This afternoon's red post collection features Xelnath with a brief update on the Sion rework, Meddler mentioning the Skarner passive changes are something they are trying to get on the PBE "within a patch or two", Baconhawk with a note on the disappearance of River Spirit Nami, and Ghostcrawler expanding on his earlier comments of "hardcore" vs "casual".

How's Sion Coming Along?

Xelnath

"Sion is actually going quite well.



There was a long discussion thread over here:



However, now we're into that part of development where things go dark, as rapid iteration, experimentation and development means that a play-by-play forum update doesn't help as much. I think it will be fair to expect lots of interesting reveals once he's closer to showing off."

"If it were as easy to develop new art, concepts and feature as it is to write a forum post, I'd be out of a job. :)

That's OK, you don't have to believe me. The proof will be once the character is ready. Development is never as easy as you ever wish it was from the outside."

Skarner changes still in the works

Meddler

"Few details from RiotSeb a couple of weeks ago can be found here:



We're still aiming to get something onto the PBE within a patch or two. The passive changes we're trying out, aimed at giving him a bit more CC if played successfully, require that we change some visual effects. As a result it's not as simple as just adjusting some numbers in a spell, which is the case for many balance changes, hence the longer timeframe.

River Spirit Nami & Ofa:MM

RiotBaconhawk

"Hey, hey now. Let's have some peace and bacon.

swoops really low and gently lowers a basket of fresh, piping hot bacon to the ground in front of you



Quote :



It was taken down because of the battle boost (which allows u2 use any skin for that champ) all unavailable skins were removed except for skt t1

^^This is exactly why y'all aren't seeing Nami's new skin in the client at all. With a Battle Boost purchased during a One for All:MM Nami match, you'd be able to unlock it. While awesome and kawaii and beautiful, she's just not yet ready to make her appearance. Be patient just a *little* longer, bacon friends..."

Ghostcrawler on "hardcore" vs "casual"

Ghostcrawler

"I think we're all using a different definition of "hardcore" and "casual" here, which isn't surprising because those terms are pretty vague and subjective. It seems like some of you above are using casual to mean non-Diamond players or even non-LCS players. That's not what I meant at all.

League is not an easy game to learn. It certainly isn't an easy game to master. If you play League at all, chances are good that you're a pretty hardcore gamer (under the definition I am using). Someone whose primary interaction with games is tablets, or someone who buys one console game a year, or someone who don't really buy games but might play them if they visit a friend's place once in awhile, probably isn't a hardcore gamer.



Riot likes to define core gamers as folks who self-identify as gamers. If you asked me my hobbies or what I do in my free time, gaming is on those lists. I suspect the same is true of many of you.

There are games out there whose mission is to try to attract very casual or even non-gamers. There are games out there who try to appeal to everyone. That's not something Riot is interested in. We make games for gamers.

So, if the original question was "Are you interested in providing a fun experience for someone who loves messing around, playing League with friends but views it more as a social experience or a way to blow off steam, and isn't ever going to hit plat and doesn't care?" the answer is yes.

If the original question was "Are you interested in providing a more casual experience to attract players who play casual games or no games at all?" the answer is no.

Does that clear things up?"

"I posted something similar in another thread, but to reiterate, if you are the kind of League player who is posting on forums in what is the middle of the night in North America, then you are the kind of player who is important to us and we want you to have fun. These design values were crafted with you in mind.



When I joined Riot, I saw a few concerns that I would try to dumb the game down. The quote you are referring to was an attempt by me to reassure you that isn't the case. Part of the reason I joined Riot was because I found it exciting to be able to work on a game targeted at gamers (in other words, dudes like me). All of the games I have worked on before had a mission of trying to broaden the existing audience. League's mission is to provide a great experience to you guys. Pardon my language, but F yeah!"

Ghostcrawler

"Thanks! Another thing I really like about Riot is that so many Rioters are interested and encouraged to hang out with players on forums and Reddit. While I was a lead on WoW, I was just one of many leads on a very large team. Because players knew my name, I got credit or blame for many decisions that were made on the game. With so many Rioters, it's easier (I hope!) for our individual personalities and opinions to come out.



It's still fine to blame me, or any of us, for things you don't like in the game. But earning your trust is also important to us, which is why I'm making a little effort here to restate that our goal is not to "dumb the game down" in hopes of attracting a broader, more casual audience."

Continue reading for more information!In a thread asking how therework ( which will be both gameplay and visual ) is coming along,He continued , replying to criticism that it's already been too long:When asked how previously discussed changes topassive options are coming along,As a few of you have already noticed,has mysteriously vanished from the Champion Info pages and as being "unavailable" on the skin selection screen.Never fear!is here with a simple explanation scuttled on to the forums to clarify his earlier comments on LoL's hardcore vs casual demographic, elaborating on what he defines the terms as and reiterating who the target LoL audience is:He continued He continued , replying to someone praising him for these sort of discussions vs their experiences withas a WoW dev: