Boards›Gameplay

An Argument for Making All Champions and Skins available in Practice Tool

PyroGeist··61 votes·14,973 views

I believe making all champions and their skins available for use in the practice tool would provide players with the ability to test out champions and their skins before a purchase. This may lead to increased confidence in purchases, and thus, a decrease in "buyer's remorse". Generally, people who experience buyer's remorse tend to be more reluctant to take a risk on making an additional purchase.

Personally, I am often conflicted by which purchases I wish to make and ultimately end up waiting for them to come up on the free champion rotation, then try them out first on the practice tool in order to familiarize myself with their kits. I also feel I cannot get a good feel for what a skin plays like entirely by watching videos. Making these available in the practice tool should effectively resolve this for myself, and I imagine others who feel the same.

The free champion rotation would still have a place for experimenting with those champions in live combat with other players. Perhaps offering a temporary random skin option for the champions in the free rotation might also be an option.

34 Comments

ModCaptainMårvelous26 votes

I think this thread is pointless. Not because it's dumb or shouldn't be discussed but because it's so obvious that it should just be IN the game.

Like seriously. It sucks that you have to make an argument for this.

Death Rex5 votes

Sadly this is not the only thing that should already be in game. I feel like Riot doesn't give many Fs about basic stuff, since the money comes anyway with skins and LC$.

Examples would be viewing high rank games in client, honoring opponents, a proper death recap, just to name a few.

Répôrt My ADC3 votes

They should update the practice tool in general, but honestly I would personally love to see this, I have risked a buy one time for a champ and I immediately refunded them because I didn't like them. There's also no way to abuse this since its practice tool only, and I feel like this could be another way to hype up skins or champions. If you love the way a champion looks / feels then you'd wnt to buy that champ or skin, and hey, profit [slayer-jinx-wink]

Cavesloth3 votes

The fact they haven't done this yet just shows how much Riots dropping the ball these past few years

Madjack013 votes

Hots already does this and it works like a charm.

To be fair, it prevented me from buying a champ or two but a few skins turned out to be more interesting than I initially thought.

PaladinNO3 votes

All champions, yes. All skins, no.

While the practice tool is just that, the testing of champions, it doesn't make sense why not every champion is available there.

However, with regard to the skins, the Skin Spotlights on Youtube is excellent in this. No need to get "hands on" with a skin to know whether to like it or not.

Stars Shaper2 votes

Got to agree with this. You don't really need to test skins since you can get all the visual material elsewhere. Champions on the other side need to be tested if you want to know if they are in your cords.

Rock MD1 votes

{quoted}

All champions, yes. All skins, no.

While the practice tool is just that, the testing of champions, it doesn't make sense why not every champion is available there.

However, with regard to the skins, the Skin Spotlights on Youtube is excellent in this. No need to get "hands on" with a skin to know whether to like it or not.

Jack of Hearts TF? Sure.

PAX TF? No.

I think beside the super exclusives there's no harm in letting people use skins in practice tool. Only one person can be in any instance of practice tool so I don't see the problem in letting them test skin specific interactions.

warlordekko2 votes

To be honest that could be an amazing idea. Especially when you want to buy a specific skin, and you're not sure if it's that good to buy it! You can try it in Practise tool, and if you like it, you could decide if you would buy it or not. Same to champions! Wish Rito did something similar

Shukr4n2 votes

Agree

SwiftKitten882 votes

i see no issue with having this is practice tool, at least then u can try out a skin and see if u want to buy it

ModAcademy Kayn2 votes

No, no it'd definitely lose them money. Being able to try a skin for free, and then realize you didn't like it that much, deciding not to buy it then loses Riot money, say, had you not been able to try it, and bought it, only realizing afterwards it's not up to par. Same goes with Champions, you see a champ who interests you in concept, but doesn't function as well in theory, once again, you've avoided wasting money on something you might've bought otherwise.

Sure, there'll be some cases where you're right, but overall, being able to scout out risky purchases/impulse purchases, will lose them money in the long run. Don't think it's even nessecary anywoo, amount of Champion and Skin spotlights that are out there anyways.

