Players will be flagged for inappropriate behavior soon.
Valiant’s 5.06 patch notes now are accessible, and they call out negative behavior. Though the main focus of the patch is the comprehensive changes to the map Pearl, which I’ll go over in detail, the brand new Disruptive Gameplay-based Behaviour Criterion intrigued me. Valiant now will illustrate the players in each game that have been flagged for inappropriate behavior.
“We’ve presented a function that will demonstrate at the finish of game screen, which athletes have been discovered for having to engage in disruptive gameplay-based actions,” the patch notes simply state. This will be accessible in Unrated, Competitive, Spike Rush, and Replication modes, with extra modes on the way. Riot has not yet stipulated what disruptive behavior involves in this context, so that’s anybody’s guess. Does this appear to suggest going Undrafted in the center of a round? Does it relate to the language used in voice services or using abilities to harm teammates in order to teamkill them? Perhaps. Valiant, in contrast, hand, will now point at you and laugh as you hide in shame, recognizing you’re being an asshole in a video game.
The highlight of patch notes is a rework of Valorant’s newest map, the submerged city Pearl. Since the game’s initial release, the layouts Riot Games has published have had their ups and downs—but mostly downs, if players are to be trusted. As Riot once said, each map asks a question. Bind, for example, asks what happens when you’re given teleports to begin moving from one side of the map to the other, and Fracture asks if you’d like to cry. Oh, I mean how things change when you have two attacking sides. And what about Pearl? Pearl asks how so many angles you want to check, then triples the said amount.
It comes as no surprise that Valorant is strongly influenced by the CS: GO game formula. Although Valiant has a superhero, sci-fi flair to it, Pearl was supposed to strip much of that flair back and give players a very simple, straightforward experience by making a tight but complex map. Notwithstanding the expulsion of many gimmicks, it is presently being retooled to make the players spend less time having checked angles and more time getting onto or defending sites.
Many of the changes for both attacking players and defenders are described in detail in the patch notes for 5.06. Anyone who has played Pearl will know that when trying to push B Main, there is a little belly wall down the edge of the map that you must check when attacking even though a member of the opposition team may be able to hide there once per game. It is not frequently used, but it significantly slows down the push when there are already many places to hide on B-site. That waist-height wall is now being lowered, making it simpler to check and riskier to hold. All of Pearl’s changes are in this spirit, quickening the pace of play and trying to make this same multitude. All of Pearl’s changes are in this spirit, speeding up the play process and making the numerous concealing places fewer and farther between.
Other changes include the withdrawal of the Mid Shop’s box pile in balance in favor of a larger platform, which will typically aid flanks or rotations. A tricky corner from the Mid Shops to the Central Plaza has been removed for the same reason. Mid Top, by attacker spawn, is getting smaller in size, making it simpler for defenders to preserve mid-control.
The removal company seems to have finally compensated Art a visit, as the boxes have been removed, making this area far clearer. This means allowing both teams to check and clear the area, which was heretofore challenging for either team for doing.
That clearing as well impacts A Main and B Link. Many boxes that were easy to hide behind have been removed, as have some vertical advantage points. My favorite little cubby on A Main has also been removed. It was my new favorite place for a Chamber ult on the attack. What attackers will realize the most is that the stairs down into A site from A Primary have been narrowed, trying to make smoking easier on defending. Even without smoke, the relatively small choke point will end up making defending that point easier.
