Idea for a new "Campaign Mode" for casual, lore and nostalgia players
League has a growing number of dissatisfied older/casual players that feel alienated by the continual changes that make the game too complex to be able to play casually and/or inhibits or outright eliminates beloved playstyles or champion personalities that a player has invested much time and energy into. To be clear I don't think this is Riot's fault, many if not most players enjoy the continual changes. But this is an idea I came up with to win back these alienated players without hampering Riot's desire to evolve the game.
##Here's what I propose:
- A new game mode
- Integrates with the lore
- Brings back old forms of champions
##A new game mode: "Campaign Mode" This mode is similar to ranked but instead has a smaller subset of the total champions in League's roster playable. This could be anywhere from 50-100 out of the ~140 total. This subset has small updates bi/tri/quadra-seasonally, and more dramatic ones between seasons (point being there's a good stretch of time between serious roster changes.) Players rank up exactly like in regular ranked but it has its own separate ladder.
##Integrates with the lore This is how a game mode like this can have a context that makes sense. The lore will no longer be just a side note you can read about on a webpage somewhere but will also inform the direction of Campaign Mode. In fact, it isn't just to say the lore is simply integrated into it, the lore will become the core driving force behind the direction the mode takes. For instance, the lore writers might decide to set their stories for a season within a war between Demacia and Ionia. This motif informs the roster that will be playable (Demacian and Ionian champions mostly) and any number of other details including (but not limited to) the look or design of Summoners Rift, the items available at the shop, the monsters in the jungle, the movesets and power of champions, the interactions between various champions, etc. The lore becomes a living, breathing, playable thing.
##Brings back old forms of champions Through this actualization of the lore older forms of champions would be able to make a meaningful return without stepping on the toes of League's continually changing vision of the game (normal ranked with all ~140 champions would evolve the same way it does now). Champion reworks can be dramatically portrayed through the campaign's lore by stories of the champion's transformation. And a revert to an old kit might be expressed by something as simple as a champion reverting to their old ways again or that a spell was cast on them by some other entity which changed their abilities. The limit would be the writer's imagination.
To give an example, in this new mode Yorick could be pre or post rework at any given point based on what the lore has in store for him in the season's story arc but in normal ranked he will always be whatever Riot considers to be his most up-to-date form based on their vision for what modern LoL should be.
##Why I think this would work By introducing a game mode with a limited champion roster you already have a much simpler game that a more casual player or older player with less time to devote can play a game and not feel like they lost in champ select or because they didn't read the patch notes. Another consequence of the smaller roster is that balancing becomes infinitely easier. Because the game will settle into a balanced state more quickly, certain older "fringe" items (or brand new ones) can make appearances again and not be totally broken on just 1 or 2 outliers to ruin it for the rest of the roster. A third consequence is that this mode can be a better version of a sandbox than the PBE to try more game-changing items as it will have more players in it, have more serious players in it (since it's ranked), and will be less likely to break the game since there's less variables (champions) that can potentially abuse it into broken-status.
This will also make lore more engaging for a wider variety of players since the lore almost becomes a long-form rendering of the patch notes. What better way to hype a new rework (or revert) than to have it framed within the greater arc of an epic story completely unique to the season a player is participating in?
Lastly the opportunity to play old versions of champions will be an attraction to new and old players alike. This is a win-win for everyone. It also provides a living lens into the past so that the changes League makes moving forward are continually tested against where it has been before so that everyone, both devs and players, can be more confident about the direction the game is headed.
##Conclusion This game mode is meant to be the yin to the yang of normal ranked. Changes happen much more slowly and are more dramatic and impactful when they do happen in this mode. In contrast normal ranked has many small/medium changes that competitive players must read up on frequently. This mode will strive to maintain simplicity and let it's complexity be built through the players actions in a game. Normal ranked will grow to ever more complexity and benefit the players that adapt to the ever-changing meta most quickly. I think League can accommodate both of these values, but I don't think they can in the same queue :)
Thanks for reading :) [vlad-salute]