How do I improve my aim?

So I've decided to up my game. I believe the first step would be to improve my aim. (I think it's gotten worse since I stopped using scout rifles...)
So how would you suggest I improve my aim?

This isn't one of the most elegantly written posts out there.

Edit: Also I should add that this aiming would be for CQC, I know you should burst for longer range combat and such.

best tip i can think of is to get a feel for head height without needing any player for adjustment so when you do encounter an enemy on even ground you only have to adjust for horizontal aiming because your crosshair is already at the correct height.

If you have a gun with a good starting CoF (jag/lynx with adv sight) hipfire for close range and use x2 sight for just beyond close range.

Hmm, horizontal aim is the problem though. It seems that everything is moving much faster than it used to and throwing my aim off. But I don't know.

If possible, I'd recommend recording yourself playing for a short session. Then rewatching what you just did and even watch in slow motion to see where you're aiming when the shots miss. This might help with insight to what you're doing wrong.

This is similar to how the US Army trains Marksmanship in real life. We use a variety of systems to track where our shots are going. The first thing is the zero range where we zero our sights. Its a quarter dollar sized target circle fired at from about 25m away. By looking at that we can determine sight picture, trigger squeeze, or breath control to be the problem. Then we have the ETS range which is a simulated firing range using an indoor screen and lasers from weapons hooked up to compressed air to simulate recoil. And finally a live fire range with complex computer systems and sensors hooked up to the 300m targets and it shows exactly where you hit in real time.

With a recording you can determine if you're aiming too high, which means recoil control is necessary. Or if it is cone of fire, requiring burst fire control.

Any recording software you recommend? I don't have any at this point in time.

I'm a counter strike player, and I think it's easier to practice aim when your movement is more consistent.

Advice form CS aiming include:
1. aim at head level
2. crosshair placement - always place them at where the enemy is most likely to be, meaning keep it at the edge of doorways, including when you are moving.
3. lower your sensitivity.
4. let your enemy walk into your crosshair - timing aim for head is remarkably easier than flicking.

Win 10 has integrated game recorder (I think it's Winkey + R or something), and I hear it's decent. I use CamStudio for recording things, but I usually don't record my games because PC can't handle.

Mine probably can't handle recording things either, plus I'm running Windows 7 still, soooo.....

It also has intergrated spyware that cannot be turned off!

It's much easier to practice in a game that has more fluid move and mouse mechanics, no ADS, and high accuracy like CS. I found the aiming ability to be very translatable.

If you don't have CSGO you can play TF2 and learn aiming there. You can probably find community servers with sniper + pistol only or something.

I can't stress how important crosshair placement is. You have to do it smart. After that its just about practicing, and getting the right feel for your flick.

Recoil control/drop compensation is just getting your barrings properly and then practice.

I use Nvidia Shadowplay. But that requires a newer Nvidia GPU. I think GTX 660 or 760 or newer.

I've heard good things about CamStudio. But the one I used to use was Open Broadcast Software (OBS). Its normally used for streaming but you can tell it to record instead. Its a bit tricky to setup though.

http://planethead.info/weapons/gunplay-guide#h2-1-how-to-aim

Maybe the VR training room could help. I go there whenever I need a spell. Quite relaxing too.

At first, you need hardware related things : decent Frame per seconds with a decent GPU (lower down your graphics settings if needed), a "gamer" mouse (Logitech is a nice and reliable brand, about 50 bucks needed. No need to spend more. Then search for the DPI you're the most confortable with.) and a decent mouse pad (15-20 bucks. Choose quality/branded stuff).

Choose your weapon : Forums are here to provide any help. Testing weapons in VR Room is still the best thing to do. Then, shoot on a wall in order to understand how your bullets will spread out of your weapon (there's a pattern to find). Do it again and again in order to control your recoil. The goal of this boring stuff will be to make the most of your bullets landing in the same smallest possible aera of the wall. Then train while moving/running around test targets.
Search for the best attachements of your weapon.

