HOTS is one of my favorite games of all time, but I’m calling it quits for now - I haven’t played in about a month and the longer I go without playing, the less I care about staying in practice. Usually that means it’s time to move on, so I’m going to say a few things and then do exactly that.
First up, the reasons I’m worn out.
On a personal scale, I’m tired of playing the characters that I’m good at, I’m not interested in the characters I “should” be good at, and the characters I am interested in either don’t perform like they used to or effectively no longer exist.
On a meta scale, I’m tired of the development team avoiding the official forums in favor of Reddit, I’m tired of HOTS being treated like the redheaded stepchild of Blizzard properties, and I’m tired of there being no HGC or equivalent.
Finally, on a community scale, pretty much all of the people I used to play with have moved on. HOTS was a game that I played with friends, and the friends that I played with just aren’t around anymore or have wacky schedules that don’t line up with my own.
I love HOTS and I wish there was more of it. Unfortunately, there isn’t.
Secondly, what’d bring me back.
I’ve gotten this reputation as “the rework guy” (for some odd reason, not sure why) and when I mentioned that I planned on leaving to a couple folks, they asked me what reworks of mine I’d have implemented to reignite my interest in HOTS.
The honest answer is none of them.
I mean, sure, I’d absolutely get back into HOTS for some measure of time if Tychus or Gazlowe got reworked (especially if said rework used my design or something resembling it). However, one or two heroes isn’t enough to carry the game for me - what if they get banned? What if someone else wants to play them? I’m not going to turn into a one-trick, 'cause that way lies madness.
No, what HOTS needs is Quality of Life changes. Things like Talent Planning, a more accessible roster, better Hero Customization, or even just better gameplay feedback (which was promised to be brought up to the UI team six months ago and then never heard of again).
I love HOTS, but it’s only gotten harder to stick with as novelties became annoyances and the learning curve steadily angled upwards. The core and introductory experiences have to be smoothed out or the trend of losing old players and missing out on new ones is going to continue.
Finally, I’d like to give some shout-outs to some of the community members of that have left a lasting impression.
Hoku - Your patience and motivation are seriously inspiring. I cannot imagine a better person to represent Artanis.
SamiSha - Your various guides and megathreads have been an enormous help. I appreciate your positive nature and your superpower of being in every thread on the forum at any given time.
Planar - Shooting the breeze with you while we played some matches was fun. I always looked forward to your feedback in my threads.
Ephriam - We only played a few games together, but the ones we did were fun and I remember them fondly.
Karabars - Thank you for effortposting. Not enough people do.
DrLogan - En Taro Tassadar!
HailFall - Get well soon.
Well, that’s about it for me. I love y’all and I hope you be good to each other.
Peace.
