Learning the right way
Many believe that plenty of repetition is enough to learn certain techniques and while this may be true, it’s not a very effective way of doing so. So how do we learn? We do so by concentrating on certain subjects. Ok, then how do we concentrate? We do so by actively asking ourselves questions regarding the subject.
But concentrating is tiring and once concentration breaks, you go on autopilot and you’ll start doing things the wrong way. Unfortunately we don’t stop learning when that concentration breaks, so we need to be wary of this. Therefore, in my opinion the best way to learn would be to break things down into short sessions.
I would even argue that for every competitive game you play, it would be best to follow the schedule given in this guide. Think about it. Pros are great players but they are also training their skills more than 50% of the time.
Setting up your mouse for CS2
Before we start working on our own consistency, we need to make sure our hardware and software is consistent. This means having a mouse that has a so called 'flawless sensor' (no built in acceleration, smoothing or angle snapping). H1ghlander has a pretty decent list on mice with such a sensor. RocketJumpNinja also has great in depth reviews with a solid top 20 gaming mice
Theoretically having zero acceleration is the best scenario. However some people like having acceleration on better. If this is the case for you, then skip this part and continue on to find your perfect sensitivity. Disabling acceleration may be wasteful if you already have a thousand hours with it enabled under your belt. Personally I did switch it off completely after 600-800 hours or so and I don't regret it.
Beware the following changes will drastically change the way your mouse feels and as such your aim might worsen before it gets better!
Next we make sure that Windows acceleration is turned off. As Windows did not implement a way to disable it through an interface, the registry files need to be changed in order to do so. Mark C provides us with the neccesary registry fix.
As a step we set the Windows pointer speed to the sixth step and make sure the Enhance Pointer Precision is turned off.
Finding your sensitivity
It's important to make sure your sensitivity is optimal before you start practicing. Having to change it down the line means resetting progress in your aiming consistency
There is a lot of information on the internet on how to find the sensitivity that is best suited for you. Personally I think the guide that Adren has made is a solid way to find that perfect sensitivity. You can get a feel for a good starting point by looking at the sensitivities that several pro players use.
Once you found that sensitivity you should calculate your true sensitivity. Now set your dpi to the native DPI of your mouse if it isn't already and make up for the difference by adjusting the in game sensitivity accordingly. We do this because generally you get a smoother and more accurate feedback from the sensor on it's native DPI as changing is a software gimmick that multiplies the DPI.
In game settings
Warning! All the m_ settings below are meant for zero accelleration users!
As a final step to setting up your sensitivity, you need to set the optimal in game settings. To do this, input the following commands into the console or into your autoexec.
m_rawinput 1:br m_mouseaccel1 0:br m_mouseaccel2 0:br m_customaccel_exponent 1:br m_mousespeed 0
Setting the zoom sensitivity to 0.818933027098955175 will ensure that your sensitivity when zoomed in with the AWP or Scout is about equal to your unzoomed sensitivity.
Now don't forget to optimize your video settings beforehand as a change in resolution for instance will completely change your aim as well.
Techniques and mechanics
CSGO is a skill based FPS because of its game mechanics. This means we have to acquire knowledge and develop techniques in order to thrive in this game.
Many agree with me that raw aim makes up for about 20% of your worth as a player. Knowledge is an even more important part of your skill as a player. Blending the two together to create a advantage for yourself and your teammates is what sets good players apart from mediocre players. I'm going to quickly brush over what I think are the most important items regarding techniques and mechanics.
- Unless you're AWPing, ALWAYS aim at head height. When AWPing, aim for center mass.
- Hug the wall with your crosshair as you clear a corner but leave a small gap to make up for your reaction times.
- You can stop movement quicker by pressing shift. This is an easy way to stop your movement, however it is also less effective.
- The proper way to stop movement requires a bit more practice and is done by briefly tapping the opposite direction.
- When movement is stopped, your accuracy is at its highest value.
- When peeking you have an advantage due to the way the game is coded (arguably), but mostly due to the fact that you are in control of the engagement.
Positioning
- Try to position yourself in a way that you encounter enemies one at a time.
- The person furthest from the corner has the biggest advantage.
- Prefiring common spots can overwhelm unaware opponents.
- While there are many optimal positions, these positions are the ones that get prefired a lot. Holding an off-angle can surprise your opponent and give you the advantage.
Utility
- Don't forget to use your utility to isolate, block or blind your opponents.
Movement
Understanding the games movement mechanics can help with counterstrafing, peeking and positioning. A good way to train your movement is surfing and creedz.
Other Interesting Tutorials and Guides
Weapon Types
In this guide i will break down the weapons into four main categories and talk about them shortly as we build up to the schedule ahead.
Pistols
The first round of each half will always be fought with pistols. These may be considered as the most important rounds of a game as they not only grant your team money to buy SMG’s and rifles, but often set the tone for the rest of the game. Losing the pistol round means forcing armor and a pistol with decent armor penetration as you will have to eco the third round if you lose the second round as well anyways.:br Now that the importance of winning a pistol round is clear, it should be apparent why training your pistol skills is important and should not be neglected.
SMG’s
I would advise to use the UMP when it comes to SMG’s. It has great armor penetration, it’s highly accurate and has an easily controllable spray pattern. Without a doubt it’s my go-to SMG when I’m on eco as it is the closest an SMG can get to a rifle stats-wise.
Rifles
Most of the time you’ll be playing with a rifle (unless you’re an AWPer and have the economy to utilize this skill), therefore it’s important to practice your rifling skills above all. If you want to be accurate with a rifle, you need to be standing still. The main rifles you should focus your training on are obviously the AK-47 and the M4A4/M4A1s, but don’t neglect the Famas and Galil as you might not always be able to afford these top tier rifles.:br Rifles require you to know their spray pattern in order to fire them relatively accurately. It’s also worth mentioning that this spray pattern remains mostly the same when moving while crouched.
Sniper Rifles
There are three types of sniper rifles in CS2. The AWP, the Scout and the semi-auto sniper rifles. The Scout is great for being mobile, jump shooting and on eco rounds. The AWP is a one-shot -kill on the chest and head and requires a special skillset. The autosniper is costly and best used on specific maps to hold certain spots as a CT.
I hope this helped!
xL
Kinguin
Pricempire