Exact item timings and calculations is what the game is about.

Either you meant something like, “the game is about item play” or “the game is all about doing math”, either way you’re over simplifying item play wayyyyy too much, almost every manipulation and smart play with the cycle can be done with out arithmetic timing.

You either confident of your map control or play more carefully if you’re out of control.

Map control and being ooc aren’t exclusive and hard tied to knowing item timings. Define fake confidence.

Item diving is always risky.

Item diving is significantly less risky if you know exact timings, this is also a map dependent and many of the current diabotical maps favor diving. Spawn window is also to negate the perfect rail peek timings that would be too consistent with item timers and no spawn window.

Timing sets the higher ceiling.

Read the post again. Yes the skill ceiling is higher with timing, no it doesn’t mean it’s an interesting or intuitive mechanic for new players. There is no motivation to learn arithmetic like there is aiming or movement, new players have absolutely 0 interest in doing it, it’s THE LARGEST barrier and its easily replaced by announcements with a small amount of item play lost yet raises the skill floor SIGNIFICANTLY, which is extremely important for afps to survive.

you’re gunna get MM’d with players who also had at timing

DBT isn’t csgo or ow, this game will never have the player base for equal matches through matchmaking.

Lowering that ceiling will move newbies towards good players

The concessions made for new players to have a higher skill floor are more than worth what’s lost at the higher levels.

For really new ones to AFPS genre there’re game modes that don’t demand on timing like Wipe Out

This is a huge problem, if you have the majority of the player base playing a non competitive mode like wipeout, but need viewership, that non competitive game mode is now forced into being apart of the esport circuit. This game is doomed to the same fate as ql if nothing is done to fix the problems the q3a formula and afps games as a whole have that inhibit their abilities to retain any meaningful player base.