Topic: Arena of Valor for Nintendo Switch

@JaxonH But have you stopped to consider how this game would work with traditional controls? Have you ever even PLAYED moba's? I've gone through HotS, Dota 2, LoL, SMITE and a couple of smaller ones, and let me stop you to think about what it implicates that so far, consoles only have SMITE and Psychonauts. Think about that for a second, I know it's really hard, but please.

@UmniKnight Oh, I was more referring to Jaxon's fourth point and was more interested about that. It's interesting that people would potentially dismiss a game not just due to graphics, but also from platform of origin (like mobile).

@EvilLucario I see their appeal, I see what they can do, but cut me some slack, I'm nearing my 30s and I use my phone in the old way. A phone game cannot match console/PC experience, it is at best a good "in-between" one in my eyes. May very well do better than I'm picturing it, sure, but I'll never touch one.

@UmniKnight
It's a game. You move around and you press buttons to attack. Would work no different than any other game. Being a "MOBA" doesn't make it special in any way. You move (analog). You input commands (buttons). Pretty straight forward.

And being a game developed for mobile doesn't automatically make it bad. Games are games no matter what hardware they are running on. I won't deny that the vast majority of mobile games are cheap and less complex and not as good ( largely due to the lack of analog and buttons and the questionable monetization) but simply existing as a mobile game does not inherently make it inferior.

This game looks like it could've released on PC, and we wouldn't have been any wiser for it. Because the quality of the game is there. Only tells that give away it being originally for mobile are the lesser graphics and lack of controller. But now that it's coming to Switch, both of those issues will be resolved.

@JaxonH sigh Look, it's the same reason why they don't allow cross-play between PC and Console shooters. It's not fair on the console guys, because their stick movement goes far slower than a mouse, and the question is: Will a stick respond well in the vein of a moba here? Will the selection go properly? Will you be able to easily get the right target? Does it feel good to land skillshots? Will you be able to keep map-awareness? All of these things need to be taken into account. I've you've not played Mobas (which I'm guessing you haven't) then you'll think "Oh sure, it'll be fitting." but it's not that simple.

Why else are there no RTS on consoles? Because they need a keyboard and mouse to work well, that's why.

Edit: So just because it comes to Switch, it isn't a mobile port anymore? The Switch ascends it from this to console game? A port, is still a port, even if it's a fantastic game it's origin won't magically change because of it. I've noted my point with it, and how it would be a problem above, if you cannot understand that, then I suggest you try to actually play some of these mobas, compare them to SMITE, which is also on console, and consider the implications there.

@UmniKnight
sigh You move around a map with an overhead view. It's not a FPS. Your speed is set in game. Having a mouse does absolutely nothing. Of course a stick will respond well. That's what they're designed for- to move around. Sure a mouse might be nice for accessing all the different menus and things like that, but that's a quality of life bonus, not a critical gameplay necessity.

Again, being a "MOBA" means absolutely diddley squat. What matters is the type of game play in the type of gameplay is top down view. Don't need a mouse for that. I've played countless games that look exactly like this. Steam controller, mouse and keyboard, controller... it's all the same.

And my point is it's origin doesn't matter. No it doesn't stop being a mobile port, but being a mobile port doesn't make it a lesser game then a console game. So saying "it's a mobile port" as if that somehow magically knocks the game down three notches on a scale of awesomeness is ridiculous. Yes mobile ports have a tendency to be worse, but that doesn't mean they are automatically worse. Doesn't mean they are automatically inferior. Doesn't mean there aren't games that were developed for mobile first that are absolutely just as high-quality as most console games. They may be far and few between... but they exist. Just like some console games are crappier than mobile games. They may be far and few between... but they exist. Simply being developed for console first doesn't magically make it a "superior console game" and being developed for mobile first doesn't magically make it an "inferior mobile game". Games are games. Some are quality and some are not. The odds might be in a game's favor or against its favor... but nothing is written in stone.

If you don't like it then don't play it. You don't know squat about it and just sitting here rattling on about "all MOBAs need a mouse" is silly. Clearly it doesn't need a mouse because it's coming to Switch, and it came to mobile, and neither of those have a mouse.

Wow, what a single moba can do, being free to play, and distributed online. It's crazy that this game alone nets 1.7 billion in a quarter and all of Nintendo's efforts net just 1.1 billion in a quarter.

It's good for Nintendo to realize that there is a genre of digital distributed games out there attracting a huge market that Nintendo never catered to. A market that can make much more money for much less work. And now Nintendo opened the floodgates for this market to come to the Switch.

The moba genre is the craze in China, and if they can launch the Switch in China with an improved remake of the beloved superhit that is Honor of Kings aka Arena of Valor (that nowadays has 55+ million daily active users), there's millions of potential buyers.

