Blog.

Best Keybinding Setup for FPS Games

This guide is for anyone that wants to know how to make a solid keybind setup or wants to know more about the thinking process behind good keybinding and will present you different options on how to improve your layout. No matter what your gaming background is and is suitable for most FPS Games.

Philosophy Cornerstones

These are the 3 rules that will be the common thread for this guide and the cornerstones of our keybinding philosophy.

1. When binding a key to a certain action, always do this from a combat point of view.

The most important actions in combat need to be accessed in the most comfortable way possible, and therefore bind to the easiest reachable keys.

2. Movement is key during combat

Within combat you need to avoid reducing your ability to move by binding important combat actions to keys you need to access with fingers holding your movement keys, reducing even for a split second your mobility.

3. Uncompromising aim

Avoid compromising your aim mid-fight by binding important combat related actions to your additional mouse keys. For example, pressing one of your thumb buttons mid fight means changing your grip on the mouse for a split second and might cause your crosshair to bounce off target.
(Try this for yourself by moving your desktop cursor in a straight line while pressing the thumb key, and you will notice that your cursor bounces a bit)

Note: these are guidelines and that most modern shooters will force you to make certain compromises on them because of the large variety of actions you can perform these days. But having these in mind will help you to make the choices that have the least impact on your performance while in combat.

Configuring or changing any keybinds

When changing keybinding for playing FPS games, you need to ask yourself two questions:

A) Which are the most important actions I need to preform while in combat?

This might sound straight forward, but this can differ depending on the shooter game you’re playing.

Keybinding per FPS game examples:

Fortnite

These days the most important aspect of combat in Fortnite is building, for protection and for getting the high ground advantage over your opponent.
This implicates that your building keys need to be easily accessible without compromising too much on your ability to move.

Apex Legends Keybinding

Apex Legends is a very aim oriented game with a more classic FPS feel to it.
The most important aspect of combat in Apex Legends is aim and recoil control while at the same time throwing your opponent’s aim off by moving in an unpredictable way.  This implicates that your movement, ability and weapon keys have top priority over other actions.

While being battle royal games they both have another approach to it, meaning different mindsets towards keybinding.

B) Are all important actions I need to perform in combat bind to the keys easily accessible?

Because you don’t want to compromise your ability to move or aim. But before you can answer this question, you should make a list of all actions that are important in combat for that game.

List Example:

• Movement (ADWS, Sprint, Crouch, Prone, Lean, Jump)
• Game specific abilities that are useful in combat (Building for example in Fortnite)
• Switching weapons
• Reloading
• Use of items (Healing, Shield,…)
• Throwing grenade
• Melee
• Interacting
• Voice chat
• Spot / Ping
• …

Next, make a list of all keys you can reach without having to worry about pressing other keys in the process.

List example:

• WADS / E / Q / R / F / C / Z / X / V
• 1 / 2 / 3
• TAB / CAPS / SHIFT / CTRL / ALT / WIN / SPACE

If you aren’t sure which keys you can easily reach without misclicks use Virtual Hot Keyboard. A small free to try app that visualizes your keyboard input.

Run some fast-paced keystrokes on it so you have a better picture on which keys are suited for important combat actions. It’s also a great tool to practice your setup or detecting misclicks.

Hot Virtual Keyboard

Logitech Ghub software has a heatmap tool that gives you for every gameprofile a clear overview of which keys and actions you use the most. This can be a good guideline for tweaking your keybind setup.

Now that we have a full picture it’s time to do some keybinding with our cornerstones in mind.

Note: this guide will not cover all individual keybinds since that’s a personal preference and depends on factors like: experience, game, keyboard and mouse button layout.
Mindset example (red box): Ninja’s Fortnite settings

• Since building is the most important aspect of Fortnite combat Ninja has chosen to prioritized these actions by binding them to the easiest accessible keys without compromising too much on his movement while preforming these actions.
• He makes good use of both hands by binding these actions to mouse and keyboard providing him maximum build speed while not having to worry about misclicks or forcing his hand into uncomfortable positions while doing so.
• This implicates that he has to make some compromises for weapon slots since he needs to lift his middle finger holding his forward movement key (W) to access slots 1 & 2.
• Slot 4 (Z) & 5 (X) are both bound to his thumb having fast access without lifting any movement keys.
• Using different fingers for these two sets of weapon slots allows him to fast swap between different weapon setups.

The conclusion is that his keybinding setup is built around the most important action in combat which is building without compromising his aim.

Mindset example: Bernd Matthys, Founder of 3D Aim Trainer Apex Legends Settings

While this setup might look unusual at first sight, it’s got a logical reasoning behind it that integrates all 3 cornerstones of keybinding philosophy in a great way.
(Note the usage of Logitech G502 lightspeed mouse (images below) which as a couple of extra mouse buttons I use to bind the NUMPAD keys on)

– First thing to notice is that both abilities are bound to extra mouse buttons. The tactical ability is bound right next to the left mouse button since some abilities require aim (Pathfinders grapplehook). You can increase your accuracy if you can bind these abilities to your mouse, especially right next to the left mouse button as you only need to move your index finger a bit, you can keep your natural grip on the mouse. But later we will talk more on that The ultimate ability is bound on the so called “sniper button”, while easily accessible it’s also “misclick” safe which is a good thing for an ultimate ability.

– Next thing to mention is that the “interact” action is bound to the rear thumb button. Reasoning besides it’s one of the easiest buttons to reach, is that it gives you full control over your movement while interacting with doors or chests.
Your game might become a bit more fluent when binding this to your mouse.

