Heroes of the Storm: Buy the Founder's Pack for Closed Beta

[Orcnet]

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Blizzard has announced the Founder's Pack, a purchasable bundle to gain access for the Heroes of the Storm Closed Beta, more details show:

* The Founder’s Pack price is not reduced if you already own items in the Founder’s Pack.
* Can only be used in the Americas (includes AUS and NZ) and Southeast Asia.
* Will carry over to the full version of Heroes of the Storm.
* Quantity may be limited
* Internet connection required
* Battle.net® registration and Battle.net Desktop Application required to play

See the whole information of the Founder's Pack here: LINK

Registration for signing up for the Closed Beta began on January 15, 2015. The release of the completed game however is to be confirmed. Platforms used for the game will be Microsoft Windows and OS X

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What is Heroes of the Storm? - is an upcoming multiplayer online battle arena video game developed by Blizzard Entertainment for Microsoft Windows and OS X. The basis of the game is the combination of heroes from Blizzard's Warcraft, Diablo, StarCraft and other franchises and the game is set in the Nexus. It is a free-to-play digitally distributed online game, supported by micropayments. Blizzard does not call the game a "multiplayer online battle arena" or an "action real-time strategy" because they feel it is something different with a broader play style, they refer to it as a "Hero Brawler".

As a part of the arcade feature for StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, a custom map called "Blizzard DOTA" was announced alongside several other mods of Blizzard Entertainment at BlizzCon 2010. In 2011, however, development of Blizzard DOTA was rebooted and demoed at BlizzCon 2011.

Following the announcement of Dota 2 by Valve Corporation, Rob Pardo, the executive vice president of Blizzard Entertainment, expressed concern at Valve using and trademarking a name that originated from within the Warcraft III community. Following a failed trademark injunction on the part of Riot Games, Blizzard acquired Riot's subsidiary, DotA-Allstars, LLC., the original company that represented the servicing of Defense of the Ancients. Subsequently, Blizzard filed an opposition against Valve for claiming the DotA trademark. On May 11, 2012, Blizzard and Valve announced that the dispute had been settled, with Valve retaining the commercial franchising rights to the term "Dota", while Blizzard would change the name of Blizzard DOTA to Blizzard All-Stars.

On October 17, 2013, the name of the game was changed to Heroes of the Storm.

You can watch the video updates and news concerning of the game through their youtube channel here: LINK

 

[Dr Super Good]

Registration for signing up for the Closed Beta began on January 15, 2015.

I thought it began months before then? I thought that date was only when it went live as Beta (with the first wave of Beta invites being sent out)?

It is not like it is even hard to get in. Sign up in your panel and within a month or two you will be in. I know a lot of people who made it into the Alpha (including myself) and the beta is even easier to get into. Even though it is still in "Beta" the game is pretty much fully developed although a bit lacking in content and it has been like that since the Alpha. They sign in new people in waves as they require more funding as the in-game purchases clearly fund the project's development and out of every wave at least a few people will buy something.

Since Beta has gone live and more people will get to play it I wonder if they will allocate more development resources to it. Development has been quite slow recently with still a ton of asset content such as portrait animations, dance animations etc being missing.

The game itself is pretty high quality. You can feel that it is quite well balanced for the amount of available content. A lot of detail is being put in over time even if development is going slowly such as Sgt Hammer receiving a portrait animation reflecting here appearance inside or outside the tank. The only concern from Hardcore AoS players as far as I can tell is that the between game dynamics is too simple since games like LoL, HoNW and DotA2 all have economics and other nonsense outside of actual play where as Heroes of the Storm focuses entirely on in-game play and fairness.

 

[Statharas]

It wasn't specifically tied to the beta. We (alpha players) got in quite a while ago, but the same signups carried over to the beta.

 

[Deathcom3s]

I just want to know if they'll officially release the editor or not. I'm way more interested in that than I am the game.

 

[Dr Super Good]

I just want to know if they'll officially release the editor or not. I'm way more interested in that than I am the game.

They have already told you the answer...

StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void will feature all additions made during the development of Heroes of the Storm including addition of several new model block types and the migration to the CASC file system.

 

[Orcnet]

The only concern from Hardcore AoS players as far as I can tell is that the between game dynamics is too simple since games like LoL, HoNW and DotA2 all have economics and other nonsense outside of actual play where as Heroes of the Storm focuses entirely on in-game play and fairness.

