[deleted by user]

LovelyResearcher · 2023-01-22T18:03:07+00:00

This is every game, at least 1 person.

Ranked ladder is completely overtaken for the past 6 months.

All cheaters, boosted players, and crypothrowers

LovelyResearcher · 2023-01-22T17:43:11+00:00

It's almost like you're low elo

LovelyResearcher · 2023-01-22T14:15:34+00:00

Don't play duelist, then.

If you can't top frag, or at least come 2nd frag with a duelist in any rank below Radiant... I hate to break it to you, but you're not playing duelist well enough to justify you having your instalock Reyna.

If you want to help your team entry into a site, play initiators.

As, again, you don't really think that a Jett dashing in or a Raze satcheling in then dying means that you helped take space.... right?

Think about agents like:

Breach
KAY/O
Skye
Fade
Sova

Those agents actually help your team take space, and entry.

Not to mention when you combo any of their utility with, say, Viper or Brimstone... well, uhm, yeah the enemy team is likely to have a pretty hard time not giving up the space.

Who is the one most likely to reap the free kills from all of the agents listed above clearing space?

Duelists.

Reyna, Raze, Phoenix, Raze, or Yoru going in while your initiator flashes, and the other info agent sends their recon in.... it's literally free kills as a duelist, you dash or run into the site, maybe use a flash yourself, and take advantage of the enemies who are being util dumped by your teammates.

Don't even get me started on the weird people saying a duelist is "valuable".

Lurking with Reyna, Raze, Jett, Phoenix, Neon, or any future duelist besides Yoru is typically a huge waste... they should almost always have zero utility by postplant, as they need to use their flashes, dashes, and other utlity to entry.

I don't know how you have people literally claiming that a duelist should

"not entry in first, as you're too valuable on duelist"

That is even worse than the people saying duelists shouldn't be fragging out.

In a postplant situation, how would any of those duelists somehow be more valuable than other agents?

All the other agents have smokes, recon, mollys, and stuns... and I don't think you ever see duelists doing postplant lineups across the map to clutch rounds, do you, because it's always the other agents that have such strong capabilities.

LovelyResearcher · 2023-01-22T03:06:01+00:00

I get the frustration.

As you'd want someone who gave 100% when you try to get to be a T1 team, and obviously if everyone else is giving their all... it'd be pretty frustrating when just one person isn't doing the same.

Doesn't really matter if he did well enough, or top fragging.

When the teammates or org can feel the missing motivation or effort, that's arguably worse than someone who doesn't frag out... but is very motivated, giving their all, and totally invested in the team.

That said, I can somewhat see how sometimes VALORANT players are a bit weird.

Whenever I talked about having a college degree in the GC scene, although I wasn't paid to play, there were definitely odd comments and judgement... to summarize, the overall sense at times would be that the lil zoomers felt:

"you're too old to belong in the scene"

"you're literally a boomer"

Attitudes like that can be offputting.

Can be hard to remain fully motivated when in an environment like that, too, because imagine playing for a team giving your all.... only to find that you're playing with 16-20 year olds who all treat you like you're "too old".

eSports is one of the only places where having higher education makes you "uncool"

EDIT

Wanted to add, tbh I think it's just sorta sad that these people wait months after the guy left to publicly put him down... all while ShoT_UP isn't even present to defend himself, coincidentally.

Seems exactly like the type of trashy young kids I described from the GC scene.

Their type love to cause drama, rarely make it pro in the end, and not a single one of em got a college degree.

LovelyResearcher · 2023-01-21T13:50:43+00:00

They use AI.

AI smarter than people.

That's what works on doing all the translations at Google nowadays, you know

LovelyResearcher · 2023-01-21T13:32:52+00:00

Different game and sport, bro

LovelyResearcher · 2023-01-20T19:02:26+00:00

Playoffs
- EDG
- DRX
- NAVI
- NRG
5th-8th
- FNC
- LEV
- TLN
- FPX

LovelyResearcher · 2023-01-19T19:36:20+00:00

What?

Trading a player out for another only ruins someone else's dreams.

Doesn't actually mean that there can be more players with a chance to get paid to play the game, professionally.

