[*] Before you even go near the Game

If you want a consistent gaming experience, their are a few things to think about before you even touch your game files.

Lets start with something I think no self respecting online gamer at a decent level would be without, a mouse fix. What does a mouse fix do? It edits your registry to remove the mouse acceleration windows by default imposes. Despite the recent introduction of raw input to TF2, I would still advise installing a mouse fix just in case.

Just in case you don't know what acceleration does, it means that how far your cursor moves on screen is based on three factors, how far you move your mouse, the direction you move it, and how fast you move it. Playing with acceleration means your brain has to process three variables when its deciding how to respond to the images on your monitor. This increases the margin of error and has a huge impact on how consistently you play. It is probably likely to slow development of a good aim as well. By removing it with a mouse fix your brain can focus on direction and distance and nothing else. I like to think of it as aiming in 2D rather than 3D.

For all those out there who play with acceleration

I don't know exactly what this ratio refers to, but the 1:1 is the best in mouse fixes. The most commonly used mouse fix is the CPL mouse fix, however it's not even close to 1:1 and is plagued by inconsistencies. I have read about potential problems and heard about them first hand. Luckily however, a few years ago a Quake player called Cheese released a mouse fix that isn't actually just a placebo and does really set as close to 1:1 as possible without being dangerous to your computer/hardware (there was a dangerous fix called Anir's fix about that fixed to 1:1 but could cause serious damage). I highly recommend you download and install Cheese fix and wave good bye to mouse acceleration for ever, because quite frankly its horrible and near useless unless you are actually a complete retard. 

Next thing to think about is drivers, particularly mouse drivers. I use my Deathadder mouse drivers because I needed them to set it to 500Hz polling and 450DPI. I highly advise that if you do install mouse drivers, you remember their settings, because if for some reason they get removed or reset you will have to spend ages trying to find your old settings if you lose them. I remember when we moved onto the Finals stage at i-Series we did a little check list of what we needed to play consistently on the stage PCs and completely over looked mouse driver settings. As a result Greg played the finals with a fractionally different sensitivity which is not what you need when you have hundreds of people watching. I personally think mouse drivers are just there to confuse and frustrate you, unless you need then to change things like DPI and polling rate I highly recommend you do not install them. Ultimately your aim should be to make your in game sensitivity dependent on as few things as possible so its easy to find if something goes wrong or you want to change computer. Drivers may also give you the options to change individual X/Y sensitivities, never touch these, they will destroy your gaming experience. Also make sure that you disable mouse acceleration options in the driver because they will over ride any mouse fix you have installed as far as I know. Basically just keep it simple! Make sure your drivers and firmware are updated as well, because occasionally they release things that are actually useful and I'm yet to see a release that causes any unwanted changes.   

Designed to offer an array of game breaking options 

A little something to mention here, windows mouse options, never change any of them. Ages ago I read something about the windows master sensitivity working by chopping up incoming information or something resulting in really unsmooth movement. Don't know how much truth there is in it, but I do know that there is no point in changing the windows sensitivity when you can just do it in game and only have one variable to change. Leave it on default, the default being the 6th notch out of 11. 

I would highly recommend regularly scanning and cleaning your registry with CCleaner, mainly because I find that when my game is taking ages to launch, if I run CCleaner I find a number of issues and by fixing them the game gets going a bit quicker, as well as starting up quicker and shutting down quicker. Obviously have a good up to date anti-virus installed to protect your steam account and also because evil spyware could cause ping spikes in game. Finally you want to have only your game and any other essential process running when your playing properly so have a look at what programs run from start up and if you don't need them to, disable them. Things like Live messenger and Skype use up resources even if you are not logged in and as they have a habit of launching when you start up and then moving to the icon bar if you close them they can cost you a few FPS here and there. Similarly if you are FPS challenged, don't leave your internet browser running while your playing for example, because it does make a quantifiable difference.

Dust is your enemy, assuming you are not asthmatic, open your case regularly and blow out any visible dust clumps (never touch anything in side obviously and do it while your PC is off). I have found my number one reason for FPS drops to be dust buildup on my CPU heat sink forcing my PC to run slower to avoid exploding. 

