Ward Variety, Sight Options, & The Information War
#FORWARD
Looking for feedback for these ideas about vision in League. My hypothesis is that League, of all the MOBAs and RTS games out there, has the most advanced vision and stealth system probably in the history of either genre, which is partly the reason for its massive success, not that it is ever given any credit. More on that later.
I think the vision game in League is fundamental to the issues supports and junglers face, as well as those champions with invisibility (commonly referred to as 'stealth' champions.) The premise being: more unique ways of getting information is preferable to having more sight. Those ways of getting information need to be fallible. They need to have exploitable weaknesses that your enemies can use against you.
#RULES
This hypothetical update is predicated on a completely different vision environment. All of the known vision options and tools have been removed or reworked, replaced with a selection designed to fill the void they left behind.
REMOVED - 
- REMOVED
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##LIMIT: 1 Ward Per Player, 1 Trinket Per Player To limit vision saturation of the map, players get to choose a ward of their choice and a trinket to supplement / compliment their choice. Ideally, players will mix and match their tools and use them to create a network of vision suitable for their team comp, the enemy's comp, and their overarching strategy.
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##INVENTORY SPACE: A ward will occupy the trinket slot (overriding the use of your trinket) until placed This should promote the idea of wards as defensive tools used to control a given territory. You must decide where it goes and commit to placing it there.
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##DURATION: Infinite All wards last forever now. They must be destroyed by enemies or be placed in a different location by yourself.
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##HEALTH: All wards have 3 HP. This may seem like a low number, but all of these wards have an innate defensive ability. The Snitch and Observer are invisible, the Beacon can't be hit except by ranged champions, the Sentry is indestructible, and the Beholder regenerates rapidly.
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##COST: FREE All wards and trinkets cost 0 gold and are free to purchase. They can be swapped out in the shop.
##WARDS
- Invisible.
- Gives a visible / audible ping whenever an enemy champion enters its range.
- Doesn't grant any vision.
- Enemy champions can hear the ping it gives off.
Rationale: A defensive measure against enemy champions with invisibility, it is also a very safe option since it requires less map awareness on the part of the user. However, due to not granting sight, the information it offers is imperfect and still allows the enemy a large degree of ambiguity as to which enemy it was, where they went, or even if they're still there, waiting. It also alerts the enemy to its presence enabling them to play differently in the future, since they have information about its position.
- Invisible.
- Grants sight in a long, narrow line from ahead and behind that extends indefinitely in both directions.
- Can be seen at very close ranges; enemies know when they've been seen by it.
- It's line of sight is blocked by all units, terrain, brush, and structures.
Rationale: Vision that can be outplayed (either by being overt about which area it is controlling, or explicit in alerting enemies that their position has been compromised) allows for creativity on the part of both teams. With the Observer, it is possible to ward huge stretches of the river and jungle, but due to it's limited FoS, any enemies that do bypass it are still afforded tons of ambiguity as to their position within the jungle.
- Sight in a large circular AoE around it, unobstructed by terrain (can see over / through walls.)
- Only attackable by ranged champions (400 range or greater.)
- Can only be placed on terrain.
- Is visible to enemies through the Fog of War.
Rationale: Keep an eye on multiple jungle camps and multiple paths in the jungle. The downside / counterplay is that, because it is visible through the Fog of War to the enemy team (they can see where it is / what terrain it is placed on) they know that that area is warded and will thus attempt an alternative gank route. It is clearly less effective on teams with powerful invisibility spells or many ranged champions. Also, due to its limited placement on terrain, certain gaps will be created in its field of sight, letting skilled players stick to the Fog of War and skirt around it.
- True Sight.
- Indestructible.
- Vision is limited to a cone that rotates, which the enemies can see.
- Is visible to enemy champions and can be disabled temporarily.
Rationale: Anyone who has ever played a video game should be able to look at the Sentry and know what it does at a glance. Being indestructible it is guaranteed to ward off an entire area. It demands that the opponent find another route or be exceptional with their champion and his / her mechanics. Champions with speed steroids will be effective versus this type of ward, but against slow and immobile units there can be no escape from its gaze.
- True Sight in a large circular AoE around it.
- Rapidly regenerates HP.
- Is visible to enemy champions.
- Delayed activation upon placement.
