Spotlight On - Heroes of Newerth 2.0

Change is coming to Heroes of Newerth. Cut from the same cloth as Defense of the Ancients, a mod which was built for Warcraft III, this growing genre continues to evolve across several different games. Now, after spending a great deal of time listening to the community's feedback, developer S2 Games is finally ready to unveil HON version 2.0. This massive update addresses many of the most common complaints about the game, and it also adds plenty of new stuff.

For starters, easy mode has been scrapped. Its replacement, casual mode, addresses easy mode's shortcomings by emphasizing shorter games, more action, and less punishment for new players. First to go is the gold penalty for dying. In the past, when two players killed each other simultaneously, gold was essentially removed from the game. This is because neither side earned more for the kill than what they lost for dying (baring any additional gold revived for kill streaks or other bonuses). Casual mode shifts your focus from avoiding combat for fear of dying to busting heads and racking up kills.

You also earn more gold for just about everything in casual mode, including creep kills (the game's neutral monsters), destroying enemy towers, and (especially) getting assist kills. The increase to assist-kill gold reduces the drawbacks from kill stealing, while also awarding the support heroes their just desserts. The only thing that doesn't reward more gold is the passive gold tick; you still have to work to earn gold and can't simply rely on handouts anymore.

One of the biggest areas of change, however, is the experience curve. In easy mode, leveling your character was fast and furious. Characters hit max level so swiftly they often missed out on the unique nuances found in midlevel play. With the new experience curve, you still level fast early on, but that progression slows as the game progresses to reflect the normal game's pace, letting you experience all the stages of play.

Once you finish racking up kill streaks, winning matches, and, in general, stomping fools, you might find yourself with some extra goblin coins in your digital pocket. This new currency can be spent in the new in-game store on various cosmetic additions for yourself and your heroes. Specifically, the 2.0 update's alternate avatars will let you put those goblin coins to good use. These new skins do more than simply change the color of an existing character. Instead, they run the gamut from completely remodeling the hero with a new outfit, to adding new sounds, a new voice, a sex change, or some combination of the above.

New colors for your name in chat, player icons, and unique titles are all also available, but the most unique of the personal additions has to be the announcer packs. These packs modify the in-game announcer's voice to change both what he says and the text displayed onscreen. In one example, a more flamboyant announcer pack modified the standard triple-kill call to "It's a three way," complete with bubbly, multicolored text. These unique announcements are tied to your character, so when you do something awesome, the other players will know it.

In keeping with HON 2.0's mantra of a faster, more accessible game, a new three-vs.-three map is planned for release as well. This smaller map features two lanes of combat, similar to League of Legends' Twisted Treeline. However, it also offers no hiding spots for cowardly heroes and will force you to always be on your guard. If this new map isn't to your liking, however, a new map editor is at your disposal. The editor, which is the same one the developers use, lets you build custom maps and even game modes. These player-made creations can then be submitted to S2 Games and, if deemed worthy, will be passed on to the community for a vote on which one gets featured on the main page. Of course, if you want to skip all that, individual map files can always be sent directly to other players outside of the game.

Additional tweaks to the in-game UI to reduce onscreen clutter, a more informative minimap, and a matchmaking system that supports group play are all in the works as well. With so many new additions, HON players of all skill levels will have something to celebrate in this upcoming release. The update will go live in mid-December, just in time for the holidays.