They've cleaned up all the unneeded junk like items and masteries and crap that... A: Wasted time B: Rewarded fidgeting with spreadsheets over skill In HOTS it's all about who plays better, NOT who has the better build. It's such a streamlined version of the genre, and I absolutely love it! Nothing but fun.
Gotta say I'm both a fan, an not a fan all at the same time. It was nice to have some breathing time when doing MOBAs. Gave me a bit of time to think, and made the action all that more special an intense. Instead they condensed a 40 min League game into 18-25 minutes. While I appreciate the extra reward for skill, making objectives a pretty massive priority, and the overall easy of play with less things on your mind. The small maps, and constant intense action kinda makes me not like it. Overall I am neither for or against it at this point.
Played it for a short time - couldn't help but feel that it is such an inferior game to DotA and LoL (same way LoL is to DotA). You don't get to make any decisions other than combat ones, you don't get to make strategic decisions with your build, you don't get to plan ahead with runes & masteries (wasted time wat xD), you don't get to mechanically destroy the opponent in 1v1 or 2v2 in lane/farm face. It's just a baby-version of the MOBA genre as in that it requires no different decision making than an FPS does. I wouldn't call removing all the aforementioned elements "streamlining" by any means though. MOBA's are supposed to reward skill and game knowledge equally, "fidgetting with spread sheets" is equally important to "clicking" in the vast majority of games. I should have the option to employ superior game knowledge into my build or runes or masteries or w/e as an alternative to having high mechanics. You just make it sound as if having the better build is a "cheap" way to win. The way it is now, HotS requires half the game knowledge LoL does (and LoL 3/4's of DotA's) - if you feel the game isn't too shallow for you, go for it Personally I'd rather take SMITE over HotS any day.
SMITE is fun too. In a "Hey, It's like a WoW Arena, but actually balanced" kinda way. But saying HOTS the "baby of the MOBA genre" seems wildly inaccurate. It is entirely about skill. Nothing else matters. If anything, I'd describe it more as the "Ultimate Evolution of the MOBA genre". It requires all of the same gameplay knowledge as LOL or DOTA, but focuses all of that into the game, and not on stuff that happens outside of the game. Having now played HOTS, DOTA, and LOL (alot), HOTS is clearly the superior game.
How on earth does that make sense? It's as if you judge the game subjectively and then draw objective conclusions. I mean I can understand that you like HotS more, but on what grounds do you claim that removing a bunch of features and stripping the game of half the MOBA characteristics makes it an "ultimate evolution" Again, I'm not talking about what you like more, but what is genuinely a better game due to what it provides - I like LoL more, but it is undeniable that DotA is in fact the best MOBA out there. Edit: I also don't see how the "baby" claims are inaccurate in any way, I explained why I used that term (difficulty toned down, features removed, decision making reduced) - the fact that what remains to win a game is mostly skill (aka mechanics) doesn't make the game any less "advanced" compared to its counterparts, hence the term "baby" And this ^ is a joke, you can't possibly be serious
Simple. LOL has a bunch of unnecessary systems gunking up the game. It's like the variants of Chess where you add in extra rules for each piece. Sure, it can be fun. And LOL is definitely fun. But it isn't needed for a streamlined game focused purely on skill. The refined version of the game is still the ultimate version of the game. And that's exactly what HOTS has done, it's removed systems that aren't needed. Not at all. Note that I said Gameplay knowledge. Not knowledge of unnecessary systems. You still need to know how to play your character, you need to know what your opponents are capable of, you need to have awareness of the what's going on around the map, you need to know how to work as a team, etc, etc. Anyway. At the end of the day, if you want a game that focuses more on building your character out of the game, LOL is your game. If you want a game that focuses more one what you do in the game, HOTS is your game.
Out of the whole last post, this the only truth I see. Everything else I find completely false but I don't think any one of us is willing to change their mind so I think we should end this here
I don't typically have much fun in LOL or DOTA (less fun in DOTA) because of the inherent snowball mechanics in those games. I recognize at the high skill levels it is different, but for me as a casual, the game is won or lost almost always on early mistakes (usually lack of coordination with teammates). Maybe this is because I am bad, and so I almost always lose in the laning phase before I feel like I have gotten to actually play the game, but it does seem odd to so intensely reward winning with... better chance of winning later (of course, games like Pox inherently do this as well). Even in the pro-scenes it leads to funny situations where the casters to sound excited when a team is rolling over the other team and is winning later fights by doing whatever the hell they want, instead of actually having to play well. It's basically like playing basketball... but where the team that the winning teams gets to shoot for 3 points from closer and closer to the basket the more they win, while the losing team's basket moves higher and higher away from the court. Heroes of the Storm improves on this by removing those mechanics largely, and letting me just play the game. I never feel like I am irreversibly behind unless people on my team are just continuously being stupid or leaving. They also add team based mechanics where they reward team coordination over individual skill. On the other hand, it is also very boring, and when you do get a bad team and you are doing well, the lack of ability for you to carry is frustrating as you face an enemy team that seems vastly more coordinated. I think if I had a pre-made 5 in HOTS to play with with voice chat, I'd enjoy it quite a bit more than the same in League.
I think it does improve it if you are looking for a game where your skill/coordination in particular situation is more emphasized, rather than how well you did previously like most MOBAs. The problem is largely that HOTS doesn't give you very much when you DO win an advantage, so it's a bit like pulling teeth and you rarely feel like you are winning or had a great game. Some maps are better than others in having an impact when you actually accomplish the objectives, but they could also improve the experience by giving everyone better feedback as to who is doing well or providing more objectives that are temporary buffs to individual characters that you have to use aggressively - similar to the change they made to the Dragon in League recently.
Seems like you have a pretty good grasp of it Soko-bro. I can' really disagree with anything you said. It does emphasize skill and coordination more than the others do, but you're also right that you don't really have much feedback on when you're doing good or bad. I've had two games now that had "surprise" endings where I thought the game was going to continue going back and forth a bit more, when all of a sudden the stars aligned, and one team or the other pushed for the win.
