My thoughts for the TFT competitive scene
thoughts on what the top level of play could look like
With Set 3 just around the corner, there have been a couple of posts around the competitive format and viewing experience of Team Fight Tactics on the /r/competitiveTFT subreddit. Some good points were raised in those threads and I wanted to add my thoughts too.
Before you can have a meaningful discussion around this the community needs to align and agree on the goals of the competitive scene. Here’s my take;
Competitive Team Fight Tactics should showcase and reward the top players. While also creating multiple new avenues for players to engage with the game.
I think the first part is pretty clear and what most people think of when they think competitive or esports. What I mean by the second part and “multiple new avenues” is that not only will there be a viewership experience for the top level of play to consider, there is also a whole “grassroots” scene to foster as well.
The below will just focus on the top level, for now, maybe I’ll write another post on what the grassroots scene might look like in the future.
Formats
When it comes to a game like TFT where randomness plays a part in the outcome of the game, the best way to have top players rise to the top is to play enough games where the randomness “evens” out and player skill comes through. But you can’t play too many games or two things happen;
Some individual games become irrelevant
Viewers lose interest
Given that each game of TFT can be 30 + minutes here’s my suggestion. Play more games when it comes to the earlier stages to ensure the best players make it through. Play slightly fewer games with the “final lobby” to balance the viewer experience with competitive integrity.
An example of a tournament format might be;
Qualify for the tournament based on the ranked ladder (60%), open tournaments (25%), and influencer invites(15%). (infinite players can try)
Round 1 - top 128 players will play five games per lobby, with points assigned based on placement. Top 2 players per lobby progress in the tournament. (32 players left)
Round 2 - Top 32 players will play five games per lobby, with points assigned based on placement. top 2 players per lobby progress to the “final lobby”. (8 players left)
Round 3 - Top 8 players (“final lobby”) will play three games, with points assigned based on their placement in each game. After the three games, you should have your top 8 players in order of 1st - 8th and have an overall winner.
The above would take roughly five days to complete (Could be done across two or three weeks). The reason for going with three games in the finals is to over-index a bit on the viewer experience as that is when there will be the most viewers. Having three games instead of five means players will still have opportunities to recover from bad luck while also making every game important.
An example of a league format might be;
Qualify for the league based on the ranked ladder (60%), open tournaments (25%), and influencer invites(15%). (infinite players can try)
Regular season - top 64 players play two games per week for eight weeks, getting points based on placement each game. The top player from each lobby progresses.
Finals - top 8 players play a three-game series to determine the overall winner
The league format might eventually move into some franchise system, but given that it’s a solo game that might not be the best format. The reason for eight weeks is for a “season” to fit comfortably within a set.
Points distribution
10 pts
9 pts
7 pts
6 pts
4 pts
3 pts
2 pts
1 pts
For the point system, I’ve given two thresholds where you get an extra point (top 4 and top 2). The thought process behind this is to reward consistency a bit more over high rolling. e.g. two 4th places = 12 points vs one 1st place and one 8th place = 11 points.
I personally like the tournament format more for individual esports.
Viewing Experience
When it comes to viewership we need to think about who will be watching. Generally, esports viewers are more engaged than your average player. They want to engage deeper with the game, be entertained and learn from the best. u/AceofSpadesDAC makes a few great points;
It’s not possible to follow all 8 players on one broadcast
Being a more strategic game (less mechanics/reaction times involved) it’s more important for commentating to focus on the analysis rather than play by play.
One idea is to have eight channels, with one channel following each player. You could have an analyst per channel or even have players talking themselves. I don’t think either of the above are great solutions because of the high costs involved or the fact that players won’t be able to focus on gameplay.
My suggestion is similar to u/AceofSpadesDAC
Follow one or two players with an analyst. Potentially still offer channels for the other six players even if its just video and game sound.
The spectate mode needs to let you see the player’s actions. So when you view each person’s board you need to be able to see what actions they are taking (rolling, leveling, looking at the shop, scouting). This feels more difficult to execute than what is available for LoL.
Commentating should be focused around choices and details rather than how the fight is playing out. Some interesting moments in a game are, key rounds where players roll a lot like 3-2, how a player scouts and positions in later rounds, during a fight where/how the ability of one key unit affects the outcome of the fight.
They’ve just announced some details around Set 3 “Galaxies” and I’m excited to see how TFT continues to develop and grow.
What do you think of my thoughts and ideas? How would you like to see TFT competitive run?