An exploit is making the rounds, causing controversial discussions among Fortnite players. The so-called “ADS spamming” provides significant advantages when playing Fortnite: Battle Royale with a controller such as on PS4 or Xbox One. What’s going on and what do the professionals say about it?
What is “ADS spamming”? Anyone playing Fortnite: Battle Royale with a controller benefits from a mechanic called Aim Assist. This mechanic pulls your crosshair towards an enemy as soon as you look through it (the so-called aiming down sights or ADS).
This mechanic becomes necessary when no precise input device like a mouse is available. Since players would have a significant disadvantage using the imprecise controls of a controller stick without Aim Assist, the mechanic was introduced.
This is the current problem: However, Aim Assist is not necessarily the decisive cause of the exploit that has surfaced, but rather the “first shot accuracy” or initial precision.
Anyone standing still in Fortnite: Battle Royale and precisely aiming at an opponent will always hit the target (as long as the crosshair is on the opponent).
The exploit, which we will not explain in detail here, takes advantage of the properties of Aim Assist and initial precision in a way that provides a significant advantage over PC players who rely on mouse and keyboard. This even works at far distances against enemies who are not even visible.
The exploit had particularly extreme effects during the last event around the Ice King, which covered the entire map in snow and fog. Even though players could hardly see anything – Aim Assist worked.
Why is this exploit a problem? Fortnite is a game where different platforms can play together. If one platform gains an advantage through mechanics like Aim Assist, platforms without this function are disadvantaged.
The exploit thus has implications for all platforms where Fortnite: Battle Royale is available. Furthermore, the exploit has sparked a fundamental debate about whether Aim Assist and initial precision are generally too strong.
Would Fortnite be playable without Aim Assist on consoles? At the launch of the playground in Fortnite: Battle Royale, players on consoles struggled with the issue of Aim Assist being completely disabled.
This was very noticeable as aiming became significantly more difficult due to the spongy controller stick.
If Epic were to turn off Aim Assist, controller players would suddenly be at a significant disadvantage compared to players on other platforms.
What do the pros say about the current debate? Top players like Myth and Tfue do not want to join the criticism, but they say that controller players do have an advantage in specific situations thanks to Aim Assist.
Especially regarding official tournaments, where different platforms compete against each other, this could definitely lead to problems.
Can Epic do anything about the exploit or Aim Assist in general? A difficult question that Epic is sure to be pondering. If Aim Assist were to be reduced, controller players would likely face a disadvantage.
If Epic were to remove initial precision, virtually no one would be able to play with weapons that hit hard but require precise aiming. In any case, to actually contain the exploit, Epic will need to make changes that not all players may like. I am curious about what the developer will come up with.
Epic announces solution for 7.40
Update 10:34 AM: Epic developer, Eric Williamson, announced in a tweet that they will at least eliminate the current ADS exploit in patch 7.40. They probably have a solution. It seems to be a cooldown to reduce “quick ADS” spamming. The Aim Assist itself will remain unchanged.
What do you think about this topic? Should Aim Assist be reduced on consoles?
