MW3 expert explains why aiming feels “so bad” compared to rival FPS titles

MW3 stats expert TrueGameData has revealed the various mechanics that make aiming feel “so bad” in the latest iteration of Call of Duty compared to rival FPS titles such as Fortnite, Counter-Strike, and Overwatch.

Modern Warfare 3 continues to flourish ahead of Season 1, as the devs revealed it has had the “most hours per player for a new premium Call of Duty release during the holiday weekend since 2019.”

With Shipment and the inevitable Christmas events on the horizon, things will likely get a whole lot more chaotic. Despite all the success, MW3 players continue to demand changes and share frustrations with various aspects of the game, with SBMM being one of the biggest culprits.

As well as SBMM, some also have issues with the way aiming feels in MW3, so Call of Duty stats expert TrueGameData got to work, investigating the reasons for this.

The MW3 expert found many reasons as to why aiming feels “so bad,” comparing 16 FPS titles to solidify his arguments.

All-in-all, TrueGameData highlighted MW3’s “aim sway” mechanics as the main factors directly impacting the quality of aiming in the game. Specifically, TrueGameData blamed the aim sway starting point, aim movement reticle shift, and strafe reticle shift, describing the latter as the “main culprit.”

New to MW3, “strafe reticle shift” essentially moves your reticle away from the center in the direction that you’re strafing, disrupting your aim. The “effects stack” too, so if you’re strafing left and also moving your aim to the left, your reticle will be even farther away from the center of the screen, putting you off your target even more.

All these aim sway mechanics featured in MW2019, MW2, and MW3 to add “realism” to Call of Duty, but TrueGameData feels that’s the exact reason why players weren’t happy with the design choices, as “CoD has never been that (based in realism).”

The stats expert went on to show gameplay of 16 rival FPS titles, such as Fortnite, Battlefield, and Overwatch, showing just how many of these games don’t use this strafing reticle shift mechanic. TrueGameData feels the CoD devs are just “throwing all these wonky weird effects” that make it “more difficult to hit your shots.”

We’ll have to wait and see if anything changes over the course of MW3’s lifespan, but with CoD 2024 rumored to be developed by Treyarch, perhaps their design choices will introduce major changes to aiming.