league of legends? how did this game grow into what it is today?

[Kuthe]

LoL was free2play from the beginning.
At the start Riot had great intentions, and it seemed to be in a good place. The 40 champions were unique and fun, and it wasn't overly unbalanced.
It's learning curve is tiny.
There is no difficultly in selecting items, no STR/INT/AGIL. It's just stack HP and your AP/AD.

Because of these reasons, we all invited our friends, who invited more.
And it sort of carried on to a point where Riot only cares about making cash now from making OP new champions and silly skins.
LoL died *for me* when Urf died. All those years back. I still play it now and then, but it's a horrible community.

[Repefe]

And it sort of carried on to a point where Riot only cares about making cash now from making OP new champions and silly skins.

They are definitelly trying to make money out of LoL, but they do work on new maps and game modes that are free. Dominion, the 10vs10 map that didn't make it past testing, now ARAM is coming ... They also introduced spectator mode, are investing in tournaments, revitalizing old champs that had bad animations/models, recently updated the map itself to run more smoothly on old computers etc.

The champs and skins is where the money come from, but saying they only care for money I don't see it.

[PizzaSHARK]

They know how to promote their game, and its style is way more iconic than say Dota's and HoN's. The thing about League of Legends is that it's an improved version of the outdated Dota, while HoN and Dota 2 are simply Dota but updated, League of Legends is something new. Summoner spells, brushes, Normal/Ranked division, free to play, shop to buy champions. Most importantly for it, it was the first to do such. HoN went free to play waay too late, and its gameplay is waaay too fast paced, you have no idea what is going on most of the time. League of Legends is built on a really solid engine, it has its own unique graphic style, and many of the champions are really iconic. There's also a much better balance between all game mechanics, just from champions (until Darius...) to minions to towers to creeps.

No.

LoL is in no way, shape, or form an improvement over DOTA or DOTA 2 in terms of gameplay - if anything, it's a huge step back.

But that huge step back is one facet of why it's so successful - by dumbing down the game (make no mistake, LoL is indeed dumbed down), they've made the game accessible to pretty much anyone with a pulse. Add in some excellent customer service people, some fanservice in the form of their Youtube channel and the various skins available for the female heroes, and lots of promotion for eSports, and you have one hell of a successful game.

But don't confuse popularity with being a good game. LoL is popular, but it's nowhere near DOTA's level.

---------- Post added 2012-06-11 at 06:13 AM ----------

Grind means it's not fun for you to do it and that is unfitting of LoL. If you don't like the game, getting full page of runes will not make you stick to it. At least I don't think anybody plays LoL to fill pages with runes. And that unlocking rated takes time ... unless you are familiar with all 5 roles and are proficient with at least 2 champs for each of those you have no place in rated anyway and that's what the leveling up is for.

I came from an extensive DOTA background, which is harder than LoL. By level 10 I was ready to play with the big kids, and I was probably capable of competing before then.

The rest of the grind to 30 was just mindless busywork, and the whole "the leveling system is in place to teach you the game" is a sham because players at max level, both in ranked and unranked games, are fucking awful at the game. The leveling system doesn't teach you jack, just how to instalock Master Yi and promptly die at 35 seconds to a tower.

[Deleted]

Because its very simple, easy, free and doesnt have very intense graphics so you dont need a good computer to play it, and is actually very fun to play with friends

[Jangri-]

Because its easier than dota(HoN = DotA for all its worth). It's easier to get into it, to play it. Even folowing competative games is easier, due to easy to folow goals, it's easier to tell won lanes apart, etc etc.

[wariofan1]

No.

LoL is in no way, shape, or form an improvement over DOTA or DOTA 2 in terms of gameplay - if anything, it's a huge step back.

But that huge step back is one facet of why it's so successful - by dumbing down the game (make no mistake, LoL is indeed dumbed down), they've made the game accessible to pretty much anyone with a pulse. Add in some excellent customer service people, some fanservice in the form of their Youtube channel and the various skins available for the female heroes, and lots of promotion for eSports, and you have one hell of a successful game.

But don't confuse popularity with being a good game. LoL is popular, but it's nowhere near DOTA's level.

That's just your opinion, and I really don't like how you say that. I've tried Dota countless times, and it's just a Warcraft III Map, that's it. It runs on the outdated engine that is Warcraft, and what exactly does Dota have that LoL doesn't? It has different items, okay, LoL only has the neccessary items while Dota has a bunch of wasted items. No matter what way you put it Dota is outdated, simply because it runs on Warcraft III's engine. You wanna know why Dota is harder than LoL? Because Warcraft III's engine wasn't build to handle anything that is too advanced compared to the original playstyle, after all the years working with the World Editor I'm fairly certain I know where the game's limits go, and it's not very broad. LoL is built on a solid engine while Warcraft III's is very unstable with games like Dota. Dota might be harder, but that's only because it is, again, outdated. That map definately isn't timeless, which is why Dota 2 is being made, and that's also why HoN was made.

