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Heroes of the Storm Technical Alpha Thread: [Artifacts Removed]

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Right. Getting angry over this is just silly. It's Alpha. Things change. If you strongly dislike it - articulate your feelings on the forums and they will listen.

They want the game to succeed. The problem is that if the runes/artifacts are removed - there *WILL* be some other gold sink implemented in its place. The game's function is not just delivering a good product to the gamer... but also to create a method of generating income to the developer. This is ESPECIALLY true if the game is "Free" to Play.

I just wonder what they'll come up with in its stead.
I didn't mind them making money, I minded them making everything horrible to play.

Hell if they wanted to make heroes cost 5 times more gold that would still have been better as at least you could have them optimal shortly after getting them.
 
Wow total 180 on that change and that's a good thing. They are obviously listening to what their fans are saying and that's great.
 
Wow total 180 on that change and that's a good thing. They are obviously listening to what their fans are saying and that's great.

Well they couldn't ignore them. There was a very VERY vocal majority to change the talent system and the artifacts.

So about all that gold I spent on artifacts...
 
I'm so stoked I quit playing as soon as artifacts got spoiled in that blog like two weeks ago and never got the chance to spend any of the free gold. I'm going to buy the shit out of some heroes.
 
Oh dear god I am so happy now. Really glad they didn't continue with the artifact system as its clearly a broken idea for the style of HotS, and there are far better ways to make people spend their gold. I want Heroes to stay as a pick-up-and-play style MOBA that isn't straight off the bat unbalanced, because this is what I enjoy the most.

Also really glad to see the levelling changes, gating talents was okay in that it teaches players, but the XP needed was astronomical.
 
I can already see a random loot drop at the end of a match that you have to maintain by paying gold per match so that it doesn't break. It will have commons and legendaries from the world of blizzard :( or :)
 
Well that's welcome news, I'm equal parts surprised and pleased. Hopefully whatever money sinks they come up with from here out will be more cosmetic, or at least less of a burden.
 
I hope they send out a new wave of invites soon, I can't wait to play another DB-designed game (I am a fan of RA2 and SC2). I find it interesting how Blizzard has chosen to monetize the game, I was almost absolutely sure they would go the DOTA2 route in that respect. I wonder if they would still be open to modifying it. Blizzcon is in October so I am sure we can expect some major announcements there.
 
Yeah they nuked the system with extreme prejudice - was just over a week from implementation to annihilation, that's VERY fast for an entire system to be removed.
 
Forgive me for not spelunking in the thread but does anyone here have advice or invites to the alpha? I am a MOBA noob but I suspect I would prefer this to LoL and DOTA2
 
Forgive me for not spelunking in the thread but does anyone here have advice or invites to the alpha? I am a MOBA noob but I suspect I would prefer this to LoL and DOTA2


wish i could give you an invite, i am a moba noob too and i like hots.
 
a good developer would have used common sense to know it was a dumb idea in the first place

When you're the one writing software, your motivations and perspective are wildly different from those who are only consuming it. Very often it takes outsider feedback to make you realize that your priorities and users' sensibilities are out of sync
 
Just recently got into the Alpha and finally got around to giving this a shot tonight. Pretty fun. My experience with MOBAs is very limited so this game seems more newbie friendly. It's been pretty easy to understand the heroes that I've played.

I hear you get a bonus for playing in a party (or with friends? I forget which) so what would be a good place to find people at an intro skill level? Or should I just keep doing Practice/Cooperative until I feel comfortable enough to go against real people?
 
Just recently got into the Alpha and finally got around to giving this a shot tonight. Pretty fun. My experience with MOBAs is very limited so this game seems more newbie friendly. It's been pretty easy to understand the heroes that I've played.

I hear you get a bonus for playing in a party (or with friends? I forget which) so what would be a good place to find people at an intro skill level? Or should I just keep doing Practice/Cooperative until I feel comfortable enough to go against real people?

Friends. It's not entirely uncommon to just friend list people you're getting randomly matched with. No real 'when' to go into versus, know that even though it's alpha there can be some toxic people - so it's going to be when you think you can stomach someone being a total dipshit. It's nowhere near league/dota levels, but it's there. Even just saying your new might get some sneers but you'll probably also meet friendly people.
 
Dunno...
Arti fact could have stayed.. But..talent gating AND insane gold cost of heroes given the new daily reward in gold.... Quite lame..
 
