(Part 1 / 3)
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If I was making a unit for a better-designed game than WC3, I would have made a very different unit. As would we all, I hope. I like straightforward designs that are easy to use and to play against, letting players make meaningful choices without having to consider detailed information in the moment. I like diversity in function, and giving everyone a wide variety of strategic and tactical choices at all times.
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This kind of thing is perfectly possible with heroes that have a high level of synergy. The Paladin, for example, makes all kinds of meaningful choices without being forced to give up a playstyle. If you like diversity that's just another level up the design chain past playstyle. Playstyle comes first, diversity is more difficult.
Do note, as Footman16 also seems to have gotten stuck on this, that hero design was only one component of my review. As a programmer, I will always consider my ability to judge quality programs higher than my ability to judge quality designs.
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For the most part, I do approve of the design axioms LoL is founded on. Zileas' ideas provide a good baseline of heuristic measures and targets, especially when creating a fresh system.
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Do note that Zileas was not always the design director at Riot, and didn't start his career there. His list of anti-patterns in the lol forums are a more general list of no-no's from his experience working in game design, including on world of warcraft, than a list of axioms on which to build league of legends. Put another way, there are many concepts that will never be in league of legends that can't be pinned to a particular design anti-pattern, and equally, even new league of legends heroes will occasionally go against those patterns.
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However, the design of Warcraft III tends to emphasize racial themes over diversity: each race has a radically different distribution of hero types, regeneration mechanics, macro, and unit composition. Tier systems and unit roles are consistent enough across races, but there are still outliers—Spell Breakers and Faerie Dragons do not have identical roles in gameplay, nor do Banshees and Sorceresses have very much in common at all, outside of the "secondary caster" descriptor. The Undead and Night Elves have answers to Tauren and Knight units, but not equivalents. The Undead have exactly one siege unit, while each other race has two. Need I go on?
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I don't really see your point. Sure, the races aren't identical, and of course there are intentionally gaps left unfilled in each race's design options. This creates stress in matchups, which I don't claim to know is a good or bad thing.