Map Rotations, Replays, and More // Dev Updates - VALORANT

VALORANT
21 May 202413:20

Summary

TLDRIn this VALORANT community update, Anna and Andy discuss the game's growth and future plans. Andy is promoted to Executive Producer, focusing on the game itself while Anna leads at the Studio level. They introduce new dev team members and tease upcoming balance changes, map rotations, and cosmetic updates. The team emphasizes their commitment to maintaining a healthy game experience and engaging with player feedback. They also provide an update on the Replay system's development, acknowledging the community's patience and promising a functional system in due time.

Takeaways

  • 🎉 Anna and Andy, the hosts, reflect on the past year's successes in VALORANT, including victories at Champs LA and Game Changers.
  • 🔫 The introduction of the Outlaw weapon and the Scottish Controller Clove to the game was highlighted as a significant update.
  • 🏆 Sentinels' victory at Masters Madrid and the launch of Act 3 featuring Mystbloom were mentioned as recent achievements.
  • 🔮 Anna announced that she will be leading VALORANT at the Studio level, focusing on the entire player experience, while Andy will take over as the new Executive Producer, concentrating on the game itself.
  • 👥 The VALORANT team is committed to maintaining core game health and evolving it with new updates, with an introduction to more dev team members expected.
  • 🗓 The map pool will rotate with Patch 8.11 in early June, with Breeze and Split rotating out and Haven returning.
  • 🎭 The focus for 2024 is to increase intra-role diversity across the roster, ensuring more Agents are viable in each role.
  • 💥 Balance changes are planned for Patch 8.11, including nerfs to Raze and buffs to Iso, Neon, and Reyna to improve their relevance in the current meta.
  • 🛍️ VALORANT's cosmetic team is working on diverse skin themes to cater to different tastes, with an emphasis on creating a skin for everyone.
  • 🌸 The team is developing 'non-edgy pink skins' and has taken feedback into account to ensure the theme fits well with the skin's design.
  • 📹 The Replay feature is still in development, with the team working through various technical challenges to ensure accuracy and a good user experience.

Q & A

  • What significant events were mentioned in VALORANT's history at the end of 2023?

    -At the end of 2023, significant events in VALORANT included Potter and EG winning at Champs LA, and Shopify Rebellion winning the Game Changers crown.

  • What new additions were made to VALORANT earlier this year?

    -Earlier this year, VALORANT added the Outlaw weapon and introduced the Scottish Controller Clove to the game.

  • Which team won the Masters Madrid event in VALORANT?

    -Sentinels won the Masters Madrid event in VALORANT.

  • What was the theme of Act 3 that was launched a couple of weeks ago?

    -Act 3 was launched with a theme of 'lots of pink awesomeness' featuring Mystbloom.

  • Who has been announced as the new Executive Producer for VALORANT?

    -Andy has been announced as the new Executive Producer for VALORANT.

  • What is Anna's new role in the VALORANT leadership team?

    -Anna will be leading VALORANT at the Studio level, focusing on the entire player experience throughout the whole ecosystem.

  • What is the live game team's top priority for 2024 in VALORANT?

    -The live game team's top priority for 2024 is to increase intra-role diversity across the roster in VALORANT.

  • Why don't the developers primarily focus on buffing weaker agents as a balancing approach?

    -The developers don't focus on buffing weaker agents as a primary balancing approach because VALORANT is a tactical shooter where the experience is a balance between Agent utility, lethal gunplay, and tactical map design. Buffing all agents could overshadow these elements, and as players improve, the game needs constant reevaluation to maintain balance.

  • What changes are planned for the Duelist role in Patch 8.11?

    -In Patch 8.11, the developers plan to nerf Raze's satchel mobility due to her dominance, and buff Iso, Neon, and Reyna to make them more relevant in the current meta.

  • What is the reason behind the delay in releasing high-tier skins for Outlaw?

    -High-tier skins take a significant amount of time to create, and the developers want to ensure they are done well. They promise that the wait will be worth it.

  • What is the current status of the Replay system in VALORANT?

    -The Replay system is still in the prototype phase. The developers are working through various challenges to ensure accuracy and performance without affecting the live game.

