Marvel Rivals Configs Bannable
This is in my opinion, one of the worst decisions NetEase could make. I understand wanting to stop unfair advantages through paks and mods (eg. removing fog visuals on the map), but banning all configs outright feels like the wrong solution. It’s no surprise that Marvel Rivals has some SERIOUS optimization problems, with some high end pcs struggling to even reach 120 FPS in team fights. In my opinion, this change will not only lead to a decreasing playerbase, but also a very frustrated community (especially for the lower end PC users).
For a huge part of the playerbase, configs are not about gaining some ”competitive exploit” but more about making the game actually playable and enjoyable. I myself, would like to think I have a decent PC. With an RTX 3080, I can run other FPS games such as Overwatch and Valorant perfectly fine at 200 FPS, but for Marvel I struggle to even reach 100 FPS without a config. A lot of people use these potato configs to stabilize their FPS, reduce stuttering, and overall make teamfights more readable on lower end hardware. When your game drops into a slideshow during ult heavy fights, players are naturally going to look for ways to improve their performance.
This has been an ongoing issues since the start of the game release. No doubt, the game is terribly optimized and is one of the main reasons why many stay away from the game itself. Marvel Rivals is an extremely fast paced game, and performance will directly affect gameplay. Instead of focusing on bans, I think the priority should be
- Better optimization overall
- More in game graphics customization
- Reduced visual clutter options
- CPU optimization during large fights
- Better frame consistency, not just average FPS
Right now, many configs exist because players feel the default settings don’t give enough performance control. Of course, there are also players who use configs to their advantage, which is not okay, but this change just seems to harm lower end hardware players MORE. If the game had proper performance options built in, most people wouldn’t bother touching external configs to enhance their FPS.
And honestly, banning configs without solving optimization first just punishes the wrong group of players
- People with older PCs
- People will mid end to lower end PCs (even HIGH end PCs struggle sometimes)
- Students
- Players in regions where upgrading hardware is extremely expensive and in practical
Now I agree that configs giving unintended gameplay advantages should be addressed. Things like removing important map effects entirely or altering visibility beyond intended design obviously should not be allowed. But there’s a difference between exploitative configs and performance focused tweaks.
If the concern is competitive integrity, then the best long term solution is giving everyone better performance through optimization and official settings. Not removing one of the only tools lower end PC users currently have to make the game run smoothly. A competitive game should be decided by player skill, not by whose PC can survive the team fight.
I implore NetEase to reevaluate their decision making these configs bannable, because for many players like me, I will not be touching the game if I cannot run the game without massive frame drops.