Mouse Holding Dilemma

Discussion in 'Player Support' started by lucidlupo, Jan 3, 2016.

  1. lucidlupo

    I am not sure if this is the proper forum section for this, I didnt know which one was and I defintely need support and guidance on the proper way to hold a mouse for fps gaming.

    So, I find that the heel of my wrist always gets "stuck" on the mousepad/desk whenever i am aiming up or down(vertically). Just the motion of physically moving the mouse up and down (vertically) causes the heel of my wrist to create resistance and friction since its on the desk and hence kind of feels "stuck" like i said. Because of this, I obviously feel exremely akward whenever I need to aim up vertically and even more so when needing to aim down.

    Ive tried using a higher desk chair thinking it would help for some reason, as well as using a higher DPI and mouse sensitivity, however I am still having this issue and I believe it is really a problem with my physical mouse holding posture.

    Just some simple 101 mouse holding help would greatly be appreciated. Thank you.
  2. Pandora's Lunchbox

    SEATING POSITION AND INPUT USAGE
    If you are using an optical mouse or something similar, then you should always ensure that your forearm is parallel to the ground - regardless of your position. Not ensuring this has shown that you can induce a repetitive strain injury in your joints over a long period of time. You should also ensure you have a good, up-right posture while seated and not slouched forward like me. Don't use a damn sofa.

    http://www.ergonomics.com.au/how-to-sit-at-a-computer/

    ALTERNATIVE USER INPUT DEVICES
    If that kind of mouse really is an issue, it might be time to check out some of the alternative input devices. The best I would recommend are;

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0042BBR...rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=569136327&pf_rd_i=B001DQY9AW

    That is a trackball mouse - and an extremely good one, at that. I used to have one but I gave it to my girlfriend for her laptop - given that she has little room for using something like an optical mouse and basically nothing to stand it on but a bed. Not a good seating position, but still - the mouse meant she didn't have to move her mouse-hand. It takes some practice, but after a while, it'll feel absolutely normal and is a great option for FPS gaming, in my opinion.

    Conceptually, it is simple - you control the cursor with your thumb - not your wrist and forearm.

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-910-000808-USB-Marble-Mouse/dp/B001DQY9AW

    This one is similar, but the 'trackball' is centred on the mouse so as to allow for both left-handed and right-handed users some fairer usage. I would personally settle for one of the above mouses (I like having the buttons in the centre, not on the sides), but this is, of course, your preference, should you choose to go for either of these mouses.

    There are much cheaper alternatives to even these mouses - some the same design, others completely different. If price isn't an object, then I would highly recommend the first suggestion - the Logitech.

    SETTING SENSITIVITY ACCORDING TO YOUTUBERS
    There are a few good videos on YouTube about setting up your sensitivity in an FPS game - focus on the ones that show you how to set it up in the event you are not sure what you are comfortable with. Don't just take someone's word for it that such-and-such-a setting is the best - that's almost never the case. I have friends who swear by higher sensitivities and other that swear by lower; even some that just don't bother changing it at all.



    One of the videos in the playlist after this tries to get you to look into removing the mouse acceleration feature built-in Windows 7 (upwards) - but most games have software that offer to negate it for you. You can look into disabling it, anyway, if you want - but PlanetSide 2 does supply this option.

    SETTING SENSITIVITY FROM SCRATCH - MY TUTORIAL
    1] Centre your mouse on your mouse-space/pad. Make sure you only pay attention to 'Mouse Sensitivity'; leave out the other settings in PlanetSide 2, such as Aim Sensitivity and Flight Sensitivity. Set these according to the outcome of the rest of this tutorial.

    2] Next, make one swipe to the right or left of the VERY edge of your mouse-space/pad. You should keep resetting your sensitivity according to how far out of a full 180-degree turn your character makes. If your character 'over-shoots' the 180-degree angle, then you know you should lower your sensitivity setting. If it 'under-shoots', you should make it higher. Keep adjusting this until you find your character making one full 180-degree turn (or 'half-spin') per one half-swipe (centre to edge).

    3] Once you have found your 'sweet-spot', you can begin looking into the other sensitivity settings. Most players will find and tell that a slightly higher Flight Sensitivity is most beneficial - but this really depends upon your mind's ability to remind you to swipe harder to the right or left or up and down. If you find yourself forgetting for the sake of accuracy in flight, you might consider higher sensitivity - just don't go overboard.

    4] If you have no additional preferences for the other settings - such as (like me) you don't want your Aim or Scope Sensitivities to act like your Mouse Sensitivity setting (i.e, one half-swipe gives you a full 180-degree turn), then match all the settings to your Mouse Sensitivity. Anything that aims for you adjusts the sensitivity lower for you, anyway - that's the point of aiming; superior stability and target-hitting. When you aim down the sights, the game will lower the 'look' sensitivity. The higher the zoom, the lower the game sets the sensitivity.

    ADDITIONAL NOTES
    • Don't pay too much attention to the DPI condition of a mouse. As I'm sure you understand, a mouse boasting higher DPI will provide the user more sensitivity. Likewise, a mouse boasting lower DPI will give the user less sensitivity - but since both Windows and most games allow you to change their cursory sensitivities, this really matters little in the grand scheme of things. If you have money to burn, go for the higher DPI mouses - if not, forget about it (unless it falls below 400).
    • Don't take some other users' words for changing your settings according to theirs - your settings are personal to you and 'everybody is different', so they say. Set the game up in a way that makes you comfortable - don't even merely take my word for it, either (although I am amazing).
    • Typically, the larger your mouse-space/pad, the lower you'll want your sensitivity. The smaller the space, the higher you'll want it. This is, however highly reliant on how much of that space you actually utilise. If you don't ever move your mouse to the far edge of your pad, then move it only to where you're most likely to stop moving. Don't take space you don't use into account - it will only waste your time and effort.
    I hope this helped, good luck!
  3. Lord_Mogul

    Dude, chill out. He has just an issue that his hand is getting "stuck" on his pad when he aims up.
    I would suggest getting another surface for your mouse or try playing with long sleeves.
    Maybe some sort of pillow under your elbow could help if you want to have your arm a bit lifted.

    Other than that I can only suggest to try out a differend grip.
    Also not bad if you're using a wired mouse to either get a "mouse bungee" or build youself something similar that stips your cord from draggin.
  4. Pandora's Lunchbox

    I don't think that was going over-board - I think it was a fair response that might help him should suggestions like get a different grip or invest in an arm extension not help him. :p Plus, I did most of the research for him.
  5. Lord_Mogul

    Yeah, o offense was intended :)
  6. RainbowDash9

    certainly helped me lol. ive had the problem of finding a decent sensitivity for awhile now ever since i got my death adder. nothing really felt right. but now i shall employ thou methods and see what happenz
  7. Pandora's Lunchbox

    Give it a shot - I've used the methods I explained for finding the right sensitivity settings and for me, it works. I'm glad someone appreciated it. ;) I guess I should also have backed up my post by pointing out that it's not always just the original poster looking for answers in threads that are already open. :D
    I wish I had a Death Adder...