Updated Summoners Rift opinions and discussion (First impressions)

Vaussk·Nov 13, 2014·6 votes·9,738 views

Before I get started, I just wanted to ask everyone to please keep this discussion civil and respectful towards your fellows summoners. Thanks.

Now, as you all know, the newly updated summoner's rift rolled out this week and I wanted to gather everyone's thoughts on what they like and don't like about different aspects of the map and the map itself as it stands.

My take: After seeing announcements, updates, and sneak peaks for many months and finally playing it in person, I can blatantly say I am not impressed. Now before I get started I admit, I will need to play it more before I can have a solid opinion, but for the purpose of this thread I will state my first impression of the new map. I was going to do a pro's and con's but at the moment it's hard to find many pro's. One thing I do like is the load time. It was lightning fast, but I'm sure I'll find that one fellow with the 7th century grain mill of a computer to change that.

Now, for the negative things. I do believe that this whole update was rather large downgrade in quality overall, textures being the main thing for me. I found it rather odd that other game companies will strive to improve it's graphics with every new game and updates, and yet Riot decides to (IMO) downgrade. It feels like they decided to take the blur tool from Photoshop and go to town. Performance wise, I do not notice any difference in my frame rate. I run at 100+ fps with maxed graphics. Another big problem for me is the camera perspective. The lanes feel gigantic and towers feel like they are in your face. (I have heard that this is to match the purple side's camera perspective?)

All in all, I am fairly disappointed.

Your turn! Go!

33 Comments

MotherChurchNov 13, 20147 votes

The colors are too under-saturated and dull. The whole maps feels (1) dark, (2) cold, and (3) washed out.

if Riot addresses those issues it will be ok.

Someone from Reddit showed how pretty the new map could be with the colors/saturation fixed:

http://postimg.org/image/b8udgztiv/

ButterBladesXNov 15, 20141 votes

That Pic makes the map look wayyyy better.

RiotRiotForScienceNov 13, 20146 votes

There is a lot of feedback on this point and I am listening. This has been my response on a couple other threads and I wanted to repost it here.

Increasing saturation makes the map look better by itself, but the map should not be the focal point of the game, the champions and their abilities should be. The map was created to be a backdrop for champions and VFX. We tried to make it beautiful without intruding on the play experience. I really appreciate the comments posted here and I absolutely acknowledge that increasing saturation/contrast on a piece of artwork will make it feel more vibrant, but in the context of a game the art is not their for it's own sake, it is a tool for gameplay. What League needs is a map that allows teamfights to be more readable. While I think there is room for improvement in the map (And we will continue to develop on it) I do think that the approach we have taken serves the entire League experience in a very successful way.

VausskNov 13, 20142 votes

I appreciate the response. I feel I was a little carried away with my critique focusing solely on so few aspects. The game should not only be judged on how it looks, but equally on how it plays. As ya'll continue to get feedback, I hope what is posted here and elsewhere can help be used to better improve the game as a whole. Thanks.

SolidPoohNov 13, 20141 votes

Just a question, have you guys thought about points on the map that you could sharpen or saturate that wont be much of an influence?

Just thought: ~~The river is nice how it is imo, its pretty moody.~~ I love the River I'm picturing outside of lanes having a slight change, I dont know how it would interfere with the look of the lanes though (maybe if we had a photoshop bro to try that big map image Riot releasesd.)

Like maybe giving the more tall objects and other certain places (Spawn pad/Exterior lane edges/lane around base wall?) a bit of sharpness and color?

Maybe that would interfere with any kind of plan or goal you guys had with the map

I dunno, just running my mind

TormNov 13, 20143 votes

I understand wanting to make the background not stand out, but have you noticed how hard it is to see the fog of war? That should really be an indication about the lack of color. Cant we have a little bit of color back?

PaperMache7Nov 13, 20144 votes

When so many (it's not the majority, but I do think it's a significant amount) think that the map is too unsaturated, can't you just give a slider to control the saturation level of the different parts of the game map, minions/monsters, champions, abilities (one for each category) so that people can just choose themselves what they desire? It won't impact the overall quality of the game, but it will make them satisfied.

