Team Fight Tactics' Main Issue

JoshTGW·Oct 1, 2019·2 votes·1,256 views

While playing the game Team Fight Tactics, I always find myself incredibly frustrated by the randomness in both the item distribution and champion shops. The main issue currently facing Team Fight Tactics (TFT) is not just the poor balance, but also the fact that RNG has been integrated as a core mechanic in this game which creates an incredible problem for its competitive mode. If your rank is depicted solely by the randomness of the game instead of pure knowledge and understanding, then it's clear that RNG creates way too many inconsistencies that balance changes can't fix. In any games i've played, occasionally they feature some sort of RNG system, but ones that aren't a core aspect, rather something off to the side where it can't drastically impact the game and someone's rank if the game has competitive modes.

What Needs To Happen: The RNG of Team Fight Tactics needs to be absolutely marginalized to a point to where it's not a major impact on the game. First off, the Champion shop system needs to be converted to something else. What it should become is something like the "Hero Select" screen when queueing up for a match in League of Legends. In this screen however, the player can choose what characters to buy and not be effected by RNG what-so-ever. The next issue of course that has to do with RNG is the item distribution. The new item capsules were nice, but also creates drastic inconsistencies with the game. Too alleviate this, it's better to make an item shop as well similar to what players have in a match of League. These items of course should cost gold and be set at fair and balanced prices. As for the item capsules, they should be converted to pure gold capsules so players have a consistent source of income in which they can spend it on champions and items they want for their compositions.

14 Comments

Jesi OniOct 1, 20192 votes

There is a lot of rng but if you cant climb then its your fault and not game. 1-4th place is easy to achieve if you know what you are doing.

There is a reason why people like Disguised Toast are able to hit #1 (ladder) despite RNG. You have to know your odds and get value out of things that drop for you instead of going for comp that you like~

JoshTGWOct 1, 20191 votes

I've gotten 2nd place in a ranked game of Team Fight Tactics and got demoted heavily because of it. That's not balanced or even fair. If RNG remains in the game, players won't like to play it too much. A game where there's consistency by your own knowledge and understanding, and even skill, makes a game much more desirable, fun and if you lose, then yes it is your fault then. In Team Fight Tactics, you losing with random odds means that RNG played a major role in it which is inconsistent. The RNG of the game is impossible to balance and should be ostracized from the game's core functions.

Deep Terror NamiOct 1, 20192 votes

A game where there's consistency by your own knowledge and understanding, and even skill

It's subtle at times, but there is a lot of skill expression, knowledge, and understanding to be had. That is how you win consistently, it isn't luck. You definitely will win or lose sometimes due to pure luck, but knowledge of the percentages (like % chance to find a champion you want in your store) and the ability to manipulate these %'s and make calculated decisions (skill) is how you win more often than not. There are some basics anyone can learn which will help them win more, it's not a roll of the die.

Also, the core of the game is RNG. It's never going to change. I recommend watching some high elo players and watching/reading educational guides, but if you just don't like the RNG aspect then this simply isn't and never will be a fun game for you.

JoshTGWOct 17, 20191 votes

Skill expression should be at the core of anything competitive, if its subtle then its not good. How you win consistently is having a consistent game-play experience. I'm not saying anyone should win all the time, but they win more so by their own will and control instead of what's given to them by a system of RNG that robs them of control they should have. The ability to better control what champions they want in their compositions or obtain what items they need instead of what's randomly given to them. This even makes the game easier to balance.

Saying the game isn't luck when you mention that the game's core mechanics are built around RNG is a contradiction in itself, even what you said about winning or losing due to pure luck.

As for those content creators you mentioned, they are expressing a small amount of skill and a decent sum of knowledge, but what you're seeing is them conforming to a system that dictates their actions and causes inconsistencies. Some of them have even gone ahead to using a third-party program that acts as a cheat sheet.

Deep Terror NamiOct 17, 20191 votes

So you honestly believe that the top players actually get there consistently due to pure luck. Ok bye.

BrolandoOct 2, 20192 votes

Read the first sentence, stopped reading and laughed.

Let's just say you have more control than you think and knowing how to pivot and which compromises to make in order to make a team comp work are very important skills in this game.

If I could consistently build my ideal comp every game this game would stop being interesting.

JoshTGWOct 2, 20191 votes

I completely disagree. Consistency would actually improve the game a fair bit. What actually makes it interesting is what compositions you want to put together. There's a lot of characters in the game now that people just love, not just because they're meta, but because they're fun. It's the same case in League of Legends, people just love playing the champions and working in unison with different combinations, which by the way is completely controlled and consistent. It all depends on how you perform which is what Team Fight Tactics should be more like. Removing RNG as a core mechanic and having the game function entirely on a player's knowledge and understanding would be better even for its competitive mode and would also allow its ranking system to be more precise in determining where you stand on the competitive ladder.

If you're talking along the lines of meta builds, then that's where balance changes come into play, not so much RNG. This idea of mine doesn't focus on balance changes because that's up to Riot and the community's reactions to strong characters/compositions like the shapeshifters. These guys have ridiculously large health pools coupled with the fact they either have good crowd control abilities or high damage like Shyvana when they transform and that is why they're in the meta right now. Ideal compositions are meta builds that are depended upon balance changes and has nothing to do with my idea. Plus, with this idea of mine, it would allow your "ideal" composition to be much easier for them to counter.

KyraSunOct 2, 20191 votes

Every game in existence has RNG, also real sports. You can't avoid pure luck ever somewhere, its hard to make this consistant.

JoshTGWOct 2, 20191 votes

RNG where to be exactly?! As a core mechanic/function or something that's just there unintentionally?! I acknowledge people get lucky, but that's not an RNG system, that's just pure chance or coincidence. People getting lucky is much more different than the current randomness of the item distribution and champion shops. The items and Champions in Team Fight Tactics are controlled by this system and create incredible inconsistencies within the game itself. This makes it much harder to balance and even makes rankings in competitive randomly determined by the system rather than by your own knowledge and skill.

In my OP, this is what I said, so pay attention "In any games I've played, occasionally they feature some sort of RNG system, but ones that AREN'T a core aspect". If it's a core mechanic or aspect, then it's a problem because it cannot be balanced. The only time I've ever seen RNG as a core mechanic is only to reflect something that already exists which isn't an issue in the least, namely casino slot machines. These kind of systems are always off to the sides, almost out of site even if they're in games. In Team Fight Tactics, the randomness makes me feel like I'm gambling with fate rather than playing an actual game, I should just be playing and one-tricking Twisted Fate then.

KyraSunOct 8, 20191 votes

RNG is pure luck or coincidence, that literally what it is.

JoshTGWOct 9, 20191 votes

...and luck is not consistent for gameplay. Thank you for proving my point.

KyraSunOct 11, 20191 votes

No, it is not. But you can't avoid it in a game.

JoshTGWOct 11, 20191 votes

ummm...... clarify because that makes no sense. You're saying you can avoid the RNG on the game's systems when it's still there affecting the champion shop and item distribution. You can't avoid something that's been integrated as a core mechanic.

KyraSunOct 18, 20191 votes

RNG makes the game different everytime, if everyone would get the same items everytime it would be hella boring. Every game has stuff like item drops or stuff to make the game feel different every time.