  • What is the main reason for the community's feedback on map rotations being taken into account?

    -The community's feedback on map rotations is being taken into account to improve the overall experience and to be more transparent about when map rotations happen.

  • What is the significance of the changes to Skye and Viper earlier this year?

    -The changes to Skye and Viper were made to promote role diversity and prevent these agents from dominating and preventing other agents from being picked.

  • How does the VALORANT team plan to communicate with the community moving forward?

    -The VALORANT team plans to communicate with the community through more Dev Updates when they have something to share, and regular communication from devs across the game when topics arise from the community.

  • What is the VALORANT team's approach to balancing agents in the game?

    -The team's approach involves maintaining a healthy power level for agents and tuning the roster accordingly, rather than simply buffing weaker agents to match the most powerful ones.

  • What can players expect in terms of balance changes after Patch 8.11 until the end of the year?

    -Players can expect the last significant balance changes with Patch 8.11 until after the championships. Smaller patches may still roll out, but major balance adjustments will likely wait until after the event.

  • What is the VALORANT team's strategy for creating weapon skins?

    -The team aims to create a diverse range of weapon skins to cater to different tastes and styles, ensuring there's at least one skin that appeals to every player.

  • What was the community's reaction to the Champions Kunai melee skin?

    -The community provided feedback that the inspect animation and the feel of using the melee skin were important aspects, which the team took into account for future designs.

  • What is the theme of the Mystbloom skin and what makes it special?

    -Mystbloom is a 'pink skin' that incorporates unique animations, visual effects, and a mystical musical loop, aiming to appeal to a variety of tastes within the community.

Outlines

00:00

🎮 VALORANT Community Update and Leadership Changes

Anna and Andy, presumably key figures in VALORANT's development, greet the community and reflect on the game's milestones, such as the 2023 championship victories and the addition of new content like the Outlaw weapon and the Scottish Controller Clove. They announce a new Executive Producer for VALORANT, Andy, who will focus on in-game aspects while Anna leads at the studio level. They emphasize their commitment to the game's health and evolution, with plans for more developer updates and community engagement. The duo also introduces the dev team members, Coleman and Dan, who will discuss gameplay changes, map rotations, and the importance of role diversity in the game.

05:01

🛠️ Upcoming Game Balance Changes and Cosmetic Updates

Coleman and Dan delve into the game's balance changes, focusing on the Duelist role and the need for increased pick diversity. They outline specific nerfs for Raze and buffs for Iso, Neon, and Reyna, aiming to make them more relevant in the current meta. The changes are set to release with Patch 8.11 in early June. Preeti and Sean, from the VALORANT cosmetics team, discuss the evolution of weapon skins, the community's diverse tastes, and the challenges of creating appealing skins. They highlight the Mystbloom skin's features and tease an upcoming high-tier skin for Outlaw, promising more diverse and satisfying cosmetic options in the future.

10:02

🔍 Replay System Development and Future Updates

The video concludes with a discussion on the Replay system led by Marcus, VALORANT’s Technical Lead. He provides a prototype view of the Replay system and explains the technical challenges involved in creating an accurate and stable replay feature. Marcus highlights the need to audit and adjust thousands of gameplay assets to ensure they work correctly in replay scenarios without affecting the live game. He assures the community that the team is dedicated to developing the Replay system and will provide further updates when there is more progress to share. Andy and Anna return to wrap up the video, thanking the community for their patience and support.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡VALORANT

VALORANT is a popular online multiplayer tactical first-person shooter game developed and published by Riot Games. It is the central theme of the video, as the entire conversation revolves around updates and developments within the VALORANT universe. For instance, the video discusses new leadership, game updates, and community engagement, all specific to the VALORANT game.

💡Champs LA

Champs LA refers to the VALORANT Champions tournament held in Los Angeles. It is a significant event in the VALORANT esports scene, and the script mentions it as a highlight of the year 2023, indicating its importance in the game's competitive landscape and community celebrations.

💡Shopify Rebellion

Shopify Rebellion is a team that won the Game Changers crown, which is a VALORANT esports tournament designed for female players. The mention of this team's victory underscores the diversity and inclusivity within the game's competitive scene.

