Heroes of the Storm Catch-All

WizardM0de wrote:

Ding dong Artifacts are dead!

http://us.battle.net/heroes/en/blog/...

Blizzard wrote:

ARTIFACTS
Artifacts were designed to provide you with a meaningful way to spend gold, while also providing additional options to customize your heroes. We wanted to test artifacts in the Alpha to find out if the system fulfilled those goals. As testing began, many of you voiced concerns around fairness issues, “correct build” issues, balance, new player tension, and other issues that made it clear that artifacts weren’t working as intended. We agree—those issues started to outweigh the benefits of the system.

As a result, we have decided to remove the artifact system from Heroes of the Storm with a patch scheduled for later today. We will explore different ways to give you fun and compelling options for spending gold, while avoiding the problems that the initial artifact system created. We don't have any updates on what our future systems may be, but we'll be sure to keep you informed and look forward to getting your feedback on alternate systems.

Yeah, probably a good change.

Sonicator wrote:

Seems like a good move. I would've thought there'd be almost no limit to cosmetic options as a gold sink, but maybe they want to keep those as a stream for getting actual cash out of people. Even there, the hearthstone model of "you can buy everything with gold, but you can get it a lot quicker with real money" should still work.

That's not this model. There's plenty of cosmetic items that you can only buy with money. Right now... it is an Alpha.

Shoal07 wrote:
Sonicator wrote:

Seems like a good move. I would've thought there'd be almost no limit to cosmetic options as a gold sink, but maybe they want to keep those as a stream for getting actual cash out of people. Even there, the hearthstone model of "you can buy everything with gold, but you can get it a lot quicker with real money" should still work.

That's not this model. There's plenty of cosmetic items that you can only buy with money. Right now... it is an Alpha.

Sure, I meant that as "a model they can use for a gold sink" since my understanding was that artifacts were going to be there as something to do with your gold once you'd unlocked the heroes you're interested in. As it stands at the moment, it seems like it wouldn't take all that long for gold to stop being much of an incentive.

I was very excited to hear they already got rid of them, I still haven't spent gold because I'm enjoying playing all the heroes so far rather than buying someone and focusing on them. Glad I don't have to worry about a stat-based gold sink, its part of why I never fully got into LoL.

huh, went to load up diablo 3 and noticed Heroes of the Storm in my launcher. Didn't even get an email for it, fancy.

The master skins are 10k gold. you have to level up to 8 or 9 or something to unlock it for a character, and then buy it. Nice way to provide a sink there, totally optional, but a cool prize if you get there. (All this is: I think, i haven't gotten near one yet!).

I also like the dailies that force you to try different characters. I ended up on Tychus last night to fulfill both my Starcraft daily and my assassin daily. We totally dominated the other team. I was terrified of him when i played him first, but i really like him now.

Also,i still loving this game in general! It's a whole lot of fun!

Three new heroes have appeared in a trailer. Anuk'arak looks like a ganker. He was charging in and webbing people. Azmodan was hurling fireballs at structures and hitting the boss golem, so i'm guessing a specialist. The third was Chen, who can turn into a barrel. Most likely a warrior.

I've had the alpha of this active in my Battle.net launcher for a while, but never bothered to install it. I finally got around to trying it today, when someone mentioned in another thread that Blizzard might be doing for MOBAs what they did in Hearthstone to cut down on the multiplayer jerkwad factor. So far I've just played single-player stuff, tutorials and practice matches, but I like what I see!

The real test will be when I get in a match with other people, though.

I keep launching my Blizzard launcher hoping to see this on the list. I'm curious about mobas, despite being as intimidated as hell.

I do have Infinite Crisis patched up, but I haven't been able to bring myself to start a game yet.

I played a couple of co-op matches today, dipping my toe into multiplayer. They went reasonably well, but one player in one game was Female Doggoing about something I didn't understand.

I also bought a couple of heroes, since we're supposed to be testing out the store, too. I had a minor problem which I dutifully reported. According to the game info, any real money purchases made during alpha will be credited before the game is released - I assume to battle.net balance. Purchases made with gold earned during play will just go bye-bye. Also, people who help test the store get a special something when the game is released, but they haven't said what.

MrDeVil909 wrote:

I keep launching my Blizzard launcher hoping to see this on the list. I'm curious about mobas, despite being as intimidated as hell.

HOTS is a lot less intimidating than most MOBAs so far - it has a smaller roster of heroes to learn, the heroes have more straightforward roles, and they've removed or replaced the more obtuse mechanics. I'm really enjoying it so far, whereas I bounced off DOTA and LOL.

