Red Post Collection: Gameplay Thoughts 6/13, Honor Update on Oce in 7.12 and Global in 7.13, /dev on Naming Skins, & more!

Quick Gameplay Thoughts: June 13 

Here's Meddler with his quick gameplay thoughts for June 13th, including several 7.13 changes to look forward too:

"Morning all, 

Usual Disclaimers 

These posts will often contain talk about future work we're doing, or planning to do, that isn't yet guaranteed to ship. The nature of the work could change or, depending on what we discover, projects mentioned may get put delayed or even stopped. 

If you'd like to see a Tweet whenever a new one of these posts goes up: https://twitter.com/RiotMeddler 

Support Starting Items 

We've been looking at the starting support items now that they've been out for a while. Conclusion is that the Coin line is underperforming, so we'll be doing some more work on it. That will likely involve improvements both to the tier1 and tier 2 versions as well as the tier 3 upgrades (probably both Talisman and Eye of the Oasis). 

Possible the Frost Queen's is also too strong, what we'll likely do is buff coin first though then reassess whether that's actually the case or not. 

Some 7.13 Balance Context 

Some of the things we're investigating in 7.13:

• Shaco - Looking at E changes to better support AD builds (more assassin generally). Trying things like damage of 50-150 + 1.2 bonus AD, instead of 5-125 + 0.75 total AD, changing the low health effect to be a multiplier on the existing damage, rather than a percentage of the target's missing health. Also considering swapping it from magical to physical damage.
• Trundle - Aiming to give him a bit more dueling power against AD opponents (higher AD steal on Q) and seeing whether or not we can give him some split push back. We've seen a lot of people missing the tower chomping with Q so investigating whether or not we can afford to return that (though it needed to be removed previously, think that might have been an unnecessary call though). 

No new champ in 7.13 

We're getting closer to a new champ, for those wondering though (seeing a bit of speculation) no, there won't be a new champ dropping onto the PBE in 7.13 today (or later in the cycle). 

Assassin Items 

We're looking at some of the assassin items as well at present that aren't quite hitting the mark. Goals are to get a bit more choice into assassin itemization (e.g. make Duskblade a decent 1st item, change access to CDR/impact of Black Cleaver, make out of combat movement speed something you choose to itemize into rather than just getting). Might start seeing some of that on the PBE soon, changes will likely come gradually, potentially with some this patch and some next. 

Warded Ping 

Is on its way. Odds are reasonable, though not guaranteed, it will be in the next patch or the one after."

As usual, Meddler hung around the comment section to answer additional questions:

When asked about the new warded ping and vision score, Meddler responded:

"Quote: 

Will the warded ping be in addition to current pings, or replace one of them? 

Also, would it be possible to get more insight into what exactly goes into the "self-mitigated damage" and "vision score" in the post-game screen? Even if not here, maybe a post in the Nexus blog or something? Having the numbers there is cool, but they don't mean much without context around what they really indicate. It would also help with understanding of things that seem off, like me having 6 less points to my vision score when I only had one less ward placed and ward destroyed, but 3 more control wards used than the enemy support.

Likely approach is two step:

1. We add it to the game without a key binding/ping wheel position. People can then bind it as desired. Not perfect, but lets us get it out as quickly as possible.
2. We get a better solution in the medium term that makes it more easily accessible. The ping wheel's being recoded anyway soonish (old tech) so then's the right time to look at it.

Whole bunch of details on vision score can be found at: 

https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/developer-corner/4Pv0FcII-vision-score-details 

Self mitigated damage from memory is simply reflective of how much damage you've stopped yourself from taking via Armor, MR, DR etc. I'll follow up with the folks that worked on that, see whether it currently includes things like shields or not."

When asked for context on nerfs in the 7.12 cycle, Meddler explained:

"Quote

Can you give us the context with the nerfs for Kennen, Fiora, and Galio, as well as the buffs for Cho'gath, Poppy, Gnar, and Maokai that were mentioned last week? 

EDIT: How come Kindred's range increase caps at 750 range or 32 marks?

Kennen - AD/on hit looks too strong, lacks sufficient early game responses. 

Fiora - Theory is she may not be sufficiently weak in match ups she does poorly in relative to how well she does in match ups she does well in (her counters are noticeably softer than the degree she counters others basically). Still investigating. 

Galio - Is too strong, damage most likely. We don't expect Doran's Ring changes will be enough to offset that, he's strong with other builds too. 

