NOAIM QW Command

Commentary by [KoQ] Jarv

I've been playing around with the NOAIM variable for the past few days. After reading Snare's Sniper page, I've decided to give it another look.

Usually, I turn off all computer aiming assistance because I like to use proximity hits. With the rocket launcher, I generally place rockets at the enemy's feet. By using proximity hits, it is much easier to do damage against the opponent rather than trying to score a direct hit every time. Besides, I thought it was the honorable thing to do and have all assistance turned off.

After playing around with NOAIM in Quakeworld, I've decided that computer assistance can be useful. However, playing with assistance can limit you, since it tries to calculate the proper y-axis (vertical) placement for you. For example: if someone is charging into you and is constantly moving side to side, aiming assistance is a hindrance. Why? It will not let you aim at their feet -- instead it continually fires at chest-level which can result in the enemy evading all your rockets. On the positive side, aiming assistance is very useful if the enemy is jumping and/or on a different elevation than yourself. As long as your x-axis (horizontal) placement is accurate, you'll score a direct hit when the computer predicts its vertical placement.

So, the question is -- which one should you use? NOAIM 0 or NOAIM 1 (0 is assisted, 1 is off)... well, as Pek-r and Assman would say, "Boaf" (BOTH). Here is a script I have made which lets you toggle the NOAIM switch depending on the situation:

alias toggle_aim1 "noaim 1; echo Assisted aiming OFF; bind x toggle_aim2"

alias toggle_aim2 "noaim 0; echo Assisted aiming ON; bind x toggle_aim1"

bind x toggle_aim1

You can assign the bind command to any key that is comfortable to you. In essence, this method will let you have the best of both worlds. When I need to, I will turn off assistance to use my proximity method. However, I find the assistance very valuable when firing rockets "like a mad dog" because it will usually compensate in your favor. While DMing the past two days, I have played extremely well and have scored some hits that would have been nearly impossible without assistance.

... and of course, people that charged into me were handed a rocket explosion when I switched over to no assistance. It'll take time for you to think about switching modes, but so far I have found it useful.

Give it a try and see what you think! If you want to change the default setting upon entering QW, check your player configuration under QSpy.

Send all comments about this page to Jarv!