Smite: Finally a MOBA I can enjoy.

[Zhukov]

Smite is a fun little game that I've been playing for about a year now and I thought I'd post about it here in order to (a) see if there's anyone around here to chat about it with and (b) spread the word.

Those of you who haven't played it, you may remember it as the game that was making some Hindus grumpy a while back.

In many ways it's a very typical MOBA. The standard game mode has your 5v5 with your three lanes, your towers, your minions waves, your jungle, your buff camps and so on. You earn gold, buy items and consumables, level up your three abilities and your ultimate.

The difference is in two aspects.
a) The game is played entirely from third person using WASD+Mouse controls. For someone like me who likes the idea of MOBAs but hates RTS style controls, this is a godsend.
b) Pretty much everything is a "skillshot". All basic attacks, both ranged and melee, and the vast majority of abilities. This adds an element of precision and accuracy on top of the standard tactical shenanigans.

Spoiler: This is a video from a good player showing a fairly typical ranked match.

This is a video from a good player showing a fairly typical high level ranked match.

The characters all go by the theme of ancient gods. The usual Norse, Greek, Roman (same thing really) and Egyptian suspects put in an appearance, as well as some lesser known individuals of Mayan, Hindu and Chinese heritage. Not terribly imaginative in my opinion, but it works.

The community/player base is... well, it's a MOBA. It still suffers from the reliance on other people's performance. Losing is as frustrating as elsewhere. So if you screw up your team might let you know about it. Even if you don't screw up, they might blame their failures on you anyway. But people are okay for the most part. The toxicity factor is nowhere near League of Legends level and I'm yet to see someone say, "Mid or feed".

The game is free to play, so there's no risk in trying it out. There's no pay-to-win elements. All the characters can be unlocked with currency earned in game, although it'll take some grinding. The only things that are restricted to real money purchases are purely cosmetic. You can also fork over about $50, about the price of a normal full game, to instantly unlock all 40 or so characters, but even that won't get you the cosmetic stuff (which I think is a bit BS, but oh well).

So yeah, if you like the idea of a third person MOBA or you're just after a new MOBA, I'd recommend checking it out.

Umm... discussion value for anyone who plays the game... favourite god and role? Personally I'm all about the Athena support tank. Fantastic mobility, good peel and control, decent damage, can body block like a champ. Great bodyguard type character.

 

[shrekfan246]

So yeah, if you like the idea of a third person MOBA or you're just after a new MOBA, I'd recommend checking it out.

I wonder if it'll have better luck than Super Monday Night Combat.

That said, I watched a video on it the other day and it seems like the variety of game modes would keep it more interesting to me than LoL and I do like the idea of the third-person action-RPG gameplay, though it would still have to get over the bridge of my bias against competitive games and my internet connection can be pretty dire most of the time, causing a lot of lag at the worst times.

While I understand that half of the appeal of those types of games is the competitive nature of playing with and against other people and I can appreciate the difficulty in scripting AI that would be up to a reasonable standard, I still wish that there would be a good single-player addition to the genre. Oh well.

 

[RJ 17]

I've often thought about checking this game out...sadly I just don't have much time at all these days to enjoy gaming, and what time I do have is spent working through my backlog. Still, it looks fun and it has one of my favorite Romance of the Three Kingdom's characters fulfilling his role as a "God of War": Guan Yu. :3

That said, I've seen numerous videos on the game, and they all seem to suggest that Thor is OP as all hell.

 

[Zhukov]

While I understand that half of the appeal of those types of games is the competitive nature of playing with and against other people and I can appreciate the difficulty in scripting AI that would be up to a reasonable standard, I still wish that there would be a good single-player addition to the genre. Oh well.

Multiplayer is basically where I go for challenge based gameplay.

Single player AI is never going to get close to the kind of challenge that is provided by playing against real, ostensibly intelligent people, at least not within my lifetime.

That said, I've seen numerous videos on the game, and they all seem to suggest that Thor is OP as all hell.

Thor OP? Nah. He's just versatile and mobile. Requires a bit of skill to play him well.

Intelligently applied CC shuts him down like nobody's business.

 

[TheMigrantSoldier]

I've kind of grown fond of Smite and League of Legends. I prefer League because I tend to be a horrible shot with ranged classes in Smite.

