by JR Cook - 10 years ago     show comments

Heroes of the Storm is very much in alpha, and therefore it’s difficult to draw any meaningful conclusions from the numbers. Prices are going to inevitably change. Hero damage will also probably change. At least, I hope it does, Jim Raynor. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some account level objectives tossed in between ten and twenty as well, to give a bit more ‘oomph’ to the grind. Again, many perceived issues can be chalked up to growing pains and that would be a fair assessment. Numbers can and will be changed.

What we can discuss however is game philosophy. It’s been made very clear since BlizzCon that Heroes of the Storm will be about the team, and not the ability of the solo player. This sort of stance has been lauded (and rightfully so) as being decidedly progressive in a genre that often times churns out some of the most misanthropic, insufferable people we’ll ever meet. These trolls shriek in all caps about getting the middle lane, and how they need all the gold on the board. They’re often times abrasive and downright torturous, threatening to throw the game if their terrorist demands go unmet.

If you’re trying to create a game that’s unappealing to these types of people, how do you do so?

It’s obvious. You eliminate the components that reward selfish play from the equation. Items, individual experience, a record of individual kills, all of it gone. This makes it plain to all who install the game that Heroes of the Storm will always be about the team, and that’s great .. except when you don’t have a team. Solo queuing is often a painful experience in MOBAs, and it’s no better here. In other games in the genre you can, if you’re skilled enough, effectively carry you and your team to victory all by your lonesome.

That’s not possible in Heroes of the Storm because you can’t get a monstrous level advantage over your foes unless your team succeeds on the whole. You are eternally bound to the fate of your team, right from the beginning. You might be able to show some fancy moves and win in tight situations, but you’ll never, ever be large enough to take on more than two other heroes at a time. This creates an obvious dependency on your teammates, and it’s painful.

You’ve picked Muradin. He’s a bad dude, right? You’re on Dragon Shire. Sure, that’s a very fun map. Control a Dragon Knight, wreck stuff, great. The Dragon Shrines appear. You’re going to get the top shrine. After chasing off Malfurion, you’ve taken control of the shrine, also great. The bottom lane’s done their job. All that Jim Raynor needs to do is walk over and assume control of the Dragon Knight. Victory is at hand … except it’s not, because Jim Raynor is sitting in the middle trying to last hit creeps. Stitches, Malfurion and Nova roll up and murder you, while Jim Raynor continues ‘farming’. All is lost, queue the solo tears.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated experience. In a game that hinges on teamwork and cooperative play, solo queue is not a fun time. It’s even worse because, at least at present, you might be solo queuing, but you can still be matched up against a pre-made team of five that knows their stuff. This only serves to compound the frustration and lack of enjoyment.

Solo queuing was never a great time in DotA 2, League of Legends or Heroes of Newerth. It was a roll of the dice that featured the potential for you to simply beat the opposing team. In Heroes of the Storm, for better or worse, you’re going to live and die with your allies. There is no chance for you to simply win by yourself. I don’t disagree with Blizzard’s team-first approach with Heroes of the Storm, but there’s a definite price to be paid for this stance, and it looks like solo queue’s largely footing the bill.