Piltover vs. Zaun Intel Assault [Game Mode Concept]
Capture the Flag is always a fun mode to play in many multiplayer games. It's a must in many FPS games and, as unbalanced as it could be, League of Legends has to try it sometime. But shoving this kind of Game Mode into Summoner's Rift probably wouldn't be our best option.
That's why I came up with this Game Mode/Map concept!
So, as you guys may know, Piltover and Zaun are two city-states with many differences on moral and ethics, but one thing in common: the passion for Hextech Development. This led to a deep rivalry between these cities and it's citizens. And while Piltoverians usually don't mess with Zaun, Zaunite thiefs are known for stealing technologies from Piltover and selling them on the blackmarket, as well as infiltrating some of the city's most important places, such as the Yordle Academy. Well, it's time to counter fire with fire, and the Piltoverians are up to the task.
http://i.imgur.com/Sgkf4iE.png
(This is my concept of the map. I am still practicing game/level designing and my drawing skills are not that good, so if anyone has another idea for this, I'm willing to see it!)
##Gameplay:
The objective here is to download the enemy's Intel Packages and upload them back to your base. There are three different bases to download from, each one has its perks. Narrow passages that prioritizes champions with blinks and dashes lead to one of them (The Piltover Police Department for Piltover and The Slums for Zaun, green circles with an "X" on the map), another is protected by wider areas that are easier to traverse, but also easier to protect (Piltover's Treasury for Piltover and Priggs Industries for Zaun, the purple ones). Finally, the middle one (The Yordle Academy of Science & Progress for Piltover and The College of Techmaturgy for Zaun, the blue ones) is almost defenseless and pretty quick to get into, but it also can be acessed easily from the protecting base, meaning that it should be the target only after a fight or skirmish. There are speed boosts outside your base in every exit (dark green on the map). You can't access the Intel Package directly from your base except for the middle one. At the start of the game and everytime a Package is delivered to the opponent's base, one of the packages is randomly chosen to be the High-Priority Intel Package.
When you enter one of the Intel Package spots, you download it instantaneously. Once you are carrying one Intel Package, the other two packages become unavailable. The champion that is carrying the package has 25% reduced movement speed, and gains 50% less speed from bonuses. Recalling and Ultimates become unavailable and cooldowns are doubled for this champion. Also, the champion and a small area around him is always visible for the enemy, just like when a champion becomes Ascended (Yes, it's a lot of debuffs, but I kinda get the feeling it's necessary once I mention names like Riven, Teemo, Evelynn, TF, Kassadin, etc.). Once you've reached one of your bases, you instantaneously upload the Intel Package. You can't upload the package on a base without its own package, meaning that you will have to upload it elsewhere or return its package back. If the champion carrying the Package dies, he drops it on the ground. Allies can take the Package again by standing over it for one second and enemies can bring them back to their place simply by touching them.
There are also two different objectives on the other corners of the map: the bottom one (yellow on the map) gives you "Activate: Teleport Pad", a Spell put on the first Summoner Spell's slot, and the top (red on the map) grants you with "Activate: Aerial Sight", a Spell put on the second slot. To take these objectives you need to play a simple memory minigame much like Simon: you need to step in the middle circle to activate it, then auto-attack one of the four colors on the same order they were displayed. This means that only ranged champions can "solo" these objectives, since someone needs to be over the middle circle. It starts with 3 colors for you to remember, and upon completing it, you earn one of the Spells mentioned above. After you complete it once, you get to play the minigame again, this time with one more color. Once completed, you grant 50 gold for every ally and 100 for yourself. The minigame repeats with 5 colors and the same rewards as the last one, then it turns off for 1 minute. The minigame also turns off if you step away from the circle or if you miss the sequence. (This minigame is silly but rewarding and it can lead to funny moments when someone misses a color or when all the team is cheering for the one taking it. Also, it is "ranged only" because overall I think melee champions will do better in this Game Mode just like in Ascencion). These minigames are also easily acessed from your base through a highway, and while its usually a more peaceful route, it also means you won't be able to get into the fight so soon.
You pick and ban like in almost all non-usual Game Modes, but you can't take any Summoner's Spells, since they are gonna be replaced by the Spells mentioned above.