Kindred range - we didn't want them outranging towers. 32 marks isn't something you'll ever see in more than a tiny fraction of games, so the cap's almost irrelevant, for the few cases it'll happen though didn't want towers unable to respond to their attacks."

On Poacher's Dirk and LeBlanc, Meddler provided:

"Quote:

Couple questions: 

Where do you stand on Poacher's Dirk? I may be low elo but I'm not seeing it being used anywhere. 

Any more news on LeBlanc? And on that note, how do you and the Dev team envision a Trickster champion?

Poacher's Dirk's weak, priority on working on it's low compared to stuff like the more core assassin items. 

Gonna be a while before we've got details ready to talk about on LeBlanc. Downside of mentioning we're looking at something before we've even started prototyping is it'll be a fair while (weeks at least, could be months) before something's PBE ready. "

As for thoughts on Kindred, Meddler commented:

"Quote:

Any thoughts on Kindred?
Most of us have lost hope of any kind for anything meaningful

Assuming you mean power level let's talk Kindred after seeing where the buffs in 7.12 (tomorrow) put them? Update went out too weak, hence balance changes to it in the next patch. 

Or, if you mean how they play regardless of their power, let me know (unclear in your post). "

On what the 10 ban system has brought to light on Riot's balance end, Meddler responded:

"Quote:

What has the effect of the 10 ban system looked like from within Riot? Has it altered the priority of looking at any champions like Yasuo or Lee Sin?

It's increased our interest in putting some work into Yasuo, no other champs stand out much more though. Waiting on global ban data however, not just NA stuff before speaking with too much confidence there (different regions can have pretty different pick/ban trends)."

On the previously mentioned ability icon updated for Ahri and Amumu, Meddler replied:

"Quote:

What about the Ahri and Ammumu ability icons? :)

In progress."

On the game designer for the next new champ, Meddler confirmed:

"Quote:

Hey Meddler can I ask if its DanielZKlein who is designing the champ

There's a large team on the next new champ from a range of different backgrounds (art, game design, engineering, QA, production etc). DanielZKlein(also known as ZenontheStoic) is the game designer on that team though yeah."

On Shaco's E AP ratio, Riot Asyrite chimed in:

"Quote:

Will the ap ratio on Shaco's E be kept?

Current plan is to leave the AP ratio as is on his E, so it'll technically be higher because of the execute scaling"

Honor System Releasing in OCE in Patch 7.12, Globally in 7.13

After testing on the PBE, the new honor system will be releasing in OCE for patch 7.12, and then globally in Patch 7.13. Check out the changes from the patch notes below, including Grey Warwick and Medieval Twitch as potential rewards!

"Honor Update 

Honor has been given a complete overhaul. With initial release in OCE this patch and a global launch in 7.13, you’ll see a new voting screen, the addition of a persistent Honor level, and rewards for consistently honourable play. Expect a full primer soon!

NEW Voting screen 

• VOTING SCREEN - After each game, honour one teammate
• HONOR CATEGORIES - Friendly, Helpful, Teamwork, Honorable Opponent ⇒ Great shotcalling, Stayed cool, GG 

Post-game screen 

• NEW POST-GAME CEREMONY - If the majority of your team honours you, you get a shoutout for the whole lobby 

• NEW  HONOR LEVELS - Starting at level 2, consistent honourable play unlocks an evolving Honor level, displayed on the profile page. You will move up even if you are not honoured, providing you’re always playing to win. Dropping below level 2 (by getting penalised) temporarily locks you out of all Honor rewards

Loading screen 

• UPDATED FLAIR - At Honor level 3 and above, receiving honour in the post-game screen unlocks a loading screen flair for your next game. Your loading screen flair design levels up as you do

Rewards 

• UPDATED KEY FRAGMENTS - Key fragments will drop exclusively through Honor. As long as you’re at least level 2 (the starting level) you’ll continue to receive the same amount as now. and these will drop outside of the post-game screen, or on login 

• NEW HONOR CAPSULES - After level 3, you’ll receive Honor Capsules as well as key fragments. These don’t require a key to open, and contain at least two key fragments. Some also contain champ shards and exclusive rewards like Medieval Twitch and Grey Warwick skin permanents"

Additional information on the Honor System update is available [here].

/Dev: On Naming Skins

A new /Dev is out, chronicling how champion skin names are decided:

"God Fist Lee Sin, Worldbreaker Nasus, Ryze Whitebeard… how did all of these skins get named? Heya! I’m Mai “kantayams” Koythong, a writer who works on skins, game modes, and loot and crafting experiences. Writers are responsible for things like the voice of our promotional materials, but we also help name skins! 

