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The art of the meter

• enderson 40 Posts

  Fri, Mar 26 2010 3:47 PM

  As I`m sure you have, I`ve experimented a bit with various meter timing techniques.  Here are a few of them:

  a)  Focus on the target line (or just left/right of it if working ball) and notice the leading edge of the meter flowing across in my peripheral vision.  Also, experimented with pulling the mouse arrow back down to where I want to click after the backswing.  Overall, I have found this approach moderately successful.

  b)  Focus on the leading edge of the meter flowing across and notice (or almost instinctively feel?) the target area in my peripheral vision.  

  Interested to hear how others attempt to master the art of the meter and any other suggestions~

• OaktheToke 409 Posts

  Fri, Mar 26 2010 4:00 PM

  LOL, I wondered this too.  I use A and am most successful when I don't try to hard to concentrate, just take everything in and center a mild focus on the excellent line.

  When I try hard to concentrate or focus I end up getting anxious, click early, and pull what otherwise should have been a good shot.  

  At that point it's time to take a few sips of Irish gatorade and get ready for the next shot.

• danohi50 1,020 Posts

  Fri, Mar 26 2010 4:03 PM

  Just curious...other than Gatorade, what else is in there?

• YankeeJim 25,827 Posts

  Sat, Mar 27 2010 7:34 AM

  danohi50:

  Just curious...other than Gatorade, what else is in there?

  Give the man his Dew----Tullamore Dew!

  @enderson-I use A also-it gives you a fraction of a second more to notice a stutter so you can let it go without swinging. Also, when you move the swing icon up for the backswing bring it right back down to the ding area. A lot of times it will not come down smoothly in which case you let the swing go.

• andyson 6,415 Posts

  Sat, Mar 27 2010 8:19 AM

  OaktheToke:

  I use A and am most successful when I don't try to hard to concentrate, just take everything in and center a mild focus on the excellent line.

  I'm more or less on the same page as OaktheToke.  I don't focus too hard on the center line.

  I also try to pause at the top of the backswing to allow the CPU to settle down, about 3 or 4 seconds. Then I release the mouse button and do not move the mouse as moving the mouse uses up quite a bit of CPU time.  Watch your browser CPU usage sometime as you move the mouse around the game client window.

• marioh 1,055 Posts

  Sat, Mar 27 2010 8:29 AM

  Keep task manager open in your system tray.

  Wait til CPU utilization settles down prior to swinging.

  When following the meter in the downswing, follow it with your eyes, not your head (in other words, keep head still).

  If you use meter slowing balls, every so often switch out to the default ball for a round.   The swing meter will appear to be much slower once you switch back.

  Avoid excessive mouse movements during the swing, and avoid moving the mouse during the downswing.

  Don't blink a split second before pressing the button for accuracy.

  Bourbon can help with timing, but too much bourbon will ruin it.

   

• SWoods 62 Posts

  Sat, Mar 27 2010 11:33 AM

  I use a hybrid of A and B. Start following the line through one to two centimetres to get a sense of the speed and then refocus eyes to the ding line. 

  On critical shots take a few practice swings and instead of pressing the mouse button, press something else. This I think has been the biggest help in being close to target. The only problem is that I cant use it effectively in MP games as it slows down the round.

  I have had mixed success with these techniques. There are rounds when everything seems to go well and others where things fall apart. 

  Would be interested to hear the thoughts of people who consistently are close to ding.

• OaktheToke 409 Posts

  Sat, Mar 27 2010 12:21 PM

  danohi50:

  Just curious...other than Gatorade, what else is in there?

  It was a self-created slang synonym for beer.  I can also see it being assumed as whiskey.

   

  Do you know why God created whiskey?  So the Irish wouldn't rule the world.  ;)

• PugsAce 1,825 Posts

  Sun, Mar 28 2010 9:22 AM

  enderson:

   

  As I`m sure you have, I`ve experimented a bit with various meter timing techniques...

   

  ,,, Interested to hear how others attempt to master the art of the meter and any other suggestions~

   

  The single, biggest element that increased my meter "ding accuracy" is the distance of my eyes from the monitor. I found myself consistently missing the center-line... subsequently moved my chair back to stretch my legs, and voila! I dinged the next three shots in-a-row! Fellow presbyopia-challenged gamers here will understand. lol

  And if I may relate another "art of the meter" query that I find difficult to describe...

  Has anyone else noticed, using a wedge (especially), when drawing-back the power meter, a distinct change in the speed of the "meter fill"? It seems to "slow-down" at just the amount of power needed for that particular shot, for me... almost like the meter is intuitively letting me know when to stop.

  I don't remember seeing this mentioned anywhere else in the forums... searched for it, decided not to create a seperate thread, and thought this ties-in well with enderson's OP.

  Any comments?

   

• enderson 40 Posts

  Sun, Mar 28 2010 8:39 PM

  Expanding on the original post.  Practice swings:  Rhythm or anxiety builders?

  I`m still relatively new to this game, but for the most part have always used two practice swings to `feel` the rhythm and use the arrow that pops up as an added peripheral guide. As you know this does take some added time but hey, patience is good right?

  Recently, I feel like doing away with the practice swings actually helps remove outcome anticipation and also allows longer streaks of `Ding Ding rhythm`...you like that name don`t you, LOL

  For example, try a practice round and hit the ball into a bunker or deep rough and use the driver on every shot.  The ball will go nowhere allowing for a quick refresh to the next shot.  Take practice swings as normal (if you do) and try to see how many shots you can ding or be very tight on.  I find that it`s much easier to build a tight rhythm if I stop taking the practice swings...maybe the timing remains fresher subconsciously, who knows.  Of course if the meter starts even slightly jumpy you still let it pass.

  Furthermore, it helps avoid over analyzing those 8-15ft birds.  Of course everyone is different and what works for me might be the exact opposite for someone else...but responses to the original post have been really interesting so far so the discussion seems worth a shot.