RGM queue brain dump
Heya guys, been a while since I did one of these. Seems that people enjoy the transparency each time, so here I go again. :D
Why is "Mode X" on every weekend!? Where's "Mode Y"!? We've been keeping a steady 1.5 months between most mode repeats (except for 1 time on Hexakill during Nexus Siege polish, where it came back in 4 weeks instead of the usual 6). We also realise that most of you don't actually think the same mode get's repeated every weekend, but depending on what kind of player you are, it might feel that way. Certain modes do/don't resonate with certain types of players, so if you like the chill of Poro King, but aren't really into the brawls of Ascension/Hexakill, it can feel like a gap between modes "for you".
This is something we haven't figured out a good solution for yet. :/ One option is obviously to switch on all modes all the time, but that would be a disaster for queue health, maintenance, etc. For now, a healthy rotation of as many modes that hit as many player types as possible, combined with us updating older modes (Ascension & Hexakill recently got medium-sized updates), while continuing to add new modes as we go, feels like the best approach.
When is the next "big mode"? Larger scope modes like Nexus Siege take longer to develop than others. We enjoy making them though, and you guys always respond to the extra effort, which feeds back into pumping us up for the next one! :D Given the fuzzy nature of gamedev though, we can't easily say "This day here, it'll be done!" (Random Pose Option plz Jeff :P) as any number of unforeseen things can bork development. Rest assured though, we're committed to continue adding spicy goodness to the RGM in some shape or another.
WTF is ARURF? As the name says, it's All Random URF.
Why did it take so long for URF to come back? In a sense, we haven't even brought back regular URF, it's ARURF for now. Regular URF was stagnating super fast and had some unhealthy play patterns. :/ It was probably one of the hardest hit modes for a 'stagnant meta' whenever it was released. Games quickly devolved into a slideshow of the 'perceived' best champs. Whether or not they were actually OP (hint, they usually weren't :P), seeing the same 20 champs every game got boring REAL fast. :/ It took the RGM team a little longer to convert URF to be All Random, but we believe it could be a much healthier version of the mode. We're hoping you guys have fun with it! :D
Do I get rerolls in ARURF? Yep. We'll be sharing rerolls for ARAM in this first version, but will increase the rate at which you earn them to compensate. Not sure if we want to split them out for the future, but it's something we'd consider.
Why didn't you call it ARRF? That's even what URF says.. you missed like the best opportunity. WTF?! I'm sorry.... I've failed you all. :'(
What about people dodging in ARURF? Similar to Nemesis Draft, we'll probably need to tweak dodge timers to reflect the lack of player agency in champion select. Nemesis Draft's 2hr penalty might be a little steep, but ARAM's 30mins might also be too soft. Something in between could be good here.
I'll be chilling in here throughout today, feel free ask me anything. ^_^b -- L4T3NCY
- there is a high probability in most of the games w still see 2-3 of them (having in mind re-rolls). being all-random is nice, but having a few banned champions would contribute even more, IMHO.
