For those feeling out of the loop, here's a quick rundown. In Counter-Strike, your accuracy is reduced while you're moving and you don't stop moving instantly (you drift a little bit) when you...
For those feeling out of the loop, here's a quick rundown.
In Counter-Strike, your accuracy is reduced while you're moving and you don't stop moving instantly (you drift a little bit) when you release a movement key. You can cancel most of this drift and therefore regain accuracy more quickly if you 'counter strafe', or briefly press the opposite key when you want to stop. If you unintentionally hold opposing movement keys or aren't pressing either key for any time during this transition, you don't stop as quickly. So, it's one of the core skills of high-level Counter-Strike players to be able to counter-strafe effectively.
Razer and subsequently Wooting have developed keyboards that can automatically release the A key when the D key is pressed (or any two other keys) and vice versa, a feature Razer calls SnapTap and Wooting calls SOCD. This makes counter-strafing much simpler by eliminating any input where both A and D are held simultaneously.
In a nutshell, users with this feature no longer need to perfectly time the release of A and the press of D to be at the same instant. Instead you can just press D while continuing to hold A for a moment and they keyboard sorts out the rest for you.
Also worth noting is that Razer released it as a feature of their new keyboard range, and Wooting basically said “well, that’s arguably cheating but it’s a pretty simple firmware tweak, you guys...
Also worth noting is that Razer released it as a feature of their new keyboard range, and Wooting basically said “well, that’s arguably cheating but it’s a pretty simple firmware tweak, you guys want us to add it?” in a Twitter poll, and then rolled it out to all of their existing keyboards a few days later.
How is this different from programming a macro? It's a bit more sophistacted, but even my decade old Corsair has basic macro support. I'm a bit surprised this wasn't an issues years ago.
How is this different from programming a macro? It's a bit more sophistacted, but even my decade old Corsair has basic macro support. I'm a bit surprised this wasn't an issues years ago.
As an osu player, when the wooting first came out, I was sure it would get to a point where games would start banning it (or at least certain functions of it), and here we are a couple years...
As an osu player, when the wooting first came out, I was sure it would get to a point where games would start banning it (or at least certain functions of it), and here we are a couple years later.
Counter Strike isn't the first one either, I recall Trackmania banning the custom analog tilt function, and of course in osu reverse the actuation of the keys (so it activates on finger lift rather than press) was recently deemed to be bannable.
It's really crazy how this one company revolutionized a lot of games with their one peripheral and then simultaneously shot themselves in the foot by said revolution. Suffering from success I suppose?
I think this feature was actually first implemented by Razer (but since it’s a firmware/software thing, Wooting was then able to do the same thing in an update. And anyone with a mechanical...
I think this feature was actually first implemented by Razer (but since it’s a firmware/software thing, Wooting was then able to do the same thing in an update. And anyone with a mechanical keyboard that supports QMK could actually also implement a similar update AFAIK.)
The feature is dependent on being able to define the actuation point of each switch in software, something only possible with analog switches. The Wooting and Razer keyboards with this feature use...
And anyone with a mechanical keyboard that supports QMK could actually also implement a similar update AFAIK.)
The feature is dependent on being able to define the actuation point of each switch in software, something only possible with analog switches. The Wooting and Razer keyboards with this feature use hall effect sensors instead of Cherry-type mechanical switches.
You need the Hall Effect sensor for what Razer calls the “Rapid Trigger Mode” where the actuation point reset changes based on how far down the key was pressed. But you don’t need the Hall Effect...
You need the Hall Effect sensor for what Razer calls the “Rapid Trigger Mode” where the actuation point reset changes based on how far down the key was pressed. But you don’t need the Hall Effect sensor to mimic the “Snap Tap” / key cancellation / null bind.
My understanding is that SOCD/Snap Tap are not directly equivalent to null binding, because they work in tandem with "Rapid Trigger Mode" to make it more responsive.