I myself, would only increase the map saturation slightly if I had the option.

JingerbeardmanNov 13, 20146 votes

The reasoning is very sound for the muted palate and is successful. However certain areas of the map can blend into the regular walk path. The areas you can move should stay washed out for sure but the walls and boundaries could use a bit more contrast or color variety added to them. Walls and boundaries are just as important as abilities and vfx in certain situations. Many of the same values and colors can be found in the walls and floor, especially in the blue buff areas. Blue and green are to close together, they blend together to well which results in a flattening effect between the extruded rocks, plants, and features alongside the floor in those areas. If the rocks and plants in those areas were given some yellow undertones to help pull the greens further from the blues It could liven the terrain up a bit without blowing out the contrast. The red buff areas are great as they are though.

EMetaNov 14, 20142 votes

The reasoning is very sound for the muted palate and is successful. However certain areas of the map can blend into the regular walk path. The areas you can move should stay washed out for sure but the walls and boundaries could use a bit more contrast or color variety added to them. Walls and boundaries are just as important as abilities and vfx in certain situations. Many of the same values and colors can be found in the walls and floor, especially in the blue buff areas. Blue and green are to close together, they blend together to well which results in a flattening effect between the extruded rocks, plants, and features alongside the floor in those areas. If the rocks and plants in those areas were given some yellow undertones to help pull the greens further from the blues It could liven the terrain up a bit without blowing out the contrast. The red buff areas are great as they are though.

I'd second this. I do think the whole map is too dull colored, but giving the walls a little boost would help a lot, and really help make movement more clear when you're trying to think about other things.

TarrebNov 14, 20144 votes

Would it be possible to have an option to adjust the map saturation as an optional graphic setting? This would still allow for the enhanced focus on champions and particles for those who need it for high level play, and give other users who prefer the more colorful aesthetic (perhaps for streaming or spectators?) to do so as well.

As an option, a user can decide which gives them the the most enjoyment. If they feel the background becomes too distracting, they can easily revert to the default (current) saturation. If they don't notice a difference, then why not choose that which is visually appealing?

RiotRiot TikiNov 13, 20146 votes

Hey all,

Appreciate the feedback and wanted to add a little bit of context on the feel of the map compared to current Summoner's Rift.

Through player labs and surveys one of things that surfaced early on was the relative feel of the map compared to the current one. Feedback was largely on issues of darkness, but also the colors (dull/muted) to a degree. However another thing that came up really strongly was how important the gameplay of the map was. Consistently we heard from players all over the world that gameplay was the most important thing for them.

With all that in mind, we worked hard to try and find a balance between pushing the limits of clarity (to improve gameplay) AND matching the feel of the current Summoner's Rift. Ultimately I think we got to a place that we were ready to release in beta and release out to the players to give us their feelings on what we created.

Personally I think there are still a lot of things we can improve, some of that definitely related to how far we can push some of the colors and effects to better match the feel of the current map. Any and all of your feedback is welcome and appreciated as we work to make this better for you all. Please keep it coming :)

PaperMache7Nov 14, 20141 votes

These sorts of posts are always nice.

CosmicWatersNov 14, 20141 votes

I dont think the ground is the thing. I love the new rift it's totally what I wanted. A zen whimsical fantasy forest. But the one problem I'm having with the rift is the bottom half being not as much as the top half. In the top half of the map the red side of the jungle has tons of reds and browns and is fairly bright, it has those amazing light streaks but you go to the other half and there's not as much attention to detail, literally no light streaks, which you kinda need to bright it up some cause it's just dark compared to it's counter. You dont need to put them in the same place but at least two somewhere would make a big difference and turn it into a nice counter part to the other side.

The same goes for the blue side on the bottom part. I know you wanna convey the power of Baron on this part in particular. It's got tons of cracks, it's rockier to the other side, but it still lacks some detail to make it at least comparable in terms of detail to the top half. The top half I know is suppose to be some of the most untouched area of the forest barely any of baron's presence made an affect. Which is great but it's got to much detail like rain and so many stones with the swirls and the blue lighting that the other side looks bland and boring compared which is a problem.