Rationale: Sharing more in common with the old Vision Ward than the new Control Ward (neither of which exist in this hypothetical vision environment) the Beholder is great against invisible champions and other wards. It's a pretty safe option, but is more vulnerable than the others since it can be seen. Hiding it in a bush is a good strategy.
##TRINKETS
https://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/c/c2/Scrying_Orb_item.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/32?cb=20170409215629 Farsight Orb 5 Charges. Charges renewed every 120 seconds. Reveals a small location (500 units) within 3000 unit range for 3 seconds.
Rationale: For those Marksmen who want to chase, as well as anyone else who wants to spy from a remote location or check brush without facechecking. Notice that it doesn't place a ward-like object anymore. This is intentional as all of the trinkets are designed to be on-the-fly quick-access vision tools.
http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/4/44/Dark_Passage.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/20?cb=20130929123336 Spectral Lantern 4 Charges. Charges renewed every 150 seconds. Extends your champion's field of sight by 1000 units in a 60 degree cone in front of them for 10 seconds (enemies can see the extended FoS). Sight penetrates into brush.
Rationale: For those tanky, bruisery types who just want to advance on the enemy. It also allows them to venture face-first into the jungle with more safety, as enemies who would normally be beyond his / her sight planning an ambush can now be glimpsed thanks to the extreme range enhance sight.
https://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/e/e2/Warding_Totem_item.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/32?cb=20170409215530 Sundrop Totem 3 Charges. Charges renewed every 180 seconds. Places an invisible AoE (can be seen if enemies come within its FoS) at the target location (up to 500 units away) that illuminates a small area (approx. 750 units diameter).
Rationale: Pretty much the exact same yellow trinket as we've had since Season 4. The only caveat is that it no longer places a ward and that enemies who come into the illuminated area will know they've been spotted (since the area is lit up.) Oh, and it has more charges now.
https://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/a/a5/Sweeping_Lens_item.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/32?cb=20170409215623 Sweeping Lens 2 Charges. Charges renewed every 90 seconds. Summons a drone at the target location (within 1000 range) for 5 seconds that warns of invisible traps, wards, and enemies, and reveals wards.
Rationale: Red Trinket was really, really good. Revealing AND disabling traps and wards is quite the deal. I've toned this down into a much more scout-y defensive type item. Despite similarities in purpose with the Farsight Orb (they both let you scout brush at range), the Sweeping Lens is still an excellent anti-invisibility tool.
http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/c/c2/Void_Stone.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/20?cb=20150224232056 Blanket Trap 1 Charge. Charge renews every 60 seconds. Places an invisible trap at the target location for 30 seconds that will be triggered by any enemy stepping within its range, revealing the surround area (approximately 700 units) by True Sight (for 5 seconds) and permanently disabling any enemy wards caught in the 'explosion'.
Rationale: Another anti-invisibility tool, this one doesn't grant sight or vision immediately. Being a trap, it's ideal placement would be between your warded areas where vision is more scarce. Also, while it can be detected by the Sweeping Lens, it cannot be cleared except by tripping it somehow. Champions with pets or summons or illusions are your best bet. It has a short delay before 'going off' similar to Jhin's traps, and is a callback to the now defunct Control Ward.
##WHY THESE CHANGES?
As I mentioned earlier and in practically every post talking about vision and warding: we need wards that are fallible, that have some blind-spot or exploitable weakness that players can use to their advantage. It makes ganking and warding much more exciting for both teams, since it becomes a battle of wits as you study and observer your opponent's defenses. Wards that aren't so incredibly reliable at catching the enemy are more like a form of insurance rather than a mandatory tax, which is exactly why they can afford to be FREE. They can also afford to be much more specific and powerful in their effects because the vision game isn't dominated by the singular circle AoE of vision from an invisible source. (Remember when Vision Wards were invisible? It took Riot a while to learn their lesson, but they eventually did.)
This comes down to League being the closest thing to MOBA / RTS stealth game in the world. And League can look at the history of stealth games and learn from them if only Riot would realize that. In stealth games things like aural and visual cues are incredibly important for conveying useful information to the player. Each level or mission is like a puzzle, and all of the guards and cameras are pieces of that puzzle. When the player has access to that information they can plan properly and execute on those plans.
And this isn't anything new either. This coincides with Riot's stated philosophy about clarity and counterplay. Things like telegraphing what is happening is crucial to good game design and fun gameplay. If only Riot would extend their philosophy to the vision game and ward wars.
