Red Post Collection: Quick Gameplay Thoughts: 8/24, August Bundles, Ask Riot, & More

Posted on at 12:48 PM by Aznbeat
Today's red post collection includes Meddler's quick gameplay thoughts for August 24th, the August bundles, this week's new Ask Riot, details on Riot's presence at PAX West, and more!
Continue reading for more information!


Table of Contents


Quick Gameplay Thoughts: August 24 

Check out Meddler's quick gameplay thoughts for August 24th, including notes on game loading bugs, mastery curvesfor recent champion releases, 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 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 
Looking into game loading bugs 
We're looking into some issues with how long it's taking to load into game at present, including a bug where one player won't start loading until everyone else has finished doing so. Not sure on timing or details of a fix yet, but wanted to share that it was being actively worked on. 
When we're prioritizing work bugs get bumped up the priority list if they're really impactful or if they're really common. Things that are both at once, such as this, get prioritized over most things as a result, given the combination's especially bad. 
Mastery Curves for Recent Releases 
Not too much new to talk about today in terms of what we're working on, given a lot of time's going into things like Preseason, Ranked and Nexus Blitz where we've already talked about the details or things aren't yet ready to be shared. Figured it would be a good time to look at some more Mastery Curve graphs as a result. Let us know if data like this is something you're especially interested in and I'll try and include a bit more of it if so. 
For anyone unfamiliar with mastery curves, or wanting to see a few more, they were in a couple of posts earlier this year: 
https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/developer-corner/1czrgEgw-quick-gameplay-thoughts-february-21 https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/developer-corner/X3P0v1Vh-quick-gameplay-thoughts-february-23 
TLDR is they show how much a champion's winrate increases as a player plays more games on them and they're a useful tool for us when it comes to making balance decisions. 
Looking today at mastery curves for some recent releases with Pyke, Irelia, Kai'Sa and Swain, plus Rengar, Jax, Vayne and Karthus provided as comparison points from similar (ish) champions. This data's taken from games over the last three months, at all MMRs, from most regions. Curves do change a bit at high MMR versus low, but usually not very dramatically (same trends). Aatrox and Akali aren't included here because their updates were recently too recently for us to have enough data to populate these curves well enough (not enough people have reached the 30+ mark in particular).
A few things I think are worth noting: 
  • This is average data over a few months, so doesn't necessarily reflect current power level.
  • Pyke and Rengar make for an interesting comparison. On one hand they're both champs that get quite a lot of benefit from being played a lot, with a 9% climb over 50 games being notably above average. That's fairly common for non tanky melee champs, who tend to have high curves based off the demands on when they go into fights, how they position etc. The contrast in how front loaded Pyke is (lot to learn, but comes quicker) versus Rengar's more steady curve's noteworthy though. Somewhat front loaded curves have tended to be easier to balance, given the discrepancy between moderate and heavy play isn't so high. Rengar's certainly been a balance challenge over the years but, while it's still early days, some suggestion here Pyke might be a bit less of a problem.
  • Irelia and Jax also make for a pretty interesting contrast. From about 15 games onwards their curves are quite similar, ending at around the same power level too. Irelia's starts off low and steep though, assumedly reflecting initial challenges learning how to combo and execute on her abilities, then transitioning into the same sort of mastery that Jax is testing beyond that point (some shift of focus to things like match ups, building timings etc, with less on mechanical execution and kit comprehension)."

On Garen and Yorick, Meddler commented:
"If either of them ends up absolutely terrible in high MMR we'll look at them for potential follow up buffs. Having said that both have been performing really well even in high MMR recently, so even there we've got some room to cut."

Riot Wittrock also commented on Yorick:
"Thanks for the detailed thoughts! 
The intent with this nerf is to reduce the power that Yorick players are getting when their opponents don't understand Mist Walkers' behavior. While higher MMR games do tend to be longer, we believe that the importance of the strength of Mist Walkers at early levels in lower MMRs outweighs those levels being a lower proportion of the game on average. 
The goal with this list isn't to lower his low MMR winrate without effecting his high MMR performance - this will be a nerf; just one that's dis-proportionally impacting low MMR, where his performance is the most out of line. If the result is a Yorick that's crushed in high MMR, it's reasonable that we'd look at buffs that would be more valuable for high MMR, like on E as you suggested. 
We'd need to be careful around how large we make Mist Walkers or their click-box, but I agree that they can feel needlessly difficult to pinpoint. Thought is that that would be a pretty big nerf overall though, and be fairly minimal toward smoothing out his success across MMRs."