Malak2 votes

people can see skins on youtube and stuff. I really doubt anyone buys a skin without ever looking it up first.

However I strongly support this change. Specially all champions being playable in practice mode. If this game is indeed not pay to win (from the perspective of someone that does not own all champs) then all champs should be available in practice mode so you learn to play against them as well.

Guzergus5 votes

people can see skins on youtube and stuff

The fact that you should go to 3p sources instead of looking up information in a client already tells how much of a fuck-up the client is. Also, seeing skin in-game is a bit different from youtube video.

Dota does it perfectly. You can view whatever 'skin' you want in game, test abilities in any combination you want and on any hero. You could even spawn 20 heroes and practice on them.

Lunar ArcS2 votes

its available for pbe which every person who isnt shitty has access to.

Guzergus4 votes
  1. How can I test abilities on any hero I want on PBE w/o finding a match and playing for 25 minutes? I cannot.
  2. How can I test what my full build would look and work like versus non-dummy heroes w/o playing for 50 minutes? I cannot.
  3. How can I test abilities in certain circumstances which require team communication w/o playing in a party? I cannot.
  4. How can I do all the aforementioned w/o opening a separate client with a separate username, etc? I cannot.

League's practice tool was a step in a right direction, but in its current state it's a bloody joke and goes to show how little care and thought was put into it.

Lunar ArcS2 votes

  1. There's literally a practice tool on pbe last i checked...

  2. I'm confused because you can literally use the skin on the pbe in practice tool or in an actual game..

  3. Gonna need an example there.. Also pbe is literally something your friends can join.. Unless you mean your friends are under honor lv2 in which case (??????)

  4. They're linked but ok. Be lazy i guess.

Your entire argument is that you are too lazy ?? Like i dont know what to say

Guzergus2 votes

There's literally a practice tool on pbe last i checked...

On any hero I want. Not on a dummy. I would like to test how things work when the target moves, etc.

I'm confused because you can literally use the skin on the pbe in practice tool or in an actual game..

Full build is items, not skin. I want to check what Darius build works better vs Malphite. In Dota it's 5 minutes. How much does it take in lol?

Also pbe is literally something your friends can join..

Oh yeah, so now I need a couple of people willing to spend 40 minutes in a custom game (practice doesn't work for more than one person). Fantastic.

Unless you mean your friends are under honor lv2

Actually yes, they are, because they rarely play this game and they don't have lvl2 despite not being reported.

Your entire argument is that you are too lazy ??

Your entire argument is that it's possible to live without a good practice tool? Yes, it is. However, as a consumer I want the best experience possible and I know for sure it's achievable.

Don't you have any dignity as a customer? It's not you who has to work around and find ways to test stuff, it's the people you pay (riot) who have to provide you with a good service. Why on earth would you say 'oh yeah I am not lazy I will spend 2 hours'. No, I fucking will not spend two hours when I know I can spend 5 minutes in Dota to do the same thing.

Practice tool is lazily developed. That's a fact.

Lunar ArcS2 votes

[deleted]

Guzergus1 votes

You can add gold in practice tool.. You can add experience too. Are you daft?? You literally made it sound like you wanted to test shit out in a party. what the fuck

Once again. I want to test the 1vs1 of Darius and Malphite with different builds. How can I do that in 5 minutes w/o forcing any of my friends to play with me? I cannot. League's practice tool isn't even remotely close to Dota's.

PyroGeist2 votes

While I am unfamiliar with Dota, and believe it is generally inappropriate to discuss one game as superior on another games website, I can understand a desire to have the ability to adjust the opponent’s level and build to experiment with in a more active styled skirmish. It would help to better reveal how your build is affected by your opponents builds at various levels without the requirement of another player who wants to participate. I would also like to have this happen, but I think it would take more work than unlocking champions and skins within an existing in-game system.

I would also like to be able to practice with another player while having access to the practice to controls. Then team players could more effectively discuss beneficial builds and practice on each other or dummies.

