Red Post Collection: WW Podcast, Friends App Updated, PBE context, Sewn Chaos skins cancelled, & more!

Posted on at 3:22 AM by Moobeat
This morning's red post collection includes a podcast on Warwick's champion update, the Sewn Chaos Amumu and Blitzcrank skins being cancelled, Meddler with a grab bag of discussion on balance, context on recent and upcoming PBE changes,  an update to the League Friends app, and more!
Continue reading for more information!

Table of Contents


League Podcast: Inside Warwick development 

Check out the latest League Podcast - this episode covers all things Warwick to go along with his champion update in Patch 7.2.
"Welcome to the latest League Podcast, a series in which we take you behind-the-scenes with the people who help make League possible. Expect new guests and new stories every couple of weeks or so, and make sure to hit us with those comments and ratings so we can keep striving toward a Challenger-tier podcast. 
This week, artist Larry “The Bravo Ray” Ray, designer Brad “certainlyT” Wenban, and writer David “Interlocutioner” Slagle share behind-the-scenes stories on the development of Warwick."


The League Friends App, Freshly Styled with Profiles

A new update is out for the League Friends app, including match history, better profiles, and more:
"The League of Legends Friends app already had Profiles, but they kinda sucked. That changes today, with a free update for Android and iOS. 
The new update adds more features y'all asked for. Stuff like:
  • PROFILE OVERVIEW - Laugh at your friends' ranks and weep as you behold your own. See champ mastery scores, most frequently played champs, and buddy notes.
  • MATCH HISTORY - See all the stats for any friend's games: champs played, item builds, CS, K/D/A, spells, game duration, etc. For 200 IQ players, each entry links out to the full web experience for advanced stats. 
The League Friends app also lets you see your friends list, add new pals, and chat one-on-one or in your Clubs. We’ll keep on adding more features over time—it'll keep evolving just like League does. 
Send us any feedback about League Friends directly through the app by visiting the settings tab and selecting "Bugs and Feedback." 
Note: The app works with devices using iOS 8.3 or newer, and Android 4.1.1 or newer (API 16)."

Update on Sewn Chaos Amumu & Blitzcrank - Not being released

 I am Carlos has posted on the PBE boards to explain that the Sewn Chaos Blitzcrank and Amumu skins from 7.2 PBE cycle  WILL NOT BE RELEASED as they feel these skins fall below quality expectations:
"Hey everyone, 
Carlos “I am Carlos” here, I’m a producer on the skins team, and I want to share an update about Sewn Chaos Blitzcrank and Amumu. After receiving some feedback about the skins, we’ve decided to not release them going forward. 
Sometimes we work on things that just don’t end up hitting our quality bar. And usually, we try to cut those things well before they actually hit PBE, but in this case we were a little too late. The truth is neither Sewn Chaos Blitzcrank nor Sewn Chaos Amumu hit the quality expected of our recent skins, so we’re making the call to remove them. 
So what does this mean for Blitz and Amumu skins in the immediate future? Well, we’re going to head back to the lab and figure out how to give both champs the skins they deserve. And we’d like to hear your ideas for skins that would best represent these champs. 
We don’t have an exact timeline for when these two will have new skins come out, but we can promise that we will not forget about them. As always, thanks for having patience with us as we figure out how to approach these problems. 
If you have any questions, feel free to drop them below and we’ll make sure to get to them as soon as possible. 
Thanks, 
I am Carlos 
PS: Since we’re making this call late, you’ll likely see some of the assets attached to these skins in LCU, but they won’t be available for purchase, and we will be removing them come next patch."
Should you want to take a final look at these two skins, check out our 7.2 PBE cycle coverage.

Regarding the Party IP weekend on EU servers

Following the 2016 Team ICE Party IP weekend on the Team ICE (EU LCS, LMS, and LPL) regions, RiotCosty stopped by reddit to discuss the event, apologize for shortcomings, and note it will run again soon:
"Hey folks! 
I work on the content team here in EU, and I wanted to give you a heads up on what we're doing with regards to the Party IP boost this past weekend. 
Firstly: this was a sucky experience, and we're sorry for that. There were a number of reasons and little fuck-ups that led to this Party IP weekend not going according to plan, but that's not important to you guys. 
So we're running it again. We'll have more details over the next couple of days confirming the exact dates, and we'll make sure it's fully visible and will be in the client leading up to and throughout the event. The boost will be available in the correct queues for its entirety this time round. 
TL;DR - we screwed up, so we're running it again and running it properly this time.
If you've got any questions, let me know. 
Cheers!"
Look for more information soon!

