Josh “Dominator” Sievers
Hardware/Software:
Case: Lian Li
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition 3.73GHz
Video Card: GeForce 7800 GT
Motherboard: Asus P5N32-SLI
RAM: PNY 2.0GB PC-4000
Hard Drive: Western Digital 200GB
Optical Drive: NEC DVD-RW ND-3550A
Monitor: 21” Sony Multiscan E540

Peripherals
Mouse: Logitech mx518
Keyboard: SteelSeries 6G
Mouse pad: SteelSeries QcK Heavy
Headset: Steel Series 5Hv2 (No Drivers)

Game And Software Settings
-Video Card Settings
Anti-Aliasing: Off
Anisotropic Filtering: Off
Mipmap Detail: Low Quality
Vertical Refresh: Always Off
Gamma: 1.15
Brightness: 103%

-Mouse Settings
Drivers: None
CPL Mouse Fix: Yes
Windows Sensitivity: Middle
Enhanced Pointer Precision: No

-1.6 In Game Settings
Operating System: Windows XP
Launch Options: -noforcemaccel -noforcemparms
Refresh Rate: 100Hz
Resolution: 800x600
Sensitivity: 2.09
Crosshair: Medium, Green
I use the CPL 1.6 GUI

-Source In-game Settings
Operating System: Windows XP
Launch Options: -noforcemaccel -noforcemparms -freq 100
Refresh Rate: 100Hz
Resolution: 800x600
Sensitivity: 2.09
Crosshair: cl_crosshairscale 1000, Green
Model Detail: Low
Texture Detail: Low
Shader Detail: Low
Water Detail: Simple Reflections
Shadow Detail: High
Color Correction: Disabled
Antialiasing Mode: None
Filtering Mode: Bilinear
Wait For Vertical Sync: Disabled
High Dynamic Range: None
mat_dxlevel 90


Explanation of Setup

I tried to simulate a LAN event when I made my setup. Six years ago I played with my monitor on the corner of the desk pointed at an angle; I used a roll out keyboard drawer, and a small mouse pad that fit under the monitor. If you have ever seen pictures of most LAN events, the monitor is faced right in front of you and you are forced to use as little space as possible so that your teammates can fit at the desk on either side of you. Practice like you play – I pretty much used this piece of advice for every bit of my setup.

The History

I remember the first time I played Counter-Strike was at my friend’s house because my parents owned a Mac. I fell in love with the game and my parents decided to buy a PC soon after because of the possibilities the new computer presented. I remember we had an HP computer bought from Best Buy and I used the mouse that came with the computer. For my birthday my mom got me a new Logitech ball mouse which put me in the position to frag more.

By the time I got into CAL-I my parents had bought a new computer (only 800 MHz), and the new version of CS (1.0) came out. The new net code allowed me to be good with a 56k modem. I didn’t have to lead people anymore and I made a name for myself in servers with DoP and other old school teams. Once I got a cable modem (already in CAL-I) I made drastic improvements and eventually joined TSG. There I was able to make enough friends during the CPL’s I attended to recruit Volcano, Shaguar, Method, Storm, Sunman, and myself. THINK OF THAT LINEUP NOW!!!

I think the most important aspect of becoming a good player is getting the right settings. I played CS with the mouse accel and sensitivity 6.0 before I realized the advantage of playing with consistent settings. The next thing to do to get better is to position yourself in good angles, and to always be ready for the unexpected. This game is about surprising your opponents and if you can do that and hit your shots… you’re golden.