It seems like you favored details on the top part of the map and ignored details on the bottom for some reason it's sad and depressing because the top half of the map is literally exactly what I wanted. But i think you need to add more details to the bottom half the map like I've mentioned(the swirl rocks, the light streaks a great amazing detail the bottom part lacks.).

TormNov 13, 20144 votes

I, like you, was also disappointed. Thats because of how dull the colors were. I like the what's actually there, but its hard to anything apart because everything is just so faded and muted. Its even hard to tell where the fog of war is because there is no color for the fog to remove, its all already been sucked out of the map. Why can't the grass be a beautiful vibrant green like it was before?

I dont mean to bash Riot, I really do think the new map can be fantastic, but right now I don't like it. It needs more color.

Mikal PikalNov 13, 20143 votes

Personally, I love the new map. Everything is so much crisper and easier to see. The dragon spawn looks cool as hell. My game seems to actually run faster (although I have heard of people having the opposite problem). I can understand how some may like the old map because it appears to be "better graphics" but i don't care about that...I care about playability and in my opinion the new map is just so much clearer.

Edit: Now that you mention it, the fog of war could be easier to see. It is by no means perfect, but I think it's a huge upgrade.

TormNov 13, 20141 votes

I agree with you on the jungle camps. The animations for minions are much more readable as well, but how do you feel about the colors? Do you like that kinda faded look, or do you feel that its not faded/dull?

MotherChurchNov 13, 20143 votes

I agree with you on the jungle camps. The animations for minions are much more readable as well, but how do you feel about the colors? Do you like that kinda faded look, or do you feel that its not faded/dull?

Totally faded.

Here is another image someone on Reddit created through post-processing. Hopefully this is what the new SR would look like with increased saturation, etc.

http://imgur.com/YHBVaCh,rzUH5zP,xquQhrl,bzUdxE0#0

Looks much better than the faded map we have now!

Mikal PikalNov 13, 20142 votes

Yes! I was going to reference this in my response. I agree the colors could be much much better, but such a change shouldn't be all that difficult. I like the map as a whole so much better than old SR but of course there's room for improvement.

ButterBladesXNov 15, 20141 votes

Omg that looks amazing compared to what we have now. If riot does this i would be extremely happy. i feel that the new map is nice but way to washed out.

MotherChurchNov 16, 20141 votes

Omg that looks amazing compared to what we have now. If riot does this i would be extremely happy. i feel that the new map is nice but way to washed out.

Indeed.

ÆulogyNov 13, 20143 votes

I also feel that the colors need to be worked on. Mainly, I think there needs to be a larger differentiation between the ground and the cliffs/trees/scenery. Since all the colors are so muddy and samey, the scenery tends to blend together with the ground. I think a lot of problems would be solved if a brighter pallet is used for the terrain as opposed to the ground.

Also, wards in the river need to result in a much brighter shade of blue on the minimap. The player should be able to easily tell what areas are covered by the ward at just a glance.

DokilarNov 13, 20142 votes

i dont particularly care for it. i like the update on the minions and monsters but overall the map feels "dull"

WolfskullriderNov 13, 20141 votes

The Blue Buff Golems need their soup back... Kappa.

In all seriousness though I really enjoy the new map, I have played on it in every lane and in the jungle, and I really like all of the detail, the brighter color scheme, the more advanced look, and especially the new camp looks! The neutral monster spawns and just everything about them makes me want to become a jungle main and ditch mid (too many people call mid in ranked anyway, haha).

Overall, great job on this one in my opinion RIOT! :D

NoMonkuNov 13, 20141 votes

In general whenever RIOT updates its Summons Rift it usually seems to go down in quality for people who can run it at the HIGHEST settings, but for everyone who doesn't have such a computer the game is able to run better for them. The first change a few seasons back I disliked it, but now I've come to accept that I'd rather have a slightly less "pretty" background as long as everyone is able to play faster. Plus if I'm forced to have to use my laptop, I won't be stuck at 30fps anymore so its a plus. Also this one it actually looks different, so I'm cool with the art style change and I like how it looks.

