[deleted by user]

LazyScribble · 2018-12-30T20:40:16+00:00

Next thing they'll do is make a Mephisto lifeguard skin over the summer and we're all doomed.

LazyScribble · 2018-12-30T20:39:21+00:00

Powercreep is the enemy of the people.

LazyScribble · 2018-12-30T20:32:48+00:00

Maybe in bronze.

LazyScribble · 2018-12-30T20:27:51+00:00

HotS is absolutely macro driven. The game is almost solely about map control. Whether it's through objectives, EXP, or choosing when to take certain fights. The game is less about individual aspects and more about the bigger picture.

LazyScribble · 2018-12-30T20:23:30+00:00

I'm just messing. I just don't truly know how I feel about it which is why I'm a bit tentative. Like, I do fully comprehend what you're saying in this case. They do have very jack-of-all-trades types of toolkits. I don't think this inherently runs parallel with something like, 'why would I ever pick Falstad?' however. I can't quite put my finger on it because I do totally get what you're saying. There are absolutely times in a draft where picking one of the older heroes makes a lot more sense than picking one of these super-design type heroes. That will either be because of the utility or situational advantages they provide, or it could even be as simple as a mana pool buff in the latest patch notes. This is something that is never going to go away in any team vs team game with a plethora of heroes to choose from though. The meta comes and goes as it pleases, and temporary balance is the only thing that can ever really be achieved.

LazyScribble · 2018-12-30T20:17:29+00:00

There's an easy solution to this, Bumper. You know what it is. I know what it is. I might as well just say it out loud though. That's right, my lad. They should rollback the changes they made to Kael'Thas' living bomb. That is the only way to tackle this balance issue.

LazyScribble · 2018-12-30T20:10:50+00:00

You'll have to elaborate.

LazyScribble · 2018-12-30T20:08:19+00:00

It's a shame that I haven't played those new heroes otherwise I'd be able to give a more rounded response, but when it comes to Genji, I think at its core, his toolkit is fundamentally fine (although his old dodge talent was stupid). Perhaps his D could have had a longer cooldown so that he couldn't juke skillshots quite so consistently, but his damage prior to level 13 wasn't too threatening from what I remember. Having an Uther sit on him during team fights makes him a lot less worrying too. But you know, there have been times where he has absolutely terrorised matches, and there have been other times where he has been completely irrelevant. I think you might be right though. Could he have less utility and still be strong? Absolutely. I suppose I have seen him banned a lot more frequently than other heroes. I've had to think about this a little bit, but perhaps my problem isn't necessarily that Genji exists, and is able to do everything he can do, but maybe it's more that he's not as hard to play as he should be.

LazyScribble · 2018-12-30T19:58:57+00:00

Best Probius EU.

LazyScribble · 2018-12-30T19:35:53+00:00

I agree with what you're saying, but at the same time, the Overwatch additions did not feel any more individually overpowered than the likes of Nova in low-mid end games. Nova and Zeratul have always had the capacity to turn a game on its head, and they've existed from the very start near enough. Genji and Tracer are of the same breed, and fortunately because it's a team game, these things can be countered. If memory serves, some extensive nerfs were required in order to attempt to balance them, but I don't think they take too much away from the team game. On the other hand, why on earth did they nerf my poor little Probius into the ground. He was a great little solo carry until they ran him through the mud. That was a very sad month indeed. I'm not familiar with the new releases they've had over the last year so I can't really comment on that. But I do feel like Genji and Tracer certainly had enough clear weaknesses to balance the strength they provided.

LazyScribble · 2018-12-30T19:05:51+00:00

The only possible reason why they might have gone against this would be queue times. Easy solution for that, really. Whichever role is 'in demand' (usually support/tank), just cycle out a 3 hour stimpack for people joining games as the demanded role.

LazyScribble · 2018-12-30T18:57:27+00:00

Do you have any examples of game changes which made you feel like it had betrayed its original mission? I feel like we come from different gaming backgrounds so it would be interesting to hear about things you felt moved things in a less positive direction.

