Critical strikes now implemented as stacking bonus damage rather than double damage

Critkeeper··6 votes·1,039 views

Replace "crit chance" with "accuracy".

Instead of having a 0-100% chance of doing 100% additional damage on a crit, you apply a stacking mark that causes your auto attacks to do 0-30% additional damage (based on how much accuracy you have, the number 30 is subject to change) to the target on any subsequent hit. The marks can stack without limit, but they disappear if you have not damaged the afflicted target with an auto attack within the past 4 seconds.

Here is the amount of damage dealt per auto attack in terms of the attacker's total attack damage, as a function of the number of attacks made against that particular target so far, with 100% crit chance and 100% accuracy. The red line is the current scheme where the total damage per auto attack is always 2x the ad of the attacker. The proposed scheme starts at 1, then increases to 1.3, then 1.6, then 1.9 etc.

Y = Damage each auto does (in terms of the total ad of the attacker) X = number of attacks made against that target prior to this attack http://imgur.com/kUeHaoZ

This is the graph of the sum of the amount of damage dealt over all attacks combined together, in terms of the attacks total attack damage, as a function of the number of attacks made.

Y = total damage dealt so far (in terms of the total ad of the attacker) X = number of attacks made against that target prior to this attack http://imgur.com/lYdNTgu

The motivation for this change is simple:

Random based critical strikes are unpredictable and with significant amounts of crit chance they do not create choices. With low amounts of crit chance they subvert the premise that interaction between players fundamentally ought to be based on decisions that the players make.

The suggested "accuracy" based critical strike system is not unpredictable and creates choices. The choice is either remaining in combat and withstanding the additional damage per auto attack or to disengage from or drive away the attacker so that the mark falls off after 4 seconds. It discourages long fights and encourages short skirmishes as a counter play against someone who has a lot of "accuracy". This new impetus for aggro cycling in team fights creates a more dynamic team fight experience.

It also provides an opportunity to create more interesting item and skill designs that interact with critical strike, like spreading or moving the marks from one target to another or removing some of the marks for meeting a condition, or instantly adding a certain number of marks to a target if you land a skill shot or etc. In other words its richer as a system than the current incarnation of critical strikes is.

11 Comments

Earl Eulrich2 votes

I agree that crit has to be reworked and made less RNG, but I think back-loading all the dmg my look good on first view, but really doesn´t work out for a simple reason: THere are ADCs (like Vayne) and especially melee-carries (Tryn) that are very assassin-like in their combat-impact and fail to stick to the same target over a prolonged time (except it´s a clear stomp) and would get incredible hurt by this behaviour. It´ll favour the already (too) strong long-range carries over anything else basically. For other ways to improve Crit-gameplay http://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/live-gameplay/hbEj1jWi-can-we-finally-phase-crits-rngesus-out-of-the-game is the best discussion so far.

I think backloading would however work incredible well with armor-pen, kinda like black-cleaver already does. So you could still deal a lot of frontloaded-dmg to squishies, but you would really need to focus on a tank for longer if you want to really hurt him through all the armor (imagine last whisper stacking 6%arp per autoattack, maxing at 8stacks or sth- like that).

Critkeeper1 votes

You wouldn't make an argument against implementing a specific system because of a handful of champions, you'd just rework those handful of champions to be strong in the context of the new system. Thats not a cop out thats just a matter of fact. When dodge was removed, every champion received bonus armor and those that relied on dodge as a part of their kit (like jax) received a rework. Items that granted dodge received reworks. Arguments for or against a system rework should revolve around what new gameplay is offered or what gameplay is removed, not what champions would thrive or fail to thrive or what items do or don't do.

Earl Eulrich1 votes

I think there are better solutions to solve the Crit-problem without having to spent lots of work on reworks/rebalancing that could be invested elsewhere, so I like your concept...but I don´t think it´s the best solution, though i really would like to see this general idea get involved in an overhaul of the penetration-system (that really needs somechange aswell).

FyshinaTux1 votes

Not bad actually, I'm not certain that it'll ever see light in LoL, but this isn't really all that bad.

I'd like to see some more thoughts on this, and some iterations of what items/skills could look like to manipulate these "marks" to supplement the gameplay instead of hindering it, as the current crit system does.

Think I may play around with this myself and possibly post my thoughts later (couple months).

kiloechoesp1 votes

The only champions who will build a lot of "accuracy" are the ones who currently build crit chance. Marksmen.

The obvious motivation for this change is to remove rng from LoL, which can tip games depending on who gets more luckier. So this seems to be the simplest fix.

