No I left because Ghostcrawler joined the dev team and I saw the writting on the wall. I re-installed after years away just because I knew I'd have a week or 2 where I had to burn some time, just to see how things went. With Atlas Reactor dead (a good game that actually required skill), I needed something else to play.
I was right. The game is an utter sht show compared to S3/S4. There's zero counter play, carries with just 3-4 kills ahead are running around deleteing people. I've seen 1... 1 single game where the team ahead by 5 kills didn't win since re-installing. That's nearly 100 games or so and 1 made a 'come-back'.
The level of gameplay is abysmal. People can't land skill shots, can't dodge them, there's zero communication, zero teamwork. You don't see stacking of abilities, or coordination, just 100 fed Yasuos running around 4v1ing everyone; because why not when you're playing god-mode.
I watch a 4.4k Mundo die in less than 3 frames, a Graves 100-0 a Rammus in less than 0.5s, a Kayne 5v1 and take out 4 people. Pykes diving towers at level 2 (and easily surviving), Akali's that are basically uncounterable. The whole thing is this fcked up mess of unbelievably unbalanced proportions.
And then we get to e-sports. A game with zero strategy, technical prowess, or tactics is supposedly 'esport' worthy? The whole point of DOTA and transitively league was to cater to poor players who couldn't handle 3 heros and an army, and needed and AI to handle most of it for them. Its like watching race walking in the Olympics... sure there's a winner but who cares?
Every game was the same champs in the same positions, using the same items and the same strategy. To differ even remotely from the meta was insta-loss on either side. Strategy and tactics?? Are you kidding me? 90% of the champions aren't even used. But don't worry, you'll see a Zed in every 2nd game...
Then we get to the wonderfully toxic community, where unless you're a carry everything is your fault. Want to play support or jungle, be prepared for EVERYTHING to be your fault. What fun it is to be blamed for everyone's failure. Do well as support and you're 'stealing kills' from the idiot ADC that can't dodge a skill shot to save his life. Best of all, even when you do amazing in support, it has no meaningful outcome on the game, you're not a carry so you don't matter. You won't get honor, no one will care, but the 12/9 yi that managed to find his Q while everyone was stunned, he'll get the honor, the kills, the items, and all the goodies. And they wonder why no one wants to play support. Have you even actually tried to /fill, every single game is support or jungle. Not once did I get anything else. I think the most memorable part was knowing that every single carry can insta-kill you with zero chance of escape or counter-play, no matter how bad or low hp they are, 1v1. You can't even run with a well played CC, every carry now has multiple closers and nearly every dmg item having movement speed. Unless your flash is up, you're dead. Even if you land every skill shot/CC perfectly, they'll still just walk up, right click and you get delete'd, have fun warding!!! Its your job to ward but to move more than inches away from your team and your insta-dead!!! OH WHAT FUN!!! I mean really, who thought that the least mobile and squishiest champs in the game, the ones with the least cash and least escape options, they should be the ones wandering around trying to drop wards in dangerous spots...
I know its all just a cash grab... I just don't understand... do people really not see how bad it is? If I were to teach a course on game design I'd use LOL as the quintessential example of what not to do. And then on top of all that we have Gameplay and Gameplay+ forums on the boards? Are you kidding me? Like that's a joke right? I hate to bring up Godwin's law, but it'd be like the Nazi's having a "compassion, caring, and empathy for other's" forum.
The only reason I've played it even for the last 2 weeks at all is simply out of pure morbid curiosity. I am completely baffled how anyone can find anything good to say about it, or find any enjoyment in it. I'm far more curious as to why people are playing it than any 'entertainment' value it might have to offer. And honestly for the life of me cannot understand why. This ranks up there with The Kardashians, Jerry Springer, Reality TV, Flappy Bird, and the Transformers movies; in the list of things I just truly do not understand why they even exist let alone are successful.
I'm certain this will get downvoted, then delete'd, and my account banned. I don't really care. I'm not angry, really I'm not, and I don't care about winning or losing games. I'm just completely and utterly baffled.