That dust build up could be the only thing standing between you and stable FPS

Finally you want to check your game files regularly from Steam (Library>Games>Team Fortress 2>Properties>Local Files). From here you can check file fragmentation and order a defrag. If the files are very framented it can cause glitchy game play so its worth checking every now and then.

[*] The Hardware Pt.2

Now for what I consider the important bit.

Your Mouse:
Most products branded as 'gaming' have pointless features that are quite frankly shit. However if you were a professional tennis player, you wouldn't turn up to Wimbledon with a piece of ham spread over some sticks. People who insist on playing hours of games a day with roller ball mice from Soviet Russia should be shot and burned. A good mouse and surface makes a massive difference to your game and how consistently you play, not to mention making it more pleasant and less frustrating when your mouse behaves erratically.

However this is not to say that the most expensive gaming mouse out there is the best. DPI is what you will find most companies advertising as the primary selling point of their mice. DPI is a complete load of bullshit and I do not understand why they think it is so important. The first thing I do when i get a new mouse with variably DPI is set it as close to 400 (standard for most general use modern mice) as possible. The reason for this is over the past few years I have often heard true or untrue that mice running at high DPIs are plagued by negative acceleration (any kind of acceleration being worse than the plague). I also see no value in having higher DPI at all   except for a larger range of absolutely senseless sensitivity choices.

High DPI hides the fact the lachesis is utter garbage

The next thing to talk about is polling rate. Polling rate is actually something that is noticable, it indirectly refers basically to how often your cursor updates and this equates to how smooth your mouse movement feels. The highest polling rate offered is 1000Hz and the standard/lowest is 125Hz. Now this is something I learnt a long time ago, and I can actually say that I tested this and found it to be true. For some reason whilst 1000Hz is offered it is very unstable and often the Hz will vary from movement to movement, whilst 500Hz (the next increment down) will send at 500Hz reliably regardless of the movement made. From what I have heard using 1000Hz can as a result of the aforementioned cause some degree of mouse acceleration and so I have always avoided it. However again this could be urban legend, though I see little benefit in 1000Hz over 500Hz. If you change from 500Hz to the standard 125Hz you will undoubtedly feel a difference that could again effect, even if very small, your play. I recommend a mouse that can run at 500Hz (like I said mice that can run at 1000Hz can almost always be set to 500Hz) and there is software available out there that can force polling rates on devices that are not states as 500Hz capable, although there are a few risks with such over-clocks.

Obviously your mouse should track well, this is why roller balls are the mouse equivalent of AIDS. I have always considered the tracking of mice to fall into two categories, good, and bad. If there is anything wrong with the tracking then it is a bad mouse, avoid. All other mice are good, look at their shape and a few other features (because they will probably all be 500Hz polling capable if they track well). I remember there being some debate as to which was better, laser or optical mice a while back. However from what I can tell most optical mice have now been replaced by there laser counterparts, which is annoying because they are more expensive. So sadly if your buying a new mouse you probably don't have the option any more.

I mainly use it for the sexy

The most important feature when it comes to a mouse in my opinion is the shape. The mouse you choose should complement the way you use your mouse, and if you look at different people you will see everyone is almost unique (my personal grip choice is probably one of the most disgusting and extreme). My personal choice is the Razer Deathadder as it supports the side of my hand. Having a good grip on the mouse and being able to manipulate it with both your arm and wrist is important when trying to maintain solid aim so spend the time looking at mice that work with your grip. I recently saw TCM advertising that R.A.T mouse thing. That seemed to me to actually be a fantastic idea, if not done in a rather tacky fashion because it allowed you to move bits of it around to fit your personal grip. Hopefully someone will do something decent with that idea soon.

Something to mention before I do a roundup is mouse feet. Easy to over look, the mouse needs to slide reliably across your chosen surface and if your feet come off or are beginning to, buy some more!

So when looking at mice, from my point of view:
Does it track well? If yes
Can it do 500Hz polling rate? If yes
Does it support your grip style? If yes
What features am I willing to pay for.

Finally for anyone out there on a budget, you should be made aware of the Holy Grail of gaming mice, the Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0 For a long time it was considered the best gaming mouse ever made despite never being intended for games. It tracks well, can be over clocked to 500Hz polling and is fairly universally shaped. Trade offs for this cheap gem are its a bit shit looking and wobbly and has an issue with the scroll wheel being clunky. But I used it for several months and still regard it fantastic.