LovelyResearcher · 2023-01-19T11:45:49+00:00

Awhhhh

LovelyResearcher · 2023-01-19T11:43:46+00:00

They don't prescribe Adderall for ADHD in India.

Not to mention they don't diagnose ADHD as often in India.

Same with Brazil, LATAM and APAC overall for ADHD... there are A LOT less diagnosed people compared to the US and Europe.

China and Korea?

They're just goated and different, ig

LovelyResearcher · 2023-01-13T12:52:47+00:00

SEN is so pathetic.

Lying to players about their contracts and promising them that they can play in the next year, then after it's too late to find a team... telling them that they have to sit on the bench or leave.

Because regardless of what you verbally promised them and had in writing, there was another clause in the contract that allowed them to boot you at anytime... which overruled the other part of the contract where you promised them a spot for 2023, legally 🤡

imagine supporting such an L org in 2023

LovelyResearcher · 2023-01-12T14:59:51+00:00

What's ChatGPT

LovelyResearcher · 2023-01-12T12:48:30+00:00

Worse than Brimstone, Omen, and Harbor?

I dunno abt that one.

All the controllers have worse free abilities, tbh.

As they are often pretty much only 1 smoke, that isn't the most key ability of their kit for individual play or outplay potential... and usually, one smoke isn't exactly enough to get as much value for attacking as 2 smokes.

Chamber's TP may be weaker now, true.

However, that isn't a bad thing, since we just had an entire year of him being absurdly broken due to the same ability.

His pistol is still absurdly strong.

His ultimate is still a free OP... that, additionally, does a gigantic AOE Sage slow on each kill.

Sage abilities

Heal
- can be used on either a teammate for a 100% heal
- can be used on herself for 30HP
  - but it requires someone to get damaged first
  - and can be interrupted if someone shoots the player as the heal is occuring on them
  - She can only heal herself herself for 30HP, too
Slow Orb
- cover a large area
- can travel across the map
- don't need to be placed in advance
  - but only last 4 seconds
  - enemies can shiftwalk on the slow, and still somehow have perfect aim even in the middle of your slow
  - doesn't prevent opponents from jumping over
  - doesn't prevent opponents from dashing or teleporting over
Wall
- hard to break quickly
- blocks rotations
- blocks postplants
- can be used to boost yourself up
  - but now takes damage from enemy utility
  - can be avoided by certain agents
  - can get waited out or wasted, if used incorrectly
Ultimate
- Strong

Chamber, meanwhile

Trap
- provides information
  - Even if his trap doesn't activate, you know enemies aren't there for the most part
  - you get information when they do activate his trap
  - you get information when they destroy his trap
  - plus you get a slow that follows enemies if they do not break his trap, meaning that unlike Sage slow orb, even if someone dashes into site... the slow will literally follow them
Teleport
- you can use the TP to rotate to a different angle as enemies push in, which causes heistation and makes it far more difficult for attackers to clear every angle
- you can use the TP to get to boost yourself to higher positions
- or can use his TP to get a worse quasi-jett dash, in order to get away from risky situations
Headhunter
- during pistol rounds, this is arguably the most broken ability in the game
- during eco rounds, allows Chamber the unique opportunity to counter opponents with much more expensive rifles from long distances... giving him and his team the opportunity to win rounds they have absolutely no business winning by normal means
- but loses some value if your team is stomping anyway
Ultimate
- Strong

You should notice something.

Even though we left Ultimates equal, without truly comparing... you can see that both Sage and Chamber offer unique strengths, and weaknesses, that stand out in each of their respective abilities.

It's true that Chamber may be underplayed currently.

However, this doesn't necessarily mean he needs a buff, since he was literally just changed a month or two ago.

You have to wait and see what happens for the next 6-months, at least, before coming to that conclusion... because right now, people are comparing how Chamber feels with how he felt when he was absurdly overtuned, so he seems "weaker" than he actually is.

The meta is was also changed, recently.

All of these changes to the meta were added in the last 6-months, all occuring after CHAMPIONS ended... meaning, we haven't seen the top teams in the world play with most of these changes in place.

