Red Post Collection: Gameplay Thoughts: 8/18, More on Skin Portraits, Ziggs' Arcade Blast Thunderdome Project & More

Posted on at 8:44 AM by Moobeat
This morning's red post collection includes Meddler's quick gameplay thoughts for 8/18, an update on skin portraits from Ququroon, the product of the 2017 Thunderdome, Ziggs' Arcade Blast, and much more!
Continue reading for more information!



Table of Contents


Quick Gameplay Thoughts: August 18 


 Meddler is back again with his quick gameplay thoughts for 8/18, covering delays on Stoneplate changes, Ornn at Worlds, and more:
Hi folks, 
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 
Stoneplate changes partially delayed 
Looks like we'll be shipping one of the previously mentioned Stoneplate changes (bug fix so it doesn't give more health than intended when combined with Cinderhulk) in 7.17. The other change (extra health granted is a mixture of base and bonus, rather than all bonus) however will have to be delayed to 7.18. It's tested well and we were hoping to get that in for 7.17 but there's a little bit of technical work needed to implement it bug free so we'll need to push it back a patch. 
Ornn and Worlds 
Been seeing the question crop up occasionally of whether Ornn will be playable at Worlds or not. It's an issue we went back and forth on a lot ourselves, our conclusion at the end though was that he shouldn't be available. His release is only a couple of patches before the Worlds patch (7.18) and he's got a lot of distinctive stuff on his kit that could take a bit longer than usual to assess the impact of, upgraded items for his allies especially. We're really excited to see him in pro play, want to make sure we've had time to do any polish that's needed though. 
A few 7.18 Balance plans 
Some of the champs we'll be looking at in 7.18 below. Since there's a 3 week gap between 7.17 and 7.18 we'll also be doing a second pass partway through the patch development cycle. That means there'll be further changes coming, based in part on how 7.17 performs and pro play on 7.16 which starts this coming weekend.  
  • Nautilus - Needs to be buffed. Not certain what we'll do yet, first step is assessing his needs.
  • Panth - We'll likely nerf his early Q damage. Might then put some power somewhere else, make him less about either crushing lane or failing to be usefu. An ult buff's one of the more likely possible changes.
  • Janna - No immediate changes planned, going to be monitoring her closely though to see how the combination of Coin and Ardent Censer nerfs affect her though, with changes later in the patch cycle moderately likely as a result. 
Champ Changes not in 7.18 
Touching on a few champs we've been testing things for recently that won't be coming back in the 7.18 patch at least: 
  • Vayne - Changes likely coming in 7.19. Removing Q's ability to crit and putting power elsewhere's still the plan.
  • Azir - Small update could be as soon as 7.19. Still going well, got some focused testing this week and weekened though which might reveal something new.
  • Udyr - Hoping to have something ready for him before pre-season (7.22) still, need to see how work on him goes though.
  • Yasuo - We've got some good lessons from the Yasuo changes we've been trying, won't be shipping anything for a while however. Extra range on his ult showed some good promise in particular, since it allowed him to better capitalize on his allies' play without giving him more personal power. Will likely revisit that next time we look at Yasuo. Shifting power from his shield to other defensive effects (e.g. base stats) also showed both some promise and some risks."


When asked about pro play specific changes, Meddler commented:
"Quote:
Are there more pro play specific changes planned for worlds yet, like how you already did with some mids (Cassio/Taliyah/Orianna)?
We'll be taking a look at a possible final set of Worlds focused changes after this coming weekend of pro play and initial live play on 7.17. Watching some champs of course, but don't want to act until we've got as much context as we can. Since this is a longer patch cycle (3 weeks) we've got a bit more time too, so want to make use of that. Bot lane likely to be watched in particular."


On Evelynn's rework, Meddler commented:
"Quote:
Can you tell us when you predict Evelynn's Rework will show up? After worlds patch, During or Before? 
Also, what are your thoughts on Twitch? He can start attacking you from outside his reveal range, something that Evelynn was nerfed for a long time ago so i thought it was nice tie in question.
Sometime after the Worlds patch (7.18), almost certainly before pre-season (7.22)."
On Brand, Meddler replied:
"Quote:
Hey Meddler, what about the changes to Brand in order to buff his mid lane role you talked about last patch?
Currently on hold, I'll check in with the team about whether it's something we're scheduled to look at again post Worlds patch though."


