My Biggest Gripe With Riot/Relaunch Team
This is not a bash Riot thread. Leave your pitchforks and torches at the door
What is up with this pace of VU releases. It is immensely slow. Like really really slow. It's basically June and only 2 VUs have been released (Karthus doesn't count being that it was just announced and usually takes 20-30 days to hit live). That's almost as slow as champion production. What?! A champion takes 8+ months for release. Yes VUs take work, they say it's like a new champion, but is it? It has similarities but it's not exactly like champion production where you have to come up with ideas from scratch and always test brand new kits, etc. and then spend 8+ months of production. I think that's what you guys meant by comparing them, but why are VUs coming out just as slow as them.
I get the decrease in champion releases. It makes sense. But why not the increase in VU production. And by increases I mean INCREASE. Like release them monthly, bigger team, more artist, riggers, sculptors, animator, etc. Maybe you guys can do 'an all hands on deck' approach to really put a dent in the amount of updates that need to be done without losing quality. Of course not literally ALL hands on deck,for obvious reasons, but you get what I mean. Hope I didn't cross the line suggesting this. Yea I'm probably talking out of my ass, acting like I know what I'm talking about, but isn't the lack of staff part of the problem. I read Red Posts everyday. I listen to you guys at Riot. You've mentioned how the team is small, supposedly having one guy that does the particles for the entire team. Listen, I know you can't just hire anyone or add just anyone to the team, you guys are about quality not quantity. Which is awesome, it's why I love it. It's what these VUs are essentially about anyway, turning quantity into quality. Turning 119 into more than just a number, but into something really really special about every single number (beloved champion) on that list. You know the love we have for the guys and know we're all itching for our favorite champ to really hit that potential they all have.
I remember reading at the end of last year or the beginning of this year that you guys got your team really solid for this year. Got a structure and a battle plan. Remember IronStylus saying that after Sivir he was tackling Taric. And yea yea I know that's exactly why you guys don't like to say anything, so we wouldn't get our hopes up just to lead to disappointment. But whether you said those things or not, 3 VUs in the maybe middle of June is insane to me. You guys know better than us how many VUs are in need. You know how much work is needed for them too. Going at this rate, in 5 years the Relaunch Team wouldn't still be done with VUs.
You guys recently stated that now you will be tackling VUs that also need some kit tweaks or changes. I have nothing wrong with that. Just scares me because the rate of VUs are already slow. I'm imagining how slow it'll be now that these VUs aren't just visual. Can't you really say it won't, can we? A champ that needs kit and visual changes will take longer than a champ in need of just visual changes.
Although I am disappointed by the rate of releases and facing the reality that we'll probably get a lot less VUs this year than we thought ( 10 last year according to a Rioter), I do respect the quality of these recent VUs.
VUs are the most exciting thing to me. I love them. This is what keeps me playing the game. Every beginning of a PBE cycle I hope to see a VU announcement. I even made a post where I redesigned the Pantheon skins just to express my ideas to the Relaunch Team ( none of them ever saw). If I has to pick a dream job, which I couldn't do until I started playing LOL, it would be working with the lovely people on the Relaunch Team. I'm always thinking of new ways to improve these character's qualities. I'd talk to my brothers (also LOL players) about my ideas for VUs and (no lie) I've seen you guys implement some of them. It's like you guys are reading my mind. They really think I should apply for a job since I'm so passionate about this stuff, butI simply don't have the artistic skill to keep up with you guys. I mean I draw but not amazingly. I'd like to say my ideas are decent, like this one. Yea, I'm pretty passionate about this stuff. Maybe too passionate.
I really don't want this to come off like I want to **tell **you guys off. I'm not. I don't have anything wrong with the VUs specifically. They're great. Actually they're #@$%ing amazing. The recent VUs are champs I don't even play but I loved them still. Their quality is just absolutely amazing imo. And I get that these recent ones have increased quality over some others, but they are just too far in between.
Sorry for the wall of text and thank you for taking the time out to read my rant
Sincerely, Passionate VU lover