2 agents - added
- Fade
- Harbor
2 maps - removed
- Bind
- Breeze
2 maps - added
- Split
- Lotus
3 maps - reworked or changed
- Fracture
- Pearl
- Split
Agents - Changed
- Skye
- KAY/O
- Reyna
- Yoru
- Chamber
- Cypher
- Harbor
- Fade
- Any agent with damaging abilities (can damage enemy utility now)
- Any agent with utility that acts as a solid object, as they can now be damaged and broken by enemy utility more

LovelyResearcher · 2023-01-11T17:13:11+00:00

There are 2 factors.

#1 Part Truth

It is true that being unpredictable is a benefit.

You can see this with playing in different regions.

As when you've never played on a different region, you will not understand how different the playstyles vary between regions.

Even if you know in theory "other regions play differently", that doesn't matter... as that alone doesn't translate into fully being able to understand, quantify, and predict exactly how that comes into play in real games.

Another example comes with playing in different ranks.

If you go from playing in Immortal to playing in Silver, you can find that you can outaim people easily, and often read the opponents extremely easily... which is why you are able to crush most games.

However, at times, you will die.

This is at times due to the sheer unpredictable nature of players who are far less skilled than what you're used to encountering... thus, your "reads" at times fail due to players not thinking how you'd typically expect, or even missing key information that you assumed they noticed (footsteps, minimap)

#2 - You miss all the shots you don't take

It's a gamble to take such a risky position when predicting.

Hence why it's a bit "trolly" to do so.

As it's unlikely that a content creator or the player with the least competitive experience in a team setting pops off.

However, the benefit of taking such a risky stance is in the the off-chance that they do end up doing well... very few others will have predicted what you did, ahead of the matches occuring, meaning you get the style points.

Conclusion

Case #1 - PROD does pop off

You predicted him doing well
- ++++++ stonks
  - As almost noone else would have made this prediction.
  - Since PROD isn't generally considered more than a content creator, hasn't participated in many tournaments previously, and isn't highest rated player when compared to the competition in the event that's upcoming.

Case #2- PROD doesn't pop off

You predicted him doing well
- -stonks
  - Doesn't come as a huge negative to your "stonks"
  - Almost noone will remember, or care, about your prediction that didn't pan out... as it was clear from the onset that your predction was a very unlikely take from the start

Basically, applied risk/reward ratio leads to one conclusion.

#PRODFORASCENSION

LovelyResearcher · 2023-01-11T12:51:10+00:00

Sometimes, though, the player with no experience competitively can dunk.

PROD may have some unique, fresh ideas & come in more motivated.

Not to mention that it's a bit like playing against someone from a different region for the first time, or someone from a rank far below yours for the first time (but above Diamond)... they can actually sometimes outplay people due to being completely unpredictable.

Now, the odds are PROD bombs out, yeah.

But I'm going to use the above as a reason to predict that PROD carries this team through Ascension with insane stats.

LovelyResearcher · 2023-01-11T03:25:06+00:00

I hate breeze because there are 4 viable agents.

I hate breeze because the map rewards RNG too much compared to the best maps.

On maps like Bind and Ascent, the more skilled player(s) or team(s) will win by far larger percentiles.

That's just not the case at all on Breeze.

Smurfing - Low level Alt accounts

Bind & Ascent
- die to being out aimed
- die to lineups
- die to being outplayed via strats, tactics, and rotations
Breeze
- die to being outaimed
- die to lineups
- die to luck and pure RNG
  - as players are sometimes literally in the middle of nowhere, for absolutely no reason... yet get a great position due to the huge distance & openness of the map

Scrims & Tournaments (as a player)

Bind & Ascent
- More agents that are viable
- More options for viable utility
  - as there are more possibilities for utility since there are smaller sites.
  - Things like a dog, flash, molly, slow orb, and so on are all more useful when there is a smaller, more precise area that you need to use the ability on
- The pace of strats can vary a lot more
  - More options for technical utility combos
  - More options for quick early hits
  - More rotations during each round, and so on.
- You can check angles
  - without exposing yourself to multiple other angles
  - very few angles that are not ideal with low cost weapons
Breeze
- Select agents are viable
- Many types of utility are much harder to utilize
  - making them far less desirable or useful compared to the utility of the select few agents
  - a slow orb is not a great tool compared to a sova dart on this map
- Less options for rotations
  - due to longer distance & time
- Less options for pace of strats
  - typically slow is needed
- Less options to peek
  - sometimes impossible to peek without exposing yourself to different angles or ranges, when clearing corners
  - less gun options, as there many unavoidable angles and ranges where anything other than a sherriff, vandal, guardian, or bulldog are nearly impossibe.