As for Karma and Xin Zhao, Meddler commented:
"Quote:
Hey Meddler, 2 questions;
  1. With Karma being the worst overall ranking mid laner (according to champ.gg), is it likely that she'll be worked on at some point after world's?
  2. I noticed you didn't mention Xin in your post, how's his update coming along?
We'll need to do work on Karma sometime yeah, though I'd expect that's much more likely to be next year than this year. Even though it's only August pre-season's taking up enough time any updates not already underway probably won't happen this year unless they're pretty small. Karma needs larger work than that. 
Xin's coming along pretty well. His is a smaller update, so it's not going to address absolutely everything about him of course, I think it's a clear improvement though certainly. Needs a bit of balancing work in particular right now though, dude's been pretty murderous in recent playtests."


ZenonTheStoic popped in to respond to a question on Tahm Kench:
"Hi Howain! That's a good question and it makes sense at first blush that Tahm Kench's output would be a charm. 
However, thematics and in-game feel don't always map perfectly. In game, we needed a strong, straight-forward spell with good gameplay around it to realize Tahm Kench's threat-over-time pattern (stay around him for too long and you'll be stunned or devoured). Tongue Lash is a straight-forward skillshot with a long self-root, like Amumu's Q or Blitzcrank's Q, which we know has pretty good play around it. However, forcefully striking an enemy with your tongue isn't a thing that lends itself to a charm, in my mind. It makes sense if you know who Tahm Kench is, but if literally all you know is "he's a catfish who slaps you with his tongue", it makes no sense. 
In my mind, the aspect of Tahm tricking people with his mellifluous verbiage is more on the meta level of how you don't take him seriously due to the silly things he says and his funny animations, until suddenly he eats you and all is darkness."

Let's talk Skin Portraits (again!)

Ququroon posted an update on the boards about his Skin Portraits project, and changes he plans to make:
"Hey all! 
I've heard loud and clear that while many people like the Skin Portraits (yay!), a decent amount of people have concerns over the quality of a quantity of them. I agree! Some of them are terrible! Long story short, this is my bad- but I want to fix it. 
So! Here's what the next steps will be.
  • I'm currently making a list of all the SPs needing updates, and I'm just about through. Your feedback and threads have been useful. My aim is to hit quite a few of them, including ones that could stand to be better by zooming out.
  • Next, we'll start the mass cropping. This should take a few patches of time [assuming no preseason madness], but hopefully not long.
  • Then it patches out. Hopefully everyone rejoices! I'll continue listening to your feedback.
And yeah- that's it! I'll hang around in the thread a little bit if people have any questions. Have a nice day! o/"


[SHIPPED!] Ziggs' Arcade Blast, an arcade-themed 2D-platformer made in 48 hours with your input 


After what seems like a very quick 48 hours, Team PVC have completed their Thunderdome project and shipped a game! Check out the full rundown of the project below:
"This is going to be very unoptimized and not always compatible with all machines, as we had 3 hours to polish. Sorry! 
You can officially download Ziggs' Arcade Blast here!

Read our last editorial update here! 
Thanks so much to everyone who participated and helped make this game what it is. From the votes, to the late night donuts being sent to the office, to the nonstop memes, to the live playtests. 
48 hours ago, we had an idea and some votes. Now we have a mini-game! 
You can see our behind-the-scenes content on instagram. 
We'll be hanging out in Discord all day 
Below is a full archive of our updates in chronological order. 
TL;DR: For Thunderdome X, a small team of Rioters - we're calling ourselves Team PVC (Player Voted Content) - are running a 48hr game jam experiment, where we'll take your votes as to what mini-game we'll build in 48 hours. Throughout this process, we'll be openly sharing developments, taking your input, and putting out a lot of fires. 
Development and concepting run from 8/16, 12pm PDT and end 8/18 @ 12pm PDT. 
Feel free to refer back to this thread as the "mega-thread" of major developments and a chronological rundown of what's going on. We'll also be posting whatever else we feel like on the boards, but will notify the Discord as well. 
So what's this all about? 
Every so often at Riot Games, we run an internal, 48 hour nonstop hackathon called "Thunderdome," where any Rioter can take on any role to tackle any challenge, provided they can finish their work within 48 hours. Every year, Rioters from all over team up and jam on a wide range of inspirational projects. 
This Thunderdome, a team of devs, artists, engineers, producers, and comms folks are attempting something new: a 48 hour, player-input driven game jam with open public discussion. We're calling ourselves Team PVC (player voted content). 
Typically the goal of most Thunderdome projects isn't to ship something to the public, and it's important to note that this is also not the main goal of this team. What we're primarily experimenting with is how open can we be with our development in a 48 hour game jam? Our goals are to kick off some interesting player discussions, build a good base mini-game, scope creep the hell out of everything, put out the fires, and then hopefully release said game once we're done. We have no guarantees we'll hit any of these, but we can certainly try. Come chat with us as we go, and let's learn something together! 
UPDATE 8/15/2017 9:38PM PDT: 
 
