Millions play the online shooter Fortnite. The Twitch streamer Turner “Tfue” Tenney is considered one of the best, ranking among the top 100 players in the world. However, at the highest level, the game seems to take its toll on him. For him, it all revolves around ping and the state.
What is it about at the highest level in Fortnite? Fortnite has several skill levels. We roughly summarize three, how the “gameplay” actually differs – strategically, there are other components:
- For an average player, it will mainly be about taking the right items, shooting accurately, and catching opponents from ambush or in the open field.
- For advanced players, Fortnite is about building. It involves raising covers, building barricades, being higher than the opponent, claiming the “high ground,” and hitting him from above.
- At the highest level, it’s about breaking down enemy walls and replacing them with your own. Then you edit a gap into it, shooting the opponent through this sight window. Or you defend yourself by continually raising the wall that the opponent just shot down.
“The game is so dumb – it’s so dumb”
What frustrates Tfue? Tfue is obsessed with “ping,” the time it takes for an action in the game to actually execute. He believes that with too high ping, it takes too long for structures to be built and edited. As a result, he sees himself at a significant disadvantage.
Tfue moved to New Jersey to be with his friend Cloak for “0 ping.”
But when he plays in his home state of Florida, he does so with a ping that has become unbearable for him at about 40.
This is how Tfue escalates: In one scene, Tfue is seen dueling with another strong player. Because he loses the duel, he gets angry that “Florida would let him down” and that the opponent surely comes from “Pennsylvania,” a U.S. state known for players having good ping.
Tfue then curses, stating the game is “so dumb.” He can hardly believe how “dumb” the game is. He is in Florida, where the internet is “crappy,” and therefore his buildings are not placed quickly enough.
Tfue’s problem is clearly visible in the next clip. He wants to destroy the roof of his opponent, but the opponent keeps rebuilding because he apparently has such a good ping. Only when Tfue gets help from Bugha, a player with 0 ping, can he take down the opponent.
What’s behind it: Tfue seems almost obsessed with his ping by now. After all, he moved specifically for it and changed his place of residence. However, he doesn’t win every game from New Jersey – despite 0 ping.
Most “normal” players have little understanding of this. They have to live with the ping they have due to their location.