Microsoft greatest gift to gaming

Your Mouse Pad/Surface:
Again, people who think this doesn't make a difference are factually wrong. Not only are gaming mouse mats designed to complement tracking on optical/laser mice, they give you a reliable glide. Furthermore as I will discuss later, low sensitivities are preferential in gaming and only gaming surfaces really offer a large enough surface.I know people look at them and think '.. paying more than £10 for a mouse pad is stupid' but it's not, feeling my first ever gaming mouse on an actual gaming surface after a few months on a freebie pad was one of the best days of my life (exaggeration). A few other advantages of gaming pads, they are normally quite thick, which means getting a crumb or something under them doesn't ruin your game when you slide over it, and also they are designed not to wear away at your mouses feet. Personally I favor and recommend cloth surfaces like the ZOWIE Spawn (my pad of choice) and the QCK+/Heavy (Not the QCK because its too thin), however I know wai uses a large shard of glass but then hes a bit special.

Perfect glide

Your Desk/Chair (yes i'm suggesting this effects your game):
I have no doubt I'll be called retarded for this but personally for me its a big issue. Firstly your desk needs to be big enough for you to use your mouse effectively and preferably at a low sensitivity and have your arms in comfortable places. Now this is the thing that I am OCD about, the height of my desk and the height of my chair, and more specifically the difference in height between the two. I find that if my arms don't meet the table   with just wide of a right angle bend in my elbow, I don't make enough use of wide arm movements and as a result occasionally miss shots. It sounds stupid but resting too much of my arm against the desk makes me far too dependent on my wrist to aim. The first thing I do at a LAN is check position of my body to avoid this as I find it is actually a genuine problem and does contribute to inconsistency, a pillow or two solves the problem. So find what height over the desk you play best at and find some way to remember it :)

The primary use of pillows is of course for consistent gaming

[*] The Hardware Pt.1

Lets start with the absolute basics, your gear. Whilst hardware is always irritatingly expensive it can have a big impact on your game and should never be overlooked.

Your Computer:
Very obvious but not to be ignored is the machine you play on. Don't for a minute think that having a beastly PC is going to improve your game, sadly that is unlikely, however having a good stable frame rate in game can make your play more consistent. In TF2 I always look to get around 125-200 fps out of my game, whilst most monitors can only display 75 screen images per second you can sense any variation in FPS even above that. If your computer cannot output 120 fps then you should try to optimize both your computer and your game, firstly with an in game config to tone down the graphics by more than just the increments on the options screen and secondly by tweaking your OS and closing other programs that may run from start up or that you have launched prior to your starting your game, I'll talk about this in detail later on. If you are considering upgrading your system to get more frames, then you should remember that TF2 is based on the source engine and as a result the component bottle necking your FPS is likely to be your CPU and not your graphics card. I cannot stress how much having a reliable system can contribute to consistent play and I shall talk about capping your FPS for consistency later.

My top tip however when it comes to the computer is to check all of your USB ports and find out their version. A few years ago at i35 when I arrived and set up my PC I plugged my mouse into different USB port to the one I normally used. I had terrible mouse lag and assumed I had broken during the journey, I bought a new one but had the same problem and my play was as a result very poor. What had happened is that the USB port I had used at the event was a v1.1 and at home I had been using a v2.0. I never considered changing the port because it didn't occur to me that could be the problem.  So I recommend you have a quick look at your system specs and don't accidentally plug any of your gaming hardware into a shit port.

Not all USB ports are born equal

Your Monitor:
A very important piece of kit! When it comes to games the feature your looking for is refresh rate. Generally LCD monitors use a refresh rate of 60Hz, 75Hz 120Hz (Only these can run 3D so all 3D monitors are ergo capable of120Hz). Refresh rate is the amount of updates the screen receives per second and you should be able to see how a higher Hz means smoother game play on screen. Anyone who says that the human eye can only make sense of x number of images per second and that higher refresh rates are a placebo or pointless has obviously never seen a 120Hz LCD monitor or high operating CRT. It does make a big difference and it's the reason why you see many professional players in eSports still using archaic CRT monitors which until recently were the only type of monitor that could display above Hz.

