S2 Games To Release Heroes Of Newerth 3.0
Fans of the free-to-play, RTS game Heroes of Newerth have a lot to look forward to at the end of this month — I recently got to sit down with S2 games at CES in Las Vegas and had the opportunity to hear about all the changes they’ll be making to their game with the new patch set to hit on January 31st.
First and foremost, S2 is really aiming to make the game much more user-friendly for first time players. They’re doing this in a number of different ways — first, they’re changing the user interface to make it much more intuitive, by reworking and enhancing certain functions, such as the in-game chat, friends list notifications, and options. They’re also adding a tutorial mode for new players, as well as introducing the “Learnatorium” — a series of 8 videos dedicated to teaching newbies (or those just interested in improving their skills with the game) the finer points of Newerth and how to better their ability to play.
The patch will also include a “Report A Player” function, which will allow people to report bad behavior. Those of us familiar with this particular gaming scene know that there can be more than a few jerks who take the game too seriously, and so introducing this new function will allow for the community to start cracking down on those who treat others poorly during matches.
In addition, they were very happy to announce that bots would be included in this patch, allowing for players to have more private matches with their friends rather than needing to wait for additional players that they may not want to game with.
And finally, on the user side of things, S2 is also improving their referral program, which will offer better rewards for friends who drop your name when they sign up to play. The higher their level, the better the incentives, and the prizes S2 offers will not just be in-game!
As for improving the look, feel, and lore of the game, S2 has completely revamped their map, really wanting to emphasize the difference between the Legion and Hellbourne sides. They have also redesigned the fountains, buildings, and even the towers. The tower redesigns focus on wordlessly explaining the difficulty curve between units as you get closer to the enemy’s home base, as well as including actual animations for the towers’ attacks.
Their focus on telling the story of Newerth also applies to the heroes as well, as many of them will now have their own backstory that players can learn more about within the game. 30 of the earlier heroes will also be seeing a brand new redesign that will be implemented when the patch hits.
S2 were very kind in showing me some of these changes firsthand, and they look good. I even had the pleasure of seeing one of the characters I voice on the new map. No doubt these will help make them even more competitive in the free-to-play gaming market, and help enhance the experience of their existing userbase.
Heroes of Newerth players can expect to see these changes implemented at 12:01 EST on January 31st, 2013.
