Recoil Control - To drag or not to drag, that is the question.

How Escape from Tarkov handles fully automatic recoil control is fairly unique and is a much discussed topic that draws out very polarized opinions. On one side you have people suggesting that EFT makes controlling recoil so easy that it conflicts with EFT's claim to being hardcore. On the other side you have people pointing out that EFT very realistically simulates how a trained and skilled PMC would control fully automatic fire. And then you have Nikita who flat out said he simply doesn't like having to continuously drag his mouse down in order to prevent continuous muzzle climb during full-auto fire.

After considering all sides of the argument I believe I have discovered a compromise that might satisfy all sides, including Nikita.

Please note I am not going to talk about weapon accuracy, or the amount or strength of recoil. I am focusing on the mechanics of recoil and who is controlling them.

Key Points

• Generally, there are six aspects to fully-automatic fire

• Either the player or "the game" can be made responsible for controlling any/all of these aspects

• When a player is made responsible for an aspect of recoil control, they are required to provide some type of input command to the game that is linked to that aspect

• Unlike most other games that attempt more realistic first-person shooting mechanics, EFT only gives players control over three of the six aspects of recoil control

• The other three aspects of recoil control are given over to the game (the PMC/Player Scav)

• BSG has made the game very "skilled" at controlling those three aspects

• This overall result is that, from the player's experience, there is "nothing" required of them in order to maintain excellent control over recoil -- their mouse doesn't need to move at all in order to control full-auto recoil

• While this situation fully complies with the "realistic simulation" aspect of EFT, it conflicts with the "hardcore action RPG" aspect of EFT.

• A compromise between "endless mouse dragging" and "click and aim" can reached in EFT simply by transferring one aspect of recoil control away from the game and to the player 

Full-auto fire in EFT -- This is what happens when a player simply presses and holds the fire button

As I see it, there are six aspects to controlling fully automatic fire:

1. Trigger operation
2. Stabilizing against muzzle climb
3. Stabilizing against muzzle sway
4. Stabilizing against kick
5. Re-centering the muzzle onto the initial target
6. Tracking the target if it moves ("aiming")

Trigger pull and muzzle climb

In EFT the muzzle climbs until the game "exerts a force" to stop it. You can see that the muzzle climbs to the top of the white machinery at which point the game begins to counter the continuous climb.

Note that at all points of full-auto fire, the game controls horizontal muzzle sway at an "expert level"

EFT controls muzzle climb & sway

The muzzle only climbs to slightly above the white machinery before the game "steps in" to control it.

This eliminates the need to keep dragging the mouse down to counter continuous muzzle climb>

This also eliminates the need for a single, short mouse drag to re-center the muzzle over the initial target

Re-centering the muzzle onto target

After stabilizing against muzzle climb, the game attempts to re-center the muzzle onto the initial target while continuing to compensate for continuous muzzle climb. You can see that the game is able to bring the muzzle almost all the way back to the initial target (the black spot on the machine).

Squad doesn't control climb or sway

In "Squad", the game is not responsible for controlling muzzle climb. During full-auto fire the muzzle will continue to rise until firing stops. The game does seem to control some muzzle sway but much less than EFT does. Squad doesn't attempt to re-center the muzzle onto target.

CS controls climb but not sway>

Counter-Strike controls muzzle climb but either doesn't control muzzle sway or controls it at an "amateur level". Counter-Strike doesn't attempt to re-center the muzzle onto target.

Halo controls climb and sway

Like EFT, Halo controls kick, climb and sway. Unlike EFT, in Halo the game is set to "God level" at each of the recoil control aspects. There is no need to re-center the weapon because the game perfectly controls kick, climb, and sway.

How Escape from Tarkov currently distributes recoil control responsibility: 

1. Player responsibilities
1. Trigger operation (button click-and-hold)
2. Tracking the target if it moves (continuous mouse movement)
2. Game (PMC/Scav) responsibilities
1. Stabilizing against muzzle climb (good - expert)
2. Stabilizing against muzzle sway (expert)
3. Stabilizing against kick (expert)
4. Re-centering the muzzle onto the initial target (good - expert)
   

EFT currently gives the game the majority of control. Players basically just have to click and aim and the game heavily compensates for all aspects of recoil. This makes Nikita happy because he doesn't have to drag his mouse down endlessly but it results in a more-casual-than-hardcore situation for the payers as far as mechanical skill requirement is concerned.

• Click --------------------------->Player controlled
• No drag for climb ------------>Game controlled
• No drag for sway ------------>Game controlled
• Tiny drag for re-center ----->Mostly game but small player input for perfect re-center
• Track target with mouse ---> Player Controlled

How Halo distributes recoil control responsibility:

1. Player responsibilities:
1. Trigger operation (button click-and-hold)
2. Tracking the target if it moves (continuous mouse movement)
2. Game (Master Cheif) responsibilities:
1. Stabilizing against muzzle climb (God-like)
2. Stabilizing against muzzle sway(God-like)
3. Stabilizing against kick (God-like)
4. Re-centering the muzzle onto the initial target (no need)

Halo is the exact same as EFT except that Halo is "more skilled" at controlling recoil than EFT -- Halo controls full-auto recoil so perfectly that players are not affected by recoil on any level. When you factor in the "aim-assist" featured in the console versions of Halo you realize that Halo is the near the peak of casual recoil control mechanics.