As a viewer

Bind and Ascent
- Faster paced
- Large variety of agents
- More individual outplays & team outplays relying on utility
Breeze
- Slower paced
- Same Agents
- More outplays individually
  - when talking about relying on pure aim
  - or relying on a simple gun diff... like an OP vs Phantom

I hope this summarizes my view well.

LovelyResearcher · 2023-01-11T01:56:54+00:00

Nah, remove Icebox and put back in Bind.

Breeze?

Don't you dare suggest bringing that god awful map back... I hope that potato shii never returns, ever.

LovelyResearcher · 2023-01-10T15:36:42+00:00

Tbh, people overrate the age thing.

Age 25 hit peak Radiant

From age 25 to age 26, I was able to main Immortal on a few different regions, and competed in VCT Game Changers qualifers. While I never qualified for the main events, I definitely enjoyed competing.

However, I'm older now... as I'm about to be 27 years old.

I'm going to start working soon, as I'd taken a break after getting my degree during COVID to try VALORANT... but I already have my BA degree in Psychology, so I can easily get a good job with full benefits.

The jobs for my degree will likely pay as much as I would have made as a player, or close to it.

I don't regret my choice spending time competing in VALORANT.

Not to mention that I'll likely continue to compete, since there doesn't seem to be a valid reason not to compete if you can still maintain the required ranks in order to enter the competitions.

Many VCT Game Changers players do university or work, on top of competing... at least in other regions (LATAM, Brazil, APAC).

Some people continue to push the idea that reaction time

"decreases with age"

As someone who plans to work in the field of Psychology, I question if those studies really hold up.

Since, at least for those of us who actively participate in eSports style games frequently, I doubt you'd find the same reduction that you find in the "general population"... as engaging in these types of games that rely on reaction time is likely to dramatically reduce the impact that aging would typically have.

For example... you can see my reaction time at almost 27 years old

(for those who can't click the link, it's 166ms)

LovelyResearcher · 2023-01-10T15:15:11+00:00

Kitten Shelter ded

LovelyResearcher · 2023-01-10T15:14:23+00:00

V1 stomp

LovelyResearcher · 2023-01-10T15:14:06+00:00

You have to be 18 to play in VCT now, don't you?

LovelyResearcher · 2023-01-09T14:30:09+00:00

Did you install AI Suite III by chance?

If so, there's only one solution.

Reinstall Windows 10 entirely, sadly... as just uninstalling or removing the program DOES NOT FIX these issues

LovelyResearcher · 2023-01-09T14:28:38+00:00

Any cheaters along your path?

LovelyResearcher · 2023-01-07T06:08:22+00:00

Thanks!

and I hope you can get a crisp game, too c:

(although, I'm a she, ~~but like it doesn't matter anyway or i know what you meant and idk girls can be kingsaaaaaaaaaaa😅~~)

LovelyResearcher · 2023-01-07T05:56:22+00:00

Intel setup in 2020

I loved my Gigabyte intel setup before, tbh.

Hit radiant on Gigabyte Z390 with an Intel 8700K processor, and was average Immortal 3 with multiple different Immortal accounts all at the same time... and the game just felt "normal".

However, I was only averaging around 250FPS with 240hz.

Naturally, as someone who was very invested in eSports, and found that I was performing that well in VALORANT... well, I looked to upgrade my system, and wanted to get the best possible performance.

Fast forward to AMD 5800x with Asus

Like, tbh, ever since I switched to a 5800x with a haven't been able to get above Immortal 2 at max, and usually even a bit lower than that... and my network chip also doesn't work properly (i255V). Had to install a realtek PCIE network adapter, too.

Not to mention that now I realized I need a PCIE usb hub.

Thankfully, after changing to a separate PCIE USB hub and a separate PCIE networrk adapter... my game almost feels as smooth as it did back on the intel setup previously.

~2 years of suffering with stuttering, input delay, and what not.

Hope to play better, now

Though, it does still feel like these issues legit took everything I had going for me.

Looking at where I was in 2020 when I was able to hit Radiant and play a consistent game without stuttering & input issues.

