Heroes of Newerth
| Heroes of Newerth | |
|---|---|
| Studio | Frostburn Studios |
| Publisher | Frostburn Studios |
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
May 12, 2010 |
| platform | Windows , Mac OS X , GNU / Linux |
| genre | Multiplayer online battle arena |
| Game mode | Multiplayer |
| control | Mouse , keyboard |
| system advantages preconditions |
2.2 GHz CPU ; 1 GB RAM ; |
| medium | Download |
| language | German, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Vietnamese |
| Current version | 4.1.0.4 |
Heroes of Newerth ( HoN for short ) is a computer game developed and marketed by Frostburn Studios that belongs to the genre of multiplayer online battle arenas . It is based on the custom map DotA Allstars for the game Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne and copied this in large parts, but with the official release two more maps were published. The game principle comes originally from the Starcraft map Aeon of Strife .
The finished version of the game was released on May 12, 2010. Heroes of Newerth has been free to play since July 29, 2011 and has not been developed by S2 Games since 2015 , but by Frostburn Studios , which was founded from it .
development
According to statements by employees of the developer studio S2 Games, HoN has been in development since 2004, with the K2 graphics engine being developed in the first 13 months . The developers put the development costs for a single new hero at around 30,000 dollars. This sum results from the fact that over 10 people are employed on a hero and the development takes some time.
Heroes of Newerth was in open beta from March 31st until May 12th, 2010 when it was released.
Version 2.0 was released on December 13, 2010. This included u. a. a new user interface, team matchmaking, a restricted map editor (maps can only be played offline as single player) and a shop integrated in the game in which new cosmetic items can be bought via microtransactions, silver coins that can be played in matchmaking or gold coins, for example. alternative hero skins, icon images for the player profile or new announcers for game events.
On July 29, 2011, S2 Games announced that Heroes of Newerth can now be played for free (limited in scope). However, all players who previously bought the game will continue to receive all new game content, such as new heroes, for free. As the owner of a free account, every available hero (the 100+ heroes) can be played immediately.
On January 31, 2013, the hero rotation system was given up and all heroes, except for the "EA" - Early Access - Hero are now freely selectable. In addition, a number of changes have been made with Patch 3.0, mainly of an aesthetic nature. Bots have also been added.
On March 5, 2013, the Early Access System with Patch 3.1 was also taken out of the game, so that every hero was made accessible to every player.
Version 3.7 was released in May 2015, celebrating its 5th birthday with a new map based on the capture-the-flag game mode and the new hero Parallax. The game is now also no longer developed by S2 Games, but a specially founded company "Frostburn Studios", which deals only with the development of Heroes of Newerth.
Gameplay
As in the game DotA , in HoN there are usually two teams ( Legion and Hellbourne ) with five players each who try to destroy the base of the opposing team with one of their controlled characters (the "hero"). They are supported by computer-controlled units (so-called creeps ), which break out from their own base on three different paths to the opponent's base at regular intervals and in groups that grow larger in the course of the game and try to destroy it. The computer-controlled units, as well as the defensive structures already in place at the beginning of the game, are equally strong on both sides, so that the battle of the units clashing in the middle of the field can only be decided by the intervention of the heroes controlled by the players.
As in a role-playing game , these collect experience points and gold by killing enemy units. The former allow the figure to rise regularly to a level that improves its combat characteristics and enables the learning of new skills, the latter serves to acquire items that also have a positive effect on the strength of the figure. If the hero dies, the player loses gold (no gold loss in the new casual mode) and cannot use his hero for a short period of time; then the hero is ready with around 2/3 to 3/4 life and mana points in his own base. Both the lost gold and the period in which the hero is unusable increase with the level at which the hero is. For an amount of gold that increases with the level of the hero, the hero can also be revived directly.
Heroes
The individual heroes each have four abilities, the use of which costs a certain amount of mana or life points , this is limited available to each hero and is slowly replenished after use. After it has been used, the skill is no longer available for a certain period of time ( cooldown ). If the hero gains experience and thereby rises a level, the player can (further) develop one of his skills, whereby three of the skills can be learned in four different levels, while the fourth (the ultimate ) can be learned in three levels (at the earliest on levels 6, 11 and 16). For most heroes, the Ultimate is the most powerful ability, which is why it costs significantly more mana and can be used less often than the other skills.
While most abilities are specifically used against an enemy unit and, for example, injure or slow them down, or disable them for a short time or prevent them from using abilities themselves ( silence ), other abilities affect a specific area of the map ( area of effect (AoE) ). Some abilities also benefit friendly units, often by permanently creating an aura around the player that benefits all nearby units (these abilities often do not need to be activated to be effective and therefore do not cost mana ).
Each hero has three attributes - strength, agility and intelligence - which increase with each level of the hero and can be increased by purchasing items. In addition, instead of developing an ability, it is possible to increase the hero's attributes. Since a hero can rise to a maximum of level 25, the hero's abilities can be developed up to 15 times and his attributes ten times.
