So, getting back into some multiplayer stuffs lately, after the "ZOMG GOTTA TEST TLF!!! MUST....STOP....BUGS!!!" frenzy is now over. Though, maybe not the best time to focus on this, with the #)%&-ing weather not choosing a damn theme and sticking with it (agh the pain).
But, started messing around with Strife some more.... just bot matches for now, I prefer to know alot more than I do before I jump into normal matches, not to mention try a bunch of different characters. I'd like to not be a TOTAL liability to teams that I end up on, after all.
Ahh, this one really is fun so far though. I love the combat, it's chaotic and exciting. Definitely no qualms there. Most things are easy enough to understand, even if I havent the foggiest clue what most of the items do... gonna take awhile for me to get any of that memorized, always does in any sort of game, really.
The lack of last-hitting obsession definitely helps alot. I find myself still ending up doing plenty of it, way more than I do in Dawngate, but it's not hyper-aggravating in this one, and I can use spells to help it along.... the fact that Dota doesnt really let me do that is one of the things that bugged me the most. Laning phase is good too, alot of back-and-forth harassment going on, I always like that aspect.
I also notice that the bots will, you know, DO stuff. As opposed to clumping into a big permanent heap, and just wandering randomly that way, which seems to be a common theme in bot practice modes for this genre. Even just doing the bot matches for now is fun and challenging, so that helps alot. Granted, there was one moment where the team was concentrating on taking down that boss thing to summon Gigantor or whatever his name is, and then they all suddenly decided "OK, DONE NOW" and left me there (I finished the damn thing off with like ONE health point left), but other than that nothing overly derpy has occurred yet in practice, so I'm not yelling at the screen as much as I usually do when dealing with bot practice in a multiplayer game.
Much to learn yet of course, but it's good. Definitely good.
Though there is the ever-persistent problem of having to really watch how much time I spend using the blasted mouse, lest my arm flare up, which is at it's worst during this season (argh). But it's proving very enjoyable either way.
Here's hoping people will actually be willing to TRY this one first, instead of just bashing it because it's "dumbed down", or some gibberish like that. I think it's really got all of the necessary bits of moba-ness working well and has enough complexity in it's own right.
I'm guessing it's still gonna be awhile before release though, but I look forward to seeing how this one evolves.