about them dots in crosshair-free games

[JBelle]

who of you is using them in doom? do you think it's a helpful trick or do you consider using them to be cheating?

for those who don't know what i'm talking about. with "dots" i'm referring to little markers players tape or draw on the center of their screen
(or wherever a crosshair would be if a game had one) to improve target acquisition.

[SMG_Man]

I can handle vanilla doom just fine w/o crosshairs since I grew up with it and am used to how the game's autoaim works, but I can understand people needing to use one or the dot thing you mentioned.

 

This to me is something more in the realm of accessibility. Playing without a crosshair may be the intended way for doom, but it's not something that fundamentally alters how the game is played nor does it break the original levels like jumping and crouching can. Something similar I think would be using an auto-run setting instead of keeping "Shift" mashed down the entire time you're playing.

[DavidN]

I remember some strategy guide in the 90s advising you to weigh the key down with a book to get a rudimentary autorun :)

[JBelle]

i'm mostly concerned about usage in speedrunning. for casual play it really doesn't matter, there's just no need for it, but it definitely is a help for speedrunning, i learned that when i attempted UV Max speedruns. taping a dot to my monitor really helped (you know when every fracture of a second counts). i mean, there's already so much luck involved with damage rolls and hit chance, so a way to make sure you're aiming at center of screen is a way to get the best possible odds for your shots. was just wondering if that is something which is frowned upon (or even "forbidden", though good luck trying to prove it, without having someone admit to it ... like i probably just did haha). 

[magicsofa]

1 hour ago, JBelle said:

for those who don't know what i'm talking about. with "dots" i'm referring to little markers players tape or draw on the center of their screen
(or wherever a crosshair would be if a game had one) to improve target acquisition.

I think I tried that once when I was probably 10, playing Wolfenstein 3D. My brother and I quickly realized that it was lame. Our taping job was most likely horrible. But also, it kinda ruined the fun also.

 

[Shepardus]

1 hour ago, JBelle said:

i'm mostly concerned about usage in speedrunning.

Crosshair is allowed, but crosshair lock-on (where the crosshair snaps to the enemy targeted by autoaim) is not.

Edited September 14, 2021 by Shepardus