💡Outlaw

Outlaw is a new addition to the VALORANT arsenal, which is a term used to describe the game's weaponry. The script mentions the addition of Outlaw to showcase the continuous development and enhancement of the game's features, aiming to keep the gameplay fresh and engaging for players.

💡Scottish Controller Clove

Scottish Controller Clove is a character introduced into VALORANT, known for being 'death-defying.' The introduction of new characters like Clove is part of the game's strategy to expand its roster and offer players a variety of agents with unique abilities and playstyles.

💡Masters Madrid

Masters Madrid is another VALORANT esports event mentioned in the script, highlighting the global nature of the game's competitive scene. The victory of Sentinels at this event is used to illustrate the dynamic and ever-changing landscape of VALORANT esports.

💡Act 3

Act 3 refers to a specific update or act in the VALORANT game, which includes new content and features such as 'lots of pink awesomeness with Mystbloom.' This term is indicative of the game's approach to releasing new content in a structured manner, keeping the game engaging and the community excited.

💡Executive Producer

The Executive Producer is a leadership role within the VALORANT team, responsible for overseeing the game's development and production. The script announces a new Executive Producer for VALORANT, emphasizing the growth and expansion of the game's leadership structure.

💡role diversity

Role diversity in the context of VALORANT refers to the variety of playable characters (agents) and their abilities, ensuring that multiple agents are viable within each role. The script discusses the importance of role diversity for maintaining a balanced and dynamic gameplay experience.

💡Duelist role

The Duelist role in VALORANT is one of the agent classes, characterized by their aggressive playstyle and close-quarters combat abilities. The script mentions balance changes to the Duelist role, indicating the game developers' ongoing efforts to maintain a fair and competitive environment.

💡Replays

Replays in VALORANT refer to the feature that allows players to review past matches. The script discusses the development of this feature, emphasizing the technical challenges and the developers' commitment to delivering a high-quality replay system that meets the community's expectations.

Highlights

Anna and Andy discuss the growth and future plans for VALORANT, including new leadership with Andy as the new Executive Producer.

VALORANT ended 2023 with victories at Champs LA and Game Changers, and introduced new content like the Outlaw weapon and Scottish Controller Clove.

Act 3 was launched featuring Mystbloom, and more content is planned for the rest of the year.

Anna will lead VALORANT at the Studio level, focusing on the overall player experience, while Andy will focus on the game itself.

Coleman and Dan discuss upcoming map rotations, with Breeze and Split rotating out and Haven returning in Patch 8.11.

The live game team's priority for 2024 is to increase intra-role diversity, balancing power among agents.

Reasoning behind changes to Skye and Viper was to prevent their dominance from affecting agent pick rates.

Balancing VALORANT involves maintaining a balance between agent utility, gunplay, and map design.

Changes to agents like Chamber, Deadlock, and Gekko are considered to increase their viability.

Nerfing agents is important to ensure the game remains true to VALORANT's identity over time.

In Patch 8.11, Raze will receive nerfs to her mobility, while Iso, Neon, and Reyna will receive buffs.

Balance changes post-Masters Shanghai will be minimal to allow pro teams time to adjust.

Preeti and Sean discuss the development of weapon skins and the importance of diverse tastes and styles.

Mystbloom is introduced as a new skin line, incorporating high-tier skin features and a focus on 'non-edgy pink skins'.

Outlaw will receive a skin in a popular high-tier skinline, addressing community anticipation.

Marcus, VALORANT’s Technical Lead, provides an update on the Replay system, emphasizing the challenges and the work in progress.

The Replay system is a prototype and requires significant work to ensure accuracy and performance stability.

The community's patience with Replays is acknowledged, and a commitment to delivering a working system is reiterated.

Transcripts

00:00

Hey, everyone!

00:00

I'm Anna.

00:01

And I'm Andy.

00:02

And it's been a while since we've had a chance to talk like this.

00:04

And since then, we've shared some pretty incredible moments together.

00:08

We ended 2023 on the highest of notes

00:10

with Potter and EG winning it all at Champs LA.

