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[PA Comic] Wednesday, September 17, 2014 - Harrumph

DogDog Registered User, Administrator, Vanilla Staff admin
edited September 2014 in The Penny Arcade Hub

image[PA Comic] Wednesday, September 17, 2014 - Harrumph

Harrumph

Harrumph

http://penny-arcade.com/comic/2014/09/17

Read the full story here


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Posts

  • ziddersroofurryziddersroofurry Registered User regular
    I played LoL just long enough to find out how horrible I am at it, and that not only does it put me to sleep but that I used to hang out with a few horrible people who revealed their true natures the second I went down the wrong lane.

    Not everyone I've played it with is horrible-a few of my friends play it a lot, and they're wonderful folks. Also-is Tycho's eyebrow attempting to keep his hair at bay?

  • ReiskaReiska Registered User regular
    Darius will not be tolerated, you will be assimilated.

    That was one fast lowering of slick sleeves. Could it be Sleevex 3000, the automatic insta-lowerer that many drawn characters use to automate their lives ? Very handy when washing guest stars.

    Also-is Tycho's eyebrow attempting to keep his hair at bay?

    That must his brow hug, a hermetic frown of ages. Nurtured in annoyance and born of frustration.

  • Undead ScottsmanUndead Scottsman Registered User regular
    Soo.. washing Div or drowning Div?

  • RedthirstRedthirst Registered User regular
    Can anyone explain that to me? Is Darius a no-brainer OP champion?

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  • KageraKagera Imitating the worst people. Since 2004Registered User regular
    I have no clue what lol is about or why Darius sucks. But I'm guessing they need another type of character for their party.

    My neck, my back, my FUPA and my crack.
  • QuidQuid Definitely not a banana Registered User regular
    Darius is probably fine.

    Gabe is probably horrible with him.

  • DarkewolfeDarkewolfe Registered User regular
    You also can't ONLY play one champion. You really need to be able to switch between various roles based on draft order, or have options to counter pick what your opponents pick.

    Additionally, if he's always playing in the carry spot, he probably needs to spend some time in other lanes for the benefit of the group, etc.

    What is this I don't even.
  • loonbeloonbe Registered User new member
    Darius is a strong one on one champion but does absolutely nothing for the team. Just considering his ult is a killstealing move says it all.

    I recall Tycho being portrayed as Leona. Braum, Tresh and Blitzcrank might be good alternatives.

  • KitsurubamiKitsurubami Winnipeg, MBRegistered User regular
    edited September 2014
    Darius is good as a 1v1 lane bully and as a 'teamfight janitor' - he can execute someone on low health and then walk around doing the same to others, so long as they've all been brought pretty low.

    However, he has the dual weaknesses of being a slow melee character and not performing well if he's under leveled due to losing his lane.

    Fighters are kind of a weak point in League, they only perform well if they have an edge in gold over their ranged / assassin / mage counterparts. Fiora is a good example - she can be terrifying if she has a lead, but if she's being (or even dead level with everyone else in levels/gold) she's anywhere from unremarkable to near-useless. (They can't rework her soon enough!)

    Gabe should definitely try out Riven, she's a blast to play. Very unique and very powerful.

    Kitsurubami on
  • AberuAberu Registered User regular
    edited September 2014
    The part of the full story where Tycho talks about finally being able to actually play the game sort of after grinding to level 30 is the best reason anyone could ever need to leave League and head on over to DotA 2 once they have the basics of "MOBA" (I prefer ARTS but whatever) down. Why play the game you have to grind and/or pay to unlock heroes and basic elements of the game, when you have those available from day one for free?

    Aberu on
    Aberu Sugi~
  • RedthirstRedthirst Registered User regular
    edited September 2014
    Aberu wrote: »
    The part of the full story where Tycho talks about finally being able to actually play the game sort of after grinding to level 30 is the best reason anyone could ever need to leave League and head on over to DotA 2 once they have the basics of "MOBA" (I prefer ARTS but whatever) down. Why play the game you have to grind and/or pay to unlock heroes and basic elements of the game, when you have those available from day one for free?
    Yeah, I agree with this. Though one thing that everyone should understand if they wants to try Dota 2 out, is that it's not the same as LoL. There are a lot of differences, so even if you're a good League player, you will have to learn a lot when you transition to Dota 2.

    And it's fun that a hero in Dota 2 which has similar ultimate to the one of Darius, is considered pretty viable both as a lane hero and a teamfight initiator, and his ultimate can prove to be invaluable against certain heroes, when without his "killsteal" the enemy hero will be able to live for 5 more seconds and potentialy change the tide of battle.

    Redthirst on
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  • FriendFiveFriendFive Registered User regular
    I think Tycho and Gabe should definitely switch to DOTA 2. There's more humor in DOTA 2 with all the Russian jokes and what not.

  • SmoogySmoogy Registered User regular
    It doesn't take very long to get to level 30, if I recall. But I haven't played LoL in over a year (MOBAs make me a bad, hate-filled person).