There's a difference between facts and your opinion. I respect that you like Dota more than LoL, I couldn't care less to be honest, but don't go around spewing out wrong facts, because LoL is a broader game in pretty much every way compared to Dota. It's the same as comparing Super Smash Bros. Melee with Super Smash Bros. Brawl, one game is way more solid and has way more content, but the other is better for competitive play, but still lacks tons of things from the other one.

[Repefe]

I came from an extensive DOTA background, which is harder than LoL. By level 10 I was ready to play with the big kids, and I was probably capable of competing before then.

The rest of the grind to 30 was just mindless busywork, and the whole "the leveling system is in place to teach you the game" is a sham because players at max level, both in ranked and unranked games, are fucking awful at the game. The leveling system doesn't teach you jack, just how to instalock Master Yi and promptly die at 35 seconds to a tower.

I can imagine you were 2.6k elo ready the moment you created your lol account, but the game can't be designed around super gamers like you. That's what Dota was made for.

[Deleted]

DotA runs on reward/punish model, not as appealing as reward only model. In later you win by denying rewards, but to player it's more appealing, because he never really ends on zero.
Another thing is the fact it's free of course and the simplification. I'd say they did quite a good job in achieving still solid intellectual level while making the game much more appealing to both observers and players by making it quite clear and action packed.

And last, not least game does not feel that much unfair as DotA did - have a look at this BS
http://www.dota2wiki.com/wiki/Bash

[hailey]

Free, easy to play, massively simplified version of an already very popular game, runs on anything.

[Highdark]

Free to play, It is more team based then dota, it is much better advertised then HoN and Dota. I had a love hate relationship with dota, HoN is a direct clone. LoL champs are less amazing but much more balenced.

[Deleted]

HoN had more players in the beta but died because LoL stayed free.

[Ascendant]

HoN was better, but then the open beta started and from there it just kept going downhill. I moved on to LoL and thought it was a dumbed down version of dota at first, but over time I started appreciating it for what it is ie not a complete carbon copy of dota which I had already played for hundreds of hours.

[Lefuu]

Easy to start, no lag, free.

LoL
-takes way too long to unlock more than few different champs/runes to be able to fill more roles and play freely
-overpowered, easy and bland champions any monkey could own with (wat is support gusy), so it gives incentive for any monkey to buy and steamroll untill new one comes out, easy money for Riot
-report feature being one of most abused things ever

Dota 2
-delay
-no key mods
-no smartcasting unless you mod it yourself (in 2012)
-no surrender, enjoy that pointless waste of time

HoN - why do you people even mention this forgotten abomination?

Community in each is worse than /b/ on crack.

[ddsad2212]

It came out with the best F2p model of its type, so everyone could play it with no investment. And its a well made game over-all, so it was always going to be popular.

[PizzaSHARK]

That's just your opinion, and I really don't like how you say that. I've tried Dota countless times, and it's just a Warcraft III Map, that's it. It runs on the outdated engine that is Warcraft, and what exactly does Dota have that LoL doesn't? It has different items, okay,

No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO.

You are wrong, okay? Wrong in so many ways. League of Legends is a dumbed-down, simplified version of DotA - period. The entire idea of denying creeps, towers, heroes; all taken out. Ward system? Simplified, you can never run out. No Force Staff. No items like Armlet, and you don't lose gold for dying.

League of Legends is a dumbed down version of DotA, and that's all you need to know. Dominion is pretty fun and I think it's a very innovative take on the MOBA concept, but as a competitive game, it is weaker and worse in every conceivable way.

[wariofan1]

No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO.

You are wrong, okay? Wrong in so many ways. League of Legends is a dumbed-down, simplified version of DotA - period. The entire idea of denying creeps, towers, heroes; all taken out. Ward system? Simplified, you can never run out. No Force Staff. No items like Armlet, and you don't lose gold for dying.

League of Legends is a dumbed down version of DotA, and that's all you need to know. Dominion is pretty fun and I think it's a very innovative take on the MOBA concept, but as a competitive game, it is weaker and worse in every conceivable way.

And you basically ignored my whole post. There's no point in arguing here then, you're stuck in a fanboy mind it seems, so I can't help you.

[Glorious Leader]

It's free and built for a much broader user base. I had a more unpleasant way of saying that but yea it is what it is.

[khalltusk]

No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO.

You are wrong, okay? Wrong in so many ways. League of Legends is a dumbed-down, simplified version of DotA - period. The entire idea of denying creeps, towers, heroes; all taken out. Ward system? Simplified, you can never run out. No Force Staff. No items like Armlet, and you don't lose gold for dying.

League of Legends is a dumbed down version of DotA, and that's all you need to know. Dominion is pretty fun and I think it's a very innovative take on the MOBA concept, but as a competitive game, it is weaker and worse in every conceivable way.

To try and ease your bruised EGO.

