Ask VALORANT - Apr. 12

How do we approach odd ability use? Did HRTF lower my volume? And more on today’s Ask VALORANT.

What is your approach when you see abilities not being used as intended? 

A

We've seen a lot of Agent abilities used in unintended ways by players, sometimes with awesome outcomes and sometimes in ways that we've needed to address. Sage's Barrier Orb is a fantastic example—we've seen countless creative boosts, sideways tube walls, and ability combos that we wouldn't have expected. On the flip side, we've seen floating walls creating one-ways, single wall segments hovering over the Split B bomb site, and more Omen teleport bug combos than I'd like to remember.

We walk a pretty constant line between the sandbox nature of abilities that keeps each game exciting, and trying to determine if newly discovered interactions are enriching or breaking the tactical game we've promised. VALORANT is definitely a game that we're building and exploring hand-and-hand with our community. We know you all approach each match with creativity, and the best thing we can do is keep an open dialogue about what's discovered.

—Jay Watford, Lead Character Designer

Can you add the ability to change settings during Agent selection? 

A

We agree, this should be doable and we'll add it to our backlog. To be frank though, it's behind some much more urgent priorities on our list. We'll keep you updated.

—Naoise Creaven, Senior Producer

Did HRTF lower the volume or the ability to hear the footsteps? It seems far away steps are now harder to hear but you can pinpoint them easier. 

A


HRTF does not affect attenuations (volume change over distance) or occlusion (filtering change based on objects between the emitter and the listener). Adjusting to HRTF does take time and practice.

—Peter Zinda, Audio Director