Changes coming after FNCS Invitational

Responding to player concerns, video game developer Epic Games recently announced that it will soon make adjustments to controller “aim assist.” Players had hoped something might be included in the May 20 patch, but Epic said changes are on the way “next week.”

Controller tweaking, tuning, and investigation continues.”

In the patch notes sent to Fortnite content creators the day before the patch, Epic noted: “Controller tweaking, tuning, and investigation continues. We have some changes for next steps, but we don’t want to release right before the FNCS Invitational Finals.”

The FNCS Invitational, one of the biggest Fortnite competitions on the calendar, began May 9 and ends this weekend with the two-day Finals. A total of $2 million in prize pool money is up for grabs over the course of all three weekends.

Though it does not appear that there are any betting markets for the 2020 FNCS Invitational, wagering has been available for major Fortnite tournaments such as the Fortnite World Cup. Player odds can be affected by changes in aim assist; a modification one way or another can alter the order of the odds board based on the controllers of preference for the top players.

Aim assist overshot intended mark

The issue with Fortnite is that while aim assist is intended to help console players, PC players have been able to abuse an exploit. Players discovered that aim assist got stronger for a console controller plugged into a PC’s USB port as the game’s frame rate increased.

In an update this spring, Fortnite attempted to fix the problem. The aim assist didn’t snap to the target anymore, but instead sort of “dragged” the players aim to the target. For many, this has proven to be even more effective than before. And while Epic said it was supposed to smooth out the differences between the highest and lowest usable frame rates on PC, many still feel controller players have a distinct advantage.

Turner “Tfue” Tenney, one of the game’s top pros, even took a break from Fortnite after getting bounced the Fortnite FNCS Invitational last weekend, fed up with the perceived inequality between controller and mouse and keyboard users.

A necessary feature

Controller aim assist has existed in some form for some time, but it has become especially prominent in the last couple years. In first- or third-person shooter games, it can be difficult to hone expert aim on a video game console such as an Xbox or Playstation. The controllers and their analog thumbsticks just don’t lend themselves to quick, fine-tuned aiming.

Players on a PC have historically had an easier time aiming in shooters using a mouse and keyboard. The mouse is much better suited to pinpoint targeting.

It allows players on consoles to be able to compete with players on PC

Enter aim assist. With the rise in cross-platform online gaming in which console players compete in the same games as PC players, something needed to be done to level the field. Aim assist aids players who use a console controller. In simple terms, if the crosshair gets within a certain distance of the target, the game nudges it across that few-pixel gap so a hit can be registered. It allows players on consoles to be able to compete with players on PC, who would normally have a massive aiming advantage with the mouse and keyboard.