Its probably Blizzard is doing their best to lower down the complexity of MOBA nowadays (I hate it when I type/say this abbreviation lol), by mostly focusing on how they can bring their own version of the genre by making it user-friendly as possible and trimming down the game's time lapse. If that's how they plan it out, its going to be great.

 

[JollyD]

Omg really ??? axcess to HoTS????????????!!!!?!?!!??!??!? can't beliweve my eyes

upd. 39.9$ ggwp

 

[Almia]

And the world hopes it is free to play,else the copy+paste revolution begins its actions.


I liked the gameplay trailer tho. Seriously why wouldnt make an Aos Map with Base Gates with two towers on each side? Great idea.

 

[Gilles]

The game is mediocre. I've been playing for a while, and it can be fun, but the biggest problem is that it's too casual. With shared XP and no items it's really hard to carry a game, or get a lead. At least compared to other MOBAs. I actually haven't played since I started playing Smite.

Also, founders pack is a joke. The prices on this game are silly. Not a shocker considering it's Blizzard.

 

[Dr Super Good]

And the world hopes it is free to play,else the copy+paste revolution begins its actions.

It is free to play but you will either need to invest a lot of time in it or pay to get enough heroes to access the high level competitive.

Currently there are 3 types of in-game purchases you can make.
1. Hero unlocks. These are which heroes you can choose to play with. You are always given 5 (7 after a few levels) rotational heroes (change every week between Monday and Tuesday) to play with until you buy your own. These can be purchased with either gold (in-game currency earned by playing) or money.
2. Cosmetics such as skins and mounts. These have no influence on the game at all but do change how your hero looks and sounds to some extent. Some variations are unlocked based on hero level (outside of games), others skins like the Master Skin are unlocked only with gold while most skins and mounts require purchasing with money.
3. Stimpacks which increase your out-side exp and gold earning for a certain number of hours of in-game play (hanging in the lobby match making does not count). These can only be purchased with money and are not very economical (people did the maths and came to the conclusion it is generally better to buy heroes instead of these).

In order to reach the highest level of competitive play (arranged teams) you will need a certain number of hero unlocked (which does not include rotational heroes) as well as to reach a profile level of 30. Obviously the best approach to this is to use gold to unlock as many of the cheapest heroes as you can and then focus on the heroes you want.

 

[Almia]

It is free to play but you will either need to invest a lot of time in it or pay to get enough heroes to access the high level competitive.

Currently there are 3 types of in-game purchases you can make.
1. Hero unlocks. These are which heroes you can choose to play with. You are always given 5 (7 after a few levels) rotational heroes (change every week between Monday and Tuesday) to play with until you buy your own. These can be purchased with either gold (in-game currency earned by playing) or money.
2. Cosmetics such as skins and mounts. These have no influence on the game at all but do change how your hero looks and sounds to some extent. Some variations are unlocked based on hero level (outside of games), others skins like the Master Skin are unlocked only with gold while most skins and mounts require purchasing with money.
3. Stimpacks which increase your out-side exp and gold earning for a certain number of hours of in-game play (hanging in the lobby match making does not count). These can only be purchased with money and are not very economical (people did the maths and came to the conclusion it is generally better to buy heroes instead of these).

In order to reach the highest level of competitive play (arranged teams) you will need a certain number of hero unlocked (which does not include rotational heroes) as well as to reach a profile level of 30. Obviously the best approach to this is to use gold to unlock as many of the cheapest heroes as you can and then focus on the heroes you want.

Same system as LoL, fre to play, skins and stuff to buy with money,ranked games and the level 30

 

[gorillabull]

so far it looks like a copy of lol. i wonder how good their matching system will be.. if win/loss ratio does not matter count me out =)

 

[Gilles]

so far it looks like a copy of lol. i wonder how good their matching system will be.. if win/loss ratio does not matter count me out =)

Fist off, it looks nothing like a copy of LoL. Unless we decide that all games are just a copy of the most popular games of their genres. Disregard the fact that few popular games are the first of their kind.

Second, it's nothing like LoL. It's actually a pretty unique MOBA. It's leveling system, lack of items, and important objectives all add up to a very different experience than LoL or any other MOBA I've played. That doesn't mean it's good, just different.

Matchmaking seems perfectly fine. As I played I got matched with better and better players. Of course like all multiplayer games, the higher you get the better the matchmaking will be. Early levels are a crap shoot where you get noobs, trolls, and smirfs.

 

[Dr Super Good]

so far it looks like a copy of lol. i wonder how good their matching system will be.. if win/loss ratio does not matter count me out =)

Well since League of Legends is just a copy of the AoS DotA Allstars I guess it is also boring and does not matter...

