Why is there aimpunch in the game?

(onYn) #1

I understand that aimpunch gives a first sight advantage and because of that makes positioning rather important. But does this fit in DB? NOT, especially with maps and a gunplay that in itself isn´t rewarding individual positionig that much. It´s an interesting tactical element, that suites shorter combat times and rather “realistic” tactic shooters. In DB on the other side we have longer fights, and with aimpunch it´s just a mess to fight those skirmishes…

I know that I am asking for tactical depth all the time, what aim punch could potentially help out with. But that is like giving a thirsty person some of the best wine. He can put it down his throat and it´s even a liquid and something great to have overall. But in this case it´s just going to kill the person. Aimpunch itself is very controversial and even CS avoids it to the biggest part. So why in DB?

Maybe I am missing something. Please explain to me, I would really appreciate it if I could understand this.

(DarkangelUK) #2

Gonna be honest, I’ve been playing this game for a while I really didn’t notice much of a difference. In fact I doubt I would’ve noticed it was enabled if people hadn’t been talking about it. Is it that big of a deal? It’s barely noticeable to me, but then I’m a filthy casual.

(onYn) #3

Yeah, it´s not that bad. But it just doesn´t make any sense to have such a mechanic in the game. The game already has some RNG to it with the spread that isn´t appreciated in general - even tho I like it since it allows potential upsets. Aimpunch is just an additional nuisance while aiming and having it distracting your tracking it´s just ****. Probably it´s supposed to balance out people who are good at aiming and smooth out the entry of new players. It´s just… argh.

(poiuasd) #4

If a public testing realm ever becomes an actual thing it would be interesting to see how the game would feel when your screen is rock steady all the time without any flinching.

(Chux) #5

Like many, I hardly noticed it was there, not sure why all of the fuss around it. It should stay though maybe even have a bit stronger effect since it would be the only way to counter a sniper and prevent him instakilling you long after you started to put rounds on him.

(Szakalot) #6

they’ve downplayed aimpunch in recent patches and its bearable again. They’ll upscale it again, you will see a wave of whine again

(ispellcorrectly) #7

Haha, isn’t there a wave of whine with every update anyway? :smiley:

(Szakalot) #8

the aimpunch whine was only matched by phantom’s-release whine

(Phantomchan) #9

I think the aimpunch isn’t annoying at all, I have seen some games which go totally overboard with the aimpunch. :slight_smile:

(onYn) #10

I agree to have it on snipers, but besides that I don´t think it serves any usefull purpose…

(Beermachine) #11

Outside of being a counter to snipers I don’t see much of a point for it either. There’s a detailed discussion on reddit here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Dirtybomb/comments/3gppu2/my_thoughts_on_aimpunch_and_its_place_in_dirty/ with some dev replies.

Not a fan personally, as it gives an extra advantage to and encourages more camper style gameplay, but in it’s current implementation it’s bearable.

It boils down to two different styles of FPS, twitch or tracking. High TTK, accurate weapons, relatively low spread increases, consistent aim control + movement etc are the hallmarks of tracking, while low TTK, reflexes, accurate flick shots, high spread increases, positioning etc are mainly for twitch.

Aimpunch IMO is a mechanic much more suited for twitch than tracking in a competitive setting (ET had view kick, which could be ignored with practice).

Obviously a gross simplification with many crossovers, but generally FPS players have a preference for one style or the other.

(alphabeta) #12

You can see a detailed description by Pansy here:

(onYn) #13

Thanks for that. :slight_smile:

Aimpunch is just either increasing the rng factor or improving the already high skill ceiling tracking by another layer. Unacceptable in my eyes. It´s okay to balance out snipers and could be great for a supportive merc that himself can´t do/tank much dmg but can aim punch his enemies… For sure not my ideal way to put emphasis on different aspects of the game.

PS: I am so glad to see pansy doing videos about DB…