Those of us who have been gaming since the 80’s and 90’s have been at the mercy of gaming companies continually nerfing the reticle, IF you had a reticle!
Halo is credited with having “perfected” the reticle and though most discussion about reticles these days is the information they give you, I’ll focus on what information they try to hide… and when.
In the mid to late 90’s, Unreal Tournament was likely the most popular multiplayer game. I started using the sniper rifle in close quarters because it was a one shot kill. Unreal left a small white crosshair when you were moving around. Turns out, that’s all most people needed to exploit the power of a sniper rifle.
The first time I can really remember the reticle being nerfed was in Call of Duty Black Ops 2. It seemed that the people using the one-shot-kill sniper rifles were ruining the game for the average player. There were a few contributing factors:
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The sniper rifle's shot accuracy was consistent whether ADSing or hip-firing.
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There was a small, permanent reticle in the center of the screen at all times.
These factors made it possible to use the sniper rifle in just about any situation.
What was the solution? They removed any reticle for the sniper when not scoped in. Hip-firing with a sniper became the shot in the dark that it is now.
However, it didn’t stop there. Gaming companies realized there were other ways to nerf the game (typically un-noticed) rather than nerfing the weapons (completely noticed and massively unpopular). For example, SMGs have a high rate of fire. With permanent reticles while ADSing and hip-firing, any CQB situation was a guaranteed loss. To make matters worse, aim assist allowed controller players to lock on to the enemy and fire without missing a shot. Like I said, instant Game-Over.
What was their solution this time? NO reticle when running OR firing with an SMG.
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As gaming has progressed, most reticles now stay on the screen as you play, except of course for the sniper rifles. However, the types/styles of reticles are still manipulated giving players an inconsistent gaming experience.
As players, we have preferences for every item, perk and setting that a game may offer. The gaming companies are aware of this and have data on which options for each is most popular. This is where “subtle nerfing” is introduced and popular items are suddenly tweaked, like altering a reticle to level the playing field. Imagine you have a favorite scope because you like the shooting distance, but after a small update it now has a bulky and distracting reticle. This is the reality of many facets in games now, and ADS is working to combat it.
ADS doesn’t get ride of the game’s reticle, but with the option to turn off reticles on most weapons, the players are winning their power back.
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"Over the last decade, I've worked on developing this dynamic tool for gamers like me. Now that the beta of ADS has been released, I am excited to share the journey that got me to this point."
N30R1L37
Creator & Developer
01
Screenshots
The original version of ADS was called Screenshots, and interestingly enough was a physical product. The idea of improving the scotch tape on your monitor trick was taken a bit too literally. Even though this version was left behind, it was the foundation for where ADS is today.
02
ADS v1.0
After taking the stickers as far as we could, it hit us – why not go the software route? V1 was started, and bam! Suddenly, we're in this world of limitless reticle styles, animations, and even sound. But you know what really kicked it up a notch? Training. Sure there are apps to help you practice aim and track targets but nothing that's like your game sidekick. With Screenshots, you can level up your skills in any game you're into.
03
ADS
It may seem obvious that a digital version should have been pursued from the beginning, but the extra time to make that decision formed ADS perfectly. Not many startups make it to beta, much less past that point. So, every evening spent developing this tool has been the most rewarding memory.
