The latest of Riot Games’ countless departures from MOBAs is a fighting game they’re calling LOTS project. Over the weekend, Riot Games posted a video that gives a fresh look at the game and explains how they plan to make it accessible to a wider audience by simplifying the controls. They have yet to announce a release date, but it looks promising.
A few glimpses of Project L we’ve had in the past looks similar to Street Fighter DRAW. It has a big focus on controlling distance on the ground, and many of the special attacks we’ve seen are designed around interrupting players as they’re approaching. This is a very punitive style of play for newbies, as it has very little feedback on exactly why you get hit. It’s not clear exactly how to improve with each loss.
However, Project L is now completely different. It seems much faster and has become what Riot calls “a support-based gladiator.” Similar to Marvel Vs. Capcom or Skullgirls, you choose a team of two characters and fight while controlling only one character at a time. You can also switch characters between combos, as well as call on your teammates to support attacks during gameplay.
In the new video, executive producer Tom Cannon talks about the game’s focus on accessibility: “It’s not about building a game where new players have the opportunity to become pro, but about opening fun locks at all skill levels.” They took an “easy to learn, hard to master” approach by simplifying the inputs required for the moves. No depth has been removed, just the inputs themselves have been streamlined.
Plus, Riot Games’ netcode recovery commitment reduces latency over wider distances than latency-based netcode. This means all players will have access to a wider pool to compete against, which is especially helpful for new players trying to find opponents of equal skill online.
Normally, the increase in difficulty between certain ranks is amazing in fighting games, but choosing more players to fight will help ease this transition. And if there’s anyone who understands how to introduce new players to fighting games, it’s the co-founders of EVO.
As to when the game will end, Tom Cannon explains in a blog post that this is just a ‘vertical slice’ to give the impression the game is done and that they “still have a lot of work ahead of us.” He said don’t expect it in 2021 or 2022.
Project L reminds me of Thunder is rising, the fighting game that the Cannons and their team worked on before Riot bought the studio. Like Project L, it aims to lower the barrier to entry without reducing depth. Riot’s purchase ended Rising Thunder’s development, but the team did then released their final internal version free of charge.
While mechanical difficulty can be gratifying on its own (who doesn’t love pressing buttons?), it’s hard to ignore how big of a barrier it is for new players. I’ve played a lot of fighting games and in my experience the main reason they die is the lack of newer players joining the community. When new players join, everyone wins.
I want everyone who wants to appreciate these games to be able to. There’s a reason why I still play Acrobatic than other fighting games. It is thinking through your opponents that has attracted many players to this genre. If Riot finds a way to put this kind of gratification behind simplified inputs, they’ve just solved a decades-old problem.
