I have been a PC gamer for the majority of my life. But before that, i was a console player on the NES. But NES mainly had platformers, and no 3d games. So i am not used to movement and camera controls simultaneously at all.
I have purchased a Steam Deck OLED and it’s phenomenal at playing platformers and twin stick top down games. However, i am absolutely sucking at FPS games on it. Can’t make shots on the controller which are like muscle memory on my PC. I’m also having a slightly hard time on 3rd person over the shoulder games (not as bad as FPS though). It’s probably because of my age (30+) I guess.
My question is that is there a way to improve other than ‘git gud’? Example, is there an easy FPS game where I don’t have to move or shoot too fast? Or a sample controller exercise game, like we have AimLabs for mouse movement.
Thanks.
It’s like coming from gamepad to arcade sticks, when playing fighting games. There is nothing else you can do, other than train and play and git gud. Try the original DOOM, and I mean the first DOOM from the 90s. You don’t have to aim up or down, only left and right and its not precise as todays shooters. Maybe play that on a lower difficulty and see if you can get used to it.
Overwatch 2, which is Free To Play, has a training area and courses for heroes you can try. Take the simple Soldier, which is your average FPS character, and maybe you can get used to the controls. You don’t have to play online, just try it out against bots and do these training courses. Maybe that helps.
If you play such a shooter every day, DOOM, and others, than you will get used to it and build up muscle memory. Actually I find it exciting to learn new stuff like this and am a little bit jealous. ^^ Reminds me back when I came from console to PC and had to learn how to play shooters with mouse and keyboard.
Edit: Your age 30 is fine. Age is always an excuse, but mostly not true. I’m also from the 80s and grew up with 8-bit and 16-bit. Yet I learned how to play with arcade sticks and mouse and keyboard in addition to controllers. I’m 42 now (and proud of it). My biggest advice is, play every sort of game, not only you are comfortable with. And do it every day. git gud is the only way.
I’d maybe argue that this jump is not so severe but I get your point. I’ll try Doom though. I saw a couple of Doom 1-inspired games this year. I can try those.
I am enjoying the process but sometimes it’s a bit frustrating. Certain scenarios which I know are super easy on PC are a struggle. Hitting far-away targets on Risk of Rain 2, which i just flick and shoot on PC, are too difficult :(
I will keep up the grind through.
Maybe look if there are predefined set of user created controls in Steam Deck. Sometimes users create alternative control schemes optimized for controller setup. Or do your own customization with the Steam Input. That won’t make you better at aiming, but maybe you can address some pain points this way.
Gyro works great with Doom. I played through Doom Eternal on nightmare difficulty without aim assist. Gyro is the closest to mouse like precision on a controller if you aren’t using aim assist.
It’s fine for single-player shooters, which are less demanding, but speaking as someone who has packed on some decades, your reaction time definitely becomes a noticeable factor over the years for competitive multiplayer games. I definitely can’t play competitive twitch shooters nearly as well as when I was 18, which is about when your reaction time is at its best.
That being said, there are shooters where twitch time is less-critical or roles or play-styles that focus less on it.
And I don’t see how someone couldn’t learn to play with a dual-stick or trackpad (or trackball, for that matter), which is what I think OP is talking about. I haven’t had any problems picking up new input methods…that just takes time. Took time to learn when I was 18, too.
I don’t agree here. Playing for long time means you get better, more experienced as well. Reaction time is not all. Plus the differences of reaction time we talk about is usually only important for world class players. Normal humans like us are similar in reaction time between the ages we talk about (30 vs 20 in example). Lot of older people are playing and are better than younger people.
Having said this, every human is different and will have different degradation or changes in their body and mind. I am just generalize here, knowing that individuals might differ strongly. Have in mind, I am talking about normal players like us, not professionals or world class players, where differences in weakness are much more amplified.
And off course it depends on the games as well off course and in what rank you are. My point is that age is often an excuse without realizing the real issues, pointing it to reaction times and aging, when maybe something different is the problem.