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I've reached mental capacity for champions (and what that can mean for the game going forward)
altavista
Member Posts: 1,826 ★★★★★
1. Dunbar's Number is a sociology concept about the ideal maximum community size of approximately 150, with that being the limit to how many relationships one can maintain.
While not an obvious connection to that concept, I feel like I've reached my limit of champions I can hold in my head.
Looking at Solvarch/Cassandra's abilities, my eyes glaze over and I can't remember in detail what they do even an hour later. This has probably been the case for most of the 2025 champions. However, I can still tell you that off the top of my head that Vox's SP3 can neutralize Inhuman champions (even though I've never used it) or that Kamala can nullify buffs (despite never actually using her). I just think that I can't stuff any more champion knowledge into my brain.
2. Champions are getting more complicated, and the number of champions is constantly growing as well. For normal game modes, this doesn't really matter since you have time to plan and resources (potions) to retry. However, even for game modes like Arena, this starts becoming an issue.
For competitive game modes (AW, BGs) this means that most casuals won't be able to keep up purely from a champion quantity/quality perspective. While one could argue that a player only needs to commit 30-50 champions to memory each month (based on meta relevancy), it still is a mental ask that not all players will be inclined to continue. Setting aside complaints about matchmaking, I wonder if there will be a natural attrition rate just from there being too many champions.
I don't think this is an actual problem, its intrinsic to the game (2 champions added each month) and just the natural progression of the game (champions have to be different from pre-existing champions). But I just think it highlights that this game will have a shelf-life for old farts like myself.
While not an obvious connection to that concept, I feel like I've reached my limit of champions I can hold in my head.
Looking at Solvarch/Cassandra's abilities, my eyes glaze over and I can't remember in detail what they do even an hour later. This has probably been the case for most of the 2025 champions. However, I can still tell you that off the top of my head that Vox's SP3 can neutralize Inhuman champions (even though I've never used it) or that Kamala can nullify buffs (despite never actually using her). I just think that I can't stuff any more champion knowledge into my brain.
2. Champions are getting more complicated, and the number of champions is constantly growing as well. For normal game modes, this doesn't really matter since you have time to plan and resources (potions) to retry. However, even for game modes like Arena, this starts becoming an issue.
For competitive game modes (AW, BGs) this means that most casuals won't be able to keep up purely from a champion quantity/quality perspective. While one could argue that a player only needs to commit 30-50 champions to memory each month (based on meta relevancy), it still is a mental ask that not all players will be inclined to continue. Setting aside complaints about matchmaking, I wonder if there will be a natural attrition rate just from there being too many champions.
I don't think this is an actual problem, its intrinsic to the game (2 champions added each month) and just the natural progression of the game (champions have to be different from pre-existing champions). But I just think it highlights that this game will have a shelf-life for old farts like myself.
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It may be harder to understand everything about certain champions, and I do find myself having to check kits occasionally; this doesn't upset me. I enjoy the planning and scouring to find the right champ for the job.
The easiest way to get around this, imo, is by grouping and association. A lot of champions at this point in the game either do exactly what another does or have very similar abilities to others and can be grouped into categories and you can make educated assumptions on what an ability will do when you see it pop up, even if you don't know exactly what is the slight difference in a certain scenario.
Another big one in this category is with animations. Kabam reuses and recycles so many animations, timings, etc, and just puts a new coat of paint on them, probably beyond what a lot of players expect without actually looking for it. This is to the point where you can look at a champion's special attack and go "Oh yeah, that's just Korg's sp1," and then never have to worry about dexing it again. Or "That's just x's or y's heavy attack, spacing, animations" and not even worry about what the animation is actually doing
The champs are only getting more and more complicated and I'm already to the point where I just watch a couple videos about them, learn their basic rotation and go with that.
I don't remember half the abilities so it does screw me up in bg's alot, and down the road may affect it even moreso than it already does.
I'm not getting any younger and not gonna spend hours learning how to effectively use every single champ I use, their ideal rotations for each matchup, who they're good and terrible against, and every other intricacy of kits.
I go in, punch things and hope for the best.
That said, there’s basically two (maybe two and a half) types of players out there:
1. Newer/casual players that enjoy slow progression in the game
2. End game players who play competitively
2.5. End game players who play and spend competitively
If you’ve been playing this game for more than a year or two and aren’t valiant right now and regularly making gladiator’s circuit, you’re not a competitive player (which is fine). You’re probably mostly happy to play your favorite marvel characters and the ability to keep up with the quantity and complexity of champions ended somewhere between Year 3-5
For the end game competitive players, the game will get stale without growth. Frankly, the best thing that can happen is the new champions further stratifies the players by skill. I’m fine releasing high-skill complex champions that are OP such that the best players can dominate battlegrounds and AW. If we ever get to a point where MSD or Fintech level of skill is necessary to complete endgame content, I think that will be a problem.
Dr. Zola
I was just thinking
Which in game champ has the least worded description?
Ronan?
150? I lucky if I can remember 15. I just do a recap every time I need to use them. My old brain don't let me hold much.
I’ll add that I felt the same way 6 years ago.
The hardest mechanic is reverse controls since it forces you to learn a new playstyle. You're also playing against a very predictable AI not real players. Imagine if you had to keep track of startup frames, active frames, recovery frames, whiff punishing, frame traps, and safe on block.
Makes me wonder whether the game needs to move away from the 2 champs a month model.
Popper chopper pops the trigger popper chopper, WTF
Till this day idk what some of wording in spiderham means, even tho he's going to be next 7r4
Like I get it what's it trying to say, but I don't remember it.
I open 7* crystals much faster than my ability to want to use or learn them so now it's niche abilities that pull them off the bench and nothing else.
On DLL’s video, he basically says, yeah, we didn’t have time to make major changes so this is the level of update that was possible. What I would like to ask is, why bother updating six champs that probably aren’t different enough to get significant playtime? Why not do substantive reworks for a smaller number of champs?