00:13

And, of course, Shopify Rebellion, grabbing that Game Changers crown.

00:17

Earlier this year,

00:18

we added some additional firepower to the VALORANT arsenal with the Outlaw.

00:22

We welcomed our death-defying (literally) Scottish Controller Clove into the game,

00:27

Sentinels took the Masters Madrid win,

00:30

oh, and a couple of weeks ago,

00:31

we launched Act 3 with lots of pink awesomeness with Mystbloom.

00:35

So yeah, a lot has happened and honestly, we've got a lot more planned.

00:39

We're working on a ton of cool stuff for the rest of year

00:41

and we'll touch on some of that in just a bit.

00:43

Beyond today, you can expect more Dev [Updates] from us

00:45

when we have something to share,

00:47

and regular communication from devs across the game

00:49

when topics bubble up from the community.

00:51

Since the beginning, we've been fortunate enough to serve this incredible,

00:55

passionate, and engaged global community around VALORANT.

00:58

And look, you're never shy to share what's on your mind.

01:01

And we love it! Sincerely.

01:03

We're grateful for the feedback. We see you, we hear you,

01:06

and we appreciate you.

01:08

We want to keep the conversation going,

01:09

so be sure to tell us what you think of our chat today

01:11

and share what's on your mind.

01:13

Okay, first topic.

01:14

VALORANT is continuing to grow rapidly as a game and a sport and a community.

01:19

It's an entire ecosystem of experiences now.

01:22

And we have these huge dreams for the future.

01:24

So, we're leveling up our leadership team a bit.

01:27

I'm excited to announce that VALORANT is getting a new Executive Producer.

01:31

And... we really didn't have to look very far.

01:34

It’s him, it’s Andy!

01:36

I'm not going anywhere,

01:37

I'll still be leading VALORANT,

01:38

but now at the Studio level,

01:39

thinking about the entire player experience throughout the whole ecosystem.

01:43

And I've asked Andy to focus on what's going on in the game itself.

01:47

So I'm handing over the dev team to Andy...

01:49

but we still get to be partners. And I love that.

01:51

Yeah.

01:51

Thanks so much, Anna,

01:52

and thank you all for making VALORANT such an incredible game.

01:55

We're still committed as ever to keeping the core game healthy

01:57

while evolving it with new updates.

01:59

And we want to introduce you

02:00

to more of the dev teams who bring these updates to life.

02:03

With that, here are Coleman and Dan to talk about the map rotation,

02:07

overall game health, and some gameplay changes to expect through the rest of the year.

02:12

Hey, all. I'm Coleman.

02:13

I’m a Product Manager on VALORANT gameplay.

02:15

And I'm Dan.

02:16

I work with Coleman as a Game Designer on Agents and Live Balance.

02:19

We're here to discuss some of the work we've been doing this year

02:22

and give you our thoughts on additional changes coming down the road.

02:25

But first, we've heard a lot of feedback from you all about map rotations lately,

02:28

and we've been talking as a team

02:29

about how we can make this experience better overall.

02:32

Rest assured that your feedback has been heard loud and clear.

02:36

As a starting point, we're going to be more transparent

02:38

around map rotations going forward

02:40

so you all know when they're happening ahead of time.

02:43

In the spirit of this,

02:44

we want to confirm

02:45

that the map pool will be rotating with Patch 8.11 in early June—

02:49

Breeze and Split will be rotating out,

02:51

and Haven will be rotating back in.

02:54

Now, let’s dive into our main topic for today—role diversity.

02:58

For context, the live game team’s top priority for 2024

03:01

has been to increase intra-role diversity across the roster—

03:05

basically, looking at each role

03:07

and ensuring more Agents are viable in each one.

03:09

And promoting role diversity sometimes means toning down the power

03:12

of an Agent whose dominance prevents other agents in that role

03:15

or even other roles entirely from getting picked.

03:17

That was the reasoning behind our changes to Skye and Viper earlier this year.

03:21

On the other side of things, often this can mean we also have to give

03:24

a little power back to weaker Agents within a role— like Chamber, Deadlock, or Gekko.

