Road to Pre-Season: Practice Tool in the Works

Riot·Oct 13, 2016·17 votes·288,981 views

Wait, what?

A year ago, we shot ourselves in the foot with our first attempt at Riot Pls, where we talked about the things we were and weren’t working on. Back then we said that a practice tool—an environment where you could train solo, without restraints—wasn’t something we wanted to do. You disagreed, and we heard you.

Six months ago, we walked back on our decision to nix a practice tool, but also realized we needed to make more progress on the client update before we could invest in developing new features. So, we said we’d give an update when we began tangible, focused work.

Here’s an update.

A tool to master and improve your skills.

If you haven’t noticed yet, Season 2017 is about us getting good at delivering on long-awaited promises so you have the right tools to step up your game. Work’s just now kicking off on a practice tool, but we’re ready to talk broad notes.

Our initial approach with a practice tool is going to be low-scope, simple, and straightforward—close to a punching bag and weights for practicing execution. We are doing our best to make this tool inclusive to people at every level. Everyone from Bronze to Challenger should see value in a single-player training mode to practice mechanics and map movement, but we’re currently not looking to develop a multiplayer training tool for organized team drills or pro-play specifically. Once we get the first version out, we’ll pay close attention to see if we missed anything in terms of how to become better by yourself.

With our vision for League to be a global sport that lasts for generations, we want you to be able to train more efficiently without having to wait 5 minutes at a time to practice a core skill. Practice tool is League’s version of sparring with a punching bag: the extra training you can do with a mechanically unfamiliar champion so you can enter the Rift with more confidence.

Here are some of the things Practice Tool will let you do:

Infinite Gold
Reset your Cooldowns
Lock your level
Freeze minion spawns

We’re still figuring out the full list of features, but future additions will be similarly focused on helping you practice more effectively by yourself and polish your mechanical abilities. Prototype work on practice tool has just begun, but stay tuned for updates as we keep working throughout pre-season!

904 Comments

OrionBearOct 14, 2016877 votes

Make us able to switch masteries and runes from within the practice tool!!!

Volibear summoner 4 item 3028 [zombie-brand-mindblown]

Edit : Alright Riot, it's hit over 500 upvotes. Time for a red response. #RIOTRESPONDRIGHTMAOKAI Maokai

Edit 2 : I see you already did. Ignore the previous edit... But don't ignore the hashtag.

RiotL4T3NCYOct 14, 2016330 votes

Hmm that one could be tricky, but def worth calling out. We have a long list of functionality to bake into the tool, and we'll just need to start at the top. The goal is for it to be a living tool though, so there's room to iterate in the future.

BlackTecnoOct 14, 2016192 votes

Being able to respawn camps on top of this would also be helpful. Junglers, like me, who like to try out different things and see how they can get out of the jungle more quickly or healthier without having to exit game several times would be so incredibly helpful.

RiotL4T3NCYOct 14, 2016227 votes

This one is planned. I agree, being able to respawn the camps on command would be super helpful for Jungle practice.

DoozkuOct 14, 201642 votes

Perhaps an ability to simulate a leash so you can practice clearing like you would if you had a leash?

DecritOct 14, 201683 votes

honestly while trying jungle clears i find more useful the results i get without any leash, because what i can manage solo i can manage with a leash. there are also different kind of players, some who stay too much or stay too few or just don' t leash.

And sound very complex too. I think it is better without.

NA is MIOct 14, 201638 votes

Having us able to simulate level discrepancies would be a great tool, too. For instance, working on last hitting/wave management when behind.

MadHatHackerOct 14, 2016270 votes

I think a lot of players see the work you're doing to bridge the divide that's opened up with the community, and it means a lot that you're making these changes.

With the assassin update, the reintroduction of solo-queue, the integration of a replay mechanic, and now the sandbox mode, I've found myself truly interested and excited to see where League is going for the first time in a very long while.

That said, what the heck is with the plants. Seriously.

TamuutOct 14, 2016142 votes

Ivern , Maokai , and Zyra have assumed control.

MadHatHackerOct 14, 201652 votes

Sounds like a rule 34 quote more than a rationale. Just saying.

TamuutOct 14, 201659 votes

Who says it isn't both?

RadriansOct 14, 2016195 votes

Is this real life?

MultiyoshimanOct 14, 2016159 votes

is this just fantasy

420SingedItOct 14, 2016145 votes

Caught in a landslide...

SullenSwampOct 14, 2016147 votes

No escape from reality..

RiotL4T3NCYOct 14, 2016258 votes

Open your eyes...

IronwallJacksonOct 14, 2016129 votes

Look up to the skies and see...

nosafterburnOct 14, 2016353 votes

I'm just a poor Bronze. Nobody loves me...

annie r u okOct 14, 2016138 votes

You see the Elo comes Elo goes Elo's high, Elo's low

Anyway the win goes doesn't really matter to me.... To me....

TehZerkOct 14, 2016138 votes

Mama, just ganked mid lane, blew his flash and wasted time, back to base and now I'm buying. Mama, headed top lane, lets see if we can pop another sum. Mama, oooooh, I don't wanna tower dive, I sometimes wish I never went top at all.

