ooh baby I can't ever forget this
something something definition of insanity something something same thing twice
this is all a ploy to get my face back on a round square table
you're on the valorant team now, right? as someone who previously worked on league, what makes you think this queue system is gonna work better in valorant than it did in season 6 league? not to mention that the highest rank doesn't work like chall, where you're rank x out of y. you hit val, you're kinda just done. is that part of the system WIP or is it here to stay?
I think this is an issue of many competitive needs (and audiences) and only only carrot to serve them. You want a true solo queue that you can grind and show a rank you earned through your solo play (and a guarantee that everyone else did too), others want a competitive experience they can queue up with teammates (3/4/5) and they want that shared badge. Some people want both and they want a high-stakes 'train for this moment' thing (see: Clash).
We have one carrot, we should have many carrots. That's the real answer - we need more/different forms of competition, of which solo queue may fit somewhere in there.
Alright, how about a flaming hot answer you can roast me on: if we had only one competitive queue, should it be dynamic or solo/duo only? Honestly I personally do think it should be dynamic.
I totally get the function and value of a solo queue for scouting or for evaluating individual performance, but I think if you put the one carrot of a team-based game on the top of a solo-only ladder, you send weird signals. If I said I was GE in CS:GO (I'm not), you'd assume I've got mechanical skill and thrive in chaotic settings, but I'm not sure you'd get the read I'm a top-tier 'competitor' of the game. Same with any team sport really. So maybe a competitive team-based system that you could aspire to out of solo queue would be cool. We probably need that.
I've also heard the counter, which is video games are video games and why the hell are we trying to force friendships -- a very fair statement. Not having a true solo queue that feels rewarding/validating seems like we're just punishing people who don't like to game with friends.
Hell of a pickle. I think we need more carrots.
Am I back? Have I returned? Is this real life????
oh god no
All jokes aside, the communications from you guys have been spectacular. I really like the transparency and direction the game is going. I hope the ranking system isn't set in stone but either way I feel like I'm in good hands.
ty bruv, keep up the feedback especially when you don't like things. We're listening and appreciate the framing of the conversation this way.
honestly appreciate the answer and the points you're making are all valid to me - and I don't expect you to answer this, but the question that remains is: why not have solo/duo on top of flex and clash if it works in league?
is that system not considered to be 'working' over there?
I've heard many people here say that flex is going to turn into a joke as soon as solo/duo gets introduced, but honestly, nothing fundamentally changes when it does. yes, people will take it less seriously and it will be seen as a 'secondary' queue, but the reason it'd be viewed as unimportant like in league is that ranks simply don't mean anything when they can just be achieved by stacking. its like a legal boosting service. a solo queue won't give less meaning to your dynamic rank, it already has none.
have a solo/duo ladder, have a team ladder. there's no way this games' player numbers won't be able to support both, at the very least in lower ratings (say below immortal?). alternatively, many people might be willing to settle for a 1-2 man queue restriction for high elo, but then again that kills the drive to improve in a team environment. everything really just points to having seperate queues for solo/duo and team play.
I still hope you're willing to reconsider. I'm not an expert and I'm sure you guys have many of them, but getting this right at launch rather than trying the impossible like in s6 only to revert it one year later could severely hinder the takeoff of this game.
Hey I dig this whole conversation and appreciate you. I’ll just say to your top level concerns and requests (“f*ck it just give us split queues”) I think we agree. It’s definitely a matter of implementation and what we have coming in the future. Let’s check in in a few months (no not S6).
For the sake of argument on the boosting topic though, I do think it’s harder to get carried in V and a team that chooses to carry a weaker player might do so because that friend brings alternative value like strategic brains (the IGL forgiveness), some intangibles like positive vibes (lol), or maybe it’s outright loyalty, sure.
But if I queue against a team and there’s a weak link, I exploit it - it’s easier to identify them (the joys of unique agent silhouettes), and skill imbalances net out quickly. I might get in trouble for saying this, but I do think V is different than League or OW where sometimes math can win or you can narrow down/pair up the skillset so much that the rank doesn’t feel earned in the general sense. If you’re immortal in a group but plat in solo queue you still need to contribute real value in immortal 5stacks.
Maybe your argument is EVERYONE on the team is boosted because they only gain advantages by familiarity of playing together, which is probably a bigger argument around what we think should measure skill.
Anyway, thanks for the insight, I know the team has had this same debate.
Missed ya buddy!
alright I missed you
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