There are 2 currencies in the game: the good old Gold that you can use to buy the usual items (except for boots) and "Hextokens" that you can use to buy special consumable items. The first 3 slots of your inventory are for these special items, and the last 3 is for your normal items. You can't buy boots, but you start with +40 Movement Speed (Cassiopeia's passive doesn't take effect at all).
You start with 500 Gold and earn money by kills and assists just like in Normal Game. Also, when you deliver an Intel Package to your team's base, you grant 60 gold for each ally. Alternatively, you can earn money for your team by completing the "minigame" objectives explained above. Keep in mind that you can only buy 3 normal items. You also start the game with 3 Hextokens and earn one more every 60 seconds.
##Score and Winning:
There is one single score bar for both teams. At the start of the game, both teams have 500 points. Succesfully uploading enemy Intel to your base pushes the bar 100 points for your team, 200 if it is an High-Priority Intel Package. Killing enemy champions grants 20 points instantaneously. Since this system can lead to very long matches, the game ends after 30 minutes, giving victory to the team that is ahead at this time. Also, the game does not end until all Intel Packages are in place, meaning that if you are carrying a Package or if it is on the ground, you can still deliver it (or lose it) even after the time is up.
##The Spells:
• Activate: Teleport Pad - Enables your teleport pad located on the center of the map. Once active, it lasts 30 seconds and allows your team to teleport to it after 2 seconds (except for when the champion has the Intel Package).
• Activate: Aerial Sights - Calls for aerial help and reveals your area of the map for 30 seconds. This is perfect for defensive strategy and quick response to attacks.
##Items:
One of the main features of this Game Mode is using some of the items developed by both cities, understanding when each of these are powerful and, overall, having fun with the amazing possibilities they give. Also, the fact that an item has its origin on Zaun or Piltover does not affect the Game Mode, since both cities have access to all items. Each item costs one Hextoken.
• Landmine (Zaun) - Ground-Targeted AOE - Sets up a invisible landmine that explodes 1s after being stepped on. Scales with AD. (Kinda like Jhin's traps, without slowing and lower range maybe.)
• Sticky Goo (Zaun) - Linear Skillshot - Slows the first enemy hit and pulls if reactivated. It can be reactivated for the next 1.5s. (Range is shorter than Kled's Mounted Q but hitbox is larger.)
• Zaun Gray Vial (Zaun) - Ground-Targeted AOE - Fills area with Zaun Gray, a fog that can be poisonous if too dense, present in Zaun because of it's unchecked industry. The smoke reduces vision in the area for everyone, ally and enemy, and deals small DPS on enemies. (Like W's Graves, larger area and affecting everyone, friend or foe. The DPS obviously should hit only foes.)
• Life-Melting Acid (Zaun) - Enemy-Targeted - Injects enemy with an acid that destroys it's body from the inside. Once hit, the enemy is afflicted with Grievous Wounds. One second after being hit, the enemy starts to slowly lose health over five seconds. The total damage is always 30% of the enemy's HP when it was hit. (This item may seem like too strong, but overall, it shouldn't be. It's made to counter heavy tanks that can simply go where they please (huh) and solve their issues since part of the game is probably running around chasing people. Also, even if it takes 30% of their health, it takes 6 seconds to do so. It could hit 1700 on a full HP Mundo but it barely takes 600 HP from an ADC over 6 seconds.)
• Colorful Missile Barrage! (Zaun) - Ground-Targeted AOE - Multiple missiles fly to the area selected, dealing Magic Damage scaling with AP, slowing by 40% for 1.5s (exact same slow as Rylai) and painting every enemy hit for 10 seconds. Paint gives vision of the champion.
• Dubious Shot (Zaun) - Ally or Enemy-Targeted Melee Range - If this ability is used on an ally, it grants 70% bonus movement speed for 1.5s. The target cannot be sped up by this item again for the next 5 seconds after it's effects wear off. If it is used on an enemy, it slows him by 70% for 1.5s. The target cannot be slowed by this item again for the next 5 seconds after it's effects wear off. You can use this item twice.