03:29

With changes like these, we often see players ask—

03:31

why not just buff our weaker agents to match our most powerful ones?

03:35

And we hear you. Buffs are fun!

03:38

But, there are two main reasons why we don’t focus

03:41

on buffing weaker agents as a primary balancing approach.

03:44

The first, VALORANT, as a game, is more than just Agents;

03:48

it’s a tactical shooter.

03:50

The VALORANT experience is a balancing act between Agent utility,

03:53

lethal gunplay, and tactical map design.

03:56

If we buffed all of our Agents to match our strongest ones in terms of power,

03:59

we’d run the risk of Agent abilities overshadowing everything else.

04:03

Instead, we strive to maintain a healthy power level for our Agents

04:07

and then tune our roster accordingly.

04:09

Second, as you all keep playing the game,

04:10

your aim, creativity, and teamwork keep getting better.

04:13

So we have to constantly reevaluate the game.

04:15

For example, Jett from the Open Beta would be an absolute terror

04:18

if she was unleashed on VALORANT in 2024.

04:20

And back then, she was widely considered underpowered.

04:23

So we have to ensure we're maintaining that balance

04:24

while also keeping up with the community.

04:27

None of this is to say we won't ever buff Agents.

04:29

In fact, we'll talk about some buffs in a minute.

04:32

But nerfing agents is also a very important responsibility of ours

04:35

and ensures that VALORANT will feel like VALORANT for years to come.

04:39

Okay, let's talk about some balance changes that you'll be seeing very soon.

04:43

In early June, with Patch 8.11,

04:45

we’re shifting our focus to the Duelist role.

04:47

Over time, we’ve seen pick diversity decline among Duelists,

04:50

especially in higher-skill and pro play brackets.

04:53

So we’ll be shipping some nerfs to Raze focused on her satchel mobility,

04:56

as she’s been an overly dominant pick in this space.

04:59

And as for buffs,

05:00

we see several candidates who have an opportunity

05:02

to be more relevant in the current meta—

05:04

Iso, Neon, and Reyna.

05:07

Don't worry.

05:08

We'll explain that last one.

05:09

Yeah.

05:10

For Iso and Neon, we’re leaning into strengthening what makes them unique.

05:13

Namely, we’ll be adjusting Iso’s shield paradigm

05:15

and Neon’s slide, as well as some other small tweaks.

05:18

And for Reyna, we know she’s quite strong in ranked,

05:20

but she actually struggles in more coordinated team play.

05:23

So, her changes aim to improve her viability in those team environments like Premier and Pro,

05:27

while also reducing some of her current ranked strength.

05:29

These balance changes in 8.11 will most likely be

05:32

the last significant ones you see from us until after champs.

05:35

We want to make sure pro teams have plenty of time to get used to

05:38

these changes after Masters Shanghai and adjust accordingly.

05:42

Of course, you'll still see smaller patches roll out during this time.

05:46

We'll just only adjust balance if something major bubbles up.

05:49

Also, we're working on some pretty exciting stuff

05:52

for after Champs that you’ll get to play closer to the end of the year,

05:55

like larger balance updates and modes changes.

05:58

We'll be back to chat with you more about all that after Champs.

06:01

Also, keep an eye out for more comms from the Maps team coming this summer.

06:05

Now we'll toss it over to Preeti and Sean.

06:08

Hi everyone.

06:09

I’m Preeti, Product Manager on VALORANT cosmetics.

06:11

And I’m Sean, Art Director on VALORANT cosmetics.

06:14

We’re here to talk to you about weapon skins!

06:16

When we launched VALORANT back in 2020,

06:18

Sean and I were in charge of figuring out skins for the game.

06:20

It was really, really intimidating.

06:23

Tac shooters were a completely new genre for Riot

06:25

and we sort of had to guess what kind of skins you’d all like.

06:28

Yeah, we had our own ideas about what types of skins would be popular or well-received,

06:32

but we also knew we had to serve different types of tastes, styles, and vibes.

06:35

We felt like there was a really unique opportunity

06:37

to push the boundaries of what skins could do in the tac shooter landscape.

