Another Patch Another Missed Opportunity

https://playruneterra.com/en-us/news/game-updates/patch-2-10-0-notes/

So we're getting pool party skins instead of balance updates before the next expansion.

Because skins make money I know and Riot is a business and we don't want them shutting down Legends.

But damn having two patches go by accomplishing  absolutely nothing in the competitive scene feels bad man...

Not going to downvote but this quote is literally the first thing you get out of your own link:

Patch 2.10.0 is our final minor update before the debut of the Rise of the Underworlds expansion in patch 2.11.0, releasing on June 30, as well as a large batch of card updates for both champion and non-champion cards!

I think waiting for the next set to kick in before making any hasty decisions that could backfire is the correct move now

Yeah maybe. But all I can say is that they went on Redit to be like hey we're taking a more proactive approach. Then a month goes by between mini expansions and next to nothing is done.

That doesnt sound new to me that sounds like more of the same and that we arent getting back to the age where vanilla cards were re-designed and gameplay avenues were opened.

Down votes don't matter to me, I'm not a Riot apologist. When MTG is taking a more active role with balance adjustments as a paper game then a digital card game being run by an esports giant you have a problem.

I'm gonna give an example, I play genshin impact on the side and you want to know what they released as a summer event?

Literally an island paradise with a boat to travel with as a seasonal event!!!

Plus a brand new boss.

If they can do all that Riot can release one substantial balance patch once a month...yeesh

Quote From Nifty129

If they can do all that Riot can release one substantial balance patch once a month...yeesh

So Riot's tentative plan is to release a meta-changing patch every 4 weeks -- all the odd-numbered patches. The problems recently have been:

1. They've actually mostly liked the recent meta, which is the reason why 2.9.0 only had 4 card changes. Apparently, a lot of their internal tracking metrics are all showing what they consider to be positive numbers. 
2. They want to treat every expansion as potentially meta-changing on its own with no balance of existing cards. 2.11.0 is going to be a huge buck to that convention, but given the animosity of the community they didn't think they could wait until 2.13.0 (end of July).

I slightly object to the "they're focusing on skins instead of balance because skins make money" argument -- it's technically true, but they are also 2 totally different teams with radically different skill sets and committing more personnel towards balancing doesn't necessarily mean you get better results. The bigger issue is that the Live Balance team's assessments of what is and isn't fun just doesn't seem to match the community at large, so now we have this delay in them figuring out what they should/shouldn't balance in addition to the existing 3-4 week delay to test/build/distribute a new patch. 

So proofs in the pudding when it comes to this sort of thing. Literally every content creator has complained that constructed is unplayable right now, most recently Swim when he reviewed the new skins. But Mogwai hasn't touched the game for a week 1/2 now and I've never seen that before.

So clearly the one patch a month thing is not good...like I can only rephrase the same point so many times.

Saying they want the mini expansions to drive balance is just another way of saying we don't want to put the time in to overhaul things when we could be designing new cards that will make us money instead of revamping old ones.

Quote From Nifty129

I'm gonna give an example, I play genshin impact on the side and you want to know what they released as a summer event?

Literally an island paradise with a boat to travel with as a seasonal event!!!

Plus a brand new boss.

If they can do all that Riot can release one substantial balance patch once a month...yeesh

I don't want to sound like I am defending Riot because I have not been fan of their decisions lately but this comparison is weird to say the least. Your talking about how Genshin Impact got a new event, well so did Runeterra, Dark Horizon just ended and there is another Ruination themed event coming this summer but more importantly Genshin is not a competitive game they don't have to release frequent balance patch to keep a meta healthy. 

I trashed HS because they force me to play meta or nothing at all.
And you could even more talk about Blizzard i.g.

LOR was different. But for a while now I am concerned.

I'm talking about effort and design. Getting the art team to throw some assets out isn't hard. Rebalancing cards isn't either let's be fair. Here if you don't like Genshin let's talk about mortal shell an rpg soulslike developed by only 15 people. Like honestly let's be real here if they wanted to do bi - weekly balance patches they could, want to know how I know because that's what they used to do.

Something simple like making Dunekeeper literally not the best 1 drop follower in the game would have been a nice bone to throw the community. Az / Ire is suffocating and my deck is built to straight up counter them it doesn’t really do great against most other decks except for Nasus / Thresh which is hilarious and unintended and I’ve nearly been able to make it nearly to plat with it. But even with my stall / survival deck  failsif I don’t get good draws their damage output is just ridiculous. No one hits like they do.

Yes they literally could have done anything and chose to do nothing until the next mini expansion. There is no possitive light to represent this choice in.

Yes they literally could have done anything and chose to do nothing until the next mini expansion. There is no possitive light to represent this choice in.

Quote From Nifty129

Yes they literally could have done anything and chose to do nothing until the next mini expansion. There is no possitive light to represent this choice in.

Think as a company for a moment. If they release a big balance patch before the expansion 3 outcomes are possible:

1- The meta gets worse;
2- The meta stays the same;
3- The meta gets better.

Destiny 1- Now they just shot themselves in the foot. Players will get angry and they will sell less when the expansion is out. Terrible idea.
Destiny 2- Riot will be perceived as incompetent since those huge changes did nothing. Players again get angry wich translates in less revenue. Terrible as well.
Destiny 3- This is the desireble outcome... or is it? The meta will be fresh and nice for 2 weeks... until the expansion hits and either throws everything done right out of the window or the new cards turn out irrelevant

Releasing a patch right now is a lose-lose-lose situation. Waiting for the exp to balance is the correct decision.

Quote From Hellcopter

Releasing a patch right now is a lose-lose-lose situation. Waiting for the exp to balance is the correct decision.

Which is literally exactly what they said they were going to do in that big reddit post people keep mentioning.

If people would go back and actually read it again, they would see that they said at that time that the balance changes would be in patch 2.11, NOT 2.10.

I mean, you can bemoan it if you want to, but they are doing exactly what they said they were going to do. I don't see how it's fair to get mad about that.

Now, if we end up 2 weeks from now with only 10 card changes ......

I'm just gonna keep beating this dead horse but if I was designing a game...and that's a big if because I'm a marketer. If everyone of my content creators who provided free advertising for my game said hey the game is unplayable in its current state I'd have a big zoom meeting with the live design team and say hey can we push something out to get people playing our game again?

Quote From OldManSanns

The bigger issue is that the Live Balance team's assessments of what is and isn't fun just doesn't seem to match the community at large

This is exactly why I quit playing LoR last year. I only popped into the forums just now to see if maybe they'd started doing a better job.

Looks like I have my answer! Thanks for the thread, guys!