by JR Cook - 10 years ago     show comments

Brightwing’s been terrorizing making friends with the populace for two days now and Heroes of the Storm Community Representative Trikslyr got the chance to sit down with Senior Game Designer Richard Khoo and talk about the concepts behind the Fae Dragon hero.  It’s an interesting read and definitely worth checking out. Trikslyr does these on the regular, so be sure to hunt down his earlier entries in the series.

The Heroes team just made it back from PAX East, and now that the dust is starting to settle, it’s time to continue picking our designers’ brains about our Heroes. Today, we’re taking a look at Brightwing with Senior Game Designer Richard Khoo.

Trikslyr: Welcome back! Let’s dive straight into it. Brightwing is such an interesting Hero when comparing her to the others we currently have available in the Tech Alpha. With abilities such as “Polymorph” and “Pixie Dust”, Brightwing can create momentum swinging plays for her team. How was Brightwing created, and when did the design team know they had their hands on such a special Hero?

Richard: Thanks for having me! So for Brightwing, we knew from the beginning that we wanted this hero to be about mitigating damage rather than traditional healing. When we examined the Warcraft 3 Faerie Dragon, we decided to focus on the fantasy of whimsical powers and pixie dust. The abilities ”Polymorph” and “Pixie Dust” quickly became two staples to build the rest of her kit around. To really push the envelope, we debated and experimented with some complicated mechanics like mana burn and giving her the ability to fly to allies, but eventually had to tone it back because the extra mechanics got really complicated. We knew we had something special when we designed the Phase Shift ability as a replacement for a traditional mount power.

T: Let’s keep talking about “Phase Shift.” In a game like Heroes, where constant fast action is occurring, this ability can be dynamic in switching momentum into an ally’s favor. What were the design team’s goals when giving Brightwing such a powerful mobile active ability?

Richard: From a fantasy perspective, we wanted to play up Phase Shifting to the nth degree. The goal was to create an omnipresent hero similar to Abathur, but unlike Abathur, Brightwing has a stronger tactical presence. We wanted Phase Shift to require an ally to play off of and support her trait’s design. We also wanted to give the ability global range so that there were more opportunities to cast it and to play up soft split pushing strategies.

T: Brightwing’s Combat Trait ”Smoothing Mist” is an AOE heal that activates after a short amount of time. The gameplay behind this trait promises exciting moments and teamwork. Brightwing players will need to constantly be aware of their surroundings and positioning in an attempt to make full use of such a strong Combat Trait. What kind of tips should Brightwing players keep in mind to take full advantage of Smoothing Mist?

Richard: Stay near your allies as long as humanly possible. You are rewarded more for being near them by healing them constantly. I try to stick with my minions if not much is going on, and zipping to an ally when I think it’s about to go down. The trait is purposely designed to be simple, which allows Brightwing players to scan the battlefield constantly. Through talents, you can make your trait proc when you cast, and even make it an activated ability. So, if you wanted to press the matter down a single lane, you totally can. It depends a lot on which Battleground you are playing, and the strategy your team wants to deploy.

T: What advice would the design team give to teammates of Brightwing? What about the opponents?

Richard: It’s very important for Brightwing to communicate with her teammates, especially if she’s coming in hot from casting Phase Shift. Brightwing players can ping ally teammates before they phase shift to them, allowing them to anticipate your arrival and let them adjust their tactics accordingly. In general, turning a 1 on 1 into a 2 on 1 is better than turning a 2 on 2 to a 3 on 2.

Enemies should be aware of all the things I said, and beware of the potential chaos Brightwing can bring. I personally always assume that if I know a Brightwing is coming, they are coming in with full vitals and a polymorph with my name on it. So decide quickly if you want to finish the job fighting an enemy, or run away.

T: We have arrived at our final question! Let’s be honest, we love hearing about the fun and exciting moments that occur when testing out new heroes in the bullpen. I’m sure there has to be a great story regarding Brightwing, let’s hear it!

Richard: Brightwing’s second Heroic Ability, “Blink Heal,” gives her the ability to teleport to an ally and heal them. When we first implemented this, we forgot to add a cooldown to the ability…so as quickly as you could click was how quickly you would teleport and heal. Back then, we also made Brightwing invulnerable during the ability. To be honest, I am not entirely sure why we decided that was a good idea. Many nerfs and “U Mad?” moments later, I think we got Blink Heal to a more playable state.