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Team Builder Champion Flexibility Brainstorming

djump·3/11/2014, 10:31:49 PM·5 votes·925 views

So we've all seen the new Team Builder lobby in action now, and we've heard a lot from the developers about the pros and cons and limitations and what they're working on for the future. Let me say first that I love it already and think it has so much potential to grow into a primary LoL queue style. Thanks for your hard work development team! With that said, I've got some feedback on an improvement I'd like to see.

I'd like to share some thoughts and prompt some discussion on the possibility of a flexible champion selection: ie. a way to choose multiple possible champions, or an option to switch champions once in a lobby.

For those that haven't followed TB development, this is not simply a practical option they haven't implemented yet, it was something they tried and decided against in the end. They decided against it because adding the ability to switch champions added the ability for others to pressure/bully you in to selecting champions they viewed as stronger or OP and this greatly reduced champion diversity (which is one of the primary things TB wants to encourage: ability to execute diverse choices harmoniously). You can read more about this in this example post (http://forums.na.leagueoflegends.com/board/showthread.php?p=45728973#45728973) from Lyte in the recent GD thread. (Also if @Lyte or any other rioters want to share other issues with this feature, I'd love to hear it!)

So the main problem to solve is how to allow champion changes while suppressing pressure from others against unorthodox picks. That's what I'd like to brainstorm in this thread so please share your thoughts! I'll post one of my ideas in a comment branch below. Let me know what you think of it!

I think it'd be awesome if we could have some serious discussion here that actually contributes to the TB development efforts.

EDIT: if any of you are interested in continuing this discussion, please upvote. Thanks.

18 Comments

djump3/11/2014, 10:37:54 PM1 votes

Here's my thought on how to improve the reduced diversity issue:

Allow a champion swap once in the lobby (I'm not particular about if it will take team or captain vote or approval or what mechanism exactly) but give the player immunity from being kicked from the team after he makes a new champion choice(possibly even allowing staying the same as an option still granting immunity). This would give him confidence to make whatever switch he wants, or the ability to stay the same if he wants, without the pressure of being kicked if he doesn't do what the others want.

There would certainly still be kinks to work out with this idea, like how to safeguard the rest of the team from someone switching to a really off-the-wall or troll pick but then being immune. Perhaps you could go in to the queue with one or two "backup" champions selected and you only have the choice to switch to these backups. So if the team and/or captain opt to allow a switch, they'll know which other champion options you have in advance. This way they know what they're getting going in, but you still have the ultimate choice to switch (or even stay the same possibly) and be granted immunity from being kicked because of it.

In my mind, this sort of immunity-from-kick-after-a-swich (IFKAS™, or IF Kassadin for short =P ) mechanism would solve a lot of the pressure against champion diversity. Let me know what you think of this. I'd especially love it if any rioters could comment on downfalls or complexity issues they might see with this idea, or any separate failings of the general champion switch option that this might not solve.

Bloodwhelm3/11/2014, 11:51:28 PM1 votes

Don't have the champ selected, choose position and role and that is all.

Pyrrasu3/12/2014, 5:36:08 AM1 votes

If you could select up to 3 champions for a single position, or if you could select multiple positions for a single champion. That's really the only way I could see it working. If you went into a room with Lee Sin selected as either top OR jungle, for example. Yes people could be told which champ/position to play, but isn't that the point of selecting multiple?

Dragonheart NA3/12/2014, 6:09:15 AM1 votes

umm, I don't really see the pressure. There is an option to join another team and it does not look like you get penalized for it. So if you get into a room where people are pressuring you, then you simply leave. As simple as that. I love the concept, but in my opinion you want your team to interact and build a good team comp, hence, team builder lol... Anyway, if someone is being bullied they can simply leave. Same goes true if you get into a room and don't like the champs selected, you leave. I love that option which you don't have in the normal blind pick. If you get in a room with bullies or jerks you have to take a time penalty when leaving. I think the team builder option is better in that respect. Just my opinion. I find most people fighting about the lane positions and not really the champions so much.

I personally feel Riot came up with a great idea, they just need to tweak it a little. They can't make everyone happen but giving people to leave or enter team builder rooms gives people all the flexibility they need imo.