Heroes of the Storm

Heroes of the Storm Dev Tracker




07 Feb

Senior Designer Kevin Gu takes great joy in moments when the Heroes of the Storm A.I. dunks on him during playtests. Maybe a little too much joy.

“When you get annihilated by Diablo Shadow Charging you into a wall, stunning you, popping Apocalypse, and then flipping you back into the Apocalypse,” says Gu, “you think ‘oh my goodness, I just got destroyed by the A.I.’”

But to reliably capitalize on human mistakes like that, you first have to get the A.I. into position to do so. That’s the challenge Gu, who got involved with A.I. on the Heroes team three years ago, is currently focused on. The current system holds two major components: the Goal system and the Tactical system. Put simply, the Goal system decides where the Hero moves, and the Tactical system determines what they do when they get there. These two systems interact with each other to drive A.I. behavior.

“Before, [the A.I.] would often get confused about where they should go,” says Gu.

This...

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    BlizzKGu on Forums - Thread - Direct

Hello, and good day to you all!

My name is Kevin Gu, and I am a Senior Designer on the Heroes team. I have been working alongside Jeff Beaudoin, our Lead Gameplay Engineer, on our game’s A.I. We wanted to take a moment to update you all on where we are and how our three major A.I. initiatives are progressing.

Reconciliation of the Goal and Tactical Systems

There are two systems under the hood of Heroes that work together to drive agent behavior: the Goal system and the Tactical system. The Goal system is responsible for determining where A.I. agents should move, while the Tactical system provides agents with awareness of their surroundings so that they use and target their abilities intelligently. Last year, in an effort to improve agent in-combat positioning, we made it possible for the Tactical system to override the Goal system. Although we believe the changes were ultimately a good iteration, they did expose several underlying issues that w...

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06 Feb

Comment

Hey melvin,

Cho’gall must be picked in a round where you have two picks available. If you only have one pick available, then Cho and Gall are classified as unavailable picks. If time runs out and no one is hovering a valid pick, or selects a valid pick for that last slot, then the draft will be terminated and leavers given to those not hovering valid picks.


05 Feb


24 Jan

Comment

Hey everyone,

After some internal investigation, I am unable to reproduce the issues you are calling out. So, I’m going to need some help and more information. First, I want to explain how this event works.

  1. The Repeatable quests grant stickers, and every 3 stickers you are awarded a Common Toy Event Chest. This chest is awarded to you IMMEDIATELY after the match ends. This means, as soon as you are on the post-game score screen, that Loot Chest is already in your Loot Tab.
  2. Completing laps grant Rare Toy Event Chests. These chests are awarded to you once you open the Special Event tab and roll the die advancing you past the starting point.

I wanted to call this out because there is a chance this could just be a miscommunication in how those Common Loot Chests are awarded. Usually, what happens is the Common Chest is opened immediately post-game and then players open the Game Board, complete a lap, and are expecting 2 Loot Chests (one for com...

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Comment

Hey there Quazer!

We are currently aware of this issue and investigating the best way to go about fixing this. I understand this is an unfortunate bug that limits enjoyment of Storm League, but we hope with some patience, we can get this fixed in the best way to further prevent other bugs, or creating other problems with enjoying Storm League.

Comment

Hey KrazzoWLA,

Thanks for the reports! I’ll take some time to check these out today!

Huginncord


23 Jan

2019 was a year full of radical new approaches in Heroes—we experimented with our biggest Hero ever, Deathwing, a new slice of the Nexus’ lore in Qhira, and our very first Nexus Anomaly, Experience Globes, among others. We added game-changing Heroes to the roster—including Imperius and Anduin—and seasonal events offered quests and skins that allowed us to pummel our enemies in style. To top it off, we added both innovative and quality-of-life features to the game, including more accurate roles and descriptions, mastery rings, and the very first multi-hero mount.

Here’s a deeper look at some of our favorite moments from the year.

Hero Releases

Imperius

Starting the year off with a power move, the leader of the Angiris Council and Aspect of Valor Imperius arrived to purge darkness from the Nexus. Imperius valiantly led armies of the High Heavens against the forces of hell, and as a Bruiser, there’s no shaking his res...

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22 Jan

Heroes of the Storm has just been updated with Hero balance changes! Read on for details.


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General

  • Toys 2 Event
    • Toys 2 Event has been extended to April 7, 2020, PT....
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21 Jan

Comment

Hey Basara,

That’s because the baseline quest on Storm Bolt can actually get multiple stacks if the enemy Hero dies within 2.5 seconds of being hit. You can see that on the tooltip for Storm Bolt!


10 Jan

Comment

Hey Calcaz!

We get enough data, even with a massive ban rate. Of course, as more data comes in we’re more confident with where things sit, but we have always had enough data to make educated changes before the first balance patch after a new hero release. After the first balance patch, we always have an even more clear picture of where things stand since we have that much more time for data to come in.

Balance patch is looking good!

For Deathwing, more general nerfs across the board, particularly to Destroyer form. Also some Worldbreaker buffs and talent tuning.

Can’t confirm dates. Confirming dates is the path to the dark side.


09 Jan

Comment

On my computer right now it’s fixed. I don’t know what you’re talking about. :stuck_out_tongue:

Comment

We get enough data over time in draft modes to balance new heroes. Even Deathwing. :slight_smile:


06 Jan


27 Dec


23 Dec


20 Dec

“It almost seemed like some people were more excited about the train mount than about Deathwing.”

Veteran Hero Designer Kyle Dates leans back in his chair and a bright-eyed smile flashes across his face. We’ve just asked him to recount how Heroes of the Storm’s first multi-Hero mount came to be, and it’s clear he has a story to share about this little engine thatalmost didn’t.

When the team first showed off the mount at BlizzCon, Dates explains, “everyone just kind of assumed it [linking up your train cars] would be automatic.” Though, as he knew, this was not currently the case. “At the time they didn’t connect,” says Dates, “and there was no intention for them to connect.” The only way to form a train was to organize your buddies and have everyone meticulously control their character in line. Sure, you could make it work, but players wanted more.

bcontrainpanel.jpg...

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