Very hard to aim, are there any aiming mods?

[Jumping Spiders Are Cute]

the first time i ever played battlezone 98 was on the n64 and i absolutely ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ loved it, i could not get enough of it.

when i tried the pc version i was plagued with the aiming style. in the n64 version, there was this sweet little aim helper thing that, when your reticle was close enough to an enemy unit(say,a lock on area about the size of the mag cannon's reticle), would aim the projectiles at the enemy. it would not aim the ship however.

this was only present when firing stabbers, machineguns, chainguns, flash cannons and bolt buddies. it was not present on blast cannons, mortars, rockets or other super heavy weaponry.

this alone is what stopped me from playing the original pc version, as it was much too hard to aim.

even in redux my main weapons are mdm mortars and blast cannons due to their high damage. i NEVER use stabbers, machineguns or even flash cannons simply because it is such a waste of ammo.

this game would once again be my favorite game ever if i had that aiming helper thing.

i understand that some people hate the idea that fast firing weapons would lock on like that, but it is what made the game for me.

[ULTIMO GUERRERO MOSCOVITA]

You can activate in options a little reticle to help you predict the movement of the enemy tanks, but there's no autoaim, I think.

[Seqan]

There is no aim assist or autoaim. Any mods for such would be cheating.

[Jumping Spiders Are Cute]

well, there are insanely overpowered weapon mods, which are cheating. i dont see why it would be more cheaty to have a little help with aiming.

[Novus Ordo Seclorum]

The N64 version SUCKED.

You've been spoiled by aim assist. You'll just have to practice and get better at aiming, adjust mouse sensitivity if needed.

[Ded10c]

Aim assist in the N64 version existed to compensate for the console's awful controller, and it was far too heavy-handed. I'm afraid the only solution is practice.

Insanely overpowered weapon mods are not available in multiplayer, and an aiming mod would require modification of the source code (which we don't have).

[Bobcat Betty]

When you target a unit there's a little white diamond that moves around showing you where the unit will be if you fire your weapon when the weapon reaches them, use that to more easily gauge the enemy unit's position and increase your odds of successfully hitting them. It was the n64 version's lack of this feature that forced the addition of auto-aim.

If you really want an auto-aim mod to help with the campaign, it is possible to make the AT-Stabber and SP-Stabber into Hornets that have very small "sight" and don't require lock-on. This would effectively replicate BZn64's auto-aiming for those two weapons. Just note the enemy would have them too at which point you'd have played yourself.

: P

[Jumping Spiders Are Cute]

@ spork i played battlezone 64 back long before i even knew how to use a computer.

considering that the n64 was my only portal to gaming, that i had many games for it and that battlezone was still my favorite of them all, id say that battlezone 64 did not suck. compared to the pc version, it was simply retro. i remember the

your saying that everyone whos bad at aiming these tanks is doomed to forever suck at battlezone's first person mode? thats quite inconsiderate of you.

@ ded considering that i mentioned them at all and adding to the fact that they cannot be used in multiplayer, i would have figured it out myself if i were to have played multiplayer, you should have pieced together that i do not plan on using such things in multiplayer.

@ deus i had no knowledge of this diamond before you said it. i will try it out.

and no, the enemies in the n64 version had them and i was still really good at it. besides, considering how well the ai can lead targets, i honestly think it would level the playing field against it.

[Novus Ordo Seclorum]

Originally posted by Jumping Spiders Are Cute:

your saying that everyone whos bad at aiming these tanks is doomed to forever suck at battlezone's first person mode? thats quite inconsiderate of you.

I never said you were "doomed forever", that's ridiculous. In fact if you go back and actually read the post, I mention that you can learn how to aim if you simply practice. Also, there is a diamond-shaped target lead indicator to help you hit moving targets.

I hope I don't annoy people by posting this everywhere, but I have done a full playthrough of BZ 98 Redux on very hard: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoNi7b73a5joxWNh51Yoju4w9BxAj_bMG
Aiming becomes simple enough with practice, and the target lead helps.

I have also beaten this game on very hard without shooting prior to the Redux's release, so then aiming becomes mostly irrelevant for a run like that.

[Jumping Spiders Are Cute]

@ spork i have tried and tried, and i am also generally terrible at aiming, especially with battlezone's unique aiming style, and am thus, doomed.

the fact that you beat the game on very hard also makes what your say here irrelivant, as i have played through the game many times on lower difficulties and am still absolutely terrible at aiming.

[Bobcat Betty]

Originally posted by Jumping Spiders Are Cute:

and no, the enemies in the n64 version had them and i was still really good at it

I am absolutely positive that the AI in BZn64 did not have the auto-aim that the player had, I have played the game myself, I'll have you know. That said, I could be remembering wrong, so I'll check when I have time, if need be.

[Ded10c]

They did not. BZN64 cut so many corners that it's almost painful for me to play. It's a miraculous accomplishment, to get BZ working on the N64, but it could never have been done "well".

[DivisionByZero]

Am I the only one that didn't like the auto aim in RotBD because it made me miss all the time? >.< (I wonder if there is a GameShark code to disable it... :P)

Something interesting I have tried in the past is to play the game (PC version) left-handed (I normally play right-handed). It makes my aim terrible, but it forces me to learn to use my units better. In theory, it should be possible to make up for a lack of dogfighting skills with good strategy and unit coordination, at least to an extent.

[Seqan]

Originally posted by Ded10c:

...an aiming mod would require modification of the source code (which we don't have).

This really is the bottom line to the OP's question. Without poking at OP's skill at the game, an aim assist, according to Krampus, is impossible.

As for RotBD, it really was lacking in comparison to the PC version. Only thing I wish I had from that game is the campaign (I'm a story nut).

[Jumping Spiders Are Cute]

@deus maybe it did, maybe it didnt, but considering that the ai in the pc version can lead targets as well as they can, i still think that it would level the playing field against the ai for people who are terrible at aiming to make a toggleable handycap function like im talking about.

i am absolutely terrible at aiming these tanks, and i have never even killed one unit with the at stabbers or machineguns.

i can somewhat use the sp stabbers in pairs, but thats a terrible waste of ammo compared to a single at stabber, and, considering you need two geysers, a factory, an armory, 12 scrap for the sp stabbers and at least 10 extra valuable seconds for the ammunition to get to you, its also a waste of time and resources that could be spent defending scavengers early game

there is a mod that adds a shotgun-like stabber that is also only somewhat useful to me considering a pair of them uses ammo as fast as a single blast cannon.

it seems like you all must have played the n64 version after playing the pc version, or at least had other consoles to play at the time. it is painful for me to understand that you think the #1 favorite n64 game of my childhood is painful to play...

@ seqan according to a friend of mine, the black dogs campaign is included in the chinese expansion pack.

[Mojado]

As others have shut the door on an auto-aim mod, I would advise practicing as well. Some ways to practice:
1. Spend time fooling around on DM maps and use navs and ammo pods for target practice. I spent quite a bit of time doing that in Coliseum in my youth. One thing to do for fun is to drive past your target and make a snap turn-and-shoot when it gets to your 9-o'clock.
2. Practice with a razor since it is even twitchier than a tank to work on reflex shots
3. Practice with a bomber to work on positioning yourself to take good shots
4. If you haven't already done so, turn on auto-levelling. Remove the y-axis from the equation a little bit.

Generally speaking, aiming is a baseline skill for PC battlezone. I have difficulty buying that it's beyond your ability to learn it. I can empathize with your position, but you are probably going to have to come to this part of the game on its terms.