I've spent the last 6 months working on my aim. I can finally hold my hit% in the 5 range most of the month. Which if you read Lusche's tables means I'm above average
I'm not a hunter, nor could I ever shoot hoops, nor many other sports that involved "aiming" (other than hockey, I could aim a puck
) so this "aiming thing has always been a problem for me. It is however "trainable". The problem as Del mentioned is the time involved. You could spend hundreds of hours to get it tuned in, take a break for a week or so and be pretty much back to square one. It comes back quicker, but if your not spending the time, it is hard to get good at it. Seeing I have a life outside of this game.... I know, I keep trying to get rid of it but the wife is pretty insistent I stick with it! My aim has pretty much always been terrible.
Some tips for those looking for the magic aim point. (there really are a couple hundred of them if you really want to know).
Film your fights and watch for when you shoot. Everyone has a place they like to shoot at, your place may not be the same as theirs! Me, I shoot at 400-450 most times. I fly more "energy" type planes than I do turners and so my passes are setup shot more than snap shots. So I set my convergence at 425. SET YOUR CONVERGENCE WHERE YOU SHOOT! If some hot shot sets his at 225 and you never get that close to a guy that convergence is going to hurt you.
Sites, I went back and forth with Bustr on sites and aiming. What I learned is I really don't have ANY idea what he is talking about most of the time
He has studied this stuff a long time and knows it inside out. If you have any questions, send him a note, but be warned, what he sends back often doesn't make sense for a while. What I did learn is that the bullet drop does come into play in this game.... gravity sucks! While I KNOW there is a drop I found myself still putting the pipper ON the target in a "6" shot and never hitting. I have since adjusted my site so the pipper sits "that" much lower so I don't have to remember.
Most shots are "crossing" type of shots. Figuring "lead" has always been a big issue for me. More often than not I was behind and with some rudder kick I might hit their tail.
By watching my films, and other players as well, I figured out that in most crossing shots that I set up, at my 400 range and basic normal speed of my passes (yes all that comes into play which is why there are hundreds of "magic aim points"), if I started firing when the nose of the enemy plane touched my HUD glass I was in the "ballpark" for my lead. I added a circle as big as I could get on the site and now have a "marker" that I can see (yellow ring as apposed to the edge of the HUD art work) that clues me in for when I need to shoot by.
Third is your stick controls. If your controls are "bouncy" your going to be spraying all over the place. Most of it can be adjusted out. Hook up with Morph in the TA. He will fly right behind you and watch your surfaces and tell you which one are moving when you shoot. He got most of mine cleaned up and the only real bounce I have left is the adrenalin I have when I get in close for my shot
These are the things I did and worked on over the last 6 months that have helped me. There is no magic convergence, there is no magic aim point, there is no magic stick setup, there is no magic move to set up that kill shot. I have adapted my aim to the way I fly, not adapted my flying to how others aim. Watch your films and adjust to how you fly. You can watch other films as well, but learn aiming from those that fly more like you do. Case in point, I have a few films of Greebo in his F6. While the F6 isn't really an energy fighter (it does pretty well used that way tho) for a lot of Greebos shots he is in a stance that looks very close to a energy pass. He flies with great SA, maneuvers when someone makes a pass and is more often than not lined up for a crossing shot as the bandit completes his pass. has speed, and angle being very close what I would have on a pass and so his "lead" looks a lot like the one I use. On the other hand Soulyss seems to almost be sitting in the other plane before he shoots!
The point here is to adjust how YOU aim to how YOU fly.