Meddler commented on Assassins:
"Quote:
Speaking of mastery curves, I'm curious how the semi-reverted assassins Rengar, Leblanc, and Fizz compare to their assassin class update selves. Is there any data on this or is it not disparate enough to be worth sharing?
I suspect it'll be very similar, that's a really interesting question though. I don't have that data to hand right now, I'll looking at getting it into a post next week though. One thing that might be an issue though is that since a player's number of games aren't reset when the adjustment happens the curve's going to get someone messed up by people being recorded as 50 game players or whatever who, due to the changes, effectively aren't playing at the same level as someone who'd put 50 games into that specific kit. Will see what's there though."

On Tryndamere, Meddler replied:
"Quote: 
Any news about Tryndamere, is he still planned for buff in 8.17 ?
We won't be buffing him in 8.17 at least. Going to let him sit for a bit longer, then reassess, at the least he's not urgently in need of a buff, possible we shouldn't do one in general, not confident enough either way right now."

 Meddler also provided his thoughts on Corrupting Potion:
"Conceptually, I don't think there's anything wrong with ranged champions being able go for a Corrupting start. 
Right now though it's looking like the combination of Corrupting, Dark Seal and Time Warp Tonic might be too potent when combined. We're looking into that at present, though don't have a committed change yet."

It’s time for August bundles! 

Check out the August Bundles from Riot Evaelin:
"Grab these limited-time bundles now through August 30, 2018 at 11:59 PM PT. All bundles include champions as well as skins. 
I Forgot Smite Bundle - 50% off at 1609 RP (3176 RP if you need the champions)
  • Worldbreaker Trundle
  • Pentakill Olaf
  • Definitely Not Udyr
  • Thunder Lord Volibear 
Ooh, Shiny Bundle - 50% off at 2400 RP (4115 RP if you need the champions)
  • Arcade Ahri
  • Star Guardian Lux
  • Queen of Diamonds Syndra
  • Spirit Fire Brand 
Right Click Bundle - 50% off at 2024 RP (3030 RP if you need the champions)
  • Nightmare Tryndamere
  • God Staff Jax
  • Ionia Master Yi
  • Secret Agent Xin Zhao 
Outplayed Bundle - 50% off at 2136 RP (3990 RP if you need the champions)
  • PROJECT: Yasuo
  • Shockblade Zed
  • Battle Bunny Riven
  • Sandstorm Ekko"

Ask Riot: Will Tribunal Return? 

This week's Ask Riot is here, covering the Tribunal, poros, Runeterra, and Face of the Mountain:
"This week, let’s talk about the Tribunal, plus poros, Runeterra, and Face of the Mountain.
Is tribunal ever coming back? 
The tl;dr is Tribunal isn’t coming back any time soon. 
We learned a lot from Tribunal when it was around, and it actually became one of the bases of our current models for abusive chats. A player-voted service like Tribunal comes with two huge drawbacks that are really tough to get around, though: 
  1. It’s slow and inefficient. Manual reviews require pulling those chat logs out to the website, waiting for responses from enough players, and deciding on a penalty from there, while the current automated systems can send out penalties in less than 15 minutes.
  2. It’s sometimes wildly inaccurate (especially when there was an IP reward per “successful” penalty, leading to a super innate bias in the system).
There’s a couple of things Tribunal brought that we know we haven’t tackled in a big way, like more focus on trolling and intentional feeding detection (though we are continuing to iterate on how we detect these) and more agency to make it feel like you’re really having an impact on unsportsmanlike behaviors. 
We’re making a lot of progress with dodgy chat content and the new name filtering service with our automated models, but we do still need you to hit the report button when you see bad shit to help us gather information on what you don’t want to see in League. It really does make a difference. 
Comms Strategist, Metagame Systems  

Will you return face of the mountain in the future? We have twin shadows and shurelya’s, but no face of the mountain 
Face of the Mountain’s biggest sticking point was that it frequently felt like a less-strong version of other defensive items, most noticeably Locket. At the same time, FotM allowed for some really egregious shield stacking when used with Locket. Twin Shadows and Shurelya’s have less direct overlap with other items, so there was more space to bring them back. That doesn’t mean that we’ll always be happy with those two items, or that we’ll never find a version of Face of the Mountain that we could bring back, but that’s the reasoning we’ve had so far. 
Senior Designer, Game Systems 

Is Runeterra flat?

