Would you prefer new maps over new champions?

Mira Arya Enthe··146 votes·5,608 views

We have had the same few maps for years now. We have so many beautiful realms in Runeterra we are learning about from the lore updates but only 2 primary gamestyle maps and then some side game type maps.

It would be amazing to have a vast, epic Shurima map that supports a totally different layout and larger overall map (Maybe more than 10 players).

Perhaps a map in Ionia with more team based objectives and less power to individual players.

Maybe a real brawling map in Piltover/Zaun with two levels where early game fighters excel.

Maybe a map where a Noxian and Demacian a fortress is on either side with some cool siege mechanic.

Oh oh! a map on moving boats/airships for Piltover/Bilgewater! (My god the coding ._.)

This variety would really stir things up for a change. And some champions who aren't viable on summoner's rift might see play on them while some who are OP on summoner's rift might not see play. We need something refreshing and new in League, and no, not another busted item or another champion release with 6 passives, 7 actives and a transformation. Shyvana

League is getting a bit stale, even if matches weren't 10 minutes in when decided. I would love to see more of Runeterra and experience my favorite champions in new places, as well as many of the beasts, monsters and glorious things from the lore.

EDIT: Some counterarguments

"Queue health" If maps were similarly designed to summoner's rift but with a different layout/visuals and slightly altered objectives. Then they could be on the same queue.

If maps were drastically different. Remove flex and blind pick, give EUNE, OCE, etc draft pick back. And then add 1-3 new maps. That is more interesting than 2 pointlessly additional versions of SR play.

"It couldn't be balanced" Summoner's rift isn't balanced. At any point there are about 20-30 viable champions. And this is the permanent state of the game unless Riot picks one absolute tier to balance around.

At least if say Riven is OP on summoner's rift due to x wall hops and y objectives. Instead Garen might be better on a different map due to layout and objectives.

Also some map specific balancing can happen.

"3v3s didn't work. Neither did Dominion!" But ARAM did. The problem with 3v3s is that it is 3v3. League is balanced around 5v5(or potentially more) interactions. Just like nobody in WoW considers 2v2 Arenas balanced because of game balance.

Dominion "didn't work" because every map needs to be about laning and blowing up a nexus. This is a Moba, king of the hill may be a fun Rotating Game Mode but not a primary playstyle.

New maps should play like SR but with new layouts, visuals and objectives.

147 Comments

ItsOrval30 votes

I want champ reworks. I want to be able to play Aatrox to where he is actually useful.

Truly Prideful4 votes

This. I would rather see new champion releases kind of halted for a season and just have them finish up the next several reworks. It would probably help them iron out any balance junk easier too.

Spaceman5pff1 votes

IDK about that, since the balance and design teams are individual and unique entities, balance happens regardless of working on new champs.

Hyperiön1 votes

Hence why they should take the champ design team and add them to the vgu team for a bit. Get the old outdated champions be able to compete again. We have enough champions for the time being.

Spaceman5pff1 votes

I would argue we have TOO MANY champions, by maybe 40-50.

I can't think of a whole 40-50 that I want deleted, but still I think there are too many.

Truly Prideful1 votes

Adding less new pieces to the puzzle couldn't hurt for a season. It also gets those reworks out for the champions that people love, but are really weak. I wouldn't mind seeing some of the forgotten guys again, looking forward to that Galio rework.

Spaceman5pff1 votes

Don't get me wrong: I would love for a stop to new champs, and to SOLELY pump out reworks for a season.

I just don't agree with the statement that it would make the game better in terms of BALANCE.

Nameless Voice2 votes

The reason being that the reworked champions should have more tuning levers to allow them to be balanced than those champions do in their current state.

Many of the balance and gameplay problems are caused by champions who are simply impossible to balance given their current kit. Reworks would - hopefully - fix their kits and make them more possible to balance.

That's the theory, anyway. It's also possible that a bad rework might make the champion even harder to balance.

Bloodhawk951 votes

I want to see Rammus have more than 2 words. "OK" and "Yeah"

How laye do you have to be to give champions jokes, multiple voice lines, taunts, etc, and give rammus 2 words?

Nameless Voice1 votes

That's a tricky one, because a lot of people love the fact that he only says "ok".

(I'm not in that group - I don't really like playing him because he's so utterly un-expressive and lacking in personality.)

Ralanr18 votes

I'd like new maps, but there's no way to really make them a priority as they wouldn't bring in money like new or reworked champions do.

