Heroes of the Storm in sight for a long time. On the past Pax East Blizzard announced the upcoming student tournament, showed a new card (seventh in a row, "" The tomb of the queen spider ") And the new heroine – Silvan, in the appearance of which no one doubted for a long time. What's next?
While everyone was running in circles, Gambling managed to catch the head of the development of Hots (and at the same time Starcraft 2) Dustina Brower and talk with him about what is happening with the game. And what does not happen to her.
How to educate players: about clans, cooperation and disciplinary measures
Heroes of the Storm has one specific feature. IN League of Legends And Dota 2 The outcome of a regular party with random teams can be decided by one very good player who will block the weaknesses of his partners. In Heroes of the Storm, the opposite is true: one not too good player can pull the whole team to the bottom. Given the fact that many play such games in the "Pub" (Solo Queue) with strangers, you can understand their dissatisfaction. Do you see a problem in this?
First of all, the best way to play in Hots – This is to get out of the "pub". Games with random partners are good in their own way, but if I want a serious game, I will look for a team. It’s as if you wanted to become a professional basketball player, but did not want to sign a contract. It doesn't work like that!
What do we want to do is to encourage players to cooperate through social systems. Similarly, as in World of Warcraft You are playing not alone, but with a guild.
► Dustin Broveder (left). Photo: Dmitry Bubonets.
So, there will be not only teams in Hots, but also clans.
They are not yet, but yes, they will. In the most general terms: you get together and get bonuses for the game in the group. Additional experience, additional gold – all that we can give you, if only you play together. It doesn't matter what we will have to do for this. We want you to unite with those who think how you. Wish, say, competition and call – I will find a hardcore clan. I want to play just like that-I will also find someone and spend time well.
Perhaps now Hots cuts all under one comb, throws you into one pile. “Well, guys, we are here, we are going, let's just play. All agree? »No, not all! Everyone has different priorities even at different times of the day: sometimes I want to compete, sometimes – skip a glass and just have fun.
Now we are distinguishing interests by modes. In the "Fast match" you take the hero, and go ahead. Just playing without unnecessary worries. If, for example, I study a new character and have no idea how to play for him, this mode is for me.
Hero League hints that this is already a more serious version of the game. Let it are not completely serious – in the end, you first see your partners. Here you dive into the game and first delve into how the team collection works. You do not have a good composition, you do not always reasonably combine heroes, you do not have combinations – but this is almost like a competition. In addition, there is its own rating system.
But in order to truly prove themselves, people go to Team League. Up to nine people in the team, five for the game. You can be in three teams, each has a separate place in the ranking. Gather people (probably in the same Hero League), start playing with them and understand what the test you actually.
Unsuccessful partners are the trouble of all team games, there is no getting away from it. As you plan to escape?
To get started, we want to add the “plug everyone” button (Mute All). This is the simplest measure, but it really works.
We still think about a separate rating system-just as they do in other games where you can evaluate the player after the match. The problem is one: it's like punishing a robber after he surrounds your house. Yes, you punished someone for yelling at you, and it became a little easier for you-but the sensations from the party are already spoiled. However, this is unlikely to prevent us from adding a similar system.
If you summarize, in the very near future there will appear Mute All, a little later the clans, then – the assessment system.
Illidan v. Zagara: What should the teams be
There are many heroes who are not too interesting in the open fight, but are able to control the card, as if it was happening in some RTS, for example, the same tanning. At the same time, there are very missing “action” heroes like Illidan or Zeratula. Why so?
One thing I can say for sure: we are not going to focus on something one.
This is crazy. This is a game without rules. No matter what we want to add, we will add it. There will be strategic heroes, there will be tactical https://win-diggers-casino.co.uk/ – we want to cover as many styles as possible. Characters like Illidan, like Raynor, like tanning, complex heroes, simple heroes, strategic heroes, tactical heroes – all! Diversity is our main value. Like in Starcraft: we need as much insanity and as much space as physically possible.
In Hots, teams rarely do without specialized doctors. Without them, simply nowhere – while one of the teams has a attending “battery”, the other has very little chance of a battle with her. Doesn't it seem to you that this slightly limits the flight of fantasy?
Now we really have a lot of doctors, and so far we have not decided that we want to contrast them. Most likely, there will be heroes who can spoil the doctors of all raspberries, such "anti -poles".
I like the way the doctors figured out the same Lol or Dota. There are almost no narrowly focused healers, treatment is a rare and situational thing. In most cases, attacking characters can save themselves.
Yes. But in our case, the point is that we love narrowly focused doctors. They always took root in our games, we like everything connected with them. Even if they are difficult to balance them, we can handle. We like this style of play, and we do not want to refuse it.
The challenge that is abandoned to us is to make sure that the healers are not too strong.
Murchal and white crows: about non -traditional mechanics
Experiments with heroes in Hots really change the approach to the game, but lead to strange results. Take Murky (murky). From the moment of his appearance in the game, he replaced a lot of specializations, and in each he managed to be known as an annoying bastard, after which he, as a rule, is Nerfili. Now he is very strange. Whether the feeling arose that this time the hero’s idea came to a standstill?
It seems to me that everything is fine with Murchal – you just need to correct some of its parameters. As practice shows, it is not much weaker than many popular heroes.
But before, he had pronounced strengths, and after the last “nerves” he became neither fish (hehe) nor meat … than he should be at all?
Something strange.
This is a strange hero, and so he was originally conceived. He is a killer? A little. He is a siege hero? Places. Yes, this is a strange character, and the player's task is to understand how to use it creatively. He can kill heroes? Yes, maybe. Destroy the fortifications? It happens. Of course, it is not as effective in the siege as before, but when he was a purely siege hero, it was not so interesting to play for him. We want you to have more reasons to use it in command skirmishes – moreover, again, to use it in a rather strange way. Murchal is not involved in the fight as, say, Valla. He is closer to … I don't even know who. This Murlock outside the classification.
We try to have more such heroes. Here, say, Lost Vikings. They are "tanks"? It happens. They … who are they there? One of the most powerful tactics with the participation of the Vikings that I saw was this: you put one viking on each of the lines, and send the rest of the heroes to a walk. As a result, you continue to collect experience on all three fronts, and at the same time, four heroes immediately run freely on the map. This is a nightmare Gank-squad. Standing yourself on the upper line, do not touch anyone: “Ah, I have just a little Viking here … Holy Hedgehog!"
The players are used to the fact that they have a clear classification, they are used to scrupulously follow her. Our business is to say that everything is wrong, and to motivate creative approach. Make the players think non -standard, come up with new applications, compose new wild strategies and help the game change.
But is it possible that at one point the players will come up with something too wild?
I have no idea!
OK.
I really have no idea!
At first we were assured: "You cannot make a game without" Lasthits ". You cannot make a game without gold ". Not even like that – not just "cannot", but "you should not!". “Yes, how dare you!"
Nevertheless, we do it. And it turns out seems to be great.
We want everything to work differently. We want to make players think. How can you use why it is necessary … and we will continue to throw new trials with which the HOTS audience will have fun for many more years. And what will come of it – we will see.
