New Maps/Gameplay

A few months back it was announced that a new map was being introduced. This was a very exciting time for me as I had yet to see what the map actually looked like. When the new Howling Abyss was released it was a bit disappointing to find that it was simply redoing the dueling/tutorial map. However, the new gameplay was refreshing, but the point remained that no clearly new map had come been made.

New Champions seems to be the big thing that Riot is constintally working on. This is good as it's always cool to see what new moves or strategies that might come out of the new champion. However, the even with this slight difference, it usually has little effect on many players especially those who have found their preferred champion and play few others.

A new map, on the other hand, can lead to changes for everyone! New maps and gameplays bring out opportunities for champions to shine that may not otherwise, it leads to new possible strategy, and also gives people a new map to explore and exploit. With new maps, everyone is struck with a glorious new battlefield on which to wage the ongoing war that is League of Legends!

Whith all these benefits I'm not sure what seems to be holding Riot back from making new maps. Is it that new maps simply take up too much space on the servers or on players computers? Is Riot afraid that a new map will be will cause a riot amongst the players because they don't approve of the map for reasons of look or lore or terrain? If that is the case then those players can always return to the maps they have been playing on previous to the release. Is it simply to hard to make a new map? Maybe it's the lore or items? Graphics and artwork perhaps? Or possilby just out of ideas? Well, whatever the case I for one would like to see new maps and gametypes, and I am sure that I do not hold this mindset alone.

As a player, I think that Riot should feel less constricted about making new maps. Whatever maps and gameplays Riot has to make will be welcomed by the community, if not by all then by some. I feel there is a worry that for some reason a map will not be "strategically correct" or that it may favor specific team comps more than others. However, many of us would like to see this map anyway and play it no matter how bad it may be. Why not test the maps on the people who will be playing them and let them decide if it's good or not? If a new map or gametype gets too much bad press them just remove it or make it better on the criticism it recieves, it is not as though the community will shrink just because they came across a game type or map they don't appreciate. As for artwork and lore and items, those can develope even after a map is released, there is no reason that they must all come at the same time. The maps and gameplays themselves also don't have to be constricted to a certain number of teams or even to having there be teams, just don't hold back when making something new and potentially awesome!

A friend of mine even suggested making a way for players to make their own maps, but I honestly don't ever see that becoming a possibility.

The new map comming out Magma Chambers is a good start, it's a new dueling map that looks pretty amazing and has some interesting new gameplay. Though next time I hope for a bigger map with more players, new jungles, and possibly a team size larger than 5.

I look forward to the new maps and gameplays that Riot will make and any ideas this forum might have on this topic!