Now, of course there are some flaws.

1 - Instead of comparing 100% accuracy to 100% crit, how about 50% crit and 50% accuracy?

50% crit means you are guaranteed 300% basic attack damage with two basic attacks. (this is because riots system reduces RNG as much as possible, so if you miss the first time, you are guaranteed a hit the second)

50% accuracy is 15% stacking damage. So, it'll be 100% first basic, 115% second basic. So that's 215% basic attack damage, A HUGE decrease in damage. Even if it was 100% stacking damage with 50% accuracy, you'll still do only 300% with two attacks BUT do ridiculous damage after the first 2 hits.

If it's 100% accuracy, it's even worse. That's 30% stacking damage. So you do 230% damage compared to 400% with 2 hits.

Which brings me to my next point

**2 - Marksmen and anyone else who builds crit, are usually targeted first to reduce damage to the team. By decreasing early damage but increasing later damage, you are just making them weaker. **

In fast-paced teamfights, they'll usually get only 4 or 5 hits anyways. Based on your graph, you'll just be doing less damage overall. in fact, this change would harm tanks the most, since they will take more hits.

3 - FInally, there's the problem with switching targets. If you switch targets i assume your damage goes back to 100% instead of a chance of 200%.

Any smart player will just back off if someone with accuracy starts attacking them. There, back to really low damage.

**4 - Don't even get me started about armor... ** Of course, I can make criticisms all day and not have any of my own ideas however once again that is not the case.

Here's another idea:

With 50% accuracy, your first hit does 100+50%. your second hit increases damage but increases it only by 50% of your previous modifier rounded up. So, 150%+25(50% of 50%)%. Third hit, 175%+13%, 188%. fourth hit, 188% + 7%, 195%. Fifth hit, 195%+4%, 199%. Sixth hit, 199%+1%, 200%, where if you attack more stays at 200%. It's capped at 200%

With 25% accuracy, your first hit does 100+25%. Your second hit increases damage but increases it by 75% of your previous modifier rounded up. So, 125% + 19% = 144%. 144% + 15% = 159% and so on

WIth 100% accuracy, the modifier is 0%. So the modifier is 100% - the accuracy rate. So, you'll be weaker earlier, but as you stack damage, you become stronger and stronger.

kiloechoesp1 votes

Honestly, you can't implement this system without revamping everything.

It's not 8% crit = 8% accuracy

so you'll have to change the values on every item with crit chance. Why fix something that isn't entirely broken?

Also i'll like to add that the other idea is one i saw on the forums before. It isn't mine, but it seems much more durable.

Armor is supposed to counter crit chance, but armor becomes pointless vs. accuracy. Having more armor makes no difference because people with accuracy do increased damage as they attack. Might as well get mobility or health.

Sorry if i came across a bit cocky.

Tahalden1 votes

Great post! A lot of people criticize the crit-based system but fail to come up with an actual solution. So it's really cool to see someone come in with an actual interesting idea.

The exact implementation of something like this would need some tinkering for sure. First and foremost, you'd have to cap the additional damage you can do to avoid extreme accuracy builds and snowballing.

But the idea is solid, because if it functions as a base stat would, it does actually bring gameplay with it. You're not just increasing your crit-chance or your armor penetration, but you're stacking something that requires you to be clever about who you're attacking.

And even better, if the opposing players are aware of you going with an accuracy build, they can adapt their play style accordingly. Do I back off or do I continue trading? Is my AD-based or ArPen-based build more efficient at DPS than his accuracy build? It's more risky, because it IS easier to avoid too high stacks of accuracy, while a crit-build just is more likely to crit. You or your opponent can't do anything about it.

Z Statistic1 votes

I don't like like this at all. Not because I love RNG but because it lacks creativity beyond just adding more damage to aa's.

Critkeeper1 votes

It adds gameplay centered around denying that bonus damage by controlling the pace of the fight. Its not like critical strike is creative at all anyway, it would be hard to design a less creative system.

Sneak Dog1 votes

This sounds familiar...

Regardless, I still like this idea and creates for more balance points between adc damage on squishies and tanks, allowing for better role definitions, no more adc is the undisputed king of single-target damage with enough items, burst AND continuous, but more king of consistent damage.

Hyrum Graff1 votes

I don't really have time to figure out and write out my thoughts on this proposition, so instead I'll pose a question:

How does this affect ranged/melee interaction? Is there a way to rework crit that makes said interaction more interesting?

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