PATHofSEASONS

CONTENTS

Introduction.............................................1Splash Art Mechanics................................4American Remakes....................................5Chinese Substitutes...................................12Sources......................................................19

Ezreal using his ability; Trueshot Barrage

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Free to play computer games are becoming more and more prevalent amongst the online gaming circuit. Free to play games make their money by allowing players to play the game for free, but charge for additional items or characters. Typically internet games run around fifty to sixty dollars a pop give or take. Free to play games however have fairly steap upgrade prices to make up for the price difference. Your average player will more than likely spend around the same amount of money on a free to play as a regular title. I personally have been playing League of Legends for two years and have spent around seventy dollars total. I know other friends who have spent several hundred dollars over the years. Just to give you an idea, if you bought every single addition that League of Legends offers you would spend well around 10,000 dollars. League of Legends is rendered in a style known as cell shaded (a cartoonish graphic style where the characters are outlined in a black line). The cell shaded style is very popular among a lot of Asian style productions. It allows for the player to not care as much about the graphics and pay attention more to the querky, exaggerated style. This style also allows for a fluidity of gameplay, where a players character does not get lost on the visual terrain. League of Legends is based off of the popular WarCraft series in almost every way possible. The game was derived from a popular map and gametype that Steve Feak (AKA Guinsoo) created called Dota (Deffense of the Ancients), and became the most played modified map on WarCraft 3. Because of visual and technical limitations WarCraft 3 had, Dota was soon stifled in its expansion for players. Guinsoo and a group of others decided to recreate the Dota gametype in a new game. This game unlike Warcraft 3, could impliment all of the alterations needed to enhance Dota and make it as good as it could be. This game was called League of Legends.

Warcraft 3 ( fig 1 ) League of Legends ( fig 2 )

Clothing was over exaggerated.

Feet were entirely too big.

Body proportions are more accurate.

Realistic skin tone and structure.

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League of Legends is divided into seasons (once a year). With every season comes new updates and modifications to the game. Since season 2 there have been character model visual upgrades and environment upgrades. The game is still cell shaded, but has been greatly enhanced. When a seperate game developing group decided to release Dota 2 it pressured League of Legends artwork. Unlike League of Legends, Dota 2 is much more realistic looking and uses common proportions for characters, unlike it’s original format. In order to keep its dominance Online, League of Legends was forced to create new characters models that could compete with Dota 2 so League of Legends wouldn’t receive a child-like reputation. Below is a comparison of Twisted fate from season 1 (left) and his upgraded counter-part from season 2 (right.)

After a few characters received remodeling, Riot games decided that they needed to also enhance the map of League of Legends to further tie the new characters to the existing world and enhance the game play. Below is an example of the original and upgraded map visuals from season one to two.

New Map ( fig 5 )

Old Map ( fig 4 )

Along with the game visually looking better, the character selection artwork (better known as splash art) needed to be improved because it was lacking comparatively. The original splash art for characters not only went along with the cartoon-ish style of the game but it was also issued with less demand from the artists. A lot of the extra character costumes were also less complicated and original and mainly consisted of character color changes instead of full makeovers. For a game that was becoming mainstream, the artwork didn’t cut it. As new characters over this past second season were released the artists and splash art were improved. It was the last piece of the puzzle to redefine League of Legends’ new appearance. Because all the new characters were receiving

better treatment, the old ones needed to be addressed.Below is an example of where is the splash art can be seen in the game. When one selects a champion of choice at the champion select menu; statistics of that champion as well as the current splash art for that champion are displayed. The champions icon is signified by a smaller slice of the larger splash art which highlights their facial region.

Champion icon Champion statistics

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Champion Select Menu ( fig 6 )

Champion Menu with Splash Art ( fig 7 )

New Map ( fig 5 )

Old Map ( fig 4 )

