The latest changes in the open beta MOBA Paragon, aimed at shortening party durations, have been made. What do the players say about this?
High risk means high reward
The initial reactions from the community are once again shaking their heads in disbelief. Some say the towers are mere “decoration”; some even suggest completely doing away with them. The wounds from last week and the disappointment over the removal of a game mechanic by patch v32.0 seem not to have healed yet.
However, developer Epic Games has emphasized in its forum that they want faster, fun matches where high risks also bring high rewards. In other words, this means that mistakes will be punished more severely. If one leaves their lane at an inappropriate time or without jungler support, even if it’s just for a quick buy of new cards, the chance is high that the tower will be destroyed.
Thus, it increasingly depends on individual performance as well as coordination with the rest of the team. However, this seems to be where the problem lies for some critics of the recent changes. They were used to reacting to mistakes, big or small, and keeping the consequences minor. The fast travel mode, which will also be removed from the game soon, contributed to this.
Shooter versus MOBA players
Here, two factions appear to clash. Due to the way Paragon is presented, the MOBA attracts not only genre veterans but also shooter fans, as well as absolute newcomers, which is fundamentally okay. However, if Paragon is viewed and played like a shooter (hero chases across half the map, “deathballing” and similar), the recent changes understandably lead to frustration based on such play styles.
MOBA players are used to mistakes often being punished directly and especially in the late game, leading to a swift loss in matches. Shooter players generally have more of a kill mindset, sometimes taking too many risks and neglecting their actual tasks.
But why do I bring up the differing perspective and play style of these two groups? On the one hand, because I have personally often experienced this senseless endless chase of other players, and on the other hand, because it is repeatedly noted in the criticisms of the current changes that some would prefer to switch to an upcoming Battlefield 1, COD, or CS:GO.
The issue with perception
And this is precisely where a problem with the perception of Paragon arises. Paragon is not a hero shooter like Overwatch and Paladins, not to mention other “pure” shooters. Epic Games does not want it to be that way. The competition consists of MOBAs like LoL, Smite, and Heroes of the Storm. And these are played differently than a shooter.
A Destiny or Battlefield plays faster and forgives mistakes much more. Just the short respawn time makes one’s death only slightly impact the entire match. You are almost immediately back in the thick of things.
Moreover, there are modes that focus solely on the number of kills, in which there is no point to capture, no flag to transport from A to B, or any other task to complete. However, this does not mean that tactics are not needed in these deathmatches. On the contrary: With thoughtful actions and team play, one will achieve much more than if one just goes solo and plays like a Rambo.
It should be clear that this is not meant as a finger-pointing or blame toward shooter players, and that there are certainly plenty of gamers who enjoy both genres and approach each title accordingly and consciously.
However, it seems that part of the current irritations stems from the fact that some still need to gain experience in the MOBA realm or misclassify the whole thing and consequently look for faults with the developer, as risky maneuvers or mistakes previously only had minor consequences.
Perhaps Paragon should be evaluated more like a Dark Souls game. If I proceed calmly and thoughtfully and use the environment to my advantage, it leads to much more success than if I run around the map like the last crazy axe murderer, putting myself in a dangerous, if not hopeless situation that results in my death.
Of course, this only concerns a small percentage of Paragon players, and there is certainly no all-encompassing solution for all problems. Likewise, it is impossible to please every single individual. Tastes are and always will be different, which is a good thing.
However, perhaps some should reflect on their perspective whether it is accurate, or whether they might need to adjust their approach to achieve their goals and have a good time. And that is ultimately what both developers and players want.
What do you think about it? Have you also often experienced chasing across half the map while other areas are in chaos? Or, as some PC purists might say, is the problem with cross-play with consoles and their lack of genre experience?