BadKen wrote:

I played a couple of co-op matches today, dipping my toe into multiplayer. They went reasonably well, but one player in one game was Female Doggoing about something I didn't understand.

What was it, out of interest?

I also bought a couple of heroes, since we're supposed to be testing out the store, too. I had a minor problem which I dutifully reported. According to the game info, any real money purchases made during alpha will be credited before the game is released - I assume to battle.net balance. Purchases made with gold earned during play will just go bye-bye. Also, people who help test the store get a special something when the game is released, but they haven't said what.

I did my bit of store testing by purchasing the Chef skin for Stitches. So far I've found that I've had enough gold from the dailies for the heroes that I've wanted

Sonicator wrote:
BadKen wrote:

I played a couple of co-op matches today, dipping my toe into multiplayer. They went reasonably well, but one player in one game was Female Doggoing about something I didn't understand.

What was it, out of interest?

Something about kill stealing, which doesn't make sense because this game has group XP. I didn't see anyone near him at the time, so what he was saying didn't make any sense.

How bizarre. Can only assume he didn't know that. Toxicity would fit with them being new to the alpha as well, the existing community seems pretty good in general.

Haha. You still see the people farming a lane dutifully to get their carry last hits. There is definitely some inertia coming from other games!

I got level 40 last night. Eep. It takes so long to get a character to level 10. I'm 8 1/2 on abathur, and no end in sight since I've stopped playing him in pugs:/

GAME IS BACK UP.

looks like no more wipes and 50% bonus xp if you play with friends, feel free to add me, krev#1705

krev82 wrote:

looks like no more wipes and 50% bonus xp if you play with friends, feel free to add me, krev#1705

Its also bonus xp for a week, in addition to all the old bundles being available for a week.

Big sales on bundles. I bought a couple. Battletag in signature. I play occasionally, usually in the afternoons PST.

So pumped! Glad it's back out again.

My PC locks up when I open the store =(

I still don't have access.

Edwin wrote:

I still don't have access. :(

The one MOBA I think might actually work for me and... me either.

Thin_J wrote:
Edwin wrote:

I still don't have access. :(

The one MOBA I think might actually work for me and... me either.

Ditto on both counts

Farscry wrote:
Thin_J wrote:
Edwin wrote:

I still don't have access. :(

The one MOBA I think might actually work for me and... me either.

Ditto on both counts

We should start our own thread, with root beer and blackjack. And on second thought, forget the blackjack.

Thin_J wrote:
Edwin wrote:

I still don't have access. :(

The one MOBA I think might actually work for me and... me either.

It's funny, most of my friends who I've played MOBAs with at some point and have played this aren't really fans, whereas I absolutely love it and would rather play it than any others. And I've invested loads of time and money into LoL (and still watch it all the time).

Maybe I'm just a noob who wants an EZ mode MOBA?

I don't know if I'd choose it over LoL, which is my MOBA of choice, but I'd sure like the opportunity to find out!

I see complaints from veteran MOBA players all the time about Heroes of the Storm. The funny thing is, the stuff they're usually complaining about is the stuff that draws me to the game.

I hope it stays that way, because frankly, I'm not interested in playing games with the hardcore veterans of other MOBA games.

That's just the thing. Make all the comparisons to more in-depth MOBAs you want, this isn't and was never intended to be those games. Dotalol vets don't really have room to complain, it isn't really for them.

This was designed from the ground up to be a different experience and it has all the usual Blizzard goodness in it.

It isn't really for me but when it's open to everyone, it will be far easier to convince people to play it than it will be to get them into Dotalol.

All that said, my install is still super broken and the only tech support is their forum.

BadKen wrote:

I see complaints from veteran MOBA players all the time about Heroes of the Storm. The funny thing is, the stuff they're usually complaining about is the stuff that draws me to the game.

I hope it stays that way, because frankly, I'm not interested in playing games with the hardcore veterans of other MOBA games.

Well support has always been my favorite role, and I just enjoy the HotS supports more than in other games. Plus if I get stuck doing non-support, I don't have to worry about last-hitting - which has always been my least favorite thing in League.

Granted it's nice to be able to pick who you want to play and then queue instead of fighting in chat before games.

If you go versus as a pre-made team does it put you up against pub groups? I ask because so far all my versus games have certainly felt pretty skewed going at it from the pub side, but maybe that's just bad luck.