No. It’s an oblate spheroid. 
If you were to sail off the western side of the map, you might eventually arrive at Bilgewater in the east, but there’s a lot more of Runeterra than just what we’ve seen so far… 
BIOLUMINESCENCE
Senior Level Designer 

What do you call a large group of poro? Pack? Herd? Or rather swarm?

A group of poros is known as a fluft, which is possibly the most adorable collective noun in all the languages of Runeterra. 
For many weary inhabitants of the Freljord, retiring to greener pastures and becoming a poro herder would be a dream come true… 
Lead Narrative Editor 
Thanks for reading this week’s Ask Riot. Have a question? 
Head over to Ask Riot and sign into your League account. Check out the Pro Tips, then ask away. 
We promise to read every question, but we can’t guarantee they’ll all get answers. Some questions may already be answered elsewhere, and some won’t be right for Ask Riot. This isn’t the best place to announce new features, for example, and we might skip conversations on issues we’ve talked about in depth before (though we can clarify individual points). 
We are listening, though, so keep asking. We’ll make sure your questions are heard by the Rioters working on the stuff you’re curious about." 

Riot at PAX West

Here's ADillonMostDaddy with the schedule for Riot's presence at PAX West:
"PAX West 2018 kicks off in less than one week, and we’re headed back to show our support for one of the best communities in gaming. 
Our headline event this year is Playoffs in the Park, a two-day viewing party for NA LCS semifinals but also much, much more! Expect a ton of stuff to do, including Cosplay Meetups & Showcases, Meet & Greets, and Team Liquid Giveaways. You’ll also get to watch some amazing streamers do their thing live from our Alienware Streaming Truck, including:
Event details:
  • Saturday & Sunday (9/1-9/2): 10 AM - 8 PM
  • Westlake Park (4th Ave & Pike/Pine St)
  • Semifinals begin: Saturday (9/1) @ 2 PM/ Sunday (9/2) @ 12 PM
  • No PAX badge required!
At PAX itself, writers and editors from Riot’s narrative team are hosting a panel to discuss their approach to story craft and lore building within Runeterra. Join us for Stories Beyond Summoner’s Rift: Narrative at Riot Games at 2 PM on Sunday (9/2) in the Main Theater. 
We’re also bringing back our always-popular Cosplay Repair + Creator Pit Stop to support the incredible PAX cosplay & creator community. Throughout the event, any and all cosplayers & crew are welcome to drop by Room 614 for rest or repairs. 
Right next door in Room 613 we’re hosting a variety of sessions to support women and non-binary folks who are interested in getting into gaming professionally. Stop by to learn from and get to know some of the badass women of Riot! Tentative schedule below, but all subject to change—stop by the room Friday-Monday for a daily schedule.
  • 10 AM-12 PM: 1-on-1 resume review & feedback
  • 12-3 PM: Presentations including:
    • Art + Champions/Skins Design
    • How to be a Producer
    • Narrative Writing
    • Production Careers
    • Game Design
    • Advanced Cosplay
  • 3-4:30 PM: Meditation / quiet space hour (except Sunday)
  • 4:30-6 PM: “Ask a Rito” (Stop by and chat with a Rioter)
Attending PAX is always one of our highlights, and we can’t wait to see you there or at Playoffs in the Park!"

Quick Hits


"We’re excited to announce our partnership with Sanquin for the #MyFirstBlood campaign during the EU LCS Summer Finals, bringing all the action to life in Dutch for the first time. 
Anybody who has watched the EU LCS can tell you that securing First Blood is one of the most important objectives on the Rift. Similarly, donating blood in real life is crucial for those in need, which is why we’ve partnered with Sanquin. The organisation is responsible for the blood supply in the Netherlands and is on a mission to combat the concerning decrease in blood donor numbers. Now, players are encouraged to go for their first blood donation with #MyFirstBlood, not to win their own game, but to help thousands of others in the battle for their lives. 
As a token of gratitude, players who sign up for their first Sanquin appointment will receive the Blood Moon Thresh skin. The campaign starts immediatley, and peaks on September 8th during the EU LCS Summer Finals and continues through the end of December. Dutch players will be able to watch their own stream of the EU LCS Summer Finals, organized by Gamers First at http://www.twitch.tv/insideesportstv, where Sanquin have sponsored the First Blood both on and off the Rift. For more information, check out Sanquin's #MyFirstBlood website here.


Reminders

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

No comments

Post a Comment