• Disguise Kit (Piltover) - Ally-Targeted - Mimics an ally appearance, health and mana. Using abilities, items and autoattacking destroys the Disguise, as well as reaching 0 HP with either your champion or your disguise. (Trickster's Glass without having to build health, AP and Magic Pen.)
• Super Spring (Piltover) - Vector-Targeted - Sets up a disposable Spring (like that ones in Sonic games) that launches the first champion to step over it to the direction it was set up. (Like Taliyah's W as a trap that activates upon stepping over, works on allies and enemies. It is not considered as a knock up either way. This can also be used to jump over walls.)
• Sentry Turret (Piltover) - Ground-Targeted - Sets up a turret that shoots enemies who enter it's range for the next 10 seconds. It inherits part of the AD and the Attack Speed of the user. (AI works like Summoner's Rift towers, range should be smaller than Heimer's turrets.)
• Piltover's Mesmerizer (Piltover) - Auto-Target Global Effect - Emits a light in a circle that spreads over to the whole map. Then, after 0.5s, all enemies are stunned for 0.5s. The target (aka every enemy alive) cannot be stunned again by this item for the next 30 seconds. (This item may seem kinda dumb but it's actually one idea to counter Teleport Ultimates, something that may be a little bit obnoxious if left unattended.)
• Hexcrete Wall (Piltover) - Ground-Targeted AOE - Builds a Hexcrete (Hextech Concrete) on the path that lasts for 3 seconds. Can be hit two/three times to be destroyed. (Maybe add some small delay to diff from Anivia's W.)
• Magnetizer (Piltover) - Self-Targeted - Pulls skillshots and enemy champions towards the user for the next 5 seconds. (Skillshots work like throwing snowballs towards Poro King. Enemies are slowly pulled, but normal movement speed should still outnumber the "pulling force". Each champion can only be affected once by this item.)
##Hextrinkets:
Along with the items, there are three completely free special trinkets on this game mode:
• Drone - A small flying robot that patrols a small area. Just like Kalista's W, but actually passing through terrain. It can be killed in one shot.
• Flare - Shoots a firework to the sky, revealing a large area for a brief moment.
• Guard - Alerts when someone passes within its range, even if the champion is invisible.
• Detector - Shows where hidden traps are, but you can't destroy them.
##Side Notes:
English is not my native language, so I apologize for any mistakes I've made and also if anything wasn't clear enough. Please notice me and I will fix it ASAP!
I also thought about some extra things - like giving each side of the map a different "Commander" that tells you what you have to do and what you can't do, like trying to deliver a package to a base that had its Intel stolen, since this Game Mode has so many little details. But I guess this would only be viable if it was part of an event, and I don't think we are having a Piltover/Zaun one so soon. (But one can dream, right?)
You may have noticed I was very careful with some balancing issues, mostly because when I think about Game Modes, I really want to deliver an awesome experience to everyone and let them pick whatever comes to their mind and make it work. That being said, I may not understand League very much, and when faced with some issues, I couldn't really find a solution that satisfied me. For example, being a map based on stealth and objectives, I thought this Game Mode would be a bit similar to Ascension. Thus, I felt like I really needed to find a way to counter Teemo's overall performance on these games. Right now he has over 60% win rate in Ascension. I came up with the "Detector" trinket, but I still think this could be done better. Besides Teemo, melee champions take over the top 20 list, except for Malzahar, Sona, Swain and Karthus. Out of these, only Sona has to rely on her autos, and even so, it kinda feels like an extra spell on her kit. The first "ADC" to appear in the list is Urgot at 42nd, and the first real, squishy ADC is Kog'Maw, on 58th. The bottom of the list is mostly ADC's, Supports and Control Mages. I tried to give them some love through some of the Items, putting them on more of a "Defensive" role. But I still think there are better ways to bring them a better experience overall.
Well, by now you should already know that I have spent quite some time on this idea and that I am always trying to simulate and improve my concept. This may be good, but it also means I am rarely satisfied with my work and I always struggle to finish it the way I want. But I decided to post this right now anyway because I think you guys can help me finish this off with fresh ideas and maybe even attract some Rioters attention!
Anyway, thank you if you read through this! Please leave a feedback if you can, it will help me very much! :)
(Also, this video to get you hyped!)
