Game Maker: Starting by Healing the Players

Sitting at the computer in the lounge, listening to Hector and the others explain, Lucas understood.

This Zack map wasn't actually the first of its kind. The same author had made many similar maps for Warcraft before.

They had covered everything from 2v2 and 3v3 all the way up to 6v6, with different content each time.

This Zack map was just another version, but it was set as 5v5, and the gameplay was also defined.

That is, the game would abandon RTS gameplay and focus on controlling one hero, just like in a regular RPG map.

Of course, it still kept some RTS elements, which became the hero's skills and the items purchased and crafted.

For example, there was a character called the Lich King in the game, using Arthas the Death Knight's model. His skills allowed him to summon a neutral monster.

In addition, players could also buy and craft an item called the Helm of Dominion , which could also summon a neutral monster. This was a bit similar to the Helm of Dominion in front-life DOTA, but because the map didn't have neutral monsters set up, it could only summon them randomly out of thin air.

The different versions of the map kept players entertained, but to Lucas, it still felt quite rough.

Moreover, although the various hero skills seemed creative, with the gameplay framework not yet established, balance became a big problem.

However, this wasn't the main core issue, as no game could achieve perfect balance.

In Lucas's previous life, DOTA and similar games, which evolved from Warcraft III's map editor and established core gameplay, as well as League of Legends, which later became globally popular and reclassified this mode as MOBA, did not achieve true balance.

Early League of Legends had numerical bugs, like the Sunfire and Black Cleaver leagues, which were exceptions.

But later, the assassin league, tank league, and marksman league, and in most matches, the same familiar heroes were always picked, which clearly indicated balance issues.

While DOTA had more strategies and tactics, leading to more varied games and lineups, more players experienced public matches rather than competitive games. DOTA's balance point also couldn't be achieved very well in this regard.

The infinite refresh of the Black King Bar in the early version 6.59, the law-based carry foursome led by the Goblin Tinkerer were too far in the past. Not to mention the late stage of the Heavenly Guardians led by the Timber saw , Slark, Earth shaker , Venomancer, Spirit breaker , and Weaver, and then into the early days of DOTA 2 which had Radiance Sven , Juggernaut, Axe, and Troll Warlord's three-pronged attack, or Doom who was always "dad," Sniper nuking ancients, and Magnus's Reverse Polarity ...

It could be said that in these versions of public games, if these heroes were present, it would be a pick-and-ban situation.

Balance is a very important core aspect of a game, but it's not the true core factor that influences a game.

Because whether it's League of Legends' so-called simplified system or DOTA's tactical play, both have a common core.

That is, being able to experience an indispensable element within the game.

Just like this Zack map.

And in the game, as long as you perform well enough, you can save the world.

Just like in DOTA public games, Radiance Spectre , Medusa with Divine Rapier , and Enigma's Black Hole are keywords that represent saving the world and turning the tide.

Similarly, in League of Legends, with Vayne or Twitch, as long as these heroes are on the team and have decent farm, you can also feel the hope of a comeback.

What can serve as a negative example is the ever-popular Heroes of the Storm. Everyone playing it enjoys it 100%, but if one person plays poorly, the enjoyment drops to -100%.

Setting aside this intrinsic game attribute, the biggest impact on a game is actually its operation. In Lucas's previous life, DOTA was a prime example of a good hand played poorly.

Early DOTA had a very large global user base, but unfortunately, the lawsuit with Blizzard caused it to lose its market advantage.

Even after the settlement, Icefrog and Valve released DOTA 2, but compared to League of Legends operated by Riot Games and Tencent, DOTA 2's operations were indeed very lacking.

In terms of esports, like the game itself, The International Global Invitational made DOTA 2 an unprecedentedly large esports event, but Valve was mostly hands-off regarding the competitions, including the organization and system of matches, which were indeed inferior to League of Legends.

Of course, these are secondary. The most important point is the inaction regarding the game's content system.

Any player who has played DOTA 2 knows that the game's tutorial is almost non-existent.

As a completely new player, happily entering the war between the Radiant and the Dire, you'll find that you can't learn anything.

Or rather, what you learn in the beginner tutorial is less than watching a stream for a while or choosing the hero that's good in numbers, Meepo , under the persuasion of friends, or choosing Shadow Fiend , Nevermore, to quickly learn all hero skills.

It's hard to imagine that a beginner tutorial, which is crucial for attracting new players, was only released nearly 10 years after the game launched, and it wasn't even officially led but was a community-driven project.

Of course, in some aspects, DOTA 2's operations were indeed very strong, such as the green booklet during TI3. The earliest game battle pass was later popularized by Fortnite and became an essential system for almost all games, whether mobile, PC, or browser-based.

For Lucas, both DOTA and League of Legends could serve as future directions.

However, considering Warcraft's RTS gameplay, although not at its peak, it still holds a significant market. Secondly, whether it's denying creeps, vision control with high and low ground in forests, or corresponding mechanics, these are all present in Warcraft.

Lucas still chose DOTA. Of course, there was another point: the Zack map he saw earlier brought DOTA to mind.

Moreover, for Nebula Games at present, both DOTA and League of Legends would more or less be adding icing to the cake.

To launch both would be like competing with themselves.

Although their core concepts are different, in terms of the overall framework and direction, these two games are consistent.

Of course, now that he has decided to make DOTA, he still needs to consider how to do it, as each version has its own distinctive features.

However, having distinctive features doesn't necessarily mean they are good.

For example, the support experience. In early versions, a support player might have only had a Town Portal Scroll, a pair of 500-gold Boots of Speed, a stack of Wards and Sentry Wards , and a Dust of Appearance by 40 minutes.

What? You mean there was another slot for a Kelen's Dagger (Blink Dagger)?

What a wealthy family! Having a Mekansm was already good enough.

In team fights, after the support used their skills, they might be casually killed by the enemy mid-laner or carry. It wasn't that they had no experience; it was that the experience was zero.

(End of Chapter)

---

Read +100 advanced chapters on my patre*n

patr eon.com/GustinaKamiya

---

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!