Upcoming 7.3 Changes

In the 7.2 patch notes reddit discussion thread, riotscarizard shared that Camille, Rengar, Jayce, and LeBlanc are set to get changes in 7.3:
"Quote:
They Nerf Darius instead of Camille, Rengar, Jayce, leblanc ? Alrighty rito.
Camille, Rengar, Jayce, and Leblanc are all being changed in 7.3. 
Specifically addressing Camille, we wanted to wait to get a clearer view on what the compound effect of 6.24's hotfix and 7.1's nerfs would have on her power level for fear of overdoing it. While we've made a dent, we're going to be pretty aggressive on her changes in 7.3."
On Camille, he continued:
"Going hard for testing, then seeing which elements we like best. Intent is to go hard, but not completely obliterate. You'll be seeing a lot of fluctuation I suppose, but afaik reduction of some of the E's dueling strength and general power is in order."

He continued, noting Kha'Zix also likely has a nerf:
"Also in 7.3. Likely around Q's evo, iirc."

When asked if 7.3 will include more marksman changes that were mentioned previously, Scarizard noted:
"Going to be multi-patch. No word on the actual-factual release date of a lot of our work (i'd leave that to someone like meddler) but soon, not soontm."

Context on Camille and Jayce PBE nerfs

When asked about the numerous Camille nerfs that showed up in the 1/24 PBE, Meddler explained:
"Quote:
On the Camille nerfs: She's definitely too strong right now, no one is going to argue that, but it looks like you guys are hitting her pretty hard. Do you think all of these changes will stick for her?
We're starting aggressively large and looking to understand which combination of nerfs make the most sense. Gut reaction is not everything on the PBE for Camille's likely to ship, possible we go with different stuff altogether depending on what we find too."
Prior to the update, Meddler noted::
"We will probably be nerfing Camille in 7.3. Similar to your thoughts that'll probably include making her E only give AS if she hits an enemy champion. We're also exploring other nerfs to pair with that, with things like lower Passive shield strength, increased W and E mana costs and W becoming a decaying slow on the table (probably wouldn't do all of them, do want to test a range of things though)."
Meddler continued:
"We're talking about the Q and R as well, they're parts of her kit we're much more split on internally though (what's the division between problem we should hit and unique strength we should preserve?). Certainly possible we make changes to them as well, we think there are definitely nerfs needed to other parts of her kit though too, so will likely start there since we've got higher confidence in those changes."
wav3break also chimed in:
"Quote:
Camille getting gutted, damn.
Current nerf list is tentative and very potent. Our goal isn't to gut her, but a fairly decent nerf is incoming. The final nerf lines will most likely look like a well trimmed version of the current stuff on PBE."
wav3break added:
"Quote:
Do you think she could use more number changes or could something mechanical be done
Both to some degree. Don't think either are too far off, but there's still discussion to be had as we iterate."
As for context on the Jayce nerfs in the 1/24 PBE update, Meddler explained:
"Our thinking: 
  • His damage is too high and will likely get a bit higher with the Lethality changes in 7.2. 
  • Some of that's the result of him no longer needing to build mana to be effective. We're looking to both add a bit of cost back in and chip damage back as a result. Possible direction long term would be additional mana costs again."

Meddler Grab Bag - Balance, Mini-Reworks, and Runes

Meddler has been around the boards discussing balance changes, mini reworks, and runes!
When asked if they plan to buff Tristana in the future, Meddler commented:
"There might be. We're testing some buffs to her AS/level and Q CD. Those wouldn't solve some of the bigger issues she's got (gameplay identity isn't sufficiently defined) but would hopefully put her in a better position until that could be looked at. She is a champ we're cautious with though, given lack of tuning levers can mean she's underperforming or must pick."
He added:
"We've been talking about those sort of options. Before doing those sort of changes though we want to identify a direction we want to take Trist in overall to ensure any buffs are compatible with her long term state (how much should she be focused on early tower taking, versus being a reset marksman, versus hypercarry, versus risk take who goes into the middle of fights etc)."

When asked if any Lucian buffs are planned, he continued:
"Not yet at least. Lethality changes in 7.2 might have a noticeable impact on him, so we're waiting to see how those play out (should affect bot lane somewhat in general). 
Trist we might give some small buffs in 7.3 though."
As for plans for Cho'Gath, Meddler noted he may be up for a few changes soon:
"Possible candidate for 7.3, though stuff's pretty experimental so far from guaranteed to ship in that particular patch. Agree he needs a bit of help."
Meddler added that they are also looking into small Zed buffs:
"We'll definitely be looking at the impacts of Lethality, Duskblade and Edge of Night buffs on Zed before shipping any Zed buffs. Those buffs are in 7.2, Zed changes would be in 7.3, so we'll have a reaction period if needed. Same logic applies to some other 7.3 changes that might get impacted too (Jayce and Rengar nerfs). 
As far as Zed details go we'll be looking at fairly small stuff. Changes currently in testing are increased Shadow Reaping grace period and a slightly longer W duration, though those are still somewhat experimental."

