(Casting)
(Casting)
(Stream)
(Casting)
(Casting)
(Casting)
(Casting)
(Casting)
The AWP is a weapon that elicits many different kinds of emotions in Counter-Strike fans.
With its ability to do a one shot kill with a shot to the head or the torso,
it can be frustrating to play against. But thrilling to see in the hands of an expert.
(Casting)
(Casting)
(Casting)
(Casting)
The iconic and devastating weapon has been tweaked and balanced in every version of CS.
But CS:GO's version of the gun ended up being so powerful that it was hit with one of the most drastic balance changes
in the series' history.
"I was like, damn why did they do that. That's so unfair for me, because I actually felt like they did it for me."
"They did it because of me."
Competitive players from both CS 1.6 and Source were forced to adapt to a whole
new game when CS:GO came out in April 2012.
And over time some of the best AWPers developed a new exciting kinetic style that saw them play more up close
and aggressive.
"We've seen a high rise in the aggressive peeking AWPing styles in the past half a year or so due to superstars
like KennyS and JW making good use of it."
KennyS, maybe the most famous AWPer ever, was a great example of this.
He developed a fast-paced mobile style and he wasn't afraid to challenge his enemies up close.
"Kenny, he thrived in close quarters AWPing. Teams completely changed how they played the game
just because of one player. Because of Kenny. That's how scarily good he was."
But on March 31, 2015, Valve released an update for CS:GO that drastically altered the AWP.
"In the patch released on the 31st of March. The AWP and auto-snipers as well but they're not particularly
relevant in the competitive scene. The AWP was nerfed in as much as movement while scoped was reduced."
"To explain what's going on here, when scoped you now have a very slow acceleration when running."
"In fact, when shift walking you immediately start at your max walk speed. Making it faster to start shift walking
than running. The optimal scoped movement then with the AWP would be tapping shift to get going."
"It all feels really awkward."
The immediate and continued impact of this change is difficult to emphasize.
It was so dramatic in its timing, right before April Fool's, made some think that it was a joke.
But to players like KennyS, it was no laughing matter.
"I got hit like, even in my motivation. I was like, damn why did they do that, that's so unfair for me because
I actually felt like they did it for me, they did it because of me."
"That's not necessarily true but, that's how I felt."
Once it became clear that the change wasn't a joke in bad taste.
The community began to process the full extent of the nerf and the reaction was mixed.
(Stream)
"And not only has this lowered scope movement nerfed certain pro aspects and certain players
in quite a destructive manner."
"It shows how out of touch Valve is with the pro scene."
"At the time the AWP would dictate games, now it's still relevant in games but you can utilize it differently."
While the nerf hurt anyone who had an AWP, it disproportionally affected T-side AWPers,
who are more often peeking to find their kills.
The slower movement speed gave defending AWPers, particluarly those holding angles,
more time to react. And meant that any team that relied heavily on AWPers, suffered.
"The problem was before that like an AWP could just peek you and not have an angle held and just wreck you."
"Cause you wouldn't even with an AK unless you had a perfect shot, you wouldn't have time."
"Now it's more difficult for them to do that."
It also meant that KennyS' explosive, high-movement play style was hampered.
"I remember like, at the beginning of the update I was like, I was peeking.
And it was so slow that I was peeking and I was shooting at the wall, and I was dying straight afterwards."
"What happened unfortunately I think for him is that he just he lost the confidence right?"
"The AWP nerf came in, and he because he was so
mobile because he was such a dynamic AWPer him and JW both got hit the hardest
I think by this AWP nerf because it just felt like he got gutted right when he
was coming into his prime when he could have been God and just taken over everything."
"The game was changed and then I think that really impacted his confidence"
But for some high-profile AWPers like Guardian who tended to move less and hold more angles
the nerf had less of an impact.
"I can play anything my in-game leader asks for. Before I came to Na'Vi for example, I was super aggressive
I could rush anywhere with the AWP. When I came to Na'Vi, Zeus made me super passive."
"Especially on CT side to hold angles, be actually a good CT sniper."
In the end, AWPers only had one choice, adapt.
And while more stationary AWPers didn't miss a beat, it took Kenny a while to rediscover his form.
"The immediate result was certainly Kenny, a little bit GuardiaN, but certainly Kenny was hurt the most."
"As I talked about he was someone who could play very close.
He could move very quickly with the AWP, he could hit noscopes he was constantly quick peeking and quick
scoping. That movement mechanic was taken out quite significantly."
"And it's not that Kenny wasn't skillful enough at the time, to say, 'Oh it's different I'm still good with it,' it wasn't
that he didn't have the skill suddenly it was that it's muscle memory and it's force of habit."
"There was a lot of things that I was doing that I could not do anymore."
"So I had to find new stuff. I had to play a bit different."
"So yeah it was super hard for me at the beginning. Maybe the first 3-4 months were like hell for me."
While the change was made over three years ago, the nerf remains a subject of some debate.
The heart of the question is this: How much impact should one player with a specialist weapon
really have on the game?
And does it make sense to nerf a weapon that only one in five players use,
if there are only a couple of AWPers that can really push the gun to its absolute limit.
"You remember, before they did the AWP update, KennyS back in the days?"
"Like that was too much."
"Yeah one guy. So what's my up side? Well it's harder to use. That's a downside."
"It's more expensive, that's a downside. Kill reward's worse, that's a downside.
Not many players that are amazing with it, downside."
"Every gun's is viable against it, downside."
"I think the reason, I think the reason..."
"Gabe Newell and you just get wrecked by AWPers all day don't ya?"
Is there some alternate universe where the AWP was never nerfed and everyone started using it like KennyS?
Maybe.
"If they didn't do that nerf, I would still be dominant. More than I am right now, I would say."
"Because before the nerf I was pretty dominant."
"And out of the AWPers you are thinking about me and mostly JW as well."
"Because JW was also... like, JW's gamestyle is quite similar to mine."
"Yeah I think people would have taken us as biggest examples."
"And yeah I think nowadays it would be like, the most common game style."
Obviously this is all hypothetical, since Valve's change has stuck.
But for now, for better or for worse. The AWP nerf is here to stay.