UPDATE 8/16/2017 1:53PM PDT: 
Check out our full editorial update so far! 
WE ARE MAKING A 2D PLATFORMING, ARCADE-THEMED MINI-GAME 
After an intense 1hr brainstorming session to kick off Thunderdome, the team has settled on a few things:
- Ziggs will be our main character
- We'll focus on a few single-screen platforming levels vs. long side-scrolling dungeons so we can focus resources and depth of gameplay
- WE WANT DESTRUCTION!!! but don't want to scare the engineering team with too much destruction (and bugs)
- Ziggs is defined by tossing bombs and satchel hopping, let's try to get that in!
- We want enemies and boss fights!
- Ziggs vs. Brand sounds sweet 
UPDATE 8/16/2017 10:03PM PDT: 
We have another major update! You can check it out @ https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/thunderdome-team-pvc/sr9b8ent-end-of-day-1-recap-editorial-update Also we have a working mechanics prototype, which you can check out @

TL;DR of tonight's update as we go into the 'overnight' stretch of late work is... game development is all about order of operations. Some pieces of the puzzle can get started with minimal dependencies (concepting, modelling, level design), but others are very dependent on "selling" their counterparts. Visuel effects (particles, ambient floaty stuff), for example, needs to be attached to an attack or an effect. Sound effects also need to see what they're being attached to, to really 'sell' the fantasy. 
We're just about coming out of our first phase of newly created assets, but now we're about to enter phase 2 of really, fully fleshing out the work. Wish us luck! We'll see you tomorrow! 
UPDATE 8/17/2017 10:36AM PDT: 
The leads just had a meeting to assess if we could hit our 12pm "playable build" milestone. All signs look good, although we've still got to get enemies behavorally programmed, hooked up with VFX, and implemented. Mechanically we're looking solid, and level design is in good shape. We're also trying out bumpers, more on that later. 
For now, check out some sweet level paintovers: 
UPDATE 8/17/2017 1:00PM PDT: 
Full deep dive @ https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/thunderdome-team-pvc/QgB3IgLA-24-hour-check-in-fingers-crossed


We have a playable build! So far so good, it looks like our non-stop drive to a playable build was a success. This really lets us look at the game to understand what's working, what's not, and why. It's insanely hard to just "think" of a mechanic and how it'll work. Put it out, play it, and then iterate. 
UPDATE 8/17/2017 5:00PM PDT:

Full update @ https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/thunderdome-team-pvc/K7wepRAA-wheres-the-fun-editorial-update 
It feels like it's been forever since we shipped a playable build to the whole team, but that was a mere 5 hours ago. It's impressive what a playable build has done for focus, however. With everyone running through levels and trying out mechanics, we're distilling out what works and what doesn't at a breakneck pace. Now we're at a cross-roads. "Where's the fun?" We need to figure out which path we want to take, whether it be an acrobatic platformer, a trick-shot run-n-gunner, an enemy horde fighter, or some combination of the above. Our next goal? 10pm, feature lock. Polish, iterate, improve the framerate (which is sadly getting rough on our minspec test computers). 
Secret goals? We want to try to ship a secret pre-alpha build for our discord buddies to try out and give feedback on. Let's see if we can. 
UPDATE 8/17/2017 11:47PM PDT: 
Full update can be read @ https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/thunderdome-team-pvc/XoXIzJjo-12hrs-left-what-we-learned-when-we-shipped-a-thing-and-how-we-made-the-cut 
We've been through a lot, but in just under 36 hours we were able to ship a playable, one-level alpha build to our jolly, donut-obssessed family on discord. These folks have been instrumental in providing us real-time feedback, and insatiable in their desire for donut discussion. That said, they've also sent some donuts to the campus to tide us through the night, so there's an upside here somewhere. 
So far, feedback has been fantastic, thanks for sticking with us! 12 hours to go!