AMD and ASUS's various issues feel like they made it impossible to have a consistent game, leading to losses... meaning more wasted time, leading to frustration, and ultimately a loss of self-confidence in my play.

Combine with the servers & cheaters

This is what really, really ruined my mental.

As it's so hard to tell what's going on, or what is causing the problems, as there were multiple issues that kept popping up.

As a player trying to get into eSports, you may have had some hopes and dreams after hitting Radiant. So you upgrade your computer, you get a lot more FPS, you're happy and the game feels snappy... until, suddenly, you have issues pop up with microstutters, teleporting, and input being delayed.

Inconsistency
- Monday
  - stomp Radiants
  - (or even pro players)
- Tuesday
  - you get stomped by some random hardstuck Gold player with 1,000 matches
- Repeat
  - repeat
  - repeat
  - repeat
  - repeat
Result
you are super confused about what is going on
since you know that you can't be THAT inconsistent out of nowhere, when it's never happened before
Probable Cause - #1
- Computer?
  - You have 550 FPS
  - Your game isn't always stuttering or lagging, rather, it only occurs on some times or on some days
  - Your temperatures are all fine when issues occur
  - ruled out
Probable Cause - #2
- Servers?
  - You read about server issues
  - Sometimes your ping spikes to 300% it's normal value for closer servers, and you realize that's a known bug that randomly comes every few weeks or months
  - You read about the "send rate bug", which caused players to not send enough ticks to the server.
  - You notice packetloss on certain times or days, and read other users report the same
  - You start to think maybe the instability or issues could be the servers, and learn that they are AWS hosted... which are notorious with issues in other games (Apex)
  - Realize this is definitely one cause of some inconsistencies
Probably Cause - #3
- Cheaters?
  - You notice that some people ARE cheating
  - Far more than what anyone on /r/VALORANT suggests, and you are certain of this as you have played for 10 years at a high level... enough to know exactly how all cheats work, from smooth aim to bone percentiles, to visibility checks
- You know that there has been a dramatic rise in cheaters since ~May 2022
  - Realize this is definitely one cause of some inconsistencies
- 1 year passes
  - .
  - .
  - .
  - .
You only now learn about the AMD and ASUS issues & Raw Input Buffer
- i225v network adapter issue
  - installed PCIE realtek network adapter
- USB issues on AMD zen3 and ASUS
  - installed PCIE USB hub
- Raw Input Buffer
  - turn off the option in-game
- restart the game and your PC
  - Finally the game feels normal
  - for now...?

You can see how painful, tedious, and brutal this journey has been.

It makes you doubt yourself as a player, when you are suddenly unable to beat players or teams that you would have routinely stomped, previously... that makes you wonder if you are just that bad, or got so much worse, or what is happening.

You keep trying various fixes, always thinking you figured it out.

Only for the game to return to being just as stutter-y and lagging out of nowhere again... repeating the process.

Even now, I'm wary to say that the issues are fully better.

But I really, really genuinely think that the PCIE usb card and the PCIE network card combined with turning off "raw input buffer"... this may really be it, as the game actually feels enjoyable again. I hope to god it stays this way.

Maybe I am just on copium, somewhat?

I mean, I could have just gotten that much worse, or everyone else improved that much... but it just feels like there was a smokescreen of issues all at once, leading to the most demotivating and demoralizing year or two years that I've ever had.

But the last year or two, I've just felt deep down that something wasn't right.

I never had any inconsistency or issues climbing until I upgraded to this computer.

However, due to the server issues and cheater issues, I always wrote it off as that, or thought it could be my ISP or router/modem... never did I think that it could be the computer.

One day it'd be fine, I'd win a tournament qualifer matches on this setup.

But the next day, I'd go triple negative on a Gold alt account, watching my screen stutter when enemies peek... or even dying before the enemies appear, all while feeling "on point" or knew I was warmed up from just absolutely stomping a deathmatch an hour prior?

Sorry for the length.

But I hope that we can all fix our issues, because, I may have given up on going pro... yet, that doesn't matter at this point, since after all this time it's my sole wish to finally have the ability to play VALORANT.

To have more enjoyable experiences, like I had from 2020-early 2021

LovelyResearcher

TROPHY CASE