(20 Dec 14, 01:48AM)ExodusS Wrote: Placebo or reality?
I'd argue both.
The (possible) placebo is that people feel they hit better on servers without anticheat.
The reality is that they're performing better.
Even if the whole "hitting better" debate really is a placebo effect, you'll surely agree that such things impact one's performance. Do people really get greater awareness from texreduce, does modifying your hitsound help with knowing how much you've hit on your enemy, does playing with/without a hudgun help you to aim better?
If you don't feel comfortable with your setup it's always gonna be at the back of your mind and inhibit you from doing as well as you'd like to, especially if the thing you are being limited by is out of your control. I believe it's the same with "feeling" your hits in AC, from about 30 seconds of playing on a server I can instantly tell whether it's any good or not (although of course everyone's opinion on what quantifies a "good server" is different).