– The melee action is also bound to a thumb button, because this is an action you need to preform very quickly in the heat of battle without any misclicks.

– “Selecting grenade” is bound to the middle mouse button.
Again, easy to reach and something that you need in combat.

– “Reload” and “Holster weapon” are both bound to the mouse wheel as it are actions you need to preform often you might prefer not lifting any of your movement fingers for accessing them. – Also note that all actions bound to the mouse have no negative impact on aim as they are preformed while firing is disabled.

– “Equip Weapons” is only used when switching directly to the secondary weapon when holstered and bound by default. “Cycle weapon” on the other hand is useful in combat since you don’t have to worry about re-selecting the same weapon mid-fight and is bound to the “LALT” key which can be easily accessed with the left thumb without lifting any fingers from movement keys.

– Also something to highlight is that the “Health selection wheel” isn’t used, instead all healing items are bound around the movement keys which are easily accessed with the thumb (shield items), ring and index finger (health items). This way you have instant access to healing items without having to call the selection wheel first.

All those keys have a marco installed that switches automatically to the next item in line if the selected isn’t in the inventory. That way you don’t have call the inventory to check which item you can use.

– Also notice is that the “Ping” action is bound to the “C” key, this allows you to call out enemy’s mid-fight without losing mobility for a split second

– The last thing to highlight is that the “Push To Talk” key is bound to the “LWIN” by marco (NUMPAD9) for the same reasons as the “ping” action.

While this setup is highly tweaked and might go a bit far for some people, it’s a great example of keybinding philosophy with full mobility, a comfortable hand pose and aim control in mind, and this with a low chance on misclicks.

Additional tips for configuring your keybind setup.

Utilize the full potential of your gaming gear. This might sound strange but a lot of people aren’t utilizing the full potential of their expensive gaming gear.
All gaming brands have powerful software build around their gaming gear which allows you to make numerous tweaks for your setup, going from making a simple key re-map to building sophisticated marco’s that preform advanced tasks for you in game.

Logitech Ghub

Corsair iCUE

An example of a double macro working together allowing you to flawless bunny hop in Apex Legends with just holding down the Jump and Crouch key. This takes some time to create and test but once you nailed it you can benefit greatly from it.

Take your time to learn working with it and actively think about how some features might help you optimizing your keybinding configuration. This isn’t only useful for games; it can also help you in your daily workflow.

Gamepads can come in handy. While some see it as a contemptuous way of playing PC games, gamepads can come in handy for games that require a lot of input while staying mobile at the same time, like Star Citizen for example.

The Logitech G13 Gamepad is EOL but is sold for more than 300€ on e-bay

Gamepads like the Logitech G13 are very ergonomic and have a well thought out key layout allowing you to access a lot more keys than a regular keyboard without forcing your fingers in uncomfortable positions.

It also is a lot smaller than a regular keyboard creating more space on your desk for mouse movement.

Consider binding aim dependent actions to your mouse. As seen in the Apex Legends configuration where the “tactical ability” was bound right next to the left mouse button it can be a good idea to bound aim dependent actions like for example Anna’s sleepdart or roadhawk’s hook (overwatch) to your mouse.

Roadhawk’s Hook (Overwatch) Anna’s Sleepdart (Overwatch) Pathfinder’s Grapple (Apex Legends)

The main reason for this is that the muscle memory and eye-hand coordination for the hand controlling the mouse is better developed then the one handling the keyboard since it’s used to aim. This means that the click-timing (which is the moment you press while your crosshair passes the target) is more on point, having higher accuracy as a result.

Note: It’s not recommended to bind these actions to your thumb buttons as you need to change your mouse grip for reaching them.

Give yourself time to adjust. Getting used to a new keybinding layout requires time, this is certainly the case if you already played the game numerous hours. So don’t aspect immediate results, give yourself time and accept that you will make mistakes and have misclicks due to the fact your layout changed.

Especially in stress and combat situation this will be the case as you don’t have the time to actively think about which key holds which action, you will find yourself fall into hold habits.

A couple of additional tips to make this transaction as smooth as possible.

• Practice your new layout in single player or custom modes and push yourself to perform in a short time as many different actions as possible.
• Practice with Virtual Hot Keyboard since visual recognition makes you learn a lot faster.
  • • • • When going to sleep imagine yourself playing the game for 10 minutes thinking about which action is bound to which key as your character moves through your mind. It’s a proven method for better adopting new information.

But how many times that you find yourself misclicking, don’t change it back!
If your new key layout is thoughtfully build up you will benefit from it in the long run!

So guy’s this was it, I hoped you learned something from it….and I see you in the next one

This guide presented a variety of options on how to improve your keybinding layout.

If and how you integrate this in your setup is completely up to you.
Most of these recommendations will have just a minor impact on your performance so  always evaluate the potential benefit relative to the learning curve before reworking your layout, keep the good, rework the bad.

But what you should remember from this guide is that you need to think things through and have a good understanding of which actions are important and which are not, only then you can start building a solid setup.
And remember, there is no such thing as “the best keybind layout”.
So don’t blindly copy your favorite steamer’s layout thinking you will preform better by it. It’s not because something works for him it works for you. Nor should you completely change your layout after reading this guide, it all depends on how you are built (like hand size), personal preference, what you are used to and your gaming setup. If it works for you and you feel comfortable and perform with it, stick by it! But if you feel that you’re lacking don’t be afraid to rework your setup, just give it time and you will benefit from it in the long run!

The post Keybinding Guide, How to improve your Keybind Setup appeared first on 3D Aim Trainer - Training for FPS Games Blog.