o god 
UPDATE 8/18/2017 11:29PM PDT: 
We're compiling and waiting to see if the things we compile are broken. 
UPDATE 8/18/2017 11:40PM PDT: 
We hit a snag with the boss fight but don't worry things are fine everything is fine this is fine. 
We're fine! 
UPDATE 8/18/2017 11:52PM PDT: 
Two bugs we're looking into. One, you have to mouseover the bottom half of a button for it to work (whoops). Two, the enemy counter doesn't count down when you kill things on level 2. Also whoops. 
UPDATE 8/18/2017 12:04PM PDT: 

The engineer and the producer. They will save us. 
UPDATE 8/18/2017 12:36PM PDT: 
We've shipped! Look up! What are you doing here!!!"
Riot Katana also shared a video on Twitter showing off the first speed run of the game:
"First speed run of the game - not bad! https://youtu.be/dzKbEhCc1o4 via @YouTube"


Changes to match history and API regarding unranked games 

Revenancer posted on the boards about changed to Match History stats and the API Policy:
"TL;DR: We’re updating the Riot Games API policy so third party websites can once again display your Normal game data. Match history will be changed so it’s consistent with the API.  
  • What exactly does this mean for my Normal stats? 
Here’s how each system is being changed: 
1) Match history in-client and website
You’ll be able to view anyone’s unranked match history instead of just friends’. 
2) Riot Games API
Developers will be able to display match history for unranked games as they would ranked games (meaning they can again access normal stats), with a few policy considerations to make sure the data is not abused.  
  • Unranked data was available before. Why did it change in the first place?  
Back in 2014, we decided unranked game data should only be available to your friends.
We broke it down like this: ranked games should be a matter of public record, unranked should be visible to you and your friends, and customs are just for you. You can read that announcement here: http://na.leagueoflegends.com/en/news/game-updates/features/announcing-new-match-history-beta 

As part of this decision, we wanted to ensure that third party developers were not publicly showing any unranked data. We didn’t enforce this decision until the old client was deprecated a couple years later (which is why this threadcame up).  
  • Why are we reverting now?  
We think the benefit of transparency outweighs the risk of revealing unranked data. It’s been accessible on third party sites for some time, and we haven’t seen any significant worrying trends™. Many players primarily play unranked games, and those players want to be able to track their stats and scout their opponents. All players should have access to the compelling experiences third party devs create with the API.  
  • What’s changing for third party sites?  
We’ll revise the Developer Portal data policies on the aggregation and display of unranked games and add guidelines on how this data should be used. 
For example, community developers are free to list unranked match history, but not to use any data to shame players (like a Worst Teemo NA site or something). 
The policy will also state that any third party challenges or contests should always be healthy for the game. “Win five games as Jhin” is cool. “Extend the game to 60 minutes in solo queue” is not. 
Developers can display aggregated statistics to provide win rates, KDA, or other measures of player performance, but the queues used to aggregate these stats must be clearly identified. For example, if devs wanted to display a player’s Fiora stats they’d need to identify which queues were used to determine their win rate, KDA, etc. 
  • What about custom games? 
Custom game history will still only be visible to you. 
  • When does this change come into effect?
Sometime during patch 7.17!"

How Do Teams Qualify for Worlds 2017?