This can be as easy as a quick, “This is the name, cool? Cool.” Other times, finalization can take weeks. It’s a process we’re continuously improving, so there’s no perfected method to get from Point A to Point B. That said, there are a few interesting things that tend to pop up along the way. 

WHAT’S IN A NAME? 

Before a skin is named, product teams (the folks who actually make the skin) start concepting and defining some key attributes that inform the skin’s visual and narrative. These “product pillars” are a way for artists to look back as they develop the skin and gauge if it’s still hitting the thematic goals. It also serves as a creative North Star for the folks on the publishing team, including the writer. 

Product pillars for Worldbreakers

HOW TO NAME? 

Before we start throwing out names, we need to figure out what the most important criterion is for the skin. Should it first and foremost be easy to localize into other languages (Beer Lover Brolaf is straightforward, but Brolaf has cultural nuance)? Or should the name just be as badass as possible (Brolaf it is)? Once that’s decided, it’s useful for writers to pick the brains of the folks working on a product, just to make sure we’re on the same page and not coming up with stuff in isolation. Sometimes we’ll hold a namestorm meeting and invite product teams to pitch ideas for what they think would make sense for the skin. 

Namestorm for Sir Kled

This is a much easier (shorter, and maybe even unnecessary) meeting if we’ve decided to expand on an existing skin line and have found a champion that makes sense for it (e.g., PROJECT: Ashe). 

After the namestorm, the writer will retreat to their desk and noodle over the proposed names. It can be useful to poke other teammates for their thoughts, or to consult writers from other teams if they have an interest in the thematic. 

Consulting with another teammate on Ryze Whitebeard

The writer then makes recommendations to the product team’s lead based on the criteria decided upon before the namestorm took place. 

Let’s take Rakan and Xayah’s launch skins as an example. They (along with the new Master Yi skin) exist in the same thematic as Cosmic Reaver Kassadin, so their placeholder names were Cosmic Reaver Xayah and Cosmic Reaver Rakan. While the names clearly communicated that these new skins lived within the same alternate universe, they didn’t evoke the right feeling; neither of these champions really made sense being characterized as ‘reavers.’ Instead, we wanted to find a name that 1) had a clear tie-in to the Cosmic skin line and 2) was evocative of Rakan and Xayah’s relationship. 

Fellow writer Bill “Bilby” Barteldes explored the framework of “Cosmic + Thing-That-The-Champion-Does” and looked at names like Cosmic Huntress Xayah and Cosmic Guardian Rakan. These were informative and individually evocative, but the names didn’t express the unique relationship between Xayah and Rakan, so Bilby went back to the drawing board. 

What if we went with Morning Star Rakan and Evening Star Xayah? Or how about Daybreak Rakan and Nightfall Xayah? These felt and sounded evocative, but left out the connection to the Cosmic thematic. Applying the things we liked about these names to a broader “Cosmic + Title” frame got us to the final names: Cosmic Dawn Rakan and Cosmic Dusk Xayah. 

If all looks gravy to the product team’s lead and there are no concerns from the legal team on things like encroaching on other intellectual property, the name is finalized and ready to be integrated into the game. 

A NAME IS BORN…. BUT WAIT 

Oftentimes, naming a skin goes smoothly, but there can be times when it can feel like roaming through a jungle of Teemo shrooms. A couple ways these oopsies can manifest are with localization and last-minute flags. 

Localization: Writers have to think about how the name will translate across regions. Since League is played all around the world, skin names can’t only make sense in English. So, we ask the localization experts. 

We’ll share the tentative name with other regions and ask them to flag any questions or concerns around the context and clarity of the name. Sometimes all regions are A-OK with the translation: 

Korea enthusiastically green lights Little Devil Teemo

And sometimes… the flags are a big, bold, red. 

Brazil red flags the translation for Program skins (they ended up going with Cibernética)

Last-minute flags: Even when the product lead and legal have given their blessing and the writer has integrated the name into the game, a last-minute flag can still pop up. If it’s significant enough, the writer will revert the file and re-submit a new name. 

Moo Cow Alistar is saved by QA

THE CYCLE BEGINS AGAIN 

That’s pretty much it! We repeat this process for all of the thematics we work on, and hopefully by the time it gets to you, you’ll be feeling the name, too. With that, let’s take a moment to remember some skin names that didn’t quite make the cut.  

REJECTED SKIN NAMES

• As mentioned in 7.12 notes, Hunt of the Blood Moon returns to the RGMQ 6/16 12:00 PT - 6/27 04:00 PT..