The first thing to do is look up your monitor's specifications and find its max operating refresh rate, then double check that it is operating at it in the windows display options (I have found that sometimes windows gives options for Hz that the attached monitor cannot run, so don't set it to anything your monitor doesn't have in its specs). I personally ran my old monitor at 60Hz for years until I found out it could run 75Hz. If you use a different monitor at any point be aware it may being running a refresh rate your eyes are not familiar with and you will be able to tell. A higher refresh rate means more fluid game play which I feel not only makes gaming more pleasant but is easy on the eyes and helps your stay more alert.

Response time and input lag are another two things to consider. Response time relates to screen blur from what I can tell, and having a clear image at all times is very important as it stops you missing things. Input lag is the time it takes to the monitor to react to what the computer sends it. Most input lags are around 0.02 of a second, so it doesn't make a huge difference, but if through fault, or just a dreadful monitor the response time gets closer to 0.1 you can begin to see the lag in just moving the mouse over the desktop. Avoid input lag because it messes up your game so much as I discovered with my mouse USB issue which was similar.

My precious 120Hz <3

Your Keyboard:
Undoubtedly the least important peripheral, but not to be overlooked. This is the only time I would not recommend a specifically gaming orientated device. Almost everything about the keyboard is preference. You should go with a keyboard that has a keystroke you find responsive and pleasant. Personally despite the price of the new wave mechanical keyboards just being released for gaming I have one on pre-order because I love the responsive feel of mechanical keys when I'm playing. I also like back lighting because it looks cool. Feet that hold the keyboard firm on your desk are VERY important as there is nothing more annoying than your keyboard slipping when you go for an epic flick shot. Consider coating the feet in blue tack if thats a problem you have.  Wrist rests are also worth thinking about, if you have one, you may well become very reliant on it, and if you then move over to a keyboard that doesn't use one your going to have to spend time adjusting. Oh and universal media keys are great because you don't have to alt tab if a shit song comes on while your death matching your face off.

Overpriced, over the top expensive mechanical keyboard with pointless gaming features.. PRE-ORDERED!

Your Headset/Headphones and Microphone:

iPod ear buds are not suitable for gaming. A good player makes use of sound and it can be an incredibly useful  even in TF2 for pinpointing players who have infiltrated your flanks and neutralizing them before they can do any damage. It's also pretty funny meatshot pre-firing people as they run round corners and then listening to them call you a cheater. Sound in TF2 is weak and I feel Valve did a poor job with it, as a result you need good quality sound to make the most of it, and for that you have to be willing to spend a bit of money. I personally prefer headsets to separate mic+headphones because they are generally cheaper, although when one breaks you have to replace the whole, which is annoying if your one of those put your face in a yogurt pot and forget you have a mic on your face types. Speakers are not an option, sorry, they completely rape your voice comms, i.e when you speak you will be giving horrible feedback, furthermore they don't give enough precision. Don't be drawn in by surround sound etc, they are just headphones, ultimately they just do right and left, and luckily enough that is all you need to judge direction. I always look for headsets with a volume control/mic mute on the wire and strongly recommend SteelSeries Siberia v2s because they look the business and do everything right despite the price. If you do get gear with an external volume control, always make sure its on max for gaming so you can use a consistent volume.

Basshunter is also a fan of the Siberias

[*] Aiming for Consistency

I first of all want to write a few articles on getting yourself set up effectively. I'll prefix them with a [*] for my sake to keep them mentally grouped together.

One of the most highly regarded traits in any sportsman is consistency. Always being able to always deliver your best is better than being fantastic on and off.

There are a number of steps you can take to make sure your game is as consistent as you can make it which I shall deal with in my next few write ups.

Approaching TF2 From Other Competitive Squad FPS Games

TF2 undoubtedly falls into the squad FPS category of competitive games, alongside Counter-Strike, Counter-Strike: Source and Call of Duty 4. However TF2 plays drastically different those games and I have always considered it closer to some pseudo-RTS games like Heroes of Newerth.

Firstly be under no illusion, TF2 is by no means an easy game. Having spoken to many converts like myself who have had varied success the general consensus is that it is in fact the hardest squad FPS by a fair margin. Simple bomb defusal games can be won by aim alone and whilst they are mentally engaging, players who can quickly pick up the physical skills required to win will be successful and are likely only to reach a skill plateau at the very top.

