Ask S2 Games Series 1

S2 Games - makers of Heroes of Newerth will now take your questions:

HEROES OF NEWERTH GAMEPLAY

Will hero denial make it into the game? (JOTARO)
As you can see from the most recent patch, we have added hero denial into the game. This is something you guys have been bringing up for a long time and we knew that if we were to add it into the game, it would have to be from all targeted DoTs and not just the ones that were based on Shadow Strike like in DotA (an engine limitation).

Will HoN be following suit with DotA (especially given its recent, controversial changes) or go its own path on competitive balancing? (kewne)
We will be going down our own road as can be seen in the latest patch! We will always stick close to the DotA feel and gameplay, so don't expect that to change.

As development continues post-release, will we see any major gameplay changes, or just new heroes and items? (RTBardic)
It will mostly be new heroes, items, maps, gameplay modes, features, and the such. The way you play the game and the "feel of DotA" as a whole will not deviate greatly. Down the road though, anything is possible.

How are you going to convince people to play on maps other than Forests of Caldavar? (Temris)
To be honest, we won't. We will make new maps, tweak the ones we have, and if people enjoy them they will play them. When we make a new map, we really just want to expand on the current game and give players the option to experience something new and different while still keeping the same gameplay feel.

HEROES OF NEWERTH DEVELOPMENT

How long has HoN been in development? (hideinlight)
34 months, but the first 13 were spent on engine development. The entirety of assets, including maps, items, heroes, and art were made in 21 months.

What is the new hero creation process? Does one person create a concept and others weigh in, or is it a team effort from the start? (Ashur)
If it is a port, it starts conceptually with some development thoughts on the heroes we already have. We examine what roles they fill--for example, who can carry, who brings AoE teamfight support, and who can throw down disables--then we figure out what we are missing, then look at the DotA heroes and pick one that fits the role we need.

If it is a new hero, we adopt a more free-flowing process that revolves around a central theme for a hero from which we can buildon. We still consider the hero roles described above and how a new hero could fit into the current metagame, but designing the feel and gameplay of the hero is a very different process.

Once we’ve decided upon the basic concept, we pass it to the artists who brainstorm over the hero’s visuals. Once the central theme and look are agreed upon between the artists and the designers, a concept artist whips up a good-looking final concept.

If that passes approval, it goes to our modeler, who creates the model and unwraps the blank textures so it can be passed onto the next artist to do all the textures for the model. While those are being done we have someone else rig the model with bones and joints. Finally, it gets shipped to the animators who do all of the movements you see in-game.

During all of this, either Fielding or I must create all the entity files and make sure the skills work properly. At first we work with Mr. Teapot, but eventually the model gets imported into our internal client and we can start tweaking the abilities to fit with the model and animations.

Once all of this is done, effects are added onto the abilities that make them the flashy stuff you guys are used to seeing. Sounds are added after the effects are done, and then we patch it in for you guys.

The total process takes quite a few people and many long hours.

How much of an impact do community suggestions and input have on development? (SinisteRing)
We do listen to the community, as shown by several community suggestions being implemented into the most recent patch. You can see the ones we have put into the game by looking at the Hall of Fame forum after Nome updates it.

Other then suggestions, we listen to the community regarding inconsistencies with DotA as well as things they feel are broken or should change, including balance issues. You can check out the Balance or Mechanics forums for examples, as I post in both fairly often.

Are there any community suggestions being implemented in the future? (VenomKing)
Yep. The ones we decide on are a secret until they are released, though.

What are your development "goals" before you consider a release? For example, is there a set number of heroes, features, or functionalities you want to make the release? (G`Funk)
We do have goals we want to meet, including the matchmaking and completely filling the current hero board with heroes. The list is more extensive than that, but it is an internal list, available only for the developers. Sorry!

HON MATCHMAKING AND STATS

How will matchmaking incorporate the different modes, if at all? Will there be options for AP/AR/SD, etc? Will these statistics be kept separately? (Aeds)
At first matchmaking will be a variation of Captains Mode or Captains Draft. We might expand this in the future. Stats wise, we would like them to be separate stats. All of this is subject to change.

What statistics will matchmaking use? (Qwernakus)
Can't tell you yet. =] Secrets. We will release more on our matchmaking system when it's implemented.

Will players be able to access the stats of all games or just our own? What about global game stats like hero and item usage? (Fireslide)
You will be able to access stats from all games on the replays website when it becomes open to the public. You will be able to see all stats for every player, from their total playtime to hero usage. Global hero and item usage stats are already available on the website.

HEROES OF NEWERTH FEATURES

Has S2 given any consideration to drop-in spectating of games in progress? (Ekizel)
Eventually (this is a ways off) we want to let you request a game be Spectate Mirrored, which would allow any number of people to spectate any match they request to be mirrored on a minute or two delay. This allows anyone watch any match they want at any time without overloading our servers. Because you have to request it, the mirror terminates if no one is spectating, thereby saving network traffic.

Will additional hosting filters like K:D or PSR be implemented? (Kaneda).
I wouldn't look for a K : D filter anytime soon. A PSR one, though, will be implemented.

Will there be achievements? (Lucisama)
We actually want to put in achievements for events or really cool stuff you do in a game. No details about this yet, but it may be a feature we reserve for post-release depending on a lot of factors.

Will popular modes like CM, CD, WTF, and OMG make it into the game? (Redfiercare)
CM and CD will be coming in for sure. OMG, probably not for now. WTF is a maybe, so I can't say either way on that one.

Will unconventional gameplay types like CTF make it into the official game for ranked play? (Lucisama)
We want ranked play to be reserved for the official maps and the 'conventional' HoN gameplay. The custom maps are for fun on the side.

HEROES OF NEWERTH COMMUNITY AND SUPPORT

Will S2 Games be directly involved in the sponsorship of tournaments and leagues? (Emortal)
We will indeed. Look for more about this in the future.

Will there be any official S2 support for fansites? (NeoTKaze)
Yes, but the level of support will vary based on how close we are to release or other internal factors. Keep in mind we are a very small company. For now we have our fankit that fansites can use freely.

Will there be any exclusive or custom graphics/avatars for events? (Lucisama)
This is definitely something we want to add for events in the future.

HON BONUS

How many cans of energy drink does an average S2 staff member consume per week? (Anosou)
Anywhere from zero to eight. I'm talking about the large cans of Red Bull. Soft drink cups from local food places can also pile up on the side of someone's desk. We have a few people that have no less then two dozen cups on the far side of their desk and someone else with about a dozen empty cans of Red Bull around them in assorted patterns.

The programmer’s desk next to me has six cans, two 20oz bottles, and a 2 liter all empty sitting next to the monitor. I have three empty cups from food places, four different water cups, and two empty cookie boxes.