• Click ----------------------------> Player controlled
• No drag for climb ------------> Game controlled
• No drag for sway ------------> Game controlled
• No drag for re-center ------> No need because Master Chief is a god
• Track target with mouse --> Player controlled (though consoles have aim-assist. LOL)

How Squad distributes recoil control responsibility:

1. Player responsibilities
1. Trigger operation (button click-and-hold)
2. Stabilizing against muzzle climb (continuous mouse drag)
3. Stabilizing against muzzle sway (continuous mouse drag)
4. Tracking the target if it moves (continuous mouse movement)
5. Re-centering the muzzle onto the initial target (single, short drag)
2. Game (Soldier) responsibilities
1. Stabilizing against kick (expert) 

Squad is the extreme opposite of Halo and EFT. The game does basically nothing to control recoil except the bare minimum to keep the game character from falling backwards from kick. Players are required to control everything else. This is very hardcore but it does require "endless dragging" which Nikita does not want in EFT.

• Click ---------------------------------> Player Controlled
• Endless drag for climb ----------> Player Controlled
• Endless drag for sway ----------> Player Controlled
• Endless drag for re-center -----> Player Controlled (and = to endless climb) 
• Track target with mouse --------> Player Controlled

How Counter-Strike distributes recoil control responsibility:

1. Player responsibilities

1. Trigger operation (button click-and-hold)<

Stabilizing against muzzle climb (continuous mouse drag)

Tracking the target if it moves (continuous mouse movement)

Re-centering the muzzle onto the initial target (single, short drag)

Game (CT/T) responsibilities 

1. Stabilizing against muzzle climb (average - good)

Stabilizing against muzzle sway (worse than amateur)

Stabilizing against kick (expert) 

Counter-Strike is closer to Squad than it is EFT. It puts the majority of the responsibility on the player but the game does have tight control over continuous muzzle climb. An interesting element of Counter-Strike's recoil system is that the game is "skilled" at controlling certain aspects of recoil but hilariously "bad" at controlling others -- the game consistently stops vertical recoil at the same point like a well practiced professional would but the horizontal recoil is all over the place (yes, I know this is because there are literal "recoil patterns" programmed into the game). My point is that players end up having to compensate for Counter-Strikes's gun-specific recoil control patterns.-- the player has to fight the game's horrible horizontal recoil control.

• Click -------------------------------------------------> Player Controlled
• No drag for climb ---------------------------------> Game Controlled
• Various "drag patterns" for sway -------------> Game "Controlled" but needs player input
• Single "non-endless" drag for re-center----> Player Controlled
• Track target with mouse------------------------> Player Controlled

How EFT could distribute recoil control responsibility:

1. Player responsibilities 
1. Trigger operation (button click-and-hold)
2. Re-centering the muzzle onto the initial target (single, short drag)
3. Tracking the target if it moves (continuous mouse movement) 
2. Game (PMC) responsibilities 
1. Stabilizing against muzzle climb (good - expert)
2. Stabilizing against muzzle sway (good - expert)
3. Stabilizing against kick (expert)

Notice that of all the system mentioned, this is the only one that evenly distributes the responsibilities for recoil control between the game and the player. While this set up might not be as "hardcore" as Squad, it is definitely more involved than EFT's current, and arguably casual, set up. This is the compromise between "endless dragging" and "click-and-aim only". Also, unlike Counter-Strike, EFT as an entity that controls recoil is consistently skilled at controlling the different aspects of recoil. This is because "the game" represents a trained PMC in the Russia 2028 universe. In other words, the PMCs in EFT don't have "bad habits" (recoil patterns). Instead, players can rely on the game to "skillfully control" whatever aspects of recoil control the game is responsible for. Additionally, the game "gets better" at controlling recoil as player increase their PMC Soft Skills.

• Click-----------------------------------> Player Controlled
• No endless drag for climb-------> Game Controlled (Satisfies Nikita)
• No endless drag for sway-------> Game Controlled
• No endless drag for re-center-->Player Controlled (this is the compromising point)
• Track target with mouse---------> Player Controlled

So yeah, my approach to recoil control in gaming is to look at (1) who is controlling each aspect of recoil control and (2) how "skilled" the game is when it is handling a certain aspect of recoil control. Then you have to compare that with what the game is supposed to be in terms of hardcore vs casual. If the game is hardcore, it is probably more appropriate to give players more responsibility over recoil control than the game. In the case of EFT, the game dev has a personal dislike for "endless dragging". There is nothing inherently wrong with that but it does create a unique design constraint for how EFT can handle recoil control. My suggestion is a compromise between "recoil control should very hardcore" and "Nikita doesn't want endless dragging". The end result is a somewhat "neutral" approach to recoil control with the player and the game each handling half of the aspects and the game handling the aspect that annoys Nikita.

Please keep in mind that this isn't what I think should or shouldn't be done; it is the objective outcome I came to when I tried to find a way to make the recoil control system in EFT as player-controlled as possible while also eliminating the "endless mouse dragging" mechanic.

This is what would happen if games didn't control any aspect recoil.