The LoLEsports team released an article with everything you would need to know on how teams can qualify for Worlds 2017:
"The 2017 League of Legends World Championship begins on September 23, 2017 – just over one month from today. 
With the introduction of the Play-In Stage, more teams from more regions than ever will compete. Read on for an explanation of regional seeding, how teams qualify, and when to tune in for the Summer (Split 2) Playoffs and Regional Qualifiers. 
How are seeds allocated? 
A region’s seeds are based on past international performance. Consistently strong regions send some or all of their seeds straight to the Group Stage, whereas other regions receive fewer seeds and start in the Play-In Stage. 
For Korea’s League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK), three seeds are sent to the Group Stage. 
In the following regions, the top two seeds are sent to the Group Stage and the third seed is sent to the Play-In Stage: 
  • China – League of Legends Pro League (LPL)
  • Europe – European League of Legends Championship Series (EU LCS)
  • North America – North American League of Legends Championship Series (NA LCS)
  • Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau – League of Legends Master Series (LMS) 
Based on the performance of Southeast Asia’s Garena Premier League (GPL) at the 2017 Mid-Season Invitational, they received an additional seed. One seed is sent to the Group Stage and the second seed is sent to the Play-In Stage. 
In the following regions, one seed is sent to the Play-In Stage: 
  • Brazil – Campeonato Brasileiro de League of Legends (CBLoL)
  • Commonwealth of Independent States – The League of Legends Continental League (LCL)
  • Japan – League of Legends Japan League (LJL)
  • Latin America North – Liga Latinoamérica Norte (LLN)
  • Latin America South – Copa Latinoamérica Sur (CLS)
  • Oceania – Oceanic Pro League (OPL)
  • Turkey – Turkish Championship League (TCL) 
How do teams qualify? 
There's one way teams from CBLOL, LCL, LJL, LLN, CLS, OPL, and TCL can qualify: 
  • Win Summer Playoffs 
There are two ways teams from GPL can qualify, again due to their region's performance at the MSI: 
  • 1st seed – Win Summer Playoffs
  • 2nd seed – Win the Summer Playoffs expanded bracket qualifier 
There are three ways teams from LCK, LPL, EU LCS, NA LCS, and LMS can qualify: 
  • 1st seed – Win Summer Playoffs
  • 2nd seed – Have the most Championship Points by the end of Playoffs
  • 3rd seed – Win the Regional Qualifier 
When are Summer (Split 2) Playoffs in each region? 
Summer playoffs take place on different dates in each region:  
  • LCK: 8/12 - 8/26, Finals 8/26
  • LPL: 8/22 - 8/26, Finals 9/1
  • EU LCS: 8/19 - 9/10, Finals 9/3
  • NA LCS: 8/19 - 9/10, Finals 9/3
  • LMS: 8/18 - 8/28, Finals 8/25
  • GPL: 8/21 - 8/27
  • CBLoL: 8/19 - 9/2, Finals 9/2
  • LCL: 8/19 - 9/3, Finals 9/3
  • LJL: 8/16 - 8/19, Finals 8/26
  • LLN: 8/14 - 8/26, Finals 8/26
  • CLS: 7/27 - 7/28, Finals 8/19
  • OPL: 8/25 - 9/2, Finals 9/2
  • TCL: 8/5 - 8/13, Finals 8/19  
What are the Regional Qualifiers? 
The LCK, LPL, EU LCS, NA LCS, and LMS all hold Regional Qualifiers after Summer Playoffs to determine which team from their region will secure the 3rd seed at Worlds. 
Teams are ranked within the Regional Qualifiers based on their final Championship Points standings. Teams earn Championship Points based on where they finish in both the Spring and Summer Split Playoffs. 
Most regions play out their Regional Qualifiers in a gauntlet format. Every match in the tournament is a Best of 5, and the four competing teams are seeded into a single elimination gauntlet-style bracket based on the amount of Championship Points they've earned. 
In a gauntlet, teams with fewer points have to play more matches. They must defeat all of the higher seeds in order to qualify, whereas teams that finished with more Championship Points have a relatively easier road. 
In the LMS, Regional Qualifiers are played in a bracket format. After two initial matches between the 1st/4th and 2nd/3rd highest point holders, the winners of each duke it out in a final match.
Where can I watch the Regional Qualifiers? 
The Regional Qualifiers take place on different dates in each region. Every qualifier will be available to watch on lolesports. For exact times, check your league’s schedule page. 
  • NA LCS: 9/8 - 9/10
  • EU LCS: 9/8 - 9/10
  • LCK: 8/28, 8/30, 9/2
  • LPL: 9/2 - 9/3
  • LMS: 8/26 - 8/28"

Quick Hits

"Knife Mom will destroy us all. 
Animated by Ehlboy: https://www.youtube.com/user/Ehlboy
Additional Animation by Jomm: https://www.youtube.com/user/FlashJ0mm
Effects by Miccool: https://www.youtube.com/user/micshower
Sound Design by Hyun: https://www.youtube.com/user/HyunsDojo
Music by Christopher Carlone 
*Created in Collaboration with Riot Games*"

Reminders

Last up, a few reminders on upcoming and ending soon promotions and sales!
  • As mentioned in 7.16 notes, ARURF returns to the RGMQ from 8/11/17 12:00 PT to 8/24/17 11:59PM PT!
  • The Arcade Boss World event is happen now through 8/24! For all the details on the event, check out our event page!

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