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Game mode designed for Ranked preparation AKA "Fishbowl"

Mr Slowdeath·10/16/2014, 8:49:34 PM·2 votes·706 views

I think Riot should create a "fishbowl" mode - a scenario. In that scenario, players can either practice for Ranked games with bots or with other players. The difference is, either the player tries to achieve a specific goal with and against AI, or the host player creates a scenario much like Teambuilder operates then others join it. Before further explanation, I will detail two examples:

Example 1:

"fishbowl" vs AI - Protect your Nexus from xPeke: Greetings summoners. In this scenario you will be limited in time, mana-like resources and summoner spells. Objectives: Protect your Nexus from Nasus; and suffer as few casualties as possible against the rest of Nasus's allies. Good luck! (possible twist: if you only go after Nasus, they might take Baron) Time: 2 minutes Mana-like resource reduction: -80% etc. (You'll see all the relevant statistics such as Champion Levels in the lobby screen, and have a moment to lock in or discuss a strategy. You don't choose anything, but you can however swap roles with an ally. AI will always accept the swap unless the point of the "fishbowl" is something like peeling for a carry, which requires that you aren't playing as a carry.)

Example 2:

PvP "fishbowl" - (Here there'll be a default title that will help you find the scenario you want to practice): Greetings summoners. In this scenario your resources will not be reduced. Blue team objectives: You must either steal Baron Nashor from the Purple team, or defend Baron Nashor. Purple team objectives: You must either defeat Baron Nashor, or use Baron Nashor as a trap without losing Baron Nashor. The success of a "trap" is measured by resources gained and lost by both teams. Time: 3 minutes. No reductions. (How specific these scenarios can be will have to be handled by Riot Games themselves. But, as you can imagine, it could be an entirely new experience every time, if done correctly.)

How does that help players prepare for Ranked games?

With the addition of this mode to League of Legends, players gain real time experience of how not to disappoint themselves, disappoint others, get reported, and lose Ranked games via silly mistakes or inexperience. There needs to be an easier way to teach noobs how to compete with the pros, because we've all faced opponents we shouldn't have at some point in our days as summoners. We also gain time, a great and significant amount of time with this mode. The best part is, every minute will actually count for something positive, to somebody - without such a negative impact to others in the same space of time. No summoner icons here. No league points. Perhaps no influence points either, but it would be an incentive to play the mode if you could pick up your first-win-of-the-day bonus. Or, perhaps you can unlock influence points by defeating the AI levels in "fishbowl" vs AI. That way it bridges the gap between level 30 and Ranked by helping you buy runes while you learn about what's really important in competitive play, and actually get to test your grasp of the important things.

What's more is that in a game mode that lasts under 10 minutes, there is less time for negativity to breed and more time to just move on to the next game. To ensure this, there should be no report options allowed - only mute. When a player mutes another player, it should notify the target in their chat, and you should be able to mute in the pre-game lobby too. Communication isn't required in "fishbowl". Only focus and education should be promoted.

Focus and education. Time for another example, this time we'll look at a more relaxed, single-player "fishbowl":

Example 3:

"fishbowl" vs AI - Enemy minions approach your turret, Support helps ADC farm: Greetings summoner. In this scenario your mana-like resources will be reduced. Objectives: Assist your ally Ashe as she kills minions under the aim of your outer turret; in some cases you will have to attack the minions or prevent them from reaching the turret; receive as little damage as possible from enemy champions and minions. Mana-like resource reduction: -100%. Time: 1 wave of minions. Extra: Random amount of minions with a random percentage of their health. (This puts tips and tricks into practice. You can do it as often as you like until you've mastered the trick. Saw a new trick they pulled off on a League stream? Ruined 30+ people's days playing a champion you're not good with, just so you can do the trick? See if you can find it in "fishbowl" mode, and practice to your heart's content. Personal note: I think this is so important, because these little tricks separate the pros from the rest, but nobody tells the noobs that until they've been decimated a million times.)

I'll be back to update this thread and respond to any comments so long as they express opinions in a calm and polite manner. Expect to see a changelog.

Also, please be sparing with your downvotes guys and gals. There'll be a poll - so vote to disagree there, if you wish to!