My understanding is that SOCD/Snap Tap are not directly equivalent to null binding, because they work in tandem with "Rapid Trigger Mode" to make it more responsive.
I don't think there's a hard requirement for hall effect customizable actuation. Scripts to emulate this effect (Null Bind Scripts) have existed for a long time, but they run on the PC side. I...
I don't think there's a hard requirement for hall effect customizable actuation. Scripts to emulate this effect (Null Bind Scripts) have existed for a long time, but they run on the PC side. I suspect any keyboard's firmware could detect that e.g. A is being held when D is actuated and stop sending a key-down signal for A, it's just a question of how easy it is to modify that firmware and customize functionality.
I believe SOCD/Snap Tap are designed to work in conjunction with Rappy Snappy/Rapid Trigger mode (features that do require an adjustable actuation point) to improve responsiveness. That is a big...
I believe SOCD/Snap Tap are designed to work in conjunction with Rappy Snappy/Rapid Trigger mode (features that do require an adjustable actuation point) to improve responsiveness. That is a big part of what makes them different from old null binding scripts.
In games like Overwatch, the "Rappy Snappy" half of the equation is arguably the much bigger deal than the null binding, not so much for Counter Strike.
I don't know if 'rappy snappy' is a bigger part than null binding when it comes to AD wiggling in overwatch. Rappy snappy can help the player wiggle faster, but they still need to repeatedly swap...
I don't know if 'rappy snappy' is a bigger part than null binding when it comes to AD wiggling in overwatch. Rappy snappy can help the player wiggle faster, but they still need to repeatedly swap between A and D with little to no overlap or gap between inputs. With SOCD, the player only needs to hold A and spam D and they get a perfect wiggle.
The problem with that in Overwatch is that the game has pretty chunky hitboxes. If you wiggle too fast, you are effectively just making your head hitbox bigger. There is an optimal strafe-spamming...
The problem with that in Overwatch is that the game has pretty chunky hitboxes. If you wiggle too fast, you are effectively just making your head hitbox bigger. There is an optimal strafe-spamming speed and pattern that is very easy to hit with just rappy snappy, especially when you set the actuation points on A and D really high.
Interesting, although not totally unexpected. If there's any game where this is a HUGE deal, it's counter strike due to how weapon accuracy works. I am curious if this means they'll look at a code...
Interesting, although not totally unexpected. If there's any game where this is a HUGE deal, it's counter strike due to how weapon accuracy works.
I am curious if this means they'll look at a code solution down the line, and what that looks like. Counter strafing is, arguably, an interesting skill test, and certainly a part of becoming a pro at CS. It would be somewhat trivial to change the game to just never allow it, but I don't think that's the intended goal.
Personally, part of me would have liked to see Valve lean into it the same way they did with jump throw scripts, with an option to enable SOCD by game settings. It would remove the advantage these...
Personally, part of me would have liked to see Valve lean into it the same way they did with jump throw scripts, with an option to enable SOCD by game settings. It would remove the advantage these keyboards have over regular keyboards.
The other part of me thinks this is a good move by Valve, because counter-strafing is such an important part of the game.
I still think counter-strike has enough other mechanics and micro decisions that if everyone had these perfect counter-strafes, the game wouldn't feel all that different.
I dunno. I feel like the "OH SHIT" moment of getting flanked and reorienting while managing to perfectly counter strafe so you can return fire is one of THE defining skills of CS at the highest...
I dunno. I feel like the "OH SHIT" moment of getting flanked and reorienting while managing to perfectly counter strafe so you can return fire is one of THE defining skills of CS at the highest levels?
This all comes from someone who occasionally watches and knows some people who play though.
I'm a CS 1.6 nerd with about 4000 hours, most of them on 5v5 mixes, and some on KZ stuff, and also some CSGO & CS2, so take anything I say with a big pinch of salt: I'm definitely not playing at a...
