TFT Meta Game systems part 1- Competitive players
What motivates you to play and improve?
A while back Riot Greenily tweeted out asking;
This got me thinking about what motivates me and keeps me playing. My answers were pretty generic because twitter isn’t a great format for depth so I thought I would map it out in a bit more detail here.
The question I want to explore:
How do you keep TFT players motivated and engaged outside of core gameplay design?
The core gameplay loop will always be one of the biggest factors in determining if players keep playing. From what I’ve read so far TFT: Galaxies is going to be a lot of fun. What I wanted to explore is what other systems keep players engaged and what could TFT do to create a better experience for players. What meta-game systems could be implemented well into TFT?
Ranked System
I’m a competitive player at heart. Basketball and Team Fight Tactics are currently my two competitive outlets. (I went from Dota —> SC2 —> LoL —> TFT). So why not start with ranked, one of the most compelling meta-game systems for me. What does ranked do for me?
It increases the stakes. Not only am I playing to win and improve but there’s also LP/rank at stake that’s tracked across time.
Recognition/prestige. It lets me signal how good (or bad) I am to others easily through cool ranked badges and borders etc.
Those are probably the two big ones for me. I know there are rewards, but to me, it wasn’t really about the thing you got, but more so what it represented. e.g. you hit a certain ranked.
Upping the stakes
There are a few things I would like explored in TFT to create different high stakes experiences.
Short-form automated online tournaments.
e.g. Day 1 (Saturday) - 64 player bracket (8 lobbies of 8). They each play a best of 3 or 5. The top player from each group moves onto day 2.
Day 2 (Sunday) - 8 players (final lobby). Best of 3 or 5 to determine final standings“Social league” automated “leagues”.
e.g. A lobby of 8 players plays 2 games per week for 5 weeks. After 5 weeks (10 games) you will have an overall winner for that lobby. Potential to also have a finals event where top players from different “leagues” qualify for a one day best of 5 final lobby.“Buy-in” tournament - this one might not work due to gambling reasons. A common style I saw in the very early days of TFT was streamers playing a best of 3/5/7 and then all gifting the winner subs. A version of this could be players playing in a one day best of 3/5/7 where they contribute IP/RP/currency to the pot and the pot being redistributed based on how you place. (i.e. 1st gets 50% of the pot, 8th gets 0% of the pot)
Each of these suggestions are various ways to create a different competitive experience to ranked. Ranked is a long 10 to 12-week ladder climb where games matter more than normals. These different automated tournaments create higher stakes where every game matters over a shorter period of time. This might be an experience that keeps competitive players engaged when they need a break from the ranked climb.
Of course, with all these new tournaments there should also be trophies, medals and more ways to track how you’re doing in each of these competitive settings. Which leads us to…
Recognition and prestige
The status and prestige that comes with climbing, improving and being “good”. What else could we do to add more recognition and prestige for not just the top players but players that continue to improve?
Ranked logos and borders:
Could/should there be a different set of ranked tiers/iconography specifically for TFT instead of just using the LoL ones? (although there are some advantages to being tied to LoL)
Could there be more ways to show what rank you are in-game? Maybe an area on your board or some sort of special effect. (emotes are one good way to bring it in-game)
If there are automated tournaments and trophies/medals etc where can they be displayed in-game and in the client?
“TFT Client”
A dedicated TFT client would be nice but in lieu of that.
Adjust TFT home page to reduce space taken by rewards and more on competitive elements. (leaderboards, ranked, next tournament, trophy case?) or being able to choose whether you can see the Battle Pass UI or competitive UI.
Provide a TFT “Profile” page view that shows stats (last 5 games, highest win rate comp/units/items), trophies, medals, and achievements.
Leaderboards - having a leaderboard where only your friends are in it and/or making friends in your existing leaderboard more prominent. Creating more opportunities to compete and see how friends are doing.
Above: Current TFT home page
Above: TFT ranked leaderboard
There are my thoughts on what we could do for competitive meta-game systems to keep players engaged. I think a good esports scene along with the above will ensure TFT continues to thrive. I’m sure the TFT team over at Riot Games have already thought of all this and more!
Let me know what you think =D
I might explore some meta-game systems for explorers and newbies next. I know not everyone is keen on the competition like me.