 

[gibboss28]

While I understand that half of the appeal of those types of games is the competitive nature of playing with and against other people and I can appreciate the difficulty in scripting AI that would be up to a reasonable standard, I still wish that there would be a good single-player addition to the genre. Oh well.

Multiplayer is basically where I go for challenge based gameplay.

Single player AI is never going to get close to the kind of challenge that is provided by playing against real, ostensibly intelligent people, at least not within my lifetime.

That said, I've seen numerous videos on the game, and they all seem to suggest that Thor is OP as all hell.

Thor OP? Nah. He's just versatile and mobile. Requires a bit of skill to play him well.

Intelligently applied CC shuts him down like nobody's business.

Ymir for the win on that one!

But I have to agree, Smites the only Moba i've enjoyed too, but still its a moba so I don't really play it that much. Fun times though. My favorite hero in that game has to be Freya.

 

[Zeterai]

Been playing it for a while. Rather enjoy it. Focus mainly on Athena at the moment, one of the better tanks.

It's not quite a third person shooter, and it's not quite a full on MOBA as the industry generally views them. Your attacks are only on a horizontal plane, so the only thing you have to compensate for on a ranged deity is projectile speed; one can jump, but it has no functional purpose, and you cannot aim up or down. The selection of deities is nice, but they haven't quite gotten a firm grasp of balance yet. Some can easily run rampant, while others (i.e., Hades) are pretty much outclassed by everyone else in their role.

I find that in comparison to other MOBAs, the game hasn't got as much swing potential. Once you establish a lead over the other team, the game quickly spirals out of control and they lose any significant chance at gaining momentum back. Domination and Arena sort of avoid this to a degree, but the main Conquest mode makes it difficult to recover unless you win a particularly decisive battle at a key point.

 

[LetalisK]

Not top-down view? Check.
Skillshots? Check.
Ridiculously under-dressed smoking hot goddesses? Check.

Alright, I'm in. Downloading the client now. Who's a good beginner character, particularly of the ranged variety?

 

[josemlopes]

I liked Super Monday Night Combat and at least that one went even farther away from the typical MOBA gameplay mixing it with something closer to TF2.

 

[RedDeadFred]

I tried it a while back. It was enjoyable and I've always thought about putting more time into it but I don't know if it'd be worth it seeing as what these devs did with Tribes: Ascend. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see them abandoning this game within a year's time.

 

[InfinityX]

I wonder if it'll have better luck than Super Monday Night Combat.

That said, I watched a video on it the other day and it seems like the variety of game modes would keep it more interesting to me than LoL and I do like the idea of the third-person action-RPG gameplay, though it would still have to get over the bridge of my bias against competitive games and my internet connection can be pretty dire most of the time, causing a lot of lag at the worst times.

While I understand that half of the appeal of those types of games is the competitive nature of playing with and against other people and I can appreciate the difficulty in scripting AI that would be up to a reasonable standard, I still wish that there would be a good single-player addition to the genre. Oh well.

This is pretty much my thoughts as well, The game play looks like fun, but it still has that strong competitive MOBA feel. Not a fan myself of the competitive community (both good and bad). Maybe If I had a group of 5 or 10 people to play with, it could be really fun.

Maybe if they had a cool new game-mode MOBA twist, not just action combat, I would be more interested.

[Oh yea, and SMNC was a cool game, too bad the price of everything was high]

 

[InfinityX]

I tried it a while back. It was enjoyable and I've always thought about putting more time into it but I don't know if it'd be worth it seeing as what these devs did with Tribes: Ascend. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see them abandoning this game within a year's time.

oh man, its the same guys? I really enjoyed Tribes:Ascend too. I would rather put money into Tribes (SHOULD they change their minds and work on it) then SMITE.

 

[Candidus]

I tried to play this game, but I really hated it. No deep reasons; it was as simple as how weightless everything is. Movement equals an agile sort of 'drift' with a walking animation on top of it. Characters feel like mario-karts that have gone off the track... I hated this so much that I was always going to quit.

Having said that, I found the underlying concept of a 3rd person moba interesting and would try another if it were made differently.

 

[Zhukov]

Who's a good beginner character, particularly of the ranged variety?

For ranged physical ("carry") I'd suggest Neith. She has good control, decent push, good sustain, a great escape and an almost-global ultimate.