Thank you for listening to or investing in my thoughts, proXc

7 Comments

Matthias911910/17/2014, 6:27:54 AM2 votes

To ensure this, there should be no report options allowed - only mute.

That seems like a terrible idea. Yay, now I can go into this mode and troll as much as I want and nobody can report me!

When a player mutes another player, it should notify the target in their chat...

This seems arbitrary and unnecessary.

and you should be able to mute in the pre-game lobby too. Communication isn't required in "fishbowl". Only focus and education should be promoted.

Wait, what? How do you have "education" if you can't communicate with anybody? If you feel like people can't get along, you might as well just have single-player challenges (which I wouldn't be opposed to).

Velivolo10/17/2014, 8:33:56 PM2 votes

You may want to reconsider calling the people you're trying to sell this game mode to "noobs". It's a bit rude.

I think this suggestion goes hand in hand with the other suggestion on this board for a cs'ing tutorial. We definitely need that one. Some of the scenarios you're mentioning.... Not so much. It's a good idea, but there are other, simpler things that I think ought to be started with before even these.

How about one that teaches you good places to ward? The previously mentioned cs'ing one? How about instead of "defend Baron", a "good times to take baron and dragon" one? I've seen far too many players go for dragon when we could probably be taking a tower.

Also, you want to train players to protect the Nexus by having them specifically target Nasus? That's only situationally useful. If Nasus did a miserable job farming, the enemy carry is probably a better target.

Bots are too stupid to be very useful in this game mode. Even if you do an excellent job zoning/harassing for a bot adc, their farm will still only be marginally better than the opponents. I've actually tried this, and the only reason my adc's farm was probably better was because I purposefully took a relic shield.

Not being able to report someone, or letting someone know that they've been muted by another player, are both bad ideas that shouldn't be enabled in any game mode. They breed toxicity just by existing. Players know they can get away with anything, and they will. Players who get muted by someone else are likely to rage and make the rest of the team miserable until they're muted by everyone. Aside from that, good communication is absolutely essential for a successful game.

xxFireofDeathxx10/16/2014, 10:14:50 PM1 votes

Personally as a ranked silver player i would love to see a game mode like this as long as people can edit the scenarios that are given.

What Is Smite10/17/2014, 6:14:00 AM1 votes

This would be a great implication but not as an actual game mode more like under the tutorial section of the "Play" options. If Riot decides to allow PvP tutorials then by all means it's a new way for newer players to learn and gain experience in a fast paced MOBA

ThatAutofillSupp10/17/2014, 6:33:48 AM1 votes

it would be pretty good but ai's are still sort of stupid…i think players would stomp them

Mr Slowdeath10/17/2014, 11:41:38 PM1 votes

@Mathias9119: Honestly, I just put that mute option there so that it could feel like you're playing with smarter AI. Learning to cope with bad language, spamming, etc etc is what Solo Queue teaches us. This is more for learning the game without having to deal with that at the same time. I often find that some people react badly to me commenting at all about their plays, when all I'm trying to do is teach them something. In a game mode where those sensitive people can just mute everyone and play out the scenario, I feel like they're learning more while we the muted players aren't impacted nearly as badly. Why do I want to know I've been muted? So I don't waste my time trying to be helpful because I'm being told my help isn't wanted in a fair way. Education without communication? Well that'd be up to Riot to add a tips and tricks section in the post-game lobby, and up to the player to interpret the meaning of the goal and what they achieved. Since players aren't making every decision, such as what items they buy for example, they should be able to learn from the resources given to them. "Wait, you can play this character with this item? That's cool."

@KawaiiPotato: Indeed AI is limited, but the current AI doesn't even engage Dragon or Baron Nashor. If you take a player that has been taught by these bots, and put him/her and these bots at the dragon pit, even that is a start to something League of Legends desperately needs. Let's expand a little. Follow me below.

@Velivolo: Read above. Now that you're back, I'll continue talking about the real purpose of the scenarios - putting players in them. There are countless games that do this. League of Legends does it too, but does it terribly. The tutorials are hopeless. Even against the weakest AI, players can learn a great deal from the environment. What PvP adds to that, is allowing them to test what they're learning over and over and over again. It also uses the most skilled people to teach others. How? The "struggle" is briefer and more focused, making it easier to learn from what happened. Plus, it's the game company giving them instructions.