But all this is likely best discussed more thoroughly in another thread.

Lunar ArcS2 votes

PBE is free for everyone who isnt toxic, to use. You can use pbe to see skins up close and personal. for free.

PyroGeist1 votes

I'm not a toxic player by any means, but I've yet to acquire level 3 honors. I simply don't have the time to play enough, but that doesn't mean I haven't bought some champions and skins in the time I do have, and would like purchase more if I was confident in their appeal to me. Additionally, players only get one honors vote per match, so unless I outshine most everyone on my team, the chances become less likely of earning those honors in the few games I get to play.

All that aside, I can't imagine it is an extensive process to make this work in the practice tool and would likely improve the game for all players who use it. I think this would add some ease of use and convenience to the game, and often convenience is key in a service product.

jocomotion1 votes

Maybe just champions, I don’t see skins being necissary. There are videos and things showing off champion’s particle effects on skins so it’d be kinda unnecessary.

Bârd1 votes

All champions should be available... just in general.

I'd get it if they just restricted it for players who are just getting into the game (wouldn't want a level 5 quitting the game after having a bad experience when building three bloodthirsters on Riven), but level 30's should have access to that.

Hell, I don't even think Riot would lose money. Sure nobody would be spending RP on champions, but they're now going to be spending RP on skins for champions they wouldn't otherwise own.

BlackOnyxAltear1 votes

LoL really needs to take a page out of blizzards book. In hots you can try out not only the skins and chromas but also the champions in a custom game.

MOLTinaTOR1 votes

We should also be able to change summ spells, runes and champs in the practice tool without having to exit every time.

YoRHa 2B1 votes

There's always PBE, you just need to have honor 3 and you have it.

Jack Garrus1 votes

There is already the SkinSpotLight channel on youtube that shows you how the skins really looks like

Noor Sakata1 votes

If this to happen then the argument about inviting players to practice tool will never happen

HalcyonDweller1 votes

I'm a fan of this. But I think that it would have to be put on a timer of some sort for each champ or skin, to discourage people from depending on the practice tool alone to play using them.

it's a weird case, but it's still possible.

Also there's a really good reason for allowing all champs in the practice tool. People better learn how to play against those champs if they try them out. You shouldn't have to pay full price to learn how to counter an opposing champion that you'd never play otherwise.

Daddy Ants1 votes

All champions, sure.

Dokueki Kenshin1 votes

I agree with you, but I doubt this will happen for one of two reasons:

1.) Skins are more or less previewed on the PBE, which, so long as you haven’t been punished by Riot prior, you can apply for or get access to.

2.) Channels like Skin Spotlights exist on YouTube, and you can preview the pre-release and final versions of the skin with a level of thoroughness not afforded to most other mediums.

When Riot sees that other third parties fulfill the purpose of a player’s request without messing with the game in an intrinsic manner, they tend to just direct players to use those tools instead of developing their own. You have to start a movement to make it happen.

Monkey Time1 votes

i agree completely

More from Gameplay

3 Refunds per season, upvote if you want 3 refunds per season.
Gameplay764 comments
7,167
votes
3 Refunds per season, upvote if you want 3 refunds per season.
Gameplay156 comments
3,510
votes
UPVOTE FOR URF
Gameplay606 comments
2,440
votes
Yes plz.
Gameplay456 comments
1,721
votes
3 Refunds per season, up vote if you want 3 refunds per season.
Gameplay114 comments
1,716
votes
When is ANYONE at riot going to address the awful new player experience?
Gameplay634 comments
1,383
votes

More by PyroGeist

Jake, the Satyr Bard
Concepts & Creations12 comments
3
votes
New Champion Concept: Rogue, the Berserk Pickpocket
Concepts & Creations32 comments
2
votes
Champion Concept: Rogue, the Berserk Pickpocket
Concepts & Creations3 comments
2
votes
Tag Team Game Mode
Maps & Modes0 comments
2
votes
Couple possible mode ideas.
Maps & Modes0 comments
2
votes
Movement Speed and Magic
Gameplay5 comments
1
votes