When you're the one writing software, your motivations and perspective are wildly different from those who are only consuming it. Very often it takes outsider feedback to make you realize that your priorities and users' sensibilities are out of sync

You do know this is an alpha right? Blizzard isn't omnipotent, they have to see what does and doesn't work for their game.
these guys are so insanely late to the party

the models that are consumer friendly have already been figured out

they went beyond those and duh people got pissed off

they either have to have their head so far up your ass that you have no clue whats happening elsewhere in the world, or they were intentionally going into screwing people (and their game) over for money territory
 
these guys are so insanely late to the party

the models that are consumer friendly have already been figured out

they went beyond those and duh people got pissed off

they either have to have their head so far up your ass that you have no clue whats happening elsewhere in the world, or they were intentionally going into screwing people (and their game) over for money territory

But LoL is the most popular online game in the world, and it still has the Runes system??
 
Yes, obviously, but holy shit it's hyperbolic and insane to say that because they tested out a system that is also in the most popular game in the world during an ALPHA that they're completely incompetent and moronic. Does that mean the League devs are all awful people too?

Like, there can be a middle ground, which is that Blizz is a good developer that lost sight for a minute of what people would think of Artifacts. Seems simple enough to me. If you've ever been in a LEGITIMATE alpha test before you've seen plenty of stupid ideas in any number of games before that were removed. The only reason we see all of this is because Blizz invites outside parties into their alphas, and they make blog updates and stuff because they know this shit is going to leak out anyway (and it used to before they started doing that).

Let's take it another extreme: If Blizz was smart enough to remove the system within a week, what does it mean for League where they let it go live and literally cannot remove it now without screwing people out of real life money (boosts/champs unbought because of runes, etc)?

Like, get a grip.
 
Back to the actual game - gods I'm sicking of pick up groups with Hammer.

Theoretically a totally overpowered hero right now, but in practice more often than not the reason we wipe because the Hammer player thinks that going solo in a lane is the best use of the tank. When the enemy is making a massive death ball push down the middle, where is the tank - pushing solo south for absolutely no purpose.

Has happened so often now I'm just hoping she gets dropped out of the free hero rotation. Just because in practice games she can solo a lane from start to the core doesn't mean in a normal game she should or can.
 
Back to the actual game - gods I'm sicking of pick up groups with Hammer.

Theoretically a totally overpowered hero right now, but in practice more often than not the reason we wipe because the Hammer player thinks that going solo in a lane is the best use of the tank. When the enemy is making a massive death ball push down the middle, where is the tank - pushing solo south for absolutely no purpose.

Has happened so often now I'm just hoping she gets dropped out of the free hero rotation. Just because in practice games she can solo a lane from start to the core doesn't mean in a normal game she should or can.

I think all of the specialists, maybe not witch doctor, feel that way when pugging. Unorthodox playstyle characters lead to lots of people just experimenting or being bad in general at them.
 
I'm having a good time with the game. Feels very polished for an Alpha build but from what I read they are definitely trying out new things.

I've been playing around with the free heroes, mostly enjoying Tyrael and Tyrande. Cooperative mode has been fine but when I hop into Versus, pretty much every game I play goes horribly south though. I've noticed there is a good advantage to pushing the objective, but usually my team ignores it and continues to lane or just plays catch up with the enemy. I feel like I'm out of the loop, doesn't help that most people I encounter do not communicate and just say "noobs" or what not.

Anywhere I can read up on some general tips and strategy?
 
Yes, obviously, but holy shit it's hyperbolic and insane to say that because they tested out a system that is also in the most popular game in the world during an ALPHA that they're completely incompetent and moronic. Does that mean the League devs are all awful people too?

I dunno, but League's business model is fucking awful and it's a damned shame that it's so popular because now everyone is copying it.

these guys are so insanely late to the party

the models that are consumer friendly have already been figured out

they went beyond those and duh people got pissed off

they either have to have their head so far up your ass that you have no clue whats happening elsewhere in the world, or they were intentionally going into screwing people (and their game) over for money territory

Yeah and unfortunately they went with one that isn't :(
 
Expecting everyone to have the backend to make the Dota2 model work is unrealistic and League employs a better method for introducing new players (which is why Valve now copies it with a rotation mode for new players).
 
Friends. It's not entirely uncommon to just friend list people you're getting randomly matched with. No real 'when' to go into versus, know that even though it's alpha there can be some toxic people - so it's going to be when you think you can stomach someone being a total dipshit. It's nowhere near league/dota levels, but it's there. Even just saying your new might get some sneers but you'll probably also meet friendly people.
Want to just add to this message that you can mute any teammate's text chat while in game from the score screen (Tab). Hell, if someone is being a shithead just mentioning that you may block him may make him behave.