    Smoogy-1689
    3DS Friend Code: 1821-8991-4141
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  • AberuAberu Registered User regular
    Smoogy wrote: »
    It doesn't take very long to get to level 30, if I recall. But I haven't played LoL in over a year (MOBAs make me a bad, hate-filled person).

    If you play 2 games a day it should take about 2-4 months.

    I don't see the point in putting grinding into this genre, other than for Riot to make significant profits off of the arbitrary grind by offering boosters.

    Aberu Sugi~
  • RatherDashing89RatherDashing89 Registered User regular
    I'm quite pleased to see a comic AND newspost about LoL which manages to be about the game itself instead of the community. I merely passed through LoL and DotA both, but though I was really bad at them, I liked the game style and there's a lot of jokes to be had just about the intentional silliness of the characters. People tend to focus on the community, but if you play with four other friends that doesn't even come up. Sure, there's /all, but since you don't need to coordinate with the opposite team, you never even have to look at the unobtrusive chat block in the corner. If you ignore that, playing against other people, however toxic their team chat may be if they lose, is pretty much identical to playing against smarter AI. DotA2 actually offers a pretty good "vs. AI" mode, at least for my skill level. And Darius does have an asshole face.

  • OtieOtie Registered User regular
    Diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiv!?

  • OtieOtie Registered User regular
    Nooooooo!

  • OddfishOddfish On opposite weeks In odd numbered monthsRegistered User regular
    Are we seriously going to turn this into a "Why *MOBA* is better than *MOBA*" thread?

    Anyhow, I agree with Tycho. It's hard to convince yourself getting your ass pummeled relentlessly game after game is fun. It's even worse if you're not playing with people you know. If you're grouped with nine other randoms, half or most of who are total dickwads, it can make shrugging off defeat even more unlikely. If you're particularly competitive by nature then the entire circumference of the MOBA experience can be remarkably agitating.

    You're already doing your best to win, because you don't find losing fun. Either you're having a bad game or you are teamed up with trolls or another player who is having a bad game and the response from your teammates is to either spazz out and start aggressively assigning blame or to start vomiting racial and ethnic slurs or homophobic comments bordering on sociopathy.

    No matter how much you love the game, the lore, the characters, the smart mechanics, the developers, or the pro scene, you will inevitably lose interest in the game.

    I have been considering going back recently. I have a lot of friends who play League. But I feel like how Jerry is probably going to feel in a couple months. Hopefully that won't happen. Hopefully his enjoyment won't exsanguinate as a result of consecutive losses riddled with trolls and angry children. He is fortunate, though. He likely has at least one or possibly four other players to queue with. Players whose faces he can see. Makes all the difference in the world.

  • NeurotikaNeurotika Registered User regular
    If you want to stick with the genre, it really helps to be able to find joy in your own self-improvement.

    I mean, yeah, I just lost due to X Y or Z out of my control, but I felt great about the way I played/got all my last hits or whatever.

  • RedthirstRedthirst Registered User regular
    ForceVoid wrote: »
    If you want to stick with the genre, it really helps to be able to find joy in your own self-improvement.

    I mean, yeah, I just lost due to X Y or Z out of my control, but I felt great about the way I played/got all my last hits or whatever.

    Or it's "I was so great and got all my last hits, but those noobs ruined everything, this game sucks".
    Anyways, it's good to play these kind of games when you either don't give a shit whether you lose or not, or you play with friends. During one period I had both of them. Now I have friends, but I do give a shit. At least I feel more in control, when I have a few players I know are good to play with me. Especially since I mostly play supports and thus I depend on my team very much.

    steam_sig.png
  • dardordardor Redmond, WARegistered User regular
    Just wanted to say, I LOVE Stone Korean Restaurant (the Korean restaurant Tycho links in his post.) They do Korean food right =)

    I'll take a potato chip and eat it!
  • OddfishOddfish On opposite weeks In odd numbered monthsRegistered User regular
    I wish we had one nearby. A friend of mine is half Korean half Inuit and his family cooks a lot of traditional cuisine. I get, like, emotional about good kimchi. Stuff is delicious.

  • Dark_SideDark_Side Registered User regular
    Aberu wrote: »
    The part of the full story where Tycho talks about finally being able to actually play the game sort of after grinding to level 30 is the best reason anyone could ever need to leave League and head on over to DotA 2 once they have the basics of "MOBA" (I prefer ARTS but whatever) down. Why play the game you have to grind and/or pay to unlock heroes and basic elements of the game, when you have those available from day one for free?

    I think they've tried Dota 2 and Tycho has made reference before to how stupid they think the courier is.

  • DoorKickerDoorKicker Registered User new member
    For those with concerns/complaints about the level 30 grind in LoL: it's a hurdle to separate new players from the competitive scene, and a punishment for those that have their accounts banned and have to drum up a new one.

    If you can't sweat through 30 levels (and in the process, acquire the necessary IP if you don't want to spend $$ to unlock 15 champs), you're unlikely to stick around for the ranked scene anyhow.