Choose the right time to engage your targets (As an example, don't engage at long range with a SMG), choose the right targets according to your own standards. Always aim for the head or upper chest.

Depending on the weapon you choosed, you may need any implant in order to perform in a better way.
Try to keep in mind the magazine size of your weapon. How many bullets you have left in it. It will help you to find "firing sequences".

As people said previously, games like CS are good for training. Then train again.

Nice tips there, but they seem to be more like gun control which isn't quite 'aiming' it's close, but not quite. In any case, upgrading my computer could be a start.

Maybe I'm just bad at this game...

The biggest single thing that helped me improve my aim was a new graphics card. I jumped from a GTX 460 to a GTX 970, and my aim got massively better.

Switching from a generic wireless mouse to a wired gaming mouse was also very helpful.

The only way to really get better at aiming is to practice until you start to "feel" it. Everyone is different and has different aptitude for aiming in FPS, but in general the more you hone your skills the better they will become.

In the planetside example, many things will depend on your knowledge of maps, how people like to assault bases and what the common routs are. Knowing where sunderers are usually placed and what rout they will take to their closest point can help immensely as most people are expecting you to come from the spawn room to the point a specific way.

Going the ways people don't expect and surprising them is usually the best way to compensate for lesser skill, and it works very well in planetside. You must have seen the light assaults for example that find a unorthodox spot to sit in a kill lots of people before they are discovered, or the ones that go through the window to get to the points on the 2nd floor.

Once you learn how to predict people you can do amazing things even if your aiming isn't up to snuff. I know it's not exactly what you asked but it's a super important aspect of planetside that's just as valuable as aiming.

My course to drill my aim is at VR room.
Pick your standard gun then ADS kill the maximum of people in the shortest time possible (including friendlies - they are more resistants, so they translate that nanoweave armor situation). Add juking and crouching to your routine.
The more and fastest you kill before you empty that clip, the better you get!

The first thing to do when upping your game is not improving your aim. Your aim will improve over time anyway and each game has different aiming mechanics.

What you should do is improve your situational awareness and knowledge of your surroundings.

This starts with knowing the environment. In some games this consists out of knowing weapon pickups, good sniper locations and where you'll die for certain.
In PS2 it starts with knowing where your enemy and your friends are. If a spot is likely to hold a sniper or a Heavy depends on where your enemy is positioned as well as where your friends are making a target of themselves. The best way to get an idea is to get a feel of spawn locations: Most people run straight from the spawn to a Point of Interest (POI). Defenders will run towards taken points or run towards the enemy Sunderer, the attackers will run towards the points or good positions to push further etc. You can usually spot where enemy/friendly sunderers are located by checking the map and seeing where the largest part of enemy reinforcements are coming from.
Once you've done that you need to know the environment. Where are those POI's, and how will the enemy get there with the minimum of effort? These will be the paths that most people take, and this way you can avoid those paths and lay down ambushes as they pass you by. Hey! Ambush! You now have the first few shots before your enemy attacks you! You already have diminished any aiming advantage your enemy has, if not grabbed the advantage for yourself.

Imagine that you do these things and still lose, you might want to start improving your aim. Still you have a better option available to you: change your class/loadout. See what weapon suits you best. Maybe a Shotgun suits you better? You are less good in CQC you tell us. Maybe you should take an Infiltrator with SMG? Or an LA? Maybe the Medics AR's give you enough firepower to stay alive and the AOE heal can keep you full health at all times?

Also, check how your enemy reacts. Where do they look first? Most people tend to look on the horizontal plane first before looking somewhere else. So sitting a bit higher can be advantageous. However there's tons of places where an ambush always happens from a specific spot. For instance, you can only be (reliably) ambushed by an LA at a certain spot, so people always check high up the moment they get shot. At these points you need to try and find a different way to ambush them. Always be where they don't expect you to be! Even if that seems to give you a disadvantage, just surprising your enemy can be a much better advantage than anything else.