For ranged magical ("mage"), umm... Ra, Agni or Zhong Kui. They're all pretty safe and straight forward while also being powerful.

I'm not sure which of them will be available to you though. To begin with, you get ten gods to choose from, five that are always free and five that rotate every week or two.

 

[SlaveNumber23]

I love playing a couple of games of Smite as sort of a cooldown from playing Dota 2, its a lot more friendly, laid back and easy to get into and I find it quite relaxing especially in comparison to Dota 2. Smite is what I feel League of Legends should have been, its a more casual and relaxed approach to the genre and the gameplay differentiates a lot from the source material to make it really feel like a different game, as opposed to League of Legends which winds up feeling like I'm playing a watered down Dota. Smite on the other hand feels unique in its own right, as a completely different experience.

My favourite gods to play are Arachne, Hades and Freya, but I build Hades as a beefy mage, stacking health and magic power (thats what its called in Smite, right?) as opposed to a tank. My favourite kind of role to play is a highly mobile assassin sort of thing.

 

[RaikuFA]

Love to see mythological deities duking it out but I fucking hate MOBA's. I hate their communities. I hate how they punish you for losing by making you wait longer after each time you're killed. I hate how unfriendly it is to newcomers. I hate how you're forced to sit at the base because your teammates called all 3 lanes to solo.

I've said this about basketball and fighters and I will say it about MOBA's. If I had a time machine, I would go back in time and make sure all 3 were never created.

 

[Zhukov]

My favourite kind of role to play is a highly mobile assassin sort of thing.

Heh. I'm the complete opposite. Assassins are the only class I really can't play. Being squishy and close ranged is a death sentence for me. I either need to be a skittish ranged character who hops around the edge of the fight or a tanky character who can take an ultimate to the face and laugh.

I hate how they punish you for losing by making you wait longer after each time you're killed.

That doesn't happen in Smite. Respawn times are based on your level when you died.

It's a necessary balance mechanic. Long respawns early on would mean a single early death would cripple you for the rest of the game. Short respawns later on would mean the match would never end.

I hate how you're forced to sit at the base because your teammates called all 3 lanes to solo.

Never happens in Smite. Ever.

Current standard team comp is two solo lanes, a duo lane and a jungler.

I hate their communities. I hate how unfriendly it is to newcomers.

Those two I'll grant you.

I've said this about basketball and fighters and I will say it about MOBA's. If I had a time machine, I would go back in time and make sure all 3 were never created.

Which would be rather unfair on those of us who happen to enjoy one or more of those things. Wishing to deprive others of their fun because you couldn't hack it. Huh.

 

[Smertnik]

Meh. The game mostly feels like LoL with shoulder camera. Same mechanics, same kinds of abilities, same boring items, same business model. Not really a fan of the art style, either. That being said, I'd probably recommend it to someone who enjoys the way LoL does things.

I hate how unfriendly it is to newcomers.

It's really not, otherwise the genre would hardly be that popular. As long as you've skimmed through a general guide beforehand you're good to go. There's of course the relatively high information floor but most games offer ways to eliminate or diminish it in some ways, at least in the beginning.

I've said this about basketball and fighters and I will say it about MOBA's. If I had a time machine, I would go back in time and make sure all 3 were never created.

Seriously? You want something to stop existing just because you don't enjoy it? Who exactly forces you to play these games, Mr Grinch?

 

[WoW Killer]

One of my most played games of last year. I should probably give it another try; I wasn't too fond of the jungle changes they put in, but that might have been teething problems. It was bonkers at first, like both side lanes being 2v1 as standard, which was bloody boring for everyone involved, and the jungle role was so strong that a 1-1-1 with two junglers was actually a thing. So I just fooled around in Assault mode after the changes came in and stopped playing shortly after that. Still sad to see the 2-1-2 meta go, but yeah, I'll have to give it another try.

I've always liked the overall direction a lot. The skill emphasis makes it both easier to learn and harder to master. There's masses of depth in high level games, while the low level matches being more casual and noob friendly is also a great big plus. Plenty to be gained from a game being deep, but there's no real positive in a game being so hard to get into. That's something I think more MOBA devs need to learn.

Alright, I'm in. Downloading the client now. Who's a good beginner character, particularly of the ranged variety?

There's probably a lot changed since I last played (bound to be tons of