Forum Discussion
I'm talking strictly about the PC sever; consoles are a completely different story.
What actually happens if they get rid of aim assist.
Pros
First off, making this change would make Apex much more competitive compared to its rivals on PC. If we look at Steam's player counts for free-to-play Battle Royales, PUBG still maintains a massive player base. On the other hand, since the devs describe Apex as a competitive shooter, Valorant it its biggest rival-and Valorant's player count simply higher than Apex's right now. I believe that removing aim assist, Apex has a high potential to absorb players from these titles. Right now, FPS community is fragmented across many different games, and minor tweaks aren't going to bring the player base back in a big way.
Since the majority of the current player base uses controllers, removing aim assist would mean many of them would perform at their actual skill level. This would naturally lower the entry barrier, making it much easier for true beginners to get into the game.
Removing aim assist will increase the overall difficulty of the game, which will help distribute the rank population more naturally. This could solve the "Diamond elo smurfing" i mentioned before. Ultimately, this creates a much healthier environment for beginners.
Lastly, it simply makes the game more competitive. This could breathe new life into the pro scene and make it even more exciting to watch. In fact, there's player named NIRU who actually hit solo Master rank on controller with aim assist turned OFF.
It would also wipe out all those third-party devices that give aim assist to mice. This would finally put an end to that king of hardware-level chaeting.
Cons
Some might argue that controller players will quit the game. While that might be true for consoles, I don't think it applies to PC. PC gamers don't just stop gaming overnight; they usually look for a similar game to migrate to or smurfing, but the problem is-there isn't one.
If the devs themselves use controllers, they won't be able to win anymore. Plus, they probably just don't want the hassle if massive update or the headache of dealing with the inevitable crying from the controller community.
If you’re going to criticize this idea, please bring a counter-proposal that has more pros than mine. Let’s keep this a logical debate.
I am not disregarding fairness. I am pointing out the recklessness of trying to achieve the same experience while ignoring the inherent differences between devices.
Taking away AA without accounting for the physical characteristics of the hardware would only lead to a different form of unfairness. Controllers and MnK are fundamentally different; it is impossible to bring them to the same level of experience through minor tuning.
Regarding ALGS, my view is that we should refrain from altering the game’s core foundation just to suit the convenience of the competitive scene. This does not mean I am advocating for leaving unfairness in the game unaddressed.
I said that we should ensure true fairness by separating the matchmaking servers.
In short, the competitive scene exists only because the game itself serves as its foundation. We should not destroy that foundation for the sake of the competition; rather, we must consider the proper order of things—either focusing on how to compete within that foundation or determining how to structurally reorganize the foundation itself.