Multiplayer Screen

Both CS:GO and Valorant have their game modes at the top of the screen as tabs. There isn't much difference in the ordering of the tabs, as both are laid out in order of what they deem most used or important (e.g., CS:GO's is Competitive and Wingman first (the two ranked game modes), and Valorant's is Unrated and Competitive first (ranked and unranked versions of the same mode)).

CS:GO has more game modes however, and each tab has multiple different options within it. For example, Competitive has options for a short (9 rounds) or long (16 rounds) match, as well as if it's ranked (affects matchmaking rank) or unranked (doesn't affect matchmaking rank). These sub options will be replicated in my Condition Zero remake because they work within the tabs they're in, so each tab is like an enclosed game mode in itself, similarly to an options menu, where there might be so many options that each are put under main tabs (like Video, Audio, etc.), and in those main tabs, many sub tabs are listed (for Video for example, Graphics, Resolution, etc.), which make everything organised and easy to sort through. The options that should persist through different modes (like Ranked Matches and Open Party) do, and stay checked or unchecked throughout the different tabs, which stops the problem of having to remake them for each tab.

In CS:GO, players can select which maps they want to play on, which allows them to learn a few maps and play those until they are comfortable, and then expand out to more maps. Since there are a lot of maps, this makes sense. In comparison, Valorant doesn't let players choose which maps they want to play on, instead picking a random one for them. This is good because it forces players to learn each map in order to have a chance at winning the match. However, there are a lot more downsides than upsides, some being:

• Players tend to "dodge" a map they don't like (not pick an agent, forcing the match to end before starting, wasting everyone's time)

• Most maps have very biased opinions from players, with some being negative, and others being positive (e.g., Icebox has a very negative perception, causing it to get layout changes which then further add time that players need to spend learning it, making them want to not play it more)

• New players will want to pick the map they like most and stick to it, like CS:GO players do. You cannot do this in Valorant. If a player gets a map they don't know how to play, and they don't want to dodge (it can give you a cooldown), then they will probably get shouted at by their teammates for not playing well, which then adds to the problem of toxicity

These downsides could be excused by the fact that there's short wait times for a match, or that there aren't as many maps in Valorant as there are in CS:GO, but if you queued for every map in CS:GO, the wait time would also be quite short, it's just that no one does that because no one knows how to play all the maps.

A downside to CS:GO's system though, is that trying to learn a new map is harder, because the player learning it will be against players who know the map and so won't be able to play to their full potential. This separation of players is very apparent in the hostage game mode, where most players who play the map "Office" know the map so well, even well-seasoned players will lose to them purely from their knowledge of the map from only playing that map. Not to mention the amount of cheaters that like to play it for one reason or another.

In conclusion, I will go the route of CS:GO's map selection, because it gives players the freedom of choice when playing, and no new player wants to be bombarded with multiple maps they suddenly need to learn just in case it gets chosen randomly. Having the knowledge and security of picking your favourite maps is something that should be available in any multiplayer game like Counter-Strike or Valorant, it just isn't fair on the player to expect them to learn every map the game has "just in case".