    ...and I certainly don't want the trolls bouncing back instantly from their latest account ban to appear in my next competitive match.

  • jothkijothki Registered User regular
    When I played near launch, my favorite character was Dr. Mundo. Absolutely useless in a teamfight back then, but crazily fun.

  • sycopatsycopat Registered User new member
    I would suggest that anyone who finds themselves in the situation of having to learn new champs and positions should hit up the team builder.

    It lets you pre-pick your role/champ and adjusts match making to account for your experience in a role/with a character, so you shouldn't get stomped every time just because your on a new champ.

    Queues can get long if you're going off meta or playing a popular role, but the trade off is playing exactly the game you want to.

    I think they recently lowered the level it becomes available at too.

  • ZeparoffZeparoff Registered User new member
    Play Teemo. Never before has any character in any video game elicited such an emotional response both positive and negotiate from the game's player base.

  • CratonCraton Registered User new member
    Smoogy wrote: »
    It doesn't take very long to get to level 30, if I recall. But I haven't played LoL in over a year (MOBAs make me a bad, hate-filled person).
    It's about 250 games, depending on mode and win rate.
    Aberu wrote: »
    Smoogy wrote: »
    It doesn't take very long to get to level 30, if I recall. But I haven't played LoL in over a year (MOBAs make me a bad, hate-filled person).

    If you play 2 games a day it should take about 2-4 months.

    I don't see the point in putting grinding into this genre, other than for Riot to make significant profits off of the arbitrary grind by offering boosters.
    If you're looking at a grind then you're too honed in on the MMO style of things. You're not trying to get to "real" content by leveling - it functions as a means of providing summoners a gradually more difficult experience. Lower level players have fewer champions. This typically means that people are playing the free week champions, which means there's a reduced burden of knowledge for the players. The more you play, the more champions you experience, so you gradually increase your game knowledge. The game is effectively the same be it level or level 30; it's basically just better players and greater variety.

    It's much more daunting and difficult to have everything from minute 1, as you now need to know e.g. what over a hundred different champions do. That burden is off-putting to new players, so it helps to cultivate the playerbase. Obviously there are trade-offs. That said, I would like to see runes and masteries maxed out much sooner. FWIW I'm a diamond 2 jungler, so I've been through the entire gambit of being terrible to being decent.

    I wouldn't run a Talon top, but I think the other three mentioned are fine.

  • ShadowhopeShadowhope Baa. Registered User regular
    Zeparoff wrote: »
    Play Teemo. Never before has any character in any video game elicited such an emotional response both positive and negotiate from the game's player base.

    Have you by chance heard of Techies?

    Civics is not a consumer product that you can ignore because you don’t like the options presented.
  • AberuAberu Registered User regular
    edited January 2015
    Craton wrote: »
    Aberu wrote: »
    Smoogy wrote: »
    It doesn't take very long to get to level 30, if I recall. But I haven't played LoL in over a year (MOBAs make me a bad, hate-filled person).

    If you play 2 games a day it should take about 2-4 months.

    I don't see the point in putting grinding into this genre, other than for Riot to make significant profits off of the arbitrary grind by offering boosters.
    If you're looking at a grind then you're too honed in on the MMO style of things. You're not trying to get to "real" content by leveling - it functions as a means of providing summoners a gradually more difficult experience. Lower level players have fewer champions. This typically means that people are playing the free week champions, which means there's a reduced burden of knowledge for the players. The more you play, the more champions you experience, so you gradually increase your game knowledge. The game is effectively the same be it level or level 30; it's basically just better players and greater variety.

    It's much more daunting and difficult to have everything from minute 1, as you now need to know e.g. what over a hundred different champions do. That burden is off-putting to new players, so it helps to cultivate the playerbase. Obviously there are trade-offs. That said, I would like to see runes and masteries maxed out much sooner. FWIW I'm a diamond 2 jungler, so I've been through the entire gambit of being terrible to being decent.

    I wouldn't run a Talon top, but I think the other three mentioned are fine.

    It's not more daunting however, there is a tutorial, in-game guides, limited hero mode for beginners that the game advises you to play, etc... however, for those of us that aren't as slow as others we can pick up the game and get going right away without having to grind. I see it as more freedom is good, and Riot artificially stops you from playing more champions because they know most people will pay to play more characters.

    Have you played DotA 2 since the whole tutorial system and limited heroes mode and in-game guides have been added? My girlfriend was totally new to DotA and placed 2.5k MMR (and is rising) after just a couple months. Burden of knowledge is in actuality "effort" that people are willing to put in to learn the game they want to play. Putting a grind or pay wall into the game is like making it so you can only play Zerg in multiplayer if you pay or grind levels on Terran in SC2. That would be ridiculous.

    Aberu on
    Aberu Sugi~
  • RobonunRobonun It's all fun and games until someone pisses off China Registered User regular
    Soo.. washing Div or drowning Div?

    C. none of the above. Since Div is an electrical appliance, Gabe is playing a round of Shaking Hands with Jesus.

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