What I DISLIKE atm is that I kind of want the new items and the season to already shoot off. I guess this doesn't have anything to actually do with the map itself, but playing on this map makes me want to have those new/different jungle items. It feels like a tease and makes me sad when I realize all I'm doing is playing on old SR but with a texture pack :(.

NoMonkuNov 13, 20141 votes

SojsNov 14, 20141 votes

I like the new look there is much less clutter and the map looks much cleaner

My only complaint is in mid lane where I find it difficult to tell what the max range of the outer turret is

MotherChurchNov 14, 20141 votes

So sad about this map downgrade.

VausskNov 14, 20141 votes

I have been reading what everyone has been discussing and really enjoy hearing from ya'll. I'm also pleased to see some Rioter's posting here as well with their ideas and what's being done to improve this game. Please keep it coming!

In the mean time, I unfortunately have to disagree with some of the views the Rioters have posted. Although it's not new that this update was directed at making the Summoners Rift more clear and readable, I find it hard to understand how vibrance and color can effect playability (clarity, etc.). The beauty of the game has been shown the back door, so to speak. A game should look as good as it plays and vice versa.

Thanks.

MotherChurchNov 14, 20141 votes

I have been reading what everyone has been discussing and really enjoy hearing from ya'll. I'm also pleased to see some Rioter's posting here as well with their ideas and what's being done to improve this game. Please keep it coming!

In the mean time, I unfortunately have to disagree with some of the views the Rioters have posted. Although it's not new that this update was directed at making the Summoners Rift more clear and readable, I find it hard to understand how vibrance and color can effect playability (clarity, etc.). The beauty of the game has been shown the back door, so to speak. A game should look as good as it plays and vice versa.

Thanks.

I agree. The effect of more vibrance/color on the playability of the game would seem to me to be negligible. I just have a hard time believing that making a game look better is going to be bad for business.

Millions of players have successfully competed and enjoyed League on the current "vibrant" and "busy" map for years.

chipi99Nov 14, 20141 votes

The map looks good on medium and high graphics but on low it looks horrible, the old SR looks higher quality on low. On current SR I get 20 fps in lane but on the new one I get 0-3, I think what is affecting the fps is the water animations in the river. I hope they fix it or else lots of people will not be able to play SR.

JiayeeNov 15, 20141 votes

Like many other people who posted, I think that the new map is too dull. My first impression of the map is that it is a lot like Dota. I have tried Dota before and I prefer league because it is more colorful and livelier.

CosmicWatersNov 17, 20141 votes

One of the problem's I'm having with the map is how dark it is. Like I understand the fog of war and how it's an extremely important part of the game but what i dont understand is why is has to be literal. By fog riot means a dark smoke that makes the map very dark. Why can't you use the same tech but instead of it being like some dark smoke fog just not let us see the things like monsters, champs and wards? Like just not show them and keep them the usually brightness or at least significantly brighter then they are right now. Cause the top lane is just great because most of the time due to minions and the cliff it's SO bright it's great it's so different. But sadly everywhere else in the map without wards it's so dark that is obscures the vision of the map.

For example in bot lane that waterfall, why is so dark? Why can't just that "island" of land be lit up and not covered by the fog of war. Also there's some problem with light language going on. To some extent in the blue camps I understand the dark textures and the red side having the light streaks, visually saying that blue is more dense of a forest and covered with clouds(hence the rain), and the red jungle is more taller type tree letting light fall in. But the river has no tree over it and it's DARK like very dark.

Can you please make the might brighter by at least lighting up the islands of land, and restricting vision of important factors like wards, monster, champs and wards. By doing this, using the same type of tech you can brighter the map up and make it 1000000% better. Convey the map by making it brighter but keeping the same the same by still restricting the important game details