In Heroes of the Storm wins and losses do matter depending on what mode you are playing. In Cooperative mode they are meaningless since the AI is so poor you must really suck to lose, even if you are new to the game. In casual PvP it does matter as it generates a ranking score used to search for your opponents assuring generally equal matchups however in this mode if people enter as a pre-arranged team chances are you will lose against them unless you do the same so it is generally aimed at casuals. Finally there is their pre-arranged team mode for highly competitive PvP which includes hero draws (so no matchups are mirrors) and a much more strict ranking system. If you leave during the hero draw phase of such a game your entire team will be counted as losing (this penalty is a WIP so might not make it to release).

There certainly is competitive and ranked PvP in Heroes of the Storm. Not that any of it really matters in the end. After all you are not some sports monkey trying to kill another monkey.

 

[Deathcom3s]

DSG, every single time you said "matter", it auto-corrected to "mater". Made me chuckle.

 

[Dr Super Good]

DSG, every single time you said "matter", it auto-corrected to "mater". Made me chuckle.

No? I think I purposely put them there be it if they are correct or not. Blame English for have such stupid spelling to give words with the same spelling different meanings. What I would like to know is why is a Latin (dead language) word in my English spell checker? It should have been telling me "mater" is not an English word instead of confusing me that it is.

 

[Trakya]

If you pay the price on the site. Will you get the alpha/beta key? Or you just get in game extras?

 

[Almia]

@DSG
Mater in latin means mother

 

[Dr Super Good]

@DSG
Mater in latin means mother

Yes too bad I have my spell checker set to English and not Latin.

If you pay the price on the site. Will you get the alpha/beta key? Or you just get in game extras?

Alpha no longer exists as that phase is over (missed the 40 icon...) but if you purchase the "Founders Pack" you will instantly get into the Beta. Maybe not instantly as they might need to first approve your funds to prevent fraud etc but once the transaction goes through you should be in the beta.

 

[David]

This is a bad game with bad MOBA depth. I am a dota 2 player if you are wondering.

 

[Dr Super Good]

DotA Allstars players have always thought they are better than other people purely because they spent so many hundred hours learning non-intuitive game mechanics and filtering out all the useless junk the map offered players to buy with limited gold. Seeing how DotA 2 is the official sequel I would not be surprised if they all fled ship to there.

 

[David]

DotA Allstars players have always thought they are better than other people purely because they spent so many hundred hours learning non-intuitive game mechanics and filtering out all the useless junk the map offered players to buy with limited gold. Seeing how DotA 2 is the official sequel I would not be surprised if they all fled ship to there.

In Mobas depth is what matters mostly. Always having something to learn and in this game I remember the last time playing it, you had no items.

 

[Dr Super Good]

In Mobas depth is what matters mostly. Always having something to learn and in this game I remember the last time playing it, you had no items

Yes, which is why Heroes of the Storm is such a good AoS. Since unlike AoS games like DotA Allstars where you spend ~10% of every match searching through items for ones that might be useful and then searching for the required items to make said item just to find out you cannot afford said item, in Heroes of the Storm you spend that time actually fighting and playing.

 

[David]

Yes, which is why Heroes of the Storm is such a good AoS. Since unlike AoS games like DotA Allstars where you spend ~10% of every match searching through items for ones that might be useful and then searching for the required items to make said item just to find out you cannot afford said item, in Heroes of the Storm you spend that time actually fighting and playing.

I understand and respect your thoughts about Heroes of the Storm but don't you think not having items just makes it a bit boring after a couple dozen hours into the game ? Sure it's an interesting decision they don't have items and the game sure is beginner friendly, which I do like in a way but it gets boring and repetitive after a while not having that "depth" in it.

 

[rulerofiron99]

In many games of dota, the added depth of item choices doesn't really matter since the result of the game comes down to the value of your items and hero positioning (getting pick offs, taking rax, etc).

I'd argue that HotS will actually be less boring that dota because of the multitude of maps, game modes, and hero talent choices. In dota a hero can only be played a handful of different ways. But mainly, it would be nice to play a dota-like without having to spend half the game farming.

 

[David]

In many games of dota, the added depth of item choices doesn't really matter since the result of the game comes down to the value of your items and hero positioning (getting pick offs, taking rax, etc).