I'm a CS 1.6 nerd with about 4000 hours, most of them on 5v5 mixes, and some on KZ stuff, and also some CSGO & CS2, so take anything I say with a big pinch of salt: I'm definitely not playing at a high level, but I can "feel" the game.
I tried out the SOCD on my Wooting as soon as it came out, mainly because I was interested to see if there is a big difference. Yes, it honestly did feel a bit cheaty. So did the HAL switches though...
The situation you describe in the comment would involve:
awareness of the flank (or info)
decision: engaging the flank (experience)
movement to get into a position to fire back (map knowledge)
predictions on how the flanker peeks (experience)
crosshair placement for their peek (map knowledge)
counter strafing (mechanics) [!!!]
aim & click (mechanics)
Yes, one of these would be different with SOCD, but, because of all the others, I think it would definitely still feel like "real" counter-strike skill, even if the counter-strafing wasn't as difficult as it would have otherwise been.
Is the fact that you didn't completely let go of the first strafe key before pressing the opposite key really that much more skilled? Mechanically, yes. But should it be? I don't know, after testing, part of me thinks it would still be an enjoyable game if it wasn't all that crucial.
I'm curious to see how much better or worse counter-strafing at pro level is with or without SOCD are. Are their mechanics already so good that it would barely help, or are those 3 ms of human error shaved off enough to make a big difference at that level?
For those feeling out of the loop, here's a quick rundown.
In Counter-Strike, your accuracy is reduced while you're moving and you don't stop moving instantly (you drift a little bit) when you release a movement key. You can cancel most of this drift and therefore regain accuracy more quickly if you 'counter strafe', or briefly press the opposite key when you want to stop. If you unintentionally hold opposing movement keys or aren't pressing either key for any time during this transition, you don't stop as quickly. So, it's one of the core skills of high-level Counter-Strike players to be able to counter-strafe effectively.
Razer and subsequently Wooting have developed keyboards that can automatically release the A key when the D key is pressed (or any two other keys) and vice versa, a feature Razer calls SnapTap and Wooting calls SOCD. This makes counter-strafing much simpler by eliminating any input where both A and D are held simultaneously.
In a nutshell, users with this feature no longer need to perfectly time the release of A and the press of D to be at the same instant. Instead you can just press D while continuing to hold A for a moment and they keyboard sorts out the rest for you.
Optimum did a great video on the subject on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Feny5bs2JCg
Also worth noting is that Razer released it as a feature of their new keyboard range, and Wooting basically said “well, that’s arguably cheating but it’s a pretty simple firmware tweak, you guys want us to add it?” in a Twitter poll, and then rolled it out to all of their existing keyboards a few days later.
Which doesn’t change any of the outcomes, but I quite liked their attitude to the whole thing.
How is this different from programming a macro? It's a bit more sophistacted, but even my decade old Corsair has basic macro support. I'm a bit surprised this wasn't an issues years ago.
Yeah, I was originally going to just post a comment as an update on the thread about that video but the thread was deleted by the author.
As an osu player, when the wooting first came out, I was sure it would get to a point where games would start banning it (or at least certain functions of it), and here we are a couple years later.
Counter Strike isn't the first one either, I recall Trackmania banning the custom analog tilt function, and of course in osu reverse the actuation of the keys (so it activates on finger lift rather than press) was recently deemed to be bannable.
It's really crazy how this one company revolutionized a lot of games with their one peripheral and then simultaneously shot themselves in the foot by said revolution. Suffering from success I suppose?
I think this feature was actually first implemented by Razer (but since it’s a firmware/software thing, Wooting was then able to do the same thing in an update. And anyone with a mechanical keyboard that supports QMK could actually also implement a similar update AFAIK.)
The feature is dependent on being able to define the actuation point of each switch in software, something only possible with analog switches. The Wooting and Razer keyboards with this feature use hall effect sensors instead of Cherry-type mechanical switches.
You need the Hall Effect sensor for what Razer calls the “Rapid Trigger Mode” where the actuation point reset changes based on how far down the key was pressed. But you don’t need the Hall Effect sensor to mimic the “Snap Tap” / key cancellation / null bind.