When asked about the recent mini updates like recent Shyvana ability update, Meddler explained:
"These updates are being handled by the Live Gameplay team, given more of their focus than usual is on game health and balanceability (it's the sort of work either team could certainly do though). The upcoming Champ Up blog won't touch on them much or at all from memory. 
Aurelion Sol, Kalista and Aatrox are all possible candidates someday for these sort of updates. Like Azir Kalista's likely to be one of the later ones, given the scope of work's large in part. If we do Aatrox as one of these it's also likely to be a smaller update, since we'd like to have Champ Up take a larger crack at him sometime too."
When asked about plans for the next mini-rework, Meddler noted Rek'sai is likely up next:
"Still planned at some point, we've got a few other mini-reworks that'll be first though. Guessing Rek'Sai will be the next, work's showing promise on her though is still a while off being finished. Focus of that update's on shifting her more towards diver and less tank (so more rewards for building AD, W likely shifting to single target knockup so less of her power's there etc)."
As for if Ryze is up for any sort of kit work, Meddler commented:
"Quote:
Is Ryze on your radar for a mini rework? He's got a sub-45% win rate in Plat+ despite being nearly pick or ban in LCS.
We don't think he needs an update, do think he needs some smaller mechanics changes though. We're currently testing having his W use a missile with a very fast travel time. Intent there is to reduce the extreme reliability it offers, allowing some brief re-positioning if you're really quick against it, while still letting it serve as a safety valve against really mobile champions. That's still a speculative change, so needs more investigation, shows some promise so far though."
Meddler also briefly replied to someone asking about Evelynn's eventual class update:
"Evelynn's gradually creeping up the priority list as we address the worst offenders (Yorick, WW, Galio etc)."
As for his thoughts on a larger scope Irelia update, Meddler noted:
"Quote:
Irelia full rework? :p
I think she'd be a great candidate for a 'champ in an ok spot who could be made really awesome' update. For a while at least though we'll still be focused on champs in pretty bad spots though (WW, Galio etc going forwards, Yorick, Sion, Poppy, Taric etc previously)."

Meddler also popped on to the boards to talk a bit about runes and future communications around changes to pre-game systems:
"Something we're planning to do sometime early (ish) this year is start talking about what we think good pre-game systems should look like. That'll be a blog post most likely that goes into a lot of detail on the sort of things you're looking at here. Short thoughts below from me in the meantime, these are current inclinations though rather than really refined principles. 
  • History of Runes 
My understanding is that runes were originally intended to provide both customization of playstyle and a source of player engagement (particularly important since LoL launched without other engagement systems that now exist like Ranked, Champion Mastery, Hextech Crafting etc). 
  • Stats on Runes 
Our intent is that runes especially, and to some degree masteries, become less relevant as the game goes on, with items becoming more relevant over game time. Scaling runes are presented as a way to accept earlier weakness, or reward recognition of team comps that lack early need for a particular rune slot. We do believe scaling should be rarer generally than flat runes though. 
  • Amount of power from Runes 
We believe that, with some moments of exception, your champion should be biggest source of your power in game, followed by your items, then runes/masteries at roughly equal amounts. Runes/masteries should serve both as pre-game commitments to specific strategies or playstyles and, in some cases, a chance to demonstrate good game understanding/theorycrafting (e.g. this is a game where I need to go really safe/defensive in lane to survive and should make pre-game choices to reflect that). 
  • Vision for Runes 
It's a bit early to start talking about what we'd like Runes to be like, we're still digging through a lot of the details of plans for that ourselves. Certainly safe to say though that runes should feel like a more interesting, engaging system compared to their current state (very often solved, hard to appreciate)."