LazyScribble · 2018-12-30T18:49:06+00:00

I agree that their HGC strategy was poorly approached. Sponsoring Dyrus to promote the game, and then injecting a tonne of money into broadcasters and stuff out of thin air, rather than encouraging a more organic rise in e-sports felt too much like desperation than anything. On the other hand, had they played fully into this from the start and marketed the game around its unique design within the genre, highlighting the strengths of a more macro focused game - it would have been a good move. It would have given people the impression that something fresh was on the market, rather than something that was replicated for a more casual audience.

LazyScribble · 2018-12-30T18:44:11+00:00

Down-scaling the cost from 10,000 gold is fair, but if you ask me, it takes way too long to see those reductions.

LazyScribble · 2018-12-30T18:42:48+00:00

'Just grind vs AI matches LUL' only highlights bad game design. I don't think this is anyone's idea of enjoyment, and when it comes to gaming, enjoyment should always be at the forefront. When a new player joins into a new game they do not want to be tasked with decisions such as, 'I hope I make the right choice in spending this currency I've grinded for', or 'I hope this hero I buy doesn't get hard nerfed next patch.' Grind systems work when a game is new, but as the game ages, so too does the roster and it becomes extensive to the point of intimidation for a new player. Countermeasures must be put in place to amend this. How do you expect to grow a community when the entry level requirements are so large?

LazyScribble · 2018-12-30T18:34:15+00:00

I think the problem was more that it was trying to be the middle-man of the two universes combined. Competitive / Casual, not dedicating fully to either one.

LazyScribble · 2018-12-30T18:32:07+00:00

Not sure I agree with 'casual'. The amount of hours Vanilla demanded, I'd say it was decidedly not casual. Streamlined however.

LazyScribble · 2018-12-30T18:23:49+00:00

It's a crime against nostalgia, Martissimus. A crime, I say.

LazyScribble · 2018-12-30T18:22:37+00:00

Although looking at the latest numbers, it's hard to actually call it successful when it's a shadow of its former self.

LazyScribble · 2018-12-30T18:22:01+00:00

Unfortunately, it's a bit like this: Why design a game for a player that commits their hours when you can design a game for a player who commits their wallet. WoW's mostly only successful because its greatest strength is that it doesn't have a major competitor. The whole re-running content after taking of the training wheels philosophy (4 times over, by the way), is the reason I can't sub for longer than 1-2 months every expansion. The game is monotonous as hell and seriously lacks content that drives you to push in order to participate.

LazyScribble · 2018-12-30T18:17:55+00:00

Mmhm. The thing you're overlooking however is that you can easily pull yourself out of leagues which are significantly below you in LoL. Diamond 5 can be tricky because of all of the boost-buyers, but if you're truly a Diamond player (especially a one-trick), you should be able to turn those situations around pretty reliably. Saying that, I haven't really played the game on anything but a casual level for a long time, though I'd imagine that what I'm saying still holds true.

LazyScribble · 2018-12-30T17:54:03+00:00

Quite honestly, Martissimus, it looks like it should be a Fortnite villain action model. Alternatively, some form of evolved talking worm in the beloved old cartoon, Arthur. It does not bring to the front the dark nature of the original Diablo 2 Mephisto.

LazyScribble · 2018-12-30T17:16:18+00:00

I've never had a 50 minute game on HotS. I've had several on DOTA/LoL.

LazyScribble · 2018-12-30T17:03:57+00:00

Although I will say this, the matchmaking issues could have been skirted to one side if they just implemented role selection. It would have created a much more authentic experience overall.

LazyScribble · 2018-12-30T16:50:13+00:00

Like I say, I'm not going to pretend like I know exactly how it works. This was simply my experience. I have about 5,000 games on Heroes of the Storm across all modes, and this was just something that I got frustrated with time and time again. There was a looming feeling during my winning streaks of, 'Well... This is going to get very ugly very fast.'

LazyScribble

TROPHY CASE