Control Points are a key game mechanic that sets TF2 apart from similar titles

To be a successful TF2 player you not only need to be a fast physical learner, but you have to have a quick mind. One of the most important skills, arguably more important than aim is threat analysis. The enemy team will be looking to ambush the bulk of your team and your progress or fall back across the map and assassinate your higher value players. Particularly when playing scout, one of the hardest things to master is finding the appropriate balance between aggression and protection. It doesn't matter how strong your aim is, if you are off by just a fraction your team will pay the price. So even if you are a fantastic Counter-Strike player, TF2 may just not be your game, and like wise, if you find Call of Duty frustratingly difficult you could still be a fantastic TF2 player.

European TF2 has an almost unique infrastructure. The community is hosted primarily by the largest and most prestigious league, the ETF2L which is quite frankly one of the 7 wonders of the competitive eSports world. The league is now in its 8th season and receives many hundreds of team applications taking the most promising 350. In European TF2 peoples skills are rated by the ETF2L division they can comfortably play in and not by the almost standard low/mid/high skill system used in many other games. Because each of the higher divisions only allow a small amount of teams the game is very competitive at the top and often players will have to wait a long time for a team slot to open up at the top, which will then receive many applicants. I personally love these unique features of competitive TF2 as they give a fantastic sense of life to the game.

The ETF2L Premier division mid season

TF2 is probably the only game out there that is still growing and developing. Many of the top teams evolved from bands of public players thrown together just a few years ago. It's like stepping into a time warp and watching CS:S grow and evolve as I remember many years ago. Whilst a lot of people don't even have competitive TF2 on their radar it has a fantastic potential and a bright future ahead of it and I hope you love it!

Everything and Nothing

So I've finally listened to people and set up an external blog. The aim of this blog is to share what I have learnt with others, particularly those with similar backgrounds to me.

My name is Jon and I have been playing online games since our tiny shit hole town got broadband 7 years ago. My first experiences were messing about in Warcraft III but after discovering Counter-Strike: Source came free with my copy of Half-Life 2 I soon began to tentatively grace public servers. After a year or so I became a regular on the old TwistedPlay servers where I joined my first team and began to learn about competitive gaming.

Over the next few years I played competitive CS:S on and off up to a high skill level, in early 2008 I was invited to play for the wotr^ organisation, it was here that I met Seb who now aliases numlocked. After we split Seb got involved in TF2 and that is now gaming history. However a year later I decided to explore competitive COD4 with a few companions from the TwistedPlay organisation who by now had gone from being a band of public players to a fearsome competitive gaming organisation with multiple top European teams. I mentioned this to Seb and he was keen to get in on it and filled our final spot with another TF2 player. We did fairly well beating quite a few pre-invite teams in just two months, however no one found the game particularly engaging and we shortly returned to our respective games of choice. 

One of my oldest TwistedPlay CSS companions who had played in our COD4 team defected to TF2 after a few months of inactivity and helped establish the TwistedPlay team of recent controversy. It was one day several months ago that I was asked to play a few HoN games and began to hang out on mumble with quite a few of the active TF2 players that had come to play COD4 occasionally with us. I soon purchased TF2 to see what all the fuss was about and instantly loved it because the pace suited me perfectly.

I have now been playing competitively for almost 3 months and racked up and impressive 170 hours of scout. Scout was an obvious choice for me because its fast and I have always been used to hit-scan games. Using skills from all the games I have played in the past 7 years I feel I have been quite successful and whilst I have a lot to learn, I would like to share some of my thoughts and experiences on the game in the hope that I can inspire players from similar backgrounds to take to TF2 as I have, and also to help those who are just breaking out of the public servers learn how rich an experience competitive games can be.

For now this blog is about how I play scout. Though I have no doubt that much of it will be useful to people playing other classes so I hope you read on. :)

Oh, and a little disclaimer. I still have a lot to learn, these are just my opinions, and whilst I won't write something unless I believe it will be useful, I have no doubt that I may look back on things in the future and think actually I now feel differently. Similarly I have no doubt that a lot of people a lot better than me will disagree with things here and there, feel free to tell me!