MrBigstuph1645Oct 14, 201686 votes

I see a little satan Teemo with my pink In a bush, in a bush Where the h*** is the Garen?

THUNDERLORD'S DEMACIA, WHO THE F*** FED RENGAR?!

kazmireOct 15, 201650 votes

Oh no a Shaco Don't come here Shaco Well now its Shaco and Teemo MAGNIFICOOOOOO!

OrbynOct 15, 201670 votes

This thread is the happiest I've been in a long time

Lux LewdsOct 19, 201645 votes

Is this the real league? Or is this PBE? Stuck in this Elo Can’t carry this trash team Got placed ADC Load onto the rift and see I'm just a bronzie, somebody carry me You see the Elo comes Elo goes Elo’s high, Elo’s low Anyway the win comes, doesn't really matter to me, to me Janna, just killed a man Had the kill secured he’s dead Tornado got the kill instead Janna, laning had just begun But now you've gone and thrown our lane Janna, ooo Where the heck is your sightstone? They’ve all hit 6 and if you don’t ward I’m dead! Carry on, carry on, as if warding really matters Too late, my time has come Sends shivers down my spine Bar's turning red all the time Goodbye everybody I've got to go Gotta leave you all behind and take the ults Janna, ooo (anyway the wind blows) I don't want to die I sometimes wish I'd never queued up at all I see a Rengar, please don’t gank me Rengar Where the wards? Where the wards? Do you even have a sightstone? Rengar and Janna very very frightening me Here the ult comes, Here the ult comes, Here the ult comes, Here the ult comes, Here the ult comes - you have been slain - I’m worth no gold! I'm just a bronzie and my support left me He's just a bronzie, a poor ADC! Spare him his life from Elo Hell! Elo come, Elo go, can I win my promos? Feeders! No we will not let you go - let him go Feeders! We will not let you go - let him go Feeders! We will not let you go let me go Will not let you go let me go (never) Never let you go let me go Never let me go ooo No, no, no, no, no, no, no Oh come on Janna, come on Janna, come on Janna just ult once Ren-gar has his ult saved just for me For me For me So you think you can ult me and make me die So you think you can ult me and get away alive Oh Rengar, can't do this to me Rengar Just gotta ff, just gotta ff this game Ooh yeah, ooh yeah Elo really matters Anyone can see Elo really matters Elo really matters to me

Rafael MerloOct 14, 2016157 votes

Hi Aeon and L4t3ncy o/ Here are my list of features needed:

SOMETHING to train last hitting. Be it a halo on minions that can be executed by your AA (I know on-hits will trouble this a little), but also something that regulates the stats and stat evolution of the minions
A slider of CDR for skills, but also for items and Summoner Spells
A time counter for map movement, like a chronometer for runners
A punch bag where you can set a HP, Armor and MR, that shows the time needed to burst/kill it.
Walls of different lenght to practice Flash and skill hoping (something along the lines of jumping a lenght of cinders would make an interesting thematic for the map design)
Something to train orb walking / stutter stepping
And finally something about "how to freeze your lane"

Are there some you can confirm that will be on the first iteration? In terms of map design what about a Hextech-Medieval-Olympic-Dojo? XD And dudes, thank you so very much for delivering! \o/

Rafael MerloOct 14, 201650 votes

I forgot one thing:

Possibility to set your own Regen of HP/5 and Mana/5 (and Energy) to 0. This would give insight of champions costs, including those with Health costs

Rafael MerloOct 14, 201639 votes

In thruth, I just keep remembering secondary additions. Feel free to look to some more:

Some circular markings on the terrain around the punching bag to give us better notions of range and width of AoE skills. Maybe you could activate the ground radius indicator of every skill since visual noise will not be a problem here, but something even desired to provide better aim, and flash-engage training
Tower range and vision indicator. To practice dodging the threat area and diving.
The slider technology may work like a secondary item shop (or a secondary ESC screen) that opens when you click a feature analogue to clicking the Merchant.
Some wooden or robotic Nidalee & Jayce to train skillshot dodging, with sliders on missile speed and cooldown. C'mon, it would be hilarious and you can reduce their in-game frustration.
The next level on this would be a Zed / Kassadin bot to do a burst round on you for training of activating your defensive skills at the right time.

DarkRitualOct 14, 201638 votes

First point on that- Hitboxes. On/off toggle for milion/champion/ability hitboxes.

Amazingly helpful to learn which skillshots you can sneak through minions.

ThamiosOct 14, 201665 votes

You wanna see what Lux's snare's ACTUAL HITBOX IS?

SadKillOct 14, 201635 votes

Adding in walls that aren't there in a normal match wouldn't be as helpful as just practicing flashing and jumping over the jungle walls and terrain that's already there.

AXEL95Oct 14, 201644 votes

Having walls of different length to attempt jumps/dashes/flashes is not needed when you can reset your cooldowns and just keep attempting to flash over actual walls on the rift

Rafael MerloOct 14, 20163 votes

Hey AXEL95, as I said to SadKill up the post, I suppose you are supposing that the training map would be Summoner's Rift. As someone who likes Twisted Treeline over it, I really hope that a new, thematic map will be developed for this feature, not just a half-made "collage uber SR". But maybe we could get to select specific maps for each Training Program, including even Howling Abyss. But by the standards I see Riot clinging to, not making a new map for this is just losing a huge opportunity.