06:40

Over time—lots of surveys, reading all those spicy hot takes,

06:45

looking at what people actually buy in-game— we started to learn your tastes.

06:49

And they are so much more diverse than we originally thought!

06:53

For many of you, gun skins are basically fashion —

06:56

our Collections page is an extension of your own closet

07:00

kinda like Tenz and his all-red Collection.

07:02

- You think all his shirts are red too? - Probably.

07:04

Ah, Sentinels.

07:05

So, one of our design goals

07:07

is to make sure there’s at least one skin out there for everyone—

07:11

something that feels like it was made just for you.

07:13

And something we've been hearing over and over again is “where are the pink skins?!”

07:19

I said on stream probably what, like a year ago or something like that,

07:22

that we were working on “non-edgy pink skins.”

07:25

At the time we were, and we still are today.

07:27

But we don’t just take any skin and recolor it pink.

07:30

It needs to make sense for the theme, otherwise it’ll just fall flat

07:32

and it seems like we're just trying to check a box.

07:34

And I wanna be clear here.

07:35

We’ve also been making efforts to understand

07:37

what you mean when you say you want pink skins.

07:40

Because “pink skin” means something different to every one of you.

07:42

Some mean cute or whimsical, some mean elegant and high-end, some mean feminine,

07:46

and no one can agree on which shade of pink is the “right” shade.

07:50

Sometimes even you, Preeti, get the distinction wrong between pink and purple.

07:53

Yeah. I don't know what color Reaver is. Is it pink or purple?

07:55

Once upon a time it was both.

07:57

For our first real attempt in this space,

07:59

we took your feedback about what you enjoy most from high-tier skins—

08:02

hype finishers, satisfying aimbot audio,

08:05

unique animations, stunning visual effects and

08:09

...sorry about the wall hacks. That was not intentional.

08:12

We’ve put all of that into Mystbloom.

08:14

Speaking of feedback, we heard you last year on the Champions Kunai.

08:17

We know one of the most important parts about a melee skin

08:20

is the inspect animation and how good it feels to spam.

08:23

With Mystbloom, we kept the super clean,

08:25

Jett-style equip you all love,

08:27

and we really leaned into what makes Mystbloom special as a theme.

08:30

We added a brand new inspect animation and mystical musical loop

08:33

that’s perfectly zen and BM at the same time.

08:36

After you get that 4K clutch, you're super hype,

08:38

your team is screaming in chat telling you to clip it -

08:41

we know that you want to add a little bit of style to that play.

08:43

And we know that the inspect should be really satisfying for that.

08:46

So we really hope we've made something you'll love with these skins.

08:49

And I swear we'll continue to work hard on making more skins for all of you,

08:53

no matter your tastes.

08:54

Mystbloom is just our first take on “pink skins,”

08:57

but we promise, it won’t be the last!

08:59

[mysterious magical sound]

09:02

Anyway...

09:03

next up is Outlaw.

09:05

We know you've all been waiting for a sick Outlaw skin.

09:08

And with every new hype bundle you’re asking “Where’s the Outlaw?”

09:11

“Is Riot trolling?”

09:12

“Why doesn't Mystbloom have an Outlaw?”

09:14

No, we're not trolling.

09:16

Making high-tier skins just takes time.

09:18

A really long time.

09:19

It's going to be a few more months,

09:21

but I'm not going to say anything else about that.

09:23

We can say something.

09:24

I'll say something.

09:26

Fine, I guess.

09:27

One of your favorite high-tier skinlines of all time

09:31

is gonna be expanding to include a CLEAN, new Outlaw skin.

09:33

I felt like it’s really worth sharing.

09:35

That's right.

09:36

We're bringing a Smite Outlaw to you.

09:38

[record scratch]

09:41

No, Sean. We scrapped that idea.

09:43

We're actually doing the other one.

09:45

The one that people actually want.

09:46

Not the Night Market meme.

09:48

Not the one that you bought just to troll me.

09:50

Okay, okay.

09:51

I mean, but some people do like Smite though, right?

09:54

Yeah, the other one's cool and everything, but...

09:56

Yes, all right. Either way,

09:57

we are working on really good Outlaw skins.

