I need tips for making champ concepts
I just need some tips cause i suck at making champs. I can make them on paper, but i cant on comps, help is greatly appreciated.
3 Comments
Find inspiration. Maybe found an awesome inspiring picture on the internet? Maybe found an awesome ability while reading a champion concept? These two things inspire me the most. You should watch Jeremy Gaming Curios' What could have been videos since there you can find abilities that could exist one day or that just inspire you alot. I tend to also brainstorm around some crazy ideas, such as how I did my Ludwig. I had to brainstorm around some ultimates to find out a good ult for him, so here are some of the versions of his ult that I can remember:
- A channeled beam that executed enemies below 25% health. Not a good ultimate for a support, and the channel time would have to be like 2-3 seconds to actually balance it a bit. But that means that they basically would have to be afk so the beam would actually hit, so no.
- Grant doubled cooldown reduction to target ally. (Stacked over the cdr cap)
- A flash zone where all non-ultimate dashes have 1 second cd (including flash)
- Target ally will become immune to all CC as long as they remained close to Ludwig. Maybe has some potential, but if an ally has alot of dashes they could too easily break the bond so it was scrapped.
You should also put some pictures in your boards posts to make them more attractive. Also when making a kit you should focus on these 3 candidates: 1) Champion's theme, 2) How interactive they are, 3) How fun they are. You don't have to put numbers in your champions, because they can be changed in tests and so on. So that was all I could think of. Best luck in the future!
You could be a little more specific. Is it themeing / flavor that you struggle with? Or finding the appropriate ratios / numbers? Maybe you have difficulty coming up with cool abilities?
Here's some general advice based on how I try to design champs:
-
Look for a gameplay niche or role that hasn't been fulfilled yet. For example, we don't really have a dedicated vision support champion (gameplay niche) or a Support / Marksman (role).
-
Try to combine two seeming disparate concepts. Riot does this all the time. Aurelion Sol is a dragon (a fantasy staple) + a 'star forger'. Illaoi is a kraken priestess + cross-fit body-builder. Draven is a showboater + axe juggler. The list goes on and on.
-
Try to find an interesting archetype or gameplay fantasy not yet represented. For example, the idea of a 'broodmother' / 'hivemind' / 'living swarm' creature is something we see all the time in movies and games, yet League doesn't have a champion who captures this feeling. The design space is ripe for exploration, in fact, many people submit concepts based around that idea regularly.
-
Think of weapons not yet utilized by any League champs. No one has a whip, for example. Thinking about what kind of weapon you'd like to see in game - it should make you think about what kind of character would use such a weapon and how they express themselves with it via their attack animation and abilities.
-
Consider your champion's color scheme and silhouette. Does your champion visually stand out among the other heroes? Is he big, bulky, heavily armored? We already have a few such champions. Maybe she's really tall and thin and has a white / pink palette? I don't see anyone like that in League.
-
Steal other people's ideas. Uh... I mean 'borrow'. Don't be ashamed to borrow good ability ideas or concepts, especially if you can build on them or take it in an interesting direction. Just remember: "Credit where credit is due: my life is better because of you."
-
Mull it over. Rome wasn't built in a day. Nor where any of our favorite champions crafted in 5 minutes at the drive-thru. Give your ideas time, let them sink in, take breaks and come back with a fresh perspective.
-
Don't worry about the numbers. Bases, scalings, and ratios can all be changed - focus on concept, form, and functionality. Should she have a skillshot? Would it make sense given her theme and flavor? Is it a pass-through skillshot? Maybe it has a unique targeting paradigm (like how Diana's Q curves)? Does it look appropriate for the effect it has?
-
Does it resonate with others? A good champion concept will be one that people instantly 'get'. Any peasant on the street can tell you that Ryze is some sort of wizard or mage just by looking at his splash art. Ideally, people would be excited just thinking about playing your champion.
-
Presentation is important. How you present your champion concept to the world makes a difference. People are not very likely to read a wall of text. Having artwork and ability icons really help 'sell' your idea.
-
Play more games, watch reviews, read about game design. You would expect a doctor to have a decent grasp of anatomy, physiology, and diseases. Likewise, if you want to be a game designer play games! Not just video games either, but card games, board games, role-playing games, etc. Also check out what the professionals have to say on the subject.
This is like my personal checklist of design stuff. I hope it helps. For an example of my work, head over to the LoL Wiki!