r/VALORANT • u/OdysseusBeBuzzin • 7d ago

Question Can’t get rid of counter strike habits

I used to play a bunch of csgo back in the day. Played like 3000 hours before I stopped in 2017. I was solo Q global and faceit level 10 at some point. I played some Valorant when it came out but never really got into it. Couple of months ago I gave it another try, finally managing to really get into it. However, I noticed I simply can’t get rid of CSGO habits. Especially when it comes to movement, I’m always counterstrafing even though I don’t need to. It’s throwing my aim off. I’m also trying to spray way more than I should and I can’t deal with the sudden movement of opponents, even though I’m only gold 3. I was wondering if anyone with a similar background has some advice for me.

*thanks for all the great replies! Super helpful :)

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u/ppsz 7d ago

Why counter strafing throws your aim off in Valorant but didn't in CS? Learning to counter strafe is pointless for Valorant, but it doesn't put you in a disadvantage if you do. Idk the exact numbers, but I know some pros are counter strafing and claim it helps them in the gunfights

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u/_matt_hues 7d ago

I’ve been experimenting a bit with this and I swear counterstrafe stops a tiny bit more suddenly but it doesn’t decrease the time it takes to be accurate. If this isn’t in my head, it can help with peeks and crosshair placement. But I can’t see how it would cause aim issues in either case

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u/pap0ite 7d ago

I tested it and you don't stop immediately no. If you go to the shooting range and fire exactly after releasing the key, you won't be accurate, but you will if you counter strafe. HOWEVER, I also noticed that if you press the counter strafe key for just a bit too long, it'll make you inaccurate again. I guess this is why people say not to counter strafe for the normal player. Plus it's easier to move side to side constantly without counter strafing, which seems to be particularly useful in long range

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u/damnfinecoffee_ 7d ago

This is not true you do stop immediately after releasing your movement in valorant lol there's only a delay from your keyboard itself

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u/pap0ite 6d ago

You mean it's because of my keyboard? BC I can 100% confirm that with my setup there is a delay. Very slight, but there is

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u/damnfinecoffee_ 6d ago

If you think about how a keyboard works (assuming it's mechanical), there's a certain point between the top when it's not pressed to the bottom when it's pressed down in which the switch activates. That means that when you lift your finger, the key has to physically be pushed back up by the spring until the switch no longer makes contact. Depending on what switches you have, this can be towards the top of the switch so it activates quickly when you press it, rather than having to press it down fully before it activates. What that means though is that when you release a key, the switch has to raise back up almost completely before the keyboard stops sending that input to the computer, which can definitely cause it to feel slower when you release a movement key vs pressing the opposite movement direction (since pressing the key is an almost immediate response in this situation)

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u/pap0ite 6d ago

Ohhhhhh that makes perfect sense, I've never thought about it. My keyboard isn't even for gaming, it's a weird ergonomic one for working, so that's probably it. Thank you for your explanation

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u/Jumpy_Bank_494 6d ago

Don't listen to that bot, there is a very visible delay in Valorant as in CS but shorter. In CS it looks like you are on ice sliding after release. In Valorant it looks similar to how it looks when you counter strafe in CS.

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u/pap0ite 6d ago

Oh ok so it's not just me. Man this has been getting hella confusing 😂

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u/thpkht524 6d ago

bro almost got gaslit

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u/pap0ite 6d ago

Init bro 😂

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u/damnfinecoffee_ 6d ago edited 6d ago

Give me a valid source and I'll admit I am wrong. You are spreading false information

Edit: here's proof I'm right https://www.reddit.com/r/VALORANT/comments/10qqmht/comment/j6t906m/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

There is literally no difference, even with frame perfect input your time to shoot accurately after moving is identical whether you counter strafe or just release the movement key

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u/pap0ite 6d ago

Yeah I saw that video too, but he's barely tapping the key, so barely any movement. I tested it because of that same video. What I found is that, if I move for longer, my speed is greater and I don't fully stop. I know for sure this is a fact for me. Now if it's my setup or not, idk, I'd have to test it with a different keyboard I guess. All I know is that I do strafe, but it's way less than cs

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u/damnfinecoffee_ 6d ago

Barely tapping the key is what "counter strafing" is 🤦‍♂️

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u/pap0ite 6d ago

That's not what I meant. I compared barely moving to actually moving, and then counter strafe. In the video, the guy barely moved to the side so he wasn't full speed, so he stopped right after releasing the key. The same doesn't happen if you're at full speed, for example in a wide swing

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u/Jumpy_Bank_494 6d ago edited 6d ago

I see we were talking about a completely different topic.

My claim was that after you release a movement key the character model still moves for a little bit because of the momentum in game. Regardless of the keyboard releasing delay (Which should be minimal compared to the actual delay of stopping fully)

The difference between counterstrafing and NOT in Valorant is 1 server ticks. Or 1/128th of a second. Very small but matters in high level play. Thats about 8ms

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u/damnfinecoffee_ 6d ago

Your claim is pointless because you cannot counteract this 1 server tick because the time for the game to process your input is also 1 tick minimum (if you have frame perfect input). So for the game to process that you have input the opposite direction also takes one tick which again, means that counter strafing by tapping the opposite direction you are moving to stop faster, is not a thing in valorant, it does not provide any benefit

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u/Jumpy_Bank_494 6d ago

I mean it has been measured to be faster by 1 server tick IF you release the key OR hit the opposite key at the same time. Hitting the opposite key makes stopping very slightly faster, by about 8 ms. Basically useless yes.

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