I was recently asked about 6v6 in mobas. What an interesting topic! There aren't any commercial lane-pushing games which use 6v6 as a serious/primary game mode, probably because there's no reason to mess with what's tried-and-true in your big-budget production.
In this article I want to explore how 6v6 could be done right. Lets dive right in!
It's been a long time coming. The new site is finally ready!
As well as all the reviews, design articles, and interviews you're used to, Lane-Pushing Games now has a full index of lane-pushing games, richly tagged and searchable! This includes those which haven't been reviewed yet.
Use it to check what's coming out next, search for games with similar features, or explore some new titles! I hope this will be a resource you find useful - please share it!
I will also be moving some of my design articles for Rise of Winterchill (the lane-pushing game I'm working on) to this site. I'd
The first commercial lane-pushing game to experiment with the z-axis, Paragon (Epic Games, 2016) introduces us to a variety of new takes on familiar 2.5D mechanics. It also flaunts some of the best graphics of its era: a rare treat in the lane-pushing genre!
During its early days, Paragon's gameplay took place on a map known at the time as Agora. A year later, the battleground changed to a new map and associated features called Monolith. We'll be examining both in detail.
Jack of all trades and master of few, Master X Master is a playfully presented game with lots of modes, features, and character customisation options to tinker with.
Among its many modes is a 5v5 lane-pushing battle called Titan Ruins, which will be the main focus of this review. The game has been announced to close for the last time on 31st January 2018, so if you haven't taken it for a spin yet, head on over to the official site while you have the chance.
Keys of Sealing is a rare example of an AoS whose gameplay is formally divided into stages: imposing a structured path to victory rather than the blurred lines of "early-game", "mid-game", and "late-game". It also has a special victory condition that is more teamfight-oriented than the familiar "destroy the main base".
In this review I'm going to cover features from both early and later versions together, as there aren't too many differences.
Today: a special feature! Martin 'Cyclotrutan' Schwesinger, the developer of Darkening of Tirisfal / Crimson Coast (2009) joins us for an interview! Take a look through the review for a quick refresher, and I'm pleased to share that the map has received a substantial update after 7 years! Go check it out!
Softmints: Martin, good morning! How are you doing?
Cyclotrutan: Hello, thanks for having me!
Soft: I'm going to ask a bunch of questions and talk through some things; hopefully have a bit of fun while we're doing it.
Cyclotrutan: Yeah, it's all saved somewhere in the very
Hi folks, This project's still kicking! We should have some new content on its way in the coming weeks. In the meantime...
Material, Time, Quality was one of the most interesting articles on the site for me to write. It was an experimental topic, and I wasn't fully satisfied with how I was interpreting 'Quality' in lane-pushing games. I've now updated that article with my more recent interpretation that sees 'Quality' relative to the 'board state'.
It reads more smoothly now, and with the third piece finally in place, the framework is complete as a tool for assessing decisions and trade
The moba genre has largely settled on an equilibrium with two armour types: Physical Armour and Magical Armour. Why is this the case, and could expanding the use of armours or resistances lead to greater complexity and depth?
In this discussion we're focusing on armour types and resistances that players interact with. The rules that decide how much damage a ranged troop deals to a catapult are "environmental tuning", and aren't the focus of this article.
During the summer I had the pleasure of being interviewed by esports journalist and writer Josh Calixto as part of a feature piece about the 'geography' of commercial mobas: addressing the question of how the ubiquitous "three lanes" layout evolved, and why it's been so enduring.
We also covered the evolution of various other map features, and mused about possibilities and constraints on where map designs might be headed next.
If you like the sound of that, check it the full article out over on Killscreen.
Stuns are one of the most common forms of disable in lane-pushing games. Right now, genre-wide, around 50% of heroes have a stun, and this plays a substantial and understated role in shaping the gameplay and hero combat of these games.
In this article we'll discuss what stuns are, how they impact gameplay, and why my game Causeway adopted a "no stuns" policy.