Back to the actual game - gods I'm sicking of pick up groups with Hammer.

Theoretically a totally overpowered hero right now, but in practice more often than not the reason we wipe because the Hammer player thinks that going solo in a lane is the best use of the tank. When the enemy is making a massive death ball push down the middle, where is the tank - pushing solo south for absolutely no purpose.

Has happened so often now I'm just hoping she gets dropped out of the free hero rotation. Just because in practice games she can solo a lane from start to the core doesn't mean in a normal game she should or can.

I think all of the specialists, maybe not witch doctor, feel that way when pugging. Unorthodox playstyle characters lead to lots of people just experimenting or being bad in general at them.

In defense, Specialists are often both A)the best solo/split pushers on the team, and B)really weak in team fights unless the team accounts for them. Murky and Abathur need to be played off of. Witch Doctor, Hammer, and Zagara need to be protected so they can get into the best positions for their abilities. And there are times where it's sometimes worth trading an objective if you can quickly trade an enemy fort for it (and often worth trading if it's an inner keep) before trying to run and catch up to the end of a team fight.

To be fair to your complaints, split pushing in this game is much weaker than I'd like it to be. Like Gazlowe running amok through merc camps, it's really really hard to do against a decent 5man.
 
Oh I don't think the specialists are weak, far from it. I *DO* think that the average random pubby player though can only play the most standard game possible (In league, dota, or heroes) and these heroes are not suited to it. So at worst, they just play like a normal character, or they vaguely understand (as in the sgt hammer example) a strength of their character and push that to the extreme of uselessness.
 
But LoL is the most popular online game in the world, and it still has the Runes system??

okay cool

Yes, obviously, but holy shit it's hyperbolic and insane to say that because they tested out a system that is also in the most popular game in the world during an ALPHA that they're completely incompetent and moronic. Does that mean the League devs are all awful people too?

Like, there can be a middle ground, which is that Blizz is a good developer that lost sight for a minute of what people would think of Artifacts. Seems simple enough to me. If you've ever been in a LEGITIMATE alpha test before you've seen plenty of stupid ideas in any number of games before that were removed. The only reason we see all of this is because Blizz invites outside parties into their alphas, and they make blog updates and stuff because they know this shit is going to leak out anyway (and it used to before they started doing that).

Let's take it another extreme: If Blizz was smart enough to remove the system within a week, what does it mean for League where they let it go live and literally cannot remove it now without screwing people out of real life money (boosts/champs unbought because of runes, etc)?

Like, get a grip.
well it means that league has a bad monetary aspect? duh we already knew that

and why would they try to copy it in any way shape or form? its not for the benefit of the playerbase

i mean dont get me wrong its good they removed it and actually listened

but man what a pair of balls on them expecting that to go well
Expecting everyone to have the backend to make the Dota2 model work is unrealistic and League employs a better method for introducing new players (which is why Valve now copies it with a rotation mode for new players).
yeah blizzard totally doesnt have the man power or the money

and there is no rotation? unless youre talking about limited heroes mode which doesnt rotate and is the worst mode in the world and no one plays
 
okay cool


well it means that league has a bad monetary aspect? duh we already knew that

and why would they try to copy it in any way shape or form? its not for the benefit of the playerbase

i mean dont get me wrong its good they removed it and actually listened

but man what a pair of balls on them expecting that to go well

yeah blizzard totally doesnt have the man power or the money

and there is no rotation? unless youre talking about limited heroes mode which doesnt rotate and is the worst mode in the world and no one plays

We get it, you don't like Blizzard. Your ranting is totally unfounded and it's clear that you've never played a game that was in an alpha state, which is why most companies don't let people see alphas except in tightly controlled ways. Blizz doesn't really have that luxury, they're too big and the alphas always leak regardless. Shit changes during development, so when something you don't like is live for A FUCKING WEEK it does not really say much of anything.
 
We get it, you don't like Blizzard. Your ranting is totally unfounded and it's clear that you've never played a game that was in an alpha state, which is why most companies don't let people see alphas except in tightly controlled ways. Blizz doesn't really have that luxury, they're too big and the alphas always leak regardless. Shit changes during development, so when something you don't like is live for A FUCKING WEEK it does not really say much of anything.

huh

okay next week when they implement little respawn cards for a dollar each that determine how many times you can keep coming back...

oh but its alpha
 

Nope, there's no rotation mode for new players.

There's a least played hero mode for everyone which disables your 40 most used heroes to encourage you to try new heroes out, and limited hero mode which is a selection of the 20 most beginner friendly heroes (these don't change at all).
 
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