Every hero has a primary attribute that is particularly pronounced with him and from whose further development he particularly benefits through higher attack damage ( damage ). The primary attributes also affect how the heroes play:
- Heroes with strength as the primary attribute often have more health points (HP) and usually take on the role of initiator who takes the first step in player battles ( clashes ) and tries to gain the advantage for his team.
- Heroes whose primary attribute is intelligence have a lot of mana that they can use for powerful spells. You usually take on the role of the supporter who supports your own units from the background or weakens the enemy.
- Heroes with Agility as their primary attribute gain the most damage potential, as their attribute gives them damage, armor and attack speed. In the course of the game, their skills and objects make them much stronger than the other heroes. You usually play the role of the carry , who is protected by his team at the beginning, in order to decide the game in the end phase through its faster development.
The roles within a team do not necessarily go hand in hand with the attributes of the heroes and are also based on the respective style of play (especially the purchase of objects). They also depend on the composition of your own and the opposing team. There are also other roles that overlap with those described above and are less closely linked to the hero's attributes.
Objects
Each hero can take up to six objects ( items ) carry, have a positive impact on its attributes or to give it additional capabilities. Objects can for gold in various shops ( shops are acquired). Most of the items are available in the shop in their own base, there is also a "secret shop " on each side of the map , which stocks a number of particularly high-quality items (the Secret Shop is in version 2.0.34 / by an observatory in the 35 Wards of Sight has been to buy, mana and health potions replaced; items that were previously only bought there, are now available in stores in the base) and an outpost ( Outpost ), the a selection of items sold from the other stores.
Many items can be combined to form a new, stronger item. Often, however, it is also necessary to buy a recipe that itself has no effects and is only used to combine other items. The assembled objects can be combined again many times.
Game modes
Before the game starts, a game mode is set that decides how the players can choose their heroes. The following modes are available:
- Normal Mode (AP) : each player chooses any hero.
- Banning Pick (BP) : after each team has excluded four heroes from the selection, players take turns choosing any hero.
- Random Draft (RD) : the players take turns choosing their hero from a random selection of 20 heroes
- All Random (AR) : each player receives a random hero.
- Single Draft (SD) : each player receives three random heroes, each with different primary attributes. This mode is best for beginners as it allows them to quickly get to know all of the heroes without forcing them into one that is too difficult, for example
- Capture the Flag (CTF) : Reach the enemy flag and defend your own flag
The options can be changed through modifications such as Casual Mode (players get more gold, more experience points and do not lose gold on death), No Agility (heroes with the main attribute mobility are excluded) or Duplicate Heroes (heroes can be selected multiple times). There is also a deathmatch mode (player loses all gold or all items on death) which has not yet been fully implemented.
Modifications
Unlike other games, modifications are allowed in Heroes of Newerth. These are developed by the players themselves and published in the official forum. A program called HoN Mod Manager was developed for use in order to install or combine the modifications, as not all of them are compatible with each other.
Awards
| date of the event | price | category | Nominations | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 11, 2010 | Independent Games Festival | Audience Award | S2 Games | won |
Web links
- Official site for the game
- Heroes of Newerth at MobyGames (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Andreas Lonz: HoN: Who is who and what is what? - Getting started in Heroes of Newerth ( Memento from March 4, 2010 in the Internet Archive ), Fragster.de , August 27, 2009 (accessed February 15, 2009).
- ↑ Kevin Tok: Warcraft III: Defense of the Ancients 101 , gotfrag.com , January 25, 2006 (accessed February 15, 2006).
- ↑ HoN release , Facebook 28 April 2010 (accessed on 28 April 2010).
- ↑ HoN goes Free2Play , hon-fans.de , July 29, 2011 (accessed July 29, 2011).
- ↑ Ask S2 Games # 1 , heroesofnewerth.com , July 10, 2009 (accessed April 17, 2010).
- ↑ $ 30,000 per hero , hon-fans.de , April 8, 2010 (accessed April 20, 2010).
- ↑ Konstantin Bös: HoN: Open Beta from Wednesday ( memento from April 2, 2010 in the Internet Archive ), Fragster.de , March 29, 2010 (accessed on April 11, 2010).
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from October 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Fragster.de , December 14, 2010.
- ↑ [1] , Gamersglobal.de , July 29, 2011.
- ↑ http://www.gamestar.de/spiele/heroes-of-newerth/news/heroes_of_newerth,44638,3009008.html
- ↑ http://forums.heroesofnewerth.com/showthread.php?494505-3-1-The-Runic-Shift-Patch-Notes
- ↑ Ludwig Kietzmann: Joystiq live at the IGF / GDC Awards 2010 , joystiq.com , March 11, 2010 (accessed April 17, 2010).
