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Why Do You Play Beginner Bots?

TheUnrepentant··5 votes·1,921 views

I have not played this game long, I have been at it since mid November. I have gotten to a summoner level of 18 during that time. I do not credit myself with any great skill and an still enmeshed in learning how to play the game. Using the free rotation I am attempting to gather a collection of champions that I am competent with. Pursuant to this I have not to this point played a PvP match. I mostly play beginner bots, especially with champions I am not confident with. In two more levels, as I continue to attempt to amass a collection of 16 champions I can competently use (the minimum to play in ranked matches I am told), I shall begin using IP to assemble pages of Runes. This is why I play beginner bots.

In many matches, one can find players who will get 20 or more kills. One can find players who will do this match after match and continue to play beginner bots. I am quite sure they are having a lot of fun. It must be to get so many kills on a regular basis. But as they continue to rack up kills, they hasten the end of the match, giving it a different flow from if they were replaced by a player representing the average of the team. This hinders the ability of players in this match, most especially the players in the same lane with them, to learn both the game and their champion. It becomes in many cases a waste of time to play in these matches.

It is to the players that regularly kill 20+ bot champions that I would ask, "Why do you play beginner bots?" Why do you not play intermediate? Are you aware of the fact that you repress the ability of newer players to learn the game? Does that not bother you? Do you think it is helpful for less experienced players that a match end fifteen from its start? Please, elucidate.

TL;DR Why play beginner bots when it will not be a challenge with the champion you have selected?

17 Comments

Mr Broken Wings5 votes

I just play bot games when I have high ping like 200+, dont want to destroy the experience for people in normal/ranked games.

The Poetic Zed1 votes

[{quoted}](name=Mr Broken Wings,realm=EUW,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=80kiPIuG,comment-id=0001,timestamp=2015-12-26T06:01:19.395+0000)

I just play bot games when I have high ping like 200+, dont want to destroy the experience for people in normal/ranked games.

I like how you think. Currently looking for a custom because im somewhere other than my normal area and dont trust the ping.

shyv3 votes
  • trying out new champs
  • don't have time for a normal game
  • lagging
  • first win of the day
PogChampEleGiggl1 votes

you're level 18 and still doing bots, instead of PvP where you get actual knowledge of how to play with, on and against all champions?

When you play bots you're either really new or really bored, and with your description I can't see why you are still in bot matches, where your teammates can be botting half the time as well. When I first started the game I went into PvP as soon as I was high enough level for it, and have never done any other bot matches besides on this account, my smurf.

TheUnrepentant1 votes

If you would please read my first paragraph in the original post again.

To your second paragraph: if you smurf do you smurf in beginner bots? If so why? Congratulations on going for PvP as soon as you can, I am not here for advice on how to learn the game, but rather was asking why players would play beginner bots when they don't appear to gain anything from it. At such a point as I feel comfortable with my knowledge of a decent number of champions, and on an internet connection I am confident in, I will play PvP.

FadedFreezy1 votes

I play bots while I'm at work on my older laptop and mainly to test out item builds or new champions. It's really a place where I familiarize myself with a champion so that I don't hinder online teams entirely while learning and practicing for ranked.

lightdragoon881 votes

Playing with and teaching the game to my friends who are starting out.

Or when friends invite me to one just to hang out and just have fun.

Chibi Templar1 votes

Sorry to change topic.

I never felt bots of any level taught you anything past the absolute bare basics. As someone whos been playing since pre-season 1, when the bots were almost retarded, (Ali bot ground pounding nothing) continual bot games do nothing but teach bad habits. Throw yourself right into some games, yes, you may get destroyed, but you learn more from losing to actual players.

disregardable1 votes

This is true, but you also need to keep in mind it'd be frustrating to just jump straight from winning every game to losing every game. It's okay to play both at the same time.

Chibi Templar1 votes

[{quoted}](name=Very Toxic Jinx,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=80kiPIuG,comment-id=00040000,timestamp=2015-12-26T06:17:21.435+0000)

This is true, but you also need to keep in mind it'd be frustrating to just jump straight from winning every game to losing every game. It's okay to play both at the same time.

Thats why you DON'T play nothing but bots from day 1.

H 31 votes

[{quoted}](name=Loli Crusader,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=80kiPIuG,comment-id=0004,timestamp=2015-12-26T06:05:05.628+0000)

Sorry to change topic.

I never felt bots of any level taught you anything past the absolute bare basics. As someone whos been playing since pre-season 1, when the bots were almost retarded, (Ali bot ground pounding nothing) continual bot games do nothing but teach bad habits. Throw yourself right into some games, yes, you may get destroyed, but you learn more from losing to actual players.

Yes and plus bots are scripted so poorly and you can easily win trades against them since they just walk back and forth when you hit and walk away. All I can learn is a new champion basic stuff verses bots and I could go 25-0 vs int bots but then miss horribly with the same skillshots and go 3-9 against people.

Axantucar1 votes

I generally only play bot games if I'm trying out a new champion or if I want my first win of the day bonus immediately (as opposed to playing a PvP game for it and possibly losing). Occasionally I'll play against beginner bots, but as they lack even the semblance of a challenge, I most often opt for intermediate; this way, they at least slightly resemble humans rather than harmless infants.

Valderis Vandala1 votes

Sometimes people just want to have some mindless fun or try out a completely new champion or try something in an environment that has zero risk of losing.

There is also a whole lot less asshole-ish behavior in bot games.

Melee Form1 votes

If I'm worried that I have a poor connection I'll go into a beginner bots game and try to end it as soon as possible.

Lord Boltrix1 votes

I feel the bigger question is: why don't we have better bots.

The most common argument seems to revolve around the fact that bots aren't better, they just start off with more to give them a better in-borne advantage.

My question is... so what?

The problem the game has right now is that the game is balanced around the idea that you are facing someone who is around your equal in terms of ability. Intermediate bots are not equal to anyone that hasn't played the game long enough/hasn't collected enough skill gameplay-wise or is playing a completely new and unfamiliar champion.

Even if the only change is to give the bots a better start, I'm fine with that. It would impart on other players something they're not used to: playing against someone who is simply better than you at the start.

Doom Bots were fun because, while static in their behavior, they gave us trouble and kept us on our toes because they were innately better than we were, and it took the combination of skill, teamwork, and being able to out-think the bots to be able to beat them.

LankPants1 votes

For most players who've played PvP for more than a few months neither beginner nor intermediate bots pose any challenge whatsoever. People often play bots just for first win of the day and it's overall slightly easier to role over beginner bots.

It also doesn't matter if these players play beginner or intermediate, they'd crush either. Me and my friends decided it would be funny to feed an intermediate Ryze bot over 50 kills one game and see how quickly we could finish, it took us 15 minutes. There's just no challenge in bots at all for experienced players.

In two more levels, as I continue to attempt to amass a collection of 16 champions I can competently use (the minimum to play in ranked matches I am told), I shall begin using IP to assemble pages of Runes. This is why I play beginner bots.

I'd advise you play some normals to at least get the hang of PvP first. PvP games are completely different to bots.

Sasogwa1 votes

If you really don't want that and want to still play against bots, you can always play a custom with 4 beginner bots on your side and 5 on the other side, though that would be a little bit colder and might make you get bad habits.

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