Mira Arya Enthe18 votes

Keeping the game interesting and fun bring in players. Also there could be themed skins based on certain maps as well.

xelaker1 votes

[{quoted}](name=Mira Arya Enthe,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=PHjTtvTX,comment-id=00000000,timestamp=2017-01-30T20:29:05.919+0000)

Keeping the game interesting and fun bring in players. Also there could be themed skins based on certain maps as well.

why would i buy a skin i can only use on one map?

Spaceman5pff5 votes

I think the idea was that they could be thematic skins to match the design of various maps.

VelvetCrotch2 votes

u got it. ;-)

Spaceman5pff2 votes

Counterpoint: This game already has a super high barrier to entry, lots to learn. Do we really need to increase that?

VelvetCrotch1 votes

it wouldnt be a higher barrier if they just take the current SR and just change its aesthetics. Like turn it into e.g. a Bilgwater-Map, Shurima-Map or Freljord-Map.

Spaceman5pff1 votes

I would be all for that.

Heck, I would be all for different SHAPED maps as long as they have the same items and main goals.

Like a smaller 4v4 map with no epic monsters or t2 towers, could be set in Zaun or something.

As long as the variance in items / objectives is no bigger than SR / TT

TyrekGoldenspear13 votes

A bit of both but holy crap I love your map ideas!

Rito even said they were slowing down on new champs, which gives them more resources for map making.

Only concern i have is q times.

Mira Arya Enthe8 votes

Queue times are not because there are not enough players, there are tons of people playing League. Queue times are trying to find rarely played roles.

If the total number of people currently playing summoner's rift goes down from say 300k logged in at one time in one region to 200k. It doesn't change the % of those people playing support/adc. Also more people will play support/adc when Riot fixes the meta.

TyrekGoldenspear9 votes

In that case bring in the maps!

MisterHealYoGirl2 votes

lol a smaller matchmaking pool would absolutely affect queue times. Sure, the size of the player pool is unrelated to the proportions of roles (unless all top laners love Bilgewater or whatever), but that's not the only factor at play.

The goal of matchmaking is to assemble a group of ten players with comparable MMRs from the pool in the quickest time possible. As the options available to the system decrease (tighter MMR bounds, more role selection, fewer players in the pool), queue times go up. If you loosen them, queue times go down.

Queue times in Diamond, for example, are much much longer than in Silver. The ratio of roles requested presumably remains more or less the same, but because the pool of people in Diamond is so much smaller than the one in Silver, queue times are longer and sometimes matchmaking is looser.

Introducing a bunch of new queues more or less turns League from Silver to Diamond; the pool of people looking for any one thing gets smaller, so the system struggles harder to match people in a timely manner. I'm not trying to say that new maps (maybe as rotating game modes?) aren't a good idea, but that they would take some serious thought on queue health.

The MechE9 votes

I think Heroes of The Storm had a good idea with the multiple maps thing, but the problem is how would you balance that for LoL?

Shadòw8 votes

well i would take Magma Chamber to actually get an official 1v1 Map/Mode (it wouldn't even have to be 100% balanced and not even need Ranked, but i think it still would be a good and fun addition to the game) over the next shit like Camille anytime.

Mira Arya Enthe3 votes

I'm not too into 1v1 maps, as I see too much cheese potential in anything with less than 4 players. One of the problems with TT is somebody like Darius can become virtually unkillable due to the lack of 2 more sources of damage, itemization and cc on your team. But I would still take Magma Chamber over nothing.

AdeBug6 votes

fk new champs

Chaos Milk Tea5 votes

Your best bet right now are rotating game modes. If something proves to be immensely popular there, then it could become permanent like aram. So far, nothing has been as popular as aram, but if it was it could end up need a dedicated map like the howling abyss.

I would like to see more REWORKS before new champions, as they are more likely to improve the health of the game. If we got a new map though, I would like a reworked 3v3 map as it is not very fun to fight there and the game flow is janky.

Seyfti5 votes

Champion reworks should be the priority honestly

deadlychuck1 votes

How the current philosophy seems, the longer they take to change champions "for the better" the longer i have to play the game the way i want to play, and not one of the 134 acceptable ways.

Seyfti1 votes

Well ye sometimes reworks dont work out but sometimes they do and Poppy is a great example of that, however there are some cases such as Galio and Urgot, who objectively need a rework. You can't tell me you find those champions fun or that their kits make any sense. Others just require slight VGU such as Morgana or Kayle nothing major. And lastly some just require a VU. I think majority would be for those things rather then new champions or maps.

cuddlykitten42 votes

Play Urgot into a Nasus and then come back and tell me you didn't have the most fun ever.

