Most of us have attempted to play a MOBA game; whether it be with friends ordering us around, trying to teach us, or attempting to figure out the game by yourself. It’s never a pleasant experience and it can turn some players off the genre completely. While other games such as Dota 2 and LoL have brought in tutorials, bot matches and other features to assist the player, Heroes of Newerth hopes to become the standard-bearer for new players.
When S2 games launch their 3.0 patch globally for Heroes of Newerth, it will bring in more features to help new players, graphical enhancements, bots and customizable AI.
Easing players into the game has become a priority. In an interview with Massively, Ryan McDaniel, lead content manager of S2 games said
“We’ve completely revamped the new player experience, not only by adding bots but by making a whole new walkthrough system that teaches players how to play the game by matching them against bots.”
The new tutorial system aims to bring new players into the game much faster than the old one. Players will also be encouraged to complete the tutorial as it will grant access to the Learnitorium features; video archives, tutorials and hero decks.
These bots aren’t just for the new players, S2 have decided to share the AI bot code to allow it to be modded.
“We really think this will attract a unique community. We’d like to eventually create bot vs bot matches so modders can compete with each other trying create the best AIs.”
A new punishment system is also being brought in to counter foul-mouthed players. This will work with the current report-a-player function. New punishments include removal of voice chat, stopping them from abusing over their mic.
On updating, players might also notice some graphical changes to the game’s older heroes, bringing them up to date with the latest additions. These visual upgrades come free of charge. New designs are based on a lore-driven scheme.
Director of Operations, Nathan Garcia told Massively…
“As much as we love a good Hawaiian shirt, we don’t want to see them cluttering the game. We will still create fun skins, but we want to really push designing characters around their stories.”
With this update, S2 are looking to bring in lots of new players, while giving the current players new content. Whether their attempts will pay off remains to be seen, but their work does seem promising.
(Source: Massively)