09:59

We promise it'll be worth the wait. Just let us cook.

10:01

Yeah, Chef.

10:02

We've got a lot cooking, and it can’t all fit into this video.

10:05

So we’ll be back later this year

10:06

to give you another update on skins, accessories, and more.

10:09

Now back to Andy and Anna.

10:12

All right, thanks so much for watching.

10:14

- We’re so g— - Wait.

10:15

There was something else we wanted to talk about,

10:17

and I cannot remember what it was.

10:22

Oh.

10:23

Replays.

10:24

Yeah, it seems there's been some increased chat in the community about Replays lately.

10:28

Seems as though some folks want an update.

10:30

Yeah we've seen some really creative inquiries about Replays,

10:32

and I actually want to hand it over to Marcus, VALORANT’s Technical Lead,

10:36

to talk about where we’re at with Replays in more detail.

10:39

Hi, everyone!

10:40

I’m happy to be able to stop by and nerd out a little bit with you all on Replays.

10:44

First off, we have been working on Replays.

10:47

You’re actually looking at a freecam view

10:49

from a prototype build of our Replay system right now.

10:52

But I want to emphasize the word prototype here,

10:54

as this is nowhere near launch

10:56

and you’re about to see one of the types of challenges that we need to solve.

10:59

From the beginning, VALORANT was designed from the ground up

11:02

to maximize performance, stability, and competitive integrity online.

11:06

We built gameplay logic and in-game assets around a multiplayer session.

11:10

Player does a thing,

11:11

their game client relays that thing to the server,

11:14

other players in the game see that thing in real time.

11:17

Replays, though,

11:18

introduce new requirements that aren't present in normal games.

11:22

For example, when viewing a Replay, time might be paused,

11:25

or you might want to review a specific round in a match.

11:28

Unreal gives us a lot for free on Replays,

11:30

but we didn't plan for these scenarios upfront.

11:33

There are a plethora of issues with maps, abilities, weapons, as well as visual

11:37

and audio effects that we need to work through to make them Replay ready.

11:40

Otherwise, defects show up when viewing moments out of the game and in a Replay.

11:45

Some of these defects are pretty funny.

11:46

For example,

11:47

here’s a side-by-side clip that shows me interacting with a door switch in a custom game

11:52

beside that same interaction when viewed in a replay.

11:55

Not sure that door in the replay is very good at being a door.

11:59

Other defects are more subtle,

12:00

but for replays to be valuable to all of you, they need to be accurate.

12:04

In this clip, we see another side-by-side of a moment

12:06

in a custom game vs. that same moment in a Replay.

12:10

Notice the game clock in each frame.

12:12

As Brim takes the corner in the Replay frame,

12:14

we see the smoke deploying from the start of the ability’s animation—

12:18

but it should have already been active

12:19

as it was deployed before Brim rounded the corner.

12:22

Then when the smoke timer ends,

12:24

the replay smoke disappears without the dispersion animation.

12:27

These clips only show a of couple defects with a couple of individual assets.

12:31

VALORANT’s gameplay is built from thousands of these

12:34

individual assets that all need to be audited for correctness

12:37

and possibly adjusted to be correct in Replay scenarios.

12:41

And we need to do all of that work without breaking anything in the live game.

12:45

So yes, we're taking our time to make sure that we get it right.

12:49

Now back to Anna and Andy.

12:52

Oh hey, we’re back!

12:53

Thanks for taking that one Marcus.

12:55

VALORANT community, please trust me when I say,

12:57

we are right there with you

12:58

and we’re committed to building this Replay system.

13:01

We’ll give you all another update on Replays

13:02

when there’s more to share in the future.

13:04

We know you’ve all been more than patient with us on this issue,

13:07

and we thank you for that. We will get there!

13:09

Alright, that’s it for today. Thanks again for watching.

13:12

And we'll be back a bit later this year.

13:14

Thanks, everyone!

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VALORANTGame UpdatesLeadershipReplay SystemCommunity FeedbackGame BalanceAgent BuffsCosmeticsWeapon SkinsProduct ManagementTechnical Challenges
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