Seyfti1 votes

Sorry, I'm not a masochist dude.

Spaceman5pff1 votes

Found the Nasus ^^

Seyfti1 votes

Ooops I misread that, I thought it said go play Urgot. EUNE English...

cuddlykitten41 votes

No, it said to play Urgot. Urgot hard counters the fuck out of Nasus and Garen. I intentionally use him as their counter. I have yet to see a Nasus hit 100 stacks in a game with an Urgot on his ass. Get a sense of adventure because Urgot is OP as fuck. People just don't know how to run him cause he doesn't hold your hand like most champs. Or continue to not try it, be boring, play the same old champs, and try to counter things with expected counters in hopes that they don't have a good counterplay plan. No one has a counterplay plan for Urgot. In fact, his passive alone is an auto shut down for Nasus.

Seyfti1 votes

Be boring? I enjoy playing what I play its not boring for me. I don't play top lane and honestly for this season I have no desire to. Currently I am support main as mid secondary. Maybe in the future though.

cuddlykitten41 votes

I'm a support main as well. I'm also 100% correct right now. The fact that you changed your point from "I'm not a masochist" to "Be boring?" tells me that you're making shit up as you go. People who mean what they say and are speaking truth will never vary in the things they say. People who are just winging it will alter variables and details in the things they say and evolve their tales as new information is presented to them. You're doing the latter.

Seyfti1 votes

What are you on about? I am responding to you. You said to me that I should get a sense of adventure and play Urgot and that I'm boring by playing the "same old champs" I play. I questioned your statement? You are the one making shit up and looking for an argument where there is none. Holy shit.

Spaceman5pff2 votes

Dude u need some chill, jesus.

Seyfti1 votes

Dude needs to get laid or something. Holy moly man.

Danjeng4 votes

I'm all for new maps. Champions, we already have 134+. With a new map, it would give a whole new depth to what those 134 champions can do. New strategies, new items, etc. Do something different than just your average MOBA.

I'm not talking about rotating game modes, I'm saying a whole map where you play ranked. The core of the game remains the same, Destroy enemy turrets, inhibitor, then Nexus. But a new map gives a new take on how it can be done.

I'd like an Ionian map. Ionia is all about harmony with the environment, so there can be various zones that can be controlled, which give buffs to those within. The map could be like a yin and yang! With the nexus being the two dots.

ModCaptainMårvelous4 votes

Uh.

Those two aren't in any way related. That's like asking for Riot to stop working on the netcode and put all their coders on skins. You're not going to get anything accomplished. While I would like more maps, they wouldn't be in lieu of new champs.

Quindec4 votes

Heroes of the Storm has quite some great success releasing unique and new maps

Jeddy0174 votes

I would like new maps, but what's the point of new permanent maps/modes if they just end up going the route of Dominion?

oSEXYPLATYPUSo3 votes

they should create a bigger map and have it be like 7 vs 7 .... I think that could be fun

Lavaniel3 votes

I just got back into Twisted Treeline last week, after playing it like two seasons ago, when it was teams only. While flex queue really helps bring players into the gamemode, I'll give TT this:

You never know what champions are super good in TT. I'm constantly being surprised. Gragas, in the right hands, will one-shot any squishy you got. Teemo is super good as long as they don't have an APC. Darius is meh. Taric is mega OP. Illaoi is a free win. BAN POPPY. You are pinned at every wall.

I love how just some old characters who are crap on the Rift are awesome in TT. It's like HoTS and League had a child and yet I never actually looked at it. Seriously, you want some good fun, play that map.

Bisaknosp2 votes

couldnt care less about maps

Dat Kat2 votes

I'd honestly rather have new/reworked champs over new maps. If anything, I'd very much prefer have the summoners rift decorated and renovated like the Christmas one for different kind of events, that makes the map feel new and gives off the unique vibes.

ntbcool1 votes

I agree I don't know why people want new maps, it seems obvious that it's just not the still of the game. Yes they can do stuff like RGMQ maps for the luls, but I don't think they could ever have another map that even compares to SR.

Glory ln Death2 votes

New maps would be pretty cool if they were in the RGM queue, or potentially randomly selected for Blind pick. If you select Blind pick, you have a 25% chance to select one of 4 maps, basically.

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