On additional Rift Herald animation work, Meddler noted
"Quote:
Additional animation work? 
We could see it in the future, but it doesn't seem incredibly high priority (they'd need to devote time and resources) when there are more pressing concerns (like all these old champs who need VGUs).
Pretty much. It was something we talked about when we were building the first version of Rift Herald. Conclusion was that we'd be better off putting the animator time into other work, champion updates included, though. 
We figured we'd reassess if Rift Herald was a clear success and something we definitely wanted to keep in the game long term. So far that hasn't been the case however. If we do find a version of Rift Herald that really nails it we'd want to revisit Baron/RH ceremony opportunities, see how getting that work done stacked up versus other stuff going on at the time. Unless that happens though it's likely to be pretty low value (in terms of upgrade to game quality) relative to other things that could be done instead."
Meddler also commented on the impact of Turret First blood:
"Turret first blood has only increased predicted win % off first tower very slightly (about 1.5%) relative to before its introduction. I read through that thread on the front page today about it. I didn't feel I could add much more to it though, since one of the first responses explained it really well already, and did so with data that seemed quite accurate (credit to LeagueofGraphs on that one). It's also something we've talked about a couple of times since adding the first turret gold and the numbers just haven't changed over time so I can't offer anything new and insightful. 
First turret's certainly a strong predictor of who will win, even with no gold at all on it that'd be fairly true though. The first team to take a turret's playing better, are more coordinated and have just given themselves more map control. It's certainly possible we could keep the benefits we see from turret first blood (additional victory condition in lane, indirect interaction with other lanes, cost to lane swapping, concentrated gold to increase odds of personal carry potential etc) with a slightly lower value. We'll likely try tweaking it slightly at some point. The mechanic itself we're still feeling really good about though. 
In terms of responding to this thread? It's a question that's cropped up a number of times that I'm not sure we've ever explained our thinking on (it's a cool idea, so why haven't we done it?). It's also a really quick and easy post to make. Sorry if it's not something you're interested in, suggest not reading it if so."
As for the most difficult abilities to program, Meddler noted
"The main time an ability is really difficult to program is when it does something that's fundamentally different to existing in game functionality. Lucian's passive for example needed some careful polish and adjustment, but the core of it's just 'check for low health target and issue attack order' effectively. Azir's interaction with his soldiers by contrast for example was a pretty tough one, since the concept of auto attacks based off the location of another object wasn't something previously supported at all."

Patch Chat with the Playtest Team - 7.2 Warwick rework 

With 7.2 out on live, the playtest team is back for another patch chat! 
"new "Minions" art created by inkinesss! 
Hey guys! Welcome to Patch Chat, a Dev Corner thread we make to talk about our new patches every two weeks: http://na.leagueoflegends.com/en/news/game-updates/patch/patch-72-notes 

I'm Aesah on Riot's Playtest Team, a group of Diamond+ players who play with the new champions, reworks, balance tweaks, items, and map updates before they are released. It's our job to the test the changes that our designers come up with and ensure that we're introducing positive changes to LoL in terms of both balance and fun. We'll be watching this thread to answer as many questions as we can. 
The big change we're looking forward to (well some of us, anyway) in 7.2 is the Warwick update. Warwick is a juggernaut/diver who we expect to shine primarily in the jungle. Underperforming champions that received buffs include Akali (slightly overcompensating Gunblade nerf), Gragas, Graves, Lulu, Master Yi, and Nidalee. On the other hand, Darius, Katarina, and Yasuo received nerfs to bring their power more in line with the rest of the cast. For items, Lethality as well as Duskblade and Edge of Night have been buffed to be more enticing to some of the struggling AD assassins. Support items have been slightly rebalanced (Redemption was crowding out other options). Gunblade's active component was nerfed as well. 
All of us on the Playtest Team are avid gamers so feel free to talk to us as fellow LoL players! 
  • Adam "Afic" Cohen
  • Ben “Cezium” Burkhardt
  • Don “Aesah” Ding
  • Nicolas “Gleeb” Haddad
  • Dan “penguin” Hardison
  • Robert “ROBERTxLEE” Lee
  • Nicholas “Nickwu” Smith
  • Blake “S0be” Soberanis
  • Trevor “ThEntropist” Thernes
  • Arnor "TheLastAirbender" Halldorsson"


Quick Hits:  Nexus Siege & Practice Tool

[Quick hits is our own mini news collection inside a red post collection, often including shorter or easy to digest stories and repeat information you may have missed in other posts!]

  • As mentioned in the 7.2 patch notes, Nexus Siege returns in the RGMQ for two weekends - 1/27 - 1/30 and 2/3 - 2/6!

  • Meddler noted on the boards they are hoping for a 7.3 release for the PBE's practice tool. He continued to mention they are mostly looking to bug fix and polish during 7.3 cycle.

REMINDERS

To round out this red post collection, here are a few reminders on current promotions or limited time events!

  • LUNAR REVEL 2017 is here, including new skins, ward skin, and summoner icons as well as returning legacy skins, hextech crafting promotions, and bundles. Legacy content lasts through February 2nd.

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