Suggestions for SR Update (COLOR)

Dear Riot, I really like the way the update is looking.* It's good to see League looking like a more modern game, with a proper budget and a full studio behind it and such. And it just looks better - less like the Warcraft mod it's based on, for sure.

The following were just some thoughts I had.**

I feel like the ground/terrain are....too flat, or something. It looks like a painting - as in, it looks like they're standing ON a painting (rather than, like, IN a painting, which would probably be good). Also: Water effects. Just a damn ripple or something. Jesus is not a playable character, and most of these guys shouldn't be walking on water. Even a zero-depth pool has ripples.

I think Dragon's little area needs some, how to say, embellishment. Why is he/she/it there? It's just a little pit on a river. It needs some indication of why it seems to like this spot. Maybe pull the back out of the water and put a nest there or something. Or some eggs, or treasure, or whatever. Also, some scorch-marks in the area wouldn't go amiss. The wolves little area needs more bones, too (and different animations for the monsters for when they're alone would be so cool, but that's probably asking too much). I kinda wonder if the cracks from Baron's pit couldn't be more pronounced as well.

Beyond that, my main thing: One thing that's been pushed pretty heavily with the overhaul is this idea of giving each jungle quadrant a different visual feel and theme, based (1) on the color of its resident buff and (2) on it's location relative to Baron. And I like that a lot, I think it's a neat idea that can further characterize SR. But I don't think you're pushing the color enough. The only thing that really stood out to me was the East quad, with those kickass blue rune-things. The others all felt pretty weak. SO, hear are some suggestions:

North: This area is (1) red and (2) shattered by Baron's relatively recent emergence. But there's, like, no red to be seen; the best the had was that a fallen tree was kind of orange-y. So that needs some work. My thought was some broken rocks with red stone showing through, with the ring around Baron's pit being especially red, since that should all be new stone. And more broken trees. Also, the red-buff monster needs to be redder. The blue guy is great. Maybe make the flame a little bigger, make the eyes and vein-y things a bit brighter, even give the small guys some flames of their own. It might it more threatening, too.

East: This one was pretty weak, to me. It's (1) blue and (2)....um, downstream from Baron? I guess? The idea here, I THINK, is to be a little swampier, with blue fungus and toadstools and such, like the whole area has been messed with by Baron's poison or something. So brighten those blue things up and spread 'em around. Maybe mix in some green or purple (whatever color Baron's stuff is, probably). Also, the torches....they're red, and it bugs me, because I'm weird like that. You shouldn't have those bright red pinpricks in a blue area, y'know? Maybe have them choked up with fungus, giving off a sputtering blue (and/or green and/or purple) flame. It would help that swampy feel, too.

South: This one has much the same problem as the North. It's (1) red and (2) the furthest from Baron, so everything's really lush and overgrown. But there's still just not much red. Easy fix: Flowers. Have some red flowers around, big and small, all over the place, and maybe some red berries (I think those were mentioned in one of the videos, so do more of them).

West: I think this one was strongest. It's (1) blue and (2) warded against Baron's influence, I think. Specifically, it's warded by those sweet glowing blue runes. It's very distinctive and looks great. So mostly just make the torches blue and I think you're good here (though I guess it could use a couple more runes, maybe? It might be fine as-is.) - like really, just make them straight up blue. They should fit right in with the glowing blue rocks. Put a small rune or glowing circle or something on them if you need to.

So north has that rockier, orange/brown/pink sort of red of new stone (and busted up trees), while south has the brighter actual red of lush plant growth, which keeps the themes and feels nicely distinct; same for east (sicklier, more diffused and less certain blue, maybe with some green or purple mixed in, with sputtering torches) and west (calmer, brighter, steadier blue with bright, clear torches).

Thoughts? Other ideas? Neko why are you so bad?

*It does not look like Dota2. I specifically sent the video to a friend who plays DotA hardcore and they were confused that people thought it looked too similar. Just wanted to get that said.

**Some other people mentioned things like weather effects, which could also be cool. But I think the main focus should be on the core look. THEN add a winter mode with an aurora borealis off the north edge. Because that would be so cool.