How To Think About Tactical FPS pt. 2 by ddk
My aim in this essay is to help us think more clearly about the structure of a round on a broader macro level; once we have a bigger picture viewpoint, the impact of micro elements becomes easier to understand and analyse. My previous essay lays out ideas and terminology that will be helpful for this reading.
A helpful way to think about VALORANT on a macro level is through the lens of time. If we do this we can see that, generally, there tends to be 3 phases in a round. Early-round, mid-round and late-round. If we split the maximum round time of 100 seconds 3 ways, that means each phase is 33 seconds.
It’s useful to think this way because it allows us to have an expectation for what is possible based on where a team's resources are directed in each of these phases. As there is only so much time in a round and every action costs time, there is only so much action and reaction that can happen. In the early round the initial actions and reactions occur which sets up the mid-round adjustments for both teams as advantages and disadvantages begin to become clear. As we move into the late-round there is a heavy narrowing of what is possible as time becomes a limiting factor to many plays, this allows players to read the situation much more easily (Of course, there are playstyles that defy this, but we’ll get into that another time. Thanks Na`Vi).
Each phase has its own characteristics that we should understand:
Early-round is dictated first by rush timings into contested and uncontested areas. An example of an uncontested area is B lobby on Ascent. It is uncontested because the defenders can never beat the attackers to that position in the early round as their timing to that position is significantly worse. Conversely, an example of a contested area would be A-Main on Ascent as both teams can reach this position at the same timing, so if both teams want it at the same time, they will have to fight for it. Generally, as both teams want to gain as much position (or map) control as possible, certain areas will be contested early on for the benefit of information or to deny information from the opponent.
This is the phase of the round where a default will begin and, depending on the teams choice of pacing, also end. As mentioned in the previous essay, a default is typically about gaining map control and information, setting a pace, forcing rotations, conditioning your opponent, leaving options open, and more.
It is also possible that an attacking team may try to invest all their resources and go for the main objective of a spike plant immediately and rush into a site. The reason for this is because the defenders don’t have any information at the beginning of a round, so it is very likely they will have a numbers disadvantage in their defense at that stage. However, if the defenders use utility to successfully delay the attack timing sufficiently, a defender rotation will complete giving the defenders an advantage. In this case, the attackers will often reset and try to spread back out onto the map, knowing that their opponents could have taken any positions they gave up early on. This brings us into the mid-round phase.
The mid-round is where we see an in-game leader (IGL) truly shine. In this phase there is information from the early round about rotations, utility usage, player numbers and more. This gives the IGL the ability to know where the next advantage to play for may be and typically this is when we’ll see a team break out of a default to show how they want to setup to finish the round. Some teams are likely to pressure heavily in the early-round to create situations where committed engagements are more likely so they move into mid-round decision making with more map control or player advantages (5v4 or 4v4, etc). Even if the attackers go 1-for-1 in an exchange, it is favourable going into the mid-round as there will be more holes for the defenders to worry about, giving the attackers an advantage in options and information. Usually the defenders will respond predictably in the mid-round when in a 4v4: either they will play for information, or they will play a safe setup to reduce the risk of losing players and prioritise positions that give options to delay and buy time for the rotation of their teammates. If you pay attention at the professional level, you will see patterns in how teams respond to these situations in the mid-round.
The mid-round is also interesting because it gives an opportunity to the attackers to suggest they will do something by use of pressure. This allows the attackers opportunities to mislead the defenders. For example: if on Ascent the attackers take catwalk and tree control away from the defenders, it feels like an A attack will be how the attackers finish the round. However, this can be a ploy to bait rotations and that can be punished with a quick rotation from catwalk to market to B.
In situations where the attackers were particularly aggressive early on, they may have forced out a lot of defender utility. Likewise, conditioning the defenders to overspend utility early on can be impactful in gaining advantages in the mid-round. For the defenders, utility can help to: reduce risk in gaining information, delay attackers, deny attackers map control or make aggressive plays themselves. Utility advantage is always important to consider for the IGL, as mentioned previously, it helps them to understand what to expect and how to call plays to exploit the opponent.
Lurking players are activated in the mid-round. They are able to gain and communicate information and move through holes in the defense created by their teammates pressure. In the previous essay we used A-site on Haven to highlight an example of how powerful a lurk can be in this phase of the round in creating advantageous options for the attackers.
If a round does not end in the mid-round, it’s likely because either 1. Attacker pacing is slow OR 2. The defenders did well enough to create a situation where they will be defending the site or playing a re-take to a site they had to give up.
The late-round is where time begins to limit possibilities noticeably. Given the information the defenders have already received, it should be easier for them to predict how the attackers will make their final plays to reach their objective. Having this extra information is typically very beneficial for defenders to inform their positioning. If the attackers find themselves with 30 seconds left and they have yet to reach a site, they will also be restricted in how effectively they can reduce risk. Corners must be cut. This means it can be harder to properly clear sites, there will be less utility to make plays safe and there is less margin for error as adaptation is impossible as there is no time for it.
In conclusion, practicing the use of this framework of thinking whenever possible is important as it is the platform on which the micro elements sit. It should help to give insight on the flow of a round and how the teams are trying to pursue their objective. Time is an important resource which neither team has control over. As such, opportunity cost becomes an important consideration in decision making; all choices must align with the overarching strategy that the team is subscribed to. Unless Riot brings out an agent that manipulates time, much like in real-life, we cannot revisit the past.