My understanding is that SOCD/Snap Tap are not directly equivalent to null binding, because they work in tandem with "Rapid Trigger Mode" to make it more responsive.
Right, they still require human input to function whereas null-binds are automatically applied every time.
I don't think there's a hard requirement for hall effect customizable actuation. Scripts to emulate this effect (Null Bind Scripts) have existed for a long time, but they run on the PC side. I suspect any keyboard's firmware could detect that e.g. A is being held when D is actuated and stop sending a key-down signal for A, it's just a question of how easy it is to modify that firmware and customize functionality.
Firmware is just low-level software after all. It's just that it's a bigger PITA to change, and doesn't neccessarily require OS support.
I believe SOCD/Snap Tap are designed to work in conjunction with Rappy Snappy/Rapid Trigger mode (features that do require an adjustable actuation point) to improve responsiveness. That is a big part of what makes them different from old null binding scripts.
In games like Overwatch, the "Rappy Snappy" half of the equation is arguably the much bigger deal than the null binding, not so much for Counter Strike.
I don't know if 'rappy snappy' is a bigger part than null binding when it comes to AD wiggling in overwatch. Rappy snappy can help the player wiggle faster, but they still need to repeatedly swap between A and D with little to no overlap or gap between inputs. With SOCD, the player only needs to hold A and spam D and they get a perfect wiggle.
The problem with that in Overwatch is that the game has pretty chunky hitboxes. If you wiggle too fast, you are effectively just making your head hitbox bigger. There is an optimal strafe-spamming speed and pattern that is very easy to hit with just rappy snappy, especially when you set the actuation points on A and D really high.
Interesting, although not totally unexpected. If there's any game where this is a HUGE deal, it's counter strike due to how weapon accuracy works.
I am curious if this means they'll look at a code solution down the line, and what that looks like. Counter strafing is, arguably, an interesting skill test, and certainly a part of becoming a pro at CS. It would be somewhat trivial to change the game to just never allow it, but I don't think that's the intended goal.
Personally, part of me would have liked to see Valve lean into it the same way they did with jump throw scripts, with an option to enable SOCD by game settings. It would remove the advantage these keyboards have over regular keyboards.
The other part of me thinks this is a good move by Valve, because counter-strafing is such an important part of the game.
I still think counter-strike has enough other mechanics and micro decisions that if everyone had these perfect counter-strafes, the game wouldn't feel all that different.
I dunno. I feel like the "OH SHIT" moment of getting flanked and reorienting while managing to perfectly counter strafe so you can return fire is one of THE defining skills of CS at the highest levels?
This all comes from someone who occasionally watches and knows some people who play though.
I'm a CS 1.6 nerd with about 4000 hours, most of them on 5v5 mixes, and some on KZ stuff, and also some CSGO & CS2, so take anything I say with a big pinch of salt: I'm definitely not playing at a high level, but I can "feel" the game.
I tried out the SOCD on my Wooting as soon as it came out, mainly because I was interested to see if there is a big difference. Yes, it honestly did feel a bit cheaty. So did the HAL switches though...
The situation you describe in the comment would involve:
Yes, one of these would be different with SOCD, but, because of all the others, I think it would definitely still feel like "real" counter-strike skill, even if the counter-strafing wasn't as difficult as it would have otherwise been.
Is the fact that you didn't completely let go of the first strafe key before pressing the opposite key really that much more skilled? Mechanically, yes. But should it be? I don't know, after testing, part of me thinks it would still be an enjoyable game if it wasn't all that crucial.
I'm curious to see how much better or worse counter-strafing at pro level is with or without SOCD are. Are their mechanics already so good that it would barely help, or are those 3 ms of human error shaved off enough to make a big difference at that level?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't this game have keybinds like tf2?
Yep. To my understanding it doesn't much affect counter strafing though.