I'd argue that HotS will actually be less boring that dota because of the multitude of maps, game modes, and hero talent choices. In dota a hero can only be played a handful of different ways. But mainly, it would be nice to play a dota-like without having to spend half the game farming.

Your complaint is what makes dota 2 special and leader of mobas atm. Dota 2 is a team game, you have roles, support, carry, mid, solo, jungle etc... You have loads of heroes that you can actually play ALL OF THEM, and better yet the game is COMPLETELY FREE, the only thing you can buy is cosmetics. Dota 2 is the best moba, get over it.

 

[Dr Super Good]

Your complaint is what makes dota 2 special and leader of mobas atm. Dota 2 is a team game, you have roles, support, carry, mid, solo, jungle etc... You have loads of heroes that you can actually play ALL OF THEM, and better yet the game is COMPLETELY FREE, the only thing you can buy is cosmetics. Dota 2 is the best moba, get over it.

No, it is pay to win due to the item trade system. At least that is what threads like this hint at.

Additionally what kind of game is balanced when a single hero can carry the rest in any situation?

 

[Gilles]

DSG, Heroes of the Storm has depth, yes, but not as much as LoL, Dota 2, Hon, Smite, etc.

The lack of items and the game mechanics both lend themselves towards a more casual and simpler game. Which is totally fine.

 

[David]

No, it is pay to win due to the item trade system. At least that is what threads like this hint at.

Additionally what kind of game is balanced when a single hero can carry the rest in any situation?

Dota 2 is a pay to win ? Are you serious ? In what aspect of the game do you pay to get good at the game ? Supports help carry in the start, carry helps team later. If the game wasn't balanced there wouldn't be any competitions with dozens of millions of dolars as a prize pool.

 

[Dr Super Good]

If the game wasn't balanced there wouldn't be any competitions with dozens of millions of dolars as a prize pool.

Balance has nothing to do with money. Football for example is a multi-billion dollar industry and all it is some apes kicking a ball around.

Obviously in competitive play of DotA 2 you would find that certain items are banned or every player starts with a default (un-modified) character etc to keep things fair. However that does not mean that normal play is that fair, with people having the most rare and useful items being most likely to win.

 

[rulerofiron99]

DSG, Dota 2 items that can be bought with real money are cosmetic only. None of these items affect the game or change your hero's stats or abilities.

In the game itself, a player that spent nothing has access to everything (heroes, items, abilities) that anyone else has.

 

[Dr Super Good]

DSG, Dota 2 items that can be bought with real money are cosmetic only. None of these items affect the game or change your hero's stats or abilities.

Surely they must? I mean why else start a thread about it if its only some trivial meaningless artwork stating that you collected "whole sets" if the sets do not have a set bonus?

Why be sad if you traded it away? What on earth would you trade it for (except real money)?

 

[Gilles]

Because we like to look pretty, damnit!

 

[Rui]

On what concerns paying to unlock content, DotA 2 is perhaps the only moba in which there's no such thing.

 

[David]

Surely they must? I mean why else start a thread about it if its only some trivial meaningless artwork stating that you collected "whole sets" if the sets do not have a set bonus?

Why be sad if you traded it away? What on earth would you trade it for (except real money)?

Time to settle things, the only thing you can buy is COSMETICS, that only make you look like a pretty BUTTERFLY ok ? There are no restricted IN GAME items for ANY hero ok ? Any hero can buy ANY item for IN GAME gold. Any person can buy COSMETICS for REAL MONEY that don't affect the gameplay in ANY way.

 

[Gilles]

On what concerns paying to unlock content, DotA 2 is perhaps the only moba in which there's no such thing.

Only one I've played. Smite had a really good deal where you could unlock all Gods now and forever for $20, and Awesomenauts is not F2P, but it's cheap and you get all non-expansion heroes. Otherwise they all fall under the League of Legends system in my experience.

 

[David]

Well you see, League of Lesbians is pay to get a character, but Dota 2 is don't pay and get the whole game.

 

[Neversleeping]

I wonder if Blizzard DOTA also will be awesomely flat, symmetrical boxlike terrain with the same mirror spawns going over and over and over and over... Or if they will make it like a Blizzard creation would be.

 

[Dr Super Good]

I wonder if Blizzard DOTA also will be awesomely flat, symmetrical boxlike terrain with the same mirror spawns going over and over and over and over... Or if they will make it like a Blizzard creation would be.

They are symmetrical (as balance requires that) however each map is slightly different. For example their latest map has sand warriors as the spawns and mercs where as previous ones had generic Medievil soldiers.