Epic Games bans double movement for Fortnite on PC

Fortnite has finally banned the use of Double Movement in the game.

The double-movement keybind feature has now been disabled in Fortnite, leaving a majority of the the Fortnite pro community enraged. Previously, PC players could use a certain technique to copy the movement style of players using controllers in Fortnite. This feature was popularly known as double movement.

Fortnite Community:We want 100% chest spawn rateWe want disable pre-editsWe want the servers fixed so there is no endgame lagFortnite:Okay ill take double movement out

— Nate Empson (@natedemp) November 3, 2020

While several in the Fortnite community confuse it with Macroing, it is not at all the same thing. Macroing is when players use third-party software. On the contrary, double movement allowed players to gain momentum without stopping.

This facilitated an easy transition for building, with diagonal movement becoming a realistic option in Fortnite. However, cheaters have been known to use macros to gain an advantage.

With the removal of double-movement through the recent patch though, Fortnite KBM players are furious. There are various reasons as to why this move was made, as we try to break down wha tempted Epic Games to remove double movement for Fortnite's PC players.

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Controller movement vs KBM in Fortnite

While playing Fortnite on a controller, the analog stick allows 360° movement. Not to mention the advantage of aim assist, which controllers already come equipped with in Fortnite. On controllers, players don't slow down when they're changing direction along a diagonal path.

For KBM players, holding down two keys (W and A for left diagonal) used to work fine on Fortnite. The problem that arises is that diagonal movement on the PC is slower. Therefore, controllers had the advantage of boasting consistent movement speed.

wait they banned macroing of it or overall double movement?

— king dis0w the 5th (@dis0w) November 3, 2020

Most professional PC players used double-movement binds in such a way that the direction key pressed twice, would give them a diagonal flow. Players could now move diagonally faster on PC. This gave players different opportunities, from getting a better angle on the enemy, to being able to build quicker.

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Epic Games banned double movement for Fortnite's PC players

GG FORTNITE COMPLETELY REMOVED DOUBLE MOVEMENT ON PC EVEN WITH NORMAL DOUBLE MOVEMENT BINDS

— Dan will be back... (@thatguydanfm) November 3, 2020

So why did Epic Games remove it? Firstly, double-movement macros became quite a prevalent cheating method in Fortnite. Players using a macro only had to press the direction button once, which meant that pressing A or D would provide a continuous diagonal movement towards left or right.

This allowed players to move past the physical mechanics of transitioning into a diagonal movement. Instead, they started off with a diagonal movement from the start. Keymapping essentially became a macro, which allowed Fortnite PC players to use double-movement, without having to press the two-directional buttons.

The difference is, PC players had to press three buttons at once to get double-movement going in Fortnite. With macros, this came down to only one button, and it was considered cheating. However, it is very tricky to catch players doing this.

I'm confused if bugha only uses left plastic double movement how does it go right with it in game? pic.twitter.com/geAJRFuX04

— rolls (@rollsfn) October 31, 2020

Fortnite World Champion Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf came out and said that he had been using a piece of plastic to move left with double movement. This meant that he had the plastic on the Caps Lock and A button, in that pushing one would automatically push the other. While this might not technically be cheating, the community did not take it well.

bro THERES NO SHOT THEY REMOVED DOUBLE MOVEMENT I HAVENT BEEN THIS MAD IN LIKE 6 MONTHS DUDE ARE YOU SERIOUS @BUGHA BROOOOOOOOO

— bucke (@BuckeFPS) November 3, 2020

Epic Games banned double-movement to discourage macros in Fortnite. It becomes quite challenging to differentiate between players' macroing, and players that are pressing three keys for diagonal movement. Thus, PC players using double-movement keybinds cannot do it anymore.

Just woke up and I’m confused about this double movement stuff.. so everyone’s mad at bugha because they aren’t allowed to macro anymore? Bet

— KNG Co1azo (@Co1azo) November 3, 2020

This was a legitimate concern for competitive PC players. The issue among them is that now they do not have an alternate option for double-movement in Fortnite.

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How to use double-movement after v14.50 update in Fortnite?

Reisshub made a YouTube video explaining what double-movement means in Fortnite. Towards the end, he hints at a strategy that can still be used.

He says, "For movement, the controller is the superior input. You have 360° movement based on the stick, but no one is saying that about the movement of the controller... Obviously, the pros are not happy."

"I don't think this is how it should be left. I think KBM players should have an option for this double-movement bind if possible. But I don't really know how they would do that without creating ways that are easily macroable."

Utilising a controller and orchestrating the dead zone can allow the player to use double-movement. However, this will make players stay in a state of constant motion in Fortnite. While that can be quite challenging for players to get used to, it is the best option PC players have right now.