Lol, Has no deny (only gangplank had a deny system this was taken out) yes its simpler than hon/dota no doubt. it promotes a less passive game believe it or not. IF you have a deny system in place you automatically make it into more of a passive laning phase. Reason behind my opinion on this? You spend more time thinking about denying a creep or ensuring you're last hitting rather than harassing the other players which imo should be the main point in laning. Rather than passively farming I would rather poke the enemy teams players and try and get control of my lane that way rather than a war of reaction timing/attrition on gold via minion denies.

You don't get to make paths through trees, fair enough thats something that lol does not have.

You have only 1 shop in lol, well thats true but its a lot easier for new players AND for any good players its less of a ball ache. you're on top and doing well but the item you need is in some secret shop and you have to run out spending time away from team fights/farming to get that item no thanks.

Now lets look at things lol DOES have.

Bush system a GREAT idea. You have new area that you can hide in which can really add depth to your game play. Endless ploys and miss-direction using these. Some champions like nidalee get a SPEED buff while being in a bush making these champions focus more on staying there poking the enemy and using it to their advantage.

You have multiple on use items in lol now that provide a lot of ultility, reverie provides a speed buff for a short duration iron solary provides a small shield to your team, wriggles gives you a free ward every few mins. Deathfires does magic damage by % of enemies max hp I think, you have others now that do other effects so theres a LOT of on use items so your opinion on item uses is thrown out the window.

You also have fixed buff locations on monsters which is a great idea as when you know when a certain buff is up you can form a gank at that location (like knowing their blue is up and their AP mid is going to try and collect it for example)

Your other point about not losing gold, so the enemy gets EXTRA gold (depending on if you're on a killing spree etc it can vary on the amount) from killing you and you think LOSING your gold is a good idea as well?

Its like playing a football match they score a goal and you automatically lose any goals you scored. promotes negative/passive play and can create more chances of a team snowballing when team fights happen. Snowballing is an issue in most mobas anyway.

Don't get me wrong LOL like many of the mobas has bad points but to say its a complete dumbed down game with out providing real proof (you're just ranting here not providing reasoning as to why such an idea is bad etc)

[Hraklea]

League of Legends is a user friendly DotA, it is not a surprise that it became popular. What is surprising is that DotA didn't learn that being user friendly is a good thing and kept the same flaws in DotA 2.

But I don't play League of Legends anymore. It is very unbalanced and the servers are lagged (for me). I'm currently playing DotA 2 , but I don't play it very often. (3~5 times a week

Lol, Has no deny (only gangplank had a deny system this was taken out) yes its simpler than hon/dota no doubt. it promotes a less passive game believe it or not. IF you have a deny system in place you automatically make it into more of a passive laning phase. Reason behind my opinion on this? You spend more time thinking about denying a creep or ensuring you're last hitting rather than harassing the other players which imo should be the main point in laning. Rather than passively farming I would rather poke the enemy teams players and try and get control of my lane that way rather than a war of reaction timing/attrition on gold via minion denies.

I used to think like that too, that no deny implies on more harass. But the fact is that, if you watch actual pr0 players match, you'll see that LoL is far more passive during lane phase than DotA.

The reason why that happens is that deny creates an growing gap between the stronger and the weaker player, as more XP and gold gives him more power to farm better and denies the weaker even more, in a slippery slope effect. The only way to stop that is to have people ganking the stronger players constantly. Does LoL have early game ganks? Yes, it does, but the lack of creep denying also make it easier to control the creep flow, and as turrets are insanely strong in the first levels, tower hug is more safe in LoL than DotA, which also implies in a more passive lane phase from LoL.

Bush system a GREAT idea.

A lot of trees removes opponent sight in DotA, which is equivalent to the bush system in LoL. Hiding inside the forest to TP is a very common way to escape from ganks, actually.

Your other point about not losing gold, so the enemy gets EXTRA gold (depending on if you're on a killing spree etc it can vary on the amount) from killing you and you think LOSING your gold is a good idea as well?

That depends on the number. The killer getting 200 gold or the killer getting 100 gold and the victim losing 100 gold... I can't say for sure that the first one is better.

[Desh]

It's simple. I think LoL is garbage compared to the much better alternatives (Dota 2 and HoN) but Riot are marketing geniuses. They were probably the first company to ever properly harness the world's population of 10 year olds that don't have access to their mum's credit card. There are only 2 reasons that LoL is more popular. It's easier and more casual than Dota 2/HoN and it's free. HoN and Dota 2 are both free as well but Dota 2 isn't out yet and HoN was initially $30.

There are a lot more people in the world that want something easy and mindless rather than something that is more complicated but overall more rewarding. The fact though that LoL has tournaments is hilarious though, it's a competitive abomination. Every aspect of skill and lane control that was in Dota was taken out for the aforementioned reasons. It's about as competitive as two people trying to see who can break through a window the fastest by licking it.