Servers crashed. In the first hours after the launch, it was possible to play, and then the matches ceased to be initiated, and after that they started to throw them to the desktop. The developers turned off the servers for a short while, wrote in social networks about unexpected problems, and promised to solve them soon. Today, on the second day after launch, oddities are still encountered. Despite the hype surrounding the beta version, Riot Games was not ready for such an influx of players.

When looking at Valorant among untrained people, a fair question arises, where does such popularity come from? The graphics in the game are very simple. The gameplay is a combination of the mechanics of Counter-Strike: GO (moving, purchasing weapons, shooting, tasks) and Overwatch (heroes and their abilities). Matches are long, to win in 13 rounds. To be convinced of the superiority over the opponent, it is necessary to spend 30-40 minutes. There are only four arenas, and they are tiny, much smaller than those of their analogues. So why do people crash servers and enthusiastically watch broadcasts on Twitch? The answer consists of several components.

Reputation
To begin with, it is worth noting the reputation of Riot Games, the creator of one of the most popular games on the planet. They once said that an average of 8 million people play League of Legends every day. Riot Games is an eSports and community service. They know how and through whom to convey information, they skillfully launched the beta Valorant - and turned the game into a subject of desire. You could get access to it by inspecting the clock of someone else's gameplay on Twitch, and the game broke records on views (mainly bots watched). Valorant activated accounts people were willing to buy for $ 150, if not more. And this despite the fact that the launch of the full version was to take place soon. Also, all players can monitoring Valorant stats, at the our website. But do not forget that on our site you can also find information about guns, maps etc.

The interest was also fueled by the developers themselves, who played a couple of games with the professional Counter-Strike: GO team and won. It became clear that the guys created a conditional “dream game” with their tricks, they are seriously passionate about it and their knowledge is enough to withstand trained e-sportsmen. In the network, even during beta, commercials began to multiply, how to properly hold a point and use heroes, which surfaces are shot and from which weapons. How to shoot. And shooting here is not easy!

This game is focused on e-sports and only at first glance it seems simple. Each card, each hero and each gun, for understanding, needs to be decomposed into components in the head and assembled again so as not to be indignant every time, but why did they kill me. Probably cheaters!

Tickrate and anti-cheat
Speaking of cheaters. The company Riot Games during the development of Valorant, and this was announced during the announcement, emphasized the fight against cheaters. The game uses the "fog of war", that is, the server does not transmit to the client information about the whereabouts of the enemies until they appear in the zone of potential damage (weapons or abilities).

Vanguard anti-cheat starts at Windows startup and seems to be able to cope with most threats, but it is known that there are cheaters in the game. According to the developers, they did not even dream of dealing with all the problems right away, but now the life of cheaters will become much more complicated and ... more expensive. Good cheats, if anyone is not in the know, cost a lot of money. Sometimes they are written to order, and "streamer-bending machines" roll out large sums for them in order to dominate their audience for fun.

The next critical element for a multiplayer game is the quality of the network connection. And here developers have something to be proud of. The server tickrate is 128 Hz. This is two times higher than that of competitors. Such values ​​allow you not to worry at all about “miracle bullets”, turning around the corner, or about sudden deaths from falling into the heel of “super bullets” (this is when the server due to low tick rate does not take into account damage from the previous two bullets and makes a third three times more powerful).

Functionality
The graphics in the game are simple, yes. It is purely functional, the maximum and minimum settings are slightly different from each other. But at the same time, Valorant starts and goes not just on weak PCs. A laptop with a 4-core Intel Core i5 will be enough for her. Without a graphics card! Yes, in the resolution of 1280x720, but you can still play.

The creators of shareware games know for sure that the mass product is a guarantee of success, and on a PC you can be massive only if everyone can start your game.

The visual style of Valorant is functional and concise. At first (and second) look, many design decisions raise questions and seem comical. Take the same flat as a sheet of paper, “walls of flame” or round balls of “clouds of smoke”. But when you plunge into the process, you quickly find an excuse for this. Here, each element is present not just like that, but due to game mechanics. The player knows exactly the borders of the smoke screen; understands where to throw a grenade in order to completely or not completely close the passage (to leave a narrow gap). And that is of great importance in an eSports-oriented game. The randomness factor is minimized. Killed means a fool himself.

Not all the characters turned out to be cute. There are typical, one might say, banal images in which the same Legolas from The Lord of the Rings or the Reaper from Overwatch easily guesses. However, the presentation of the heroes, their performances and phrases - well done here. The poisoner Viper was especially successful, her contemptuous look and the specific manner of removing the mask.

Passion
Excitement and related emotions are the main strength of Valorant. You gradually discover the characters, study their abilities, learn to control the passages, keep points, interact in a group. The critical phase is the initial phase of the round, the exchange of abilities to probe each other, rounds from the flanks.

Here the trick is of paramount importance. There was one game when we were butchered almost dry. Opponents understood what to do, and attacked not in the style of Counter-Strike. Oh no! Almost every time a bullet flew in from an unexpected place, from a seemingly checked passage. One will sink to the right to distract attention, while the other emerges from the flank, removes a partner and gets lost in the corridor. Cynical game of cat and mouse.

This is what the game carries away. It seems that you know how to shoot, you know where to throw grenades, you studied the arenas, but since the team game is based on interaction, over time you come to understand that it’s time. It's time to collect the clan!

So far, three modes are available in Valorant. “No rank”, up to 13 wins, where you need to set a bomb on one of the indicated points. “Quick Spike Installation”, where all players are given random weapons and each “terrorist” has a bomb to plant. Such matches last less than 15 minutes. Separately, you can run "Your game", where there is a special item in the settings "with cheats", whatever that means.

Over time, the list of modes will expand, ranks will be introduced when people more or less play enough and figure out the rules. They will add cards and heroes - everything is as usual. That's just ... Monetization.

Elite
Valorant is free, download and play. Initially, five heroes are open, then you can open two more to choose from in a day or two of a tight game, and then ... Either buy for 600 rubles, or sit for weeks and months to expand the collection by one. The path to them is long.

In addition, the game has cosmetics. So far, only for weapons, plus sprays on the walls, pictures, titles and other tinsel. Most of them are opened as part of a combat pass (there are free rewards, but not many). It costs cheaply, admittedly, 600 rubles. And there are many rewards, you won’t be bored. But when you enter the store you are unobtrusively made clear that all these skins are for "rogue people." The elite buys skins with gilding, unique reload animations and headshots. Moreover, you open these animations and additional coloring for special points obtained as part of taking the levels of the “combat pass”. Or you can buy them for money ... For a lot of money.

To understand: a set of elite skins for weapons plus a gold ax instead of a knife will cost you about 4000 rubles, and to “pump” the skins and open all the animations for them here and now, you will have to give as much, if not more.

In other words, the game divides people into three castes. "Golodrantsy" - they play for free and do not receive anything, except for heroes and trifles. “Beggars” with a “combat pass” - they are gradually opening up cosmetic content, which, however, is not suitable for the glimpse of what the elite trumps. “Elite” are the coolest guys who throw money into the monitor for the sake of golden guns and unique animations. They are exceptional. I am also exceptional, since the developers transferred 20,000 Valorant points to my account. This is about 12,000 rubles. I already spent half the amount ... Actually, that’s why you see gilding in the screenshots. It should stimulate you to start dreaming and saving for it. Familiar manipulation scheme.

Only this undermines the pleasure of the game. She is reckless, pleasant and interesting. Emotions over the edge, like swear words and a barely suppressed desire to throw a mouse at a wall. You bliss from victory and acutely accept defeat. Each match is unique. You find a pretty hero and learn to fight them. It is clear that talking about the future of the game is useless. Everything will determine the time and desire of developers to support the product. However, returning to the first point, Riot Games is able to develop its games and keep the audience. 10 years of League of Legends provided them with a serious credit of trust.

Diagnosis
Now you can download Valorant to try this adrenaline, to feel the delight of victory and the bitter taste of defeat. To remember what it feels like, heart-rending yelling at the screen “Well, how is that ?!” and "Get it!".

This is not a beer game. It requires maximum concentration and training at the training ground. Everything is serious. Valorant is not an accidental hobby. It is necessary to live in it in order to achieve at least some result, and for this you will need to forget about the rest of the entertainment and completely immerse yourself in the process. If such games are carried away, then seriously.

Pro:

One of the best team shooters
An interesting compilation of Counter-Strike: GO and Overwatch ideas
A good balance of weapons and heroes. Well-designed arenas
Runs even on very weak PCs
A well-thought-out interface, almost the best of its kind
Excellent network code and special emphasis on anti-cheat

Against:
Very expensive cosmetic items
No match records
You cannot create games with your own rules.
No mod support