I'm sorry if that's how you interpreted it. It was definitely not my intention to. Please understand that when you say things such as "you do not make sense" and that a part is "disappointing" I feel that it is a fault on my part, and as such, it is my obligation to explain myself as best I can in order to show that I have reason for my thinking so that it doesn't just look like some thoughtless b.s. thrown out there for the sake of nothing more than argument. That may have been counterproductive in this case, due to the fact that, my patterns of thought are quite disorganized and the fact that it was really late at night(or early in the morning?). To that end, if I have somehow come across that I'm antagonizing you or arguing with you just for funsies I apologize. I'll say it again, it is most definitely not my intention to do so. I think we simply had conflicting ideas and that's completely fine.Tess wrote:
Well, I read your entire post, but... To be honest; not only do you not make sense, it also seems as though your reply is written purely for the sake of disagreeing. Which is, just like the end of the post I replied to, rather disappointing. I could reply to everything you said but that would only derail the thread - I was assuming it would stop at my post, anyway.
Yes, yes, yes, and more yes!!!!!! I could not agree with you more. This is the type of response I love. I think you make awesome points, and although I'm sure you don't need nor really want my approval, I still believe that your points on aim, speed, accuracy, reading, and consistency are truly something that should be taken into consideration more by people who want to improve. I feel as though many look for that "one best way to improve" to the point that they overlook the simple things that are the entire basis for improvement, or rather, they don't even bother practicing them because they spend all their time looking for that one-best-way to improve, however, trying to apply any type of one-best-way method of improvement will leave you nowhere. These areas, broken down with these questions, are definitely something I'll consider when I work on improvement as well. Breaking things down and questioning yourself as to how you can improve on them and coming up with your own self-specific answers definitely sounds like an awesome way to improve skills.Tess wrote:
So, to bring things back on track; I firmly believe that "play more" isn't the way to "get better", nor are any of the snippets of advice that I've seen in this thread. That doesn't mean that none of it works - some of it makes sense, like editing your settings to make things more playable, practicing different kinds of methods and play styles, and trying not to get too frustrated when things don't work out. But people seem to have romantic interest in the idea of a "golden solution", a single answer to all of your problems - because it's easy! If all you had to do was focus on one thing, then all you would need is time to get you anywhere. And I see that as an answer a lot of the time; "How do I get better?" "Play more." "Practice moar." "Play more hard stuff."
That is an incredibly stupid thing to say, as there are at least five major and several other minor aspects to consider while trying to improve this game - playing more is only the natural effect of trying to develop said aspects. Now, everyone plays differently, so I doubt that I could tell you how to develop anything and have it work consistently with you, but I'll list the aspects you should consider when thinking about how to practice - perhaps that could nudge some of the people here into a more healthy direction, provided that they're willing to improve, instead of looking for a golden answer. If you want the easy way to get good scores - use hacks. If you want to actually get good, work hard and efficiently. It's not rocket science.
The things to be considered, and their respective questions that come with them, are;
Aim - What makes me or other players aim well? What can get in the way of good aiming? What kinds of maps would I need to play to train my aim?
Speed - Why are some players faster than others? How can I play faster without reducing my accuracy too much? How do I read faster without losing my ability to read slower?
Accuracy - What determines how accurate I am? Why are thelewa and Bikko so much more accurate than other players? How can I train my accuracy simultaneously with my speed and aim?
Reading - How should I define "reading", and why would that definition help me improve as a player? What can I do to practice my reading without getting bored? How do MillhioreF or BluOxy look at the screen while they're playing, and why does this enable them to play EZ and FL so well?
Consistency - How do I practice my consistency? Why are players like doctorindark so much more consistent than others? When have I been more consistent in the past, and what did I do then that I could start doing again in the present?
Once you start thinking more in-depth about these things, you need to take the precaution of assuming that the conclusion you draw about them will most likely be incorrect, and be constantly trying to find holes in your own logic, until you can't anymore. In short;
Ask questions -> Find answers -> Work the flaws out of the answers -> Repeat with your increased knowledge
Add this to your practice routine and you'll be surprised how well it works, provided you put the required amount of effort into it. Then again, if you're not willing to put in effort, you shouldn't complain about sucking~