Votable JesterOct 14, 201636 votes

It makes more sense to have it on preexisting maps though because those are the places you're practicing to improve at.

Cpapa3Oct 14, 201614 votes

1. A punch bag where you can set a HP, Armor and MR, that shows the time needed to burst/kill it.

This is the one extra thing I think would be amazing to have and wouldn't be super difficult to implement.

L4t3ncy, is this something that could be added in early on? Being able to have a punching bag like this where it tells you how long it took you to kill it would be helpful for testing DPS or certain combo's damage output versus another one.

MyChemicalRammusOct 14, 201666 votes

Infinite wards would be nice too. Currently as a support main using customs to learn the more specialized warding strats, I get 6 attempts to find a setup and then have to go back to base for more wards.

JeothesmarOct 14, 201620 votes

I believe resetting your cooldowns would apply to things like sightstones as well

RiotL4T3NCYOct 14, 201669 votes

You'll be able to reset your cooldowns, so this should work with the trinkets (I think). We might be able to raise the ward cap, but would still need some sort of limit (else filling the map with wards would wreck your PC). :P

hidęOct 14, 201681 votes

I think the maximum wards that your team can have in total, 15, plus 5 pinks for 20 would be a good cap.

edit: My reasoning behind this is that I think that it's pretty useless to have more than 15 stealth and 5 pink but it allows possible strategies for teams to set up vision control.

RiotL4T3NCYOct 14, 201692 votes

This guy ^

Sonicblaster33Oct 14, 201621 votes

But blue wards

Mistress ShyvanaOct 14, 201659 votes

THE BIG QUESTION IS #WILL IT BE AVAILABLE OFFLINE.

hidęOct 14, 201676 votes

That's not a question tho. [slayer-jinx-wink]

Votable JesterOct 14, 201648 votes

It would be if he actually used a "?" instead of a "." for whatever reason.

Keeman45Oct 14, 201650 votes

NICE RITO!

With the whole Infinite Gold thing... I think it would be a really cool game mode... If everyone could just play with infinite gold. Imagine 10 different builds undergoing constant change throughout the whole game. Crit Sivir at minute 1, Tank Sivir at minute 20 with an AD Leblanc and AP Ali. The different builds would throw everyone for a loop and would be really fun I think (not to mention everyone would have to press tab during every fight to see what they're up against)!

[zombie-nunu-hearts]

DragonAbodeOct 14, 201621 votes

I am SUPER Excited. This will be a great addition, especially for new players.

Two questions; -Training "Programs" : Similar to the tutorial that you play in the very beginning when you make your account, will there be specific training programs for teaching specific things I.E. Creeping? -Multiplayer Practice Games : I know, you emphasized "by yourself" a couple different times. However I do hope you will expand this to include multiple people, sometime after your release. Even now when I use custom games to practice, it's me and my bud in there together.

Besides that though I LOVE that you are putting this feature in, Much easier than the pressure in a regular game, and the time contraints (and gold constrains, and CDR restraints, and...) of a custom/Bot Match

RiotL4T3NCYOct 14, 201637 votes

Training programs like you describe do sound pretty cool, although they'd be further down the list for us compared to "Let's get the basic tool functionality working first." Similar with the Multiplayer, our main focus right now is individual player's champ mechanics (EG: jungle practice, item builds, last hitting, etc).

Remember this tool is not set in stone once it releases either. For example, if Practice Tool was around during Season 6, we already would've had to add support for the new Dragons. We'll be listening to feedback from you guys and plan to iterate (EG: 'Plants' are now a thing), but I'd rather have something cool in your guys' hands sooner than hold off releasing it for ages because we're trying to do too much for initial launch.

Average Player 1Oct 14, 201618 votes

Do you guys have any plan to develop solo missions for each individual champion like a campaign?

RiotL4T3NCYOct 14, 201634 votes

Probably not in the foreseeable future. What you've described is more like a single-player campaign for every champion, whereas the tool's goal is to facilitate practicing of your individual champion's mechanics in a true SR environment.

ogmozeroOct 14, 201612 votes

Then perhaps something akin to how Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and BlazBlue have challenges for each character. I think it would be a neat add-on to masteries, and potentially allow for other unlock requirements for any future ranks of mastery. Perhaps things like "Obtain X CS in Y time using no abilities", and there could be small marks or what have you to display based upon whatever challenge a player can clear up to. It could definitely help people (myself, for one) be able to focus on a goal that isn't based upon what a team is doing or not doing. Perhaps a bit of a cooldown period between matches so that feelings don't get heated. Having something to focus on I feel would be a great way to mitigate toxicity while still helping improve player skill.

Votable JesterOct 14, 201623 votes

I think it would be generally unfun to have to complete quests in the training environment to increase your mastery level of a champion.

The mastery level already (to some degree) reflects your skill in the actual game, which is the most important part of mastering a champion.