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The new splash art direction is divided into two categories with stray from the original; American Remakes and Chinese Substitutes. The original American splash art is typical in most English speaking nations and is the precurser splash. The early American artwork either consisted of character three-dimensional visuals from the game or rendered relatively close to those models. A lot of the original splash art took on this easy transition from Warcraft 3, where the art was somewhat joke like. But as the game visuals increased this style didn’t differentiate from the in game graphics much and started lacking. The artwork also needed to keep up with better rendered competitive games and make players excited about the champions they pick. The American remakes are based off of a loser rendition of the original with more detail and applied style. They don’t all necessarily look exactly the same stylistically but they all have a clean, rather proportional approach. All of these works are much more heavily rendered than the previous originals, and show more complex environments as well as character shading and color. The Chinese substitutes are based off of a Anime (Japanese cartoon art style.) The are often done with more detail as the American remakes except they have common proportion twists or an Anime approach. These works are the original splash that Chinese artists placed with their champions in the Asian eddition of the game. For the most part these works are taken from Asia because they are more highly renedered than the American orginals as well and offer a different stylistic twist for League of Legends. This mix of American and Chinese splash art has made for an intereting game stylistically. Chinese artwork wasn’t placed in the American server until season two when there was a huge hall of splash art being replaced. Many League of Legends fans dislike the Chinese addition because it makes the game inconsistent. They feel the Chinese splash art simply does not fit nor compliment the American art. Others argue that it makes the game more diverse and allows for the ultimate global experience with both sides of the

world contributing towards game development. Either way you look at the splash art issue, the new American and Chinese art does truly enhance the experience of the game.

AMERICAN REMAKES

Ezreal using his ability; Trueshot Barrage

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Ashe, the Frost Archer; American Original( fig 8 )

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Ashe, the Frost Archer; American Remake ( fig 9 )

Ashe, the Frost Archer; American Original( fig 8 )

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Gangplank, the Saltwater Scourge; American Original ( fig 10 )

Gangplank, the Saltwater Scourge; American Remake ( fig 11 )

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Corki, the Daring Bombardier; American Original ( fig 12 )

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Corki, the Daring Bombardier; American Remake ( fig 13 )

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CHINESE REMAKES

Pantheon using his ability: Grand Skyfall

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Alistar, the Minotaur; American Original ( fig 14 )

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Alistar, the Minotaur; Chinese Remake ( fig 15 )

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Ezreal, the Prodigal Explorer; American Original ( fig 16 )

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Ezreal, the Prodigal Explorer; Chinese Remake ( fig 17 )

Ryze, the Rogue Mage; American Original (fig 18 )

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Ryze, the Rogue Mage; Chinese Remake ( fig 19 )

Varus using his ability: Chain of Corruption

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SOURCES

Opening and closing full spread photographs: Riot Games, www.facebook.com/leagueoglegends

fig 2: Slushe, Riot Games, http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t5Dub1oZvzg/T7IIq0TV-JSI/AAAAAAAACl8/SNvaTEs3emY/s1600/ashe.jpg

fig 3: xenitaph, Riot Games, http://justduet.tumblr.com/post/32838468448

fig 4: imgur, Riot Games, http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/05/15/league-of-leg-ends-adds-adorable-new-shopkeeper-in-summoners-rift-graphics-update/

fig 5: Josh Augustine, PC Gamer, Riot Games, http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/05/15/league-of-legends-adds-adorable-new-shopkeeper-in-summon-ers-rift-graphics-update/

fig 6: Chad, thegamerreviewcorner, Riot Games, http://thegamereviewspot.blogspot.com/2010/10/league-of-legends.html

fig 8: Caveth’s Cave, Riot Games, http://carterbalesgames.blogspot.com/2012/05/league-of-legends-52-screenshots-of.html

fig 9: Neeks Namen, Riot Games, http://na.leagueoflegends.com/board/show-thread.php?t=2143892

fig 10: lolwp.com, Riot Games, http://lolwp.com/gangplank/pirate_splash_0/

fig 11: lolwp.com, Riot Games, http://lolwp.com/gangplank/gangplank_splash_0/

fig 12: lolsplashart.com, Riot Games, http://lolsplashart.blogspot.

com/2011/08/corki.htmlfig 13: Hippalus, Riot Games, http://na.leagueoflegends.com/board/showthread.php?t=2743518

fig 14: lolsplashart.com, Riot Games, http://lolsplashart.blogspot.com/2011/08/alistair_19.html

fig 15: lolwp.com, Riot Games, http://lolwp.com/alistar/minotaur_splash_01/

fig 16: lolwallpaper.blogspot.com, Riot Games, http://lolwallpaper.blogspot.com/2010/08/ezreal-prodigal-explorer.html

fig 17: shadow178, Tumblr.com, Riot Games, http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/ezreal?before=1343444698

fig 18: lolwallpaper.blogspot.com, Riot Games, http://lolwallpaper.blogspot.com/2010/08/ryze-rogue-mage.html

fig 19: summonerlana, Tumblr.com, Riot Games, http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/splash-art?before=1344039061

# Any additional pictures or in game stills were taken by me using the League of Legends and Warcraft 3 game client.

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