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Design Challenge? An item or ward that grants vision NOT using a circular AoE of sight

DrugsForRobots·7/26/2017, 8:52:18 PM·15 votes·1,660 views

Mark Rosewater, lead designer of Magic: The Gathering for 20+ years, has said over and over again: restriction breeds creativity.

So my challenge for anyone interested: design an item or ward that grants vision or information.

The restrictions are as follows:

    1. It can't have a circular AoE of sight, which is the standard for all wards and most sight-granting abilities.
    1. The item must include some form of delay, telegraphing, travel time, or tell-tale sign (all forms of counterplay) that clues players in to the fact that they've been seen or are currently being spied on.

Why this design challenge?

I think SightStone eats up too much of the design space for vision effects. It is too good for what it does. Most of the ward objects are as well, due to the way they grant sight. If our ways of getting vision and info were less reliable or more narrow in their scope, if they clued players in to their presence, then they could afford to be stronger and have more interesting effects, and be FREE (yes, I know trinkets are free, but I don't think giving players are free mini-SightStone is moving in the right direction...)

Also, not sure if this should go into Gameplay or C&C, but it is here for now.

https://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/1/1f/Sightstone_item.png/revision/latest?cb=20170216222321

55 Comments

DrCyanide7/26/2017, 9:32:36 PM9 votes

Some ideas (some might break your rules, but oh well)

Tunnel Visioned Ward - Vision in a cone, determined the same way as a Scryer's Bloom. Can see very far, but the narrow field of view lets it get flanked. Visible, expires.

The Jungle's Eyes - Jungle monsters within it's radius share their vision with your team. Hidden, expires.

Hextech Watchtower - Can see over walls, but can be seen through fog of war and in bushes. It's reveal area rotates and is visible to enemies (think sneaking game mechanics). Visible, expires.

Sound Relay - Creates an area that behaves like Rek'sai's Tremor Sense. No minimap notification nor sound effect when a unit is detected. Hidden, expires

Unwitting Traitor - Consumable. Select an enemy structure. That structure is marked and provides your team vision for a brief duration. Visible (?), expires

Wired Wharf Rat - A wharf rat with a camera on its back that runs off towards a designated location, granting vision as it scampers along. Jungle mobs will attack it on sight, killing it in one attack (players may also attack it). Should it get to its destination alive, it'll stay there for 5 seconds before wandering off towards the nearest bush, at which point vision dies.

PopcornBunni7/26/2017, 9:02:51 PM6 votes

Megaward

Places an invisible ward that reveals no area around itself, but when revealed puts a +1/+1 counter on itself and can't be blocked by champions with power 2 or less this turn.

Linna Excel7/26/2017, 9:11:26 PM6 votes

Rosewater also said you shouldn't do something just because you can. So I'd like to ask why does the game need a form of vision with a different AoE?

Also, Kalista's W.

Darkdemon6537/26/2017, 8:53:51 PM3 votes

http://leagueoflegends.wikia.com/wiki/Jungle_Plants#Scryer.27s_Bloom http://leagueoflegends.wikia.com/wiki/Ashe http://leagueoflegends.wikia.com/wiki/Kalista

50000000000000007/26/2017, 11:26:41 PM3 votes

Nightbloom (consumable ward item) Covers a small area (something like a Teemo shroom), and camouflaged. Activates when stepped on by enemy champion. Champion affected is nearsighted, revealed, and slowed by 30% for 4 seconds.

Bârd7/27/2017, 9:14:18 AM3 votes

Spyglass

Crystaline Bracer + 300 g (950 g total)

+250 HP +75% base HP regen

UNIQUE active - peer: channel for up to 8 seconds, gaining a 150 wide beam of vision in front of you for 3000 units. You can't move while channeling, but you can turn (at a reduced rate), turning the beam in the process. Camouflaged champions are revealed, but invisible champions, traps, and wards remain unseen.

Champions hit by the beam are revealed for two seconds after they leave the beam.

If you are unseen, the enemy will not be able to see the beam.

Entering combat, using a spell, or reactivating Spyglass will end "Peer" prematurely.

While peering, your regular vision range is reduced to 550.

(25 second CD after ending)

OyddAWqJ5r7/27/2017, 10:23:35 AM3 votes

I call it the square ward. It's a normal ward. But the vision is a square.

It comes in triangle too. Plz use my idea riot

Killed Inaction7/26/2017, 9:59:36 PM2 votes

I, too, feel unsatisfied with the current warding system. I made my own post about it, if you're interested, in which I took an approach that was nearly opposite of yours. I feel like they both have their own pros and cons. I'd be interested in seeing either or both implemented. I'd like to see what you think.

https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/skin-champion-concepts/UyMI7m2V-a-new-take-on-disabling-wards

DrCyanide pointed out some ideas that I like. With the Tunnel Visioned Ward, I'd like to see something that lasts, let's say, 3 minutes. It would be visible. Its range would be approximately 3 times as far as a standard ward, and would pass through terrain. And its field of vision would expand as its time runs down. This would create a sense of urgency to defend or destroy this ward, and would make it very easy to evade for its first minute or so, but it would make sneak attacks progressively harder, so at some point the jungler (or roamer) would have to decide between perhaps being spotted, or giving up a gank attempt in exchange for taking down the ward.

I also think the Hextech Watchtower is good. I think its primary benefit would be its ability to see past walls, similarly to the previous ward type. A consistent field of vision and constant rotation would, as DrCyanide said, enable sneaking past it, provided the player was skilled enough.

The Sound Relay is the final one from his list that I like (no offense intended, but the others feel too gimmicky, to be perfectly honest). Having a circular range of "vision" would go against what you've listed, but I do think its uniqueness in other aspects would set it apart, especially with the lack of minimap notification, meaning someone would need to keep an eye on the area or the ward would be effectively useless.

Again, these are just some thoughts on what someone else already posted. I think these have a lot of potential.

Spice POWAH7/26/2017, 10:55:06 PM2 votes

DrCyanide already said most of the ideas I had, so...

This one kinda breaks the rules.

Scrying Mine - Places a camouflaged trap ward. Provides vision only of itself until stepped on, at which point it explodes, granting 5 seconds of vision in a 500(?) radius as well as true sight of enemy champions caught in the trap (3 seconds, also it pings enemies). Expires soon, can be revealed by item 2055 item 3341 item 3364 and camouflage reveals itself to enemies in 150 radius I guess, whatever radius would be enough for someone to see it slightly before stepping on it. Like, 2 teemos or something.

As a side, if Kalista gets a rework and loses her sentinels, we could just get that as an item.

Tulare7/27/2017, 9:10:16 PM1 votes

An active item with a cooldown lower than the blue trinket or with range greater than the blue trinket. Hover over the dragon pit, baron pit, or a jungle camp, and it will indicate whether the monster is present and its health bar. For jungle camps with multiple monsters, it could reveal just the big monsters or give a brief snapshot of all monsters in the camp, sort of like the "infravision" that you get from using the red trinket over a wall.

i cant move wtf7/27/2017, 9:26:56 PM1 votes

Spiral Sight - Instead of a radius of sight, it has a circling spiral that an enemy can walk through undetected but has to move precisely to do so. It will take ~5x longer due to the increased time it takes to navigate through it. Could work as a replacement for the sight scuttle crab currently grants.

Tulare7/27/2017, 9:35:05 PM1 votes

Parasite summoner spell. Targets an enemy champion. Short range, lasts for a short amount of time (15s or less). You can see everything that champion could see. That includes both their immediate surroundings but also their wards, invisible allies, etc. that are in YOUR vision range.

MorsCertum7/27/2017, 10:21:04 PM1 votes

Yeah, it's just a rough idea so i pieced some numbers together off the top of my head, but i think it would be an interesting item for sure.

FlameanatorX7/27/2017, 8:16:53 AM1 votes

Ward Relay Two-part (stealthed) ward or trinket, once you place one, you must place the other within a certain range (say, 1000). This creates an invisible line between the two which reveals enemy champions (as well as small area around) who pass through it for several seconds, as well as issuing a danger ping when this occurs. Stealth/Camo-ed champions have only their silhouette revealed (non-targetable) in roughly 0.5-1 second increments. However, enemies have a warning when they get close to the line, such as some vague fuzzing in the air in the general direction of the line, allowing them to turn around to avoid detection, perhaps taking another gank path, or calling off their jungle invade. If they're patient, they can also find out exactly where the line extends by following the warning markers until they know the location of the whole line.

Looking back over it, it seems like it might not be powerful enough as a vision tool, perhaps simple CD and duration balancing would be enough to make it good while retaining its counterplay. It also seems possible that it needs further tweaking. But it definitely seems unique and meets the challenge criteria.

Aptest7/27/2017, 8:47:04 AM1 votes

Trapper's mark.

Trap. Arming time, 10 seconds. Grants no vision. Triggers when first enemy champion enters a 300 unit radius. does not trigger on clones, ghosts, copies or pets.

grants vision of champion that triggers the trap for 30 seconds.

Tengrichan7/27/2017, 9:23:37 AM1 votes

https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/gameplay-balance/Ixs7sj3Y-new-type-of-trinket

Of Mace and Men7/27/2017, 9:48:57 AM1 votes

Howler Wraith; places a wraith in the nearest nearby bush that grants no vision. However when an enemy champion comes into the howler's radius it follows the enemy for 3 seconds granting truesight and pinging the enemy 3 times a second for the same duration. The howler wraith has the same 5 hit health as a control ward is limited to 1 per person.

zero3567/27/2017, 2:55:04 PM1 votes

Ultrasound Vision Bomb

-Tossed (so enemies see you throw it and where it travels) -"Massive range" -Vision radiates out before hitting terrain (BUSH COUNTS, except the bush it started in) -Work in physics to have it work around walls

Like sonar. A wave of sound that tells you where stuff is based on how it gets reflected/diffracted. But it gets stopped by bushes and walls (as it is sound and it would just bounce back without telling you anything useful). So counterplay by hiding in a bush Could also work where standing still makes it not see you (breaking from the original physics of it, but this is a video game)

Erockandroll7/27/2017, 3:03:50 PM1 votes

Sound Ward.

Places and invisible Ward that grants no vision. Instead, it detects movement from enemies within an 800 unit radius. It does not reveal the identity of said enemies, only that their there.

MorsCertum7/27/2017, 7:05:48 PM1 votes

How about a ward like item, where almost like a sightstone that only grants 2 charges (upgrade for 3 like ruby sightstone giving 4) But instead of giving a circle AOE of vision, it gives a 300 unit wide path that you can draw out for up to 900 Units (1200 for upgrade) so that you can draw paths of vision around corners or use it to safely check contested areas.

Counter play: -Paths can't be drawn over walls -It is always visible like a red ward -3 Health like a standard ward -Does not ping when an enemy comes into vision, must still be map aware

How it would be used: Active item that once pressed will be placed with the first mouse click and then held down and dragged until the path you want is placed or you can click immediately afterwards and the quickest possible path to that location will be drawn out as close as possible to your second click.

Rand0mH3r0X7/27/2017, 9:06:29 PM1 votes

We should have purchasable Teemo Shrooms.

Wards that grant low vision, and deal a 2 second slow + 5*(Champion Level) damage over 6 seconds)