Tencent buys stakes in all high profile mobile game developers. They are a force in the gaming business to reckon with!
They bought more than 80% of Supercell, the makers of mega-profitable games Clash of Clans and Hay Day and they want to buy the rest of the shares as well. Tencent also bought Riot Games, another well-known company responsible for a superhit called League of Legends. They own 48% of Epic Games and 12% of Activision Blizzard shares. Tencent is the biggest, most profitable online company in China, probably in the whole world, as can be seen here: https://newzoo.com/insights/rankings/top-25-companies-game-re...

Currently simply the best company to partner with getting a strong foothold in China.

Literally moving the player with a digital analog. How anyone could say an analog stick won't work for a game that uses a digital analog stick blows my mind.

And here we see pressing action buttons with cooldowns. So it is quite literally pressing digital buttons. How anyone could say buttons won't work for a game that uses digital buttons blows my mind.

@UmiKnight So is there examples of MOBA's on a phone going to a console now having physical buttons being a detriment to the experience?

Not like imagine a MOBA phone to console but an actual port of a MOBA phone to console game.

And nearing my 30's myself and having a job, I say just to relax a little.

@Captain_Toad Then tell me this, why have the other mobas never made it to console? There's a mass of people there they can get cash from!

Relaxing you say? Not in the vein of an argument like this, where people refuse to see the details in what they're talking about.

@JaxonH You've not explained to me why all these other mobas then haven't found their way to consoles then. A massive untapped market for them in terms of income, and they'd ignore it why?

And you still haven't even given me an INKLING of an idea that you've even PLAYED a moba, what with how you perceive it can work just fine on a console. If you had played one in top-down view like that, you'd have recognized there would be some CERTAIN difficulties here. Again, a stick isn't as fast as a mouse, nor as fast as touch-controls and that's where the problem comes in. And you'd need say the left stick for walking, the bottom left for the camera, so what, you'll use those cross buttons to aim? How is that going to be in any way fast enough for a satisfactory experience? It would be a whole different experience, as it has to be slowed down and adjusted for those controls. Watch that video of League of Legends I've posted, the reason Arena of Valor is coming to Switch is because the game uses a touch-screen, and WHOOPDYWHOOP! Switch has one of those.

If they do bring in traditional controls, it'll only be a big guess how that even works to satisfactory levels. Again, some controls just work better for some things, and I love how you're ignoring that in favor of your own skewed perception, or are you going to say a keyboard and mouse is equal to a fight-stick? That a controller is equal to a keyboard and mouse for shooters? That you can replace motion controls for a controller in games that centre around it?

Also to your "blows my mind" comments, if you really want to continue in that tone, just let me know, I can be that level of condescending if you're really asking for it.

@UmniKnight
Dude, you're not getting it.

Game uses digital analog. Switch has analog. Game uses digital buttons. Switch has buttons. No game, EVER, is going to use a digital analog on Switch. So being touch screen means squat.

END OF ARGUMENT

Please don't make me smash the ignore button because you can't admit when you're wrong

@JaxonH You're looking at this far too simply, but whatever, I'll leave it at this.

And with how you've been throwing jabs, I should be considering the ignore button, honestly.

Does this version have cross-play with the mobile version? If not, what's the big deal about having to use "inferior" console controls? Everyone's going to be on a level playing field in that regard.

@meleebrawler It's simply that I'm having trouble seeing how it would work well with those, since again, why didn't the other mobas then move to PS4/Xbox One? That's a massive market they could've tapped into, they must've had a valid reason not to make that jump, if traditional controls work just fine.

I'm not saying they won't work, I'm saying it'll be hard to get it to work well, without feeling janky and off. The reason Arena of Valor works, from what I've seen so far, is due to it's touch screen.

@UmniKnight Have you actually played the game, or at least took notice of the screenshots?

Arena of Valor is a game with BUTTONS and STICKS!

And on Switch it's played with real buttons and a real stick which is infinitely better control-wise than unreal/clunky touchscreen buttons and sticks.

Touchscreen controls are better in some cases, especially if this was a game controlled by mouse or touchscreen - but Arena of Valor is a game that is played with buttons!

You think of other mobas, where you'd have a point with your argument. Not in this case though.

I'm not ruling out that the game still has those crappy mobile touchscreen controls when in handheld mode, optional, for the players that are accustomed to it.

@SKTTR What? Arena of Valor is a mobile game, where did these buttons and sticks come from? Have you seen JaxonH's screenshots and the video that details the game?

Omg you really don't get it. You really really really don't get it at all and it's really really really useless talking to you on that matter. Troll!

@SKTTR What is with that reaction? It's using touch-screen controls, where are these buttons of yours? Or you mean the way it controls being "touch-buttons" or so? They're still working with your touch, aka not via actual buttons.

@UmniKnight You know, just try the game for yourself, and you'll realize what others meant. It's free-to-play, so you have nothing to lose.

@Azooooz My phone is old as hell, and it can barely keep up with what'sapp's updates without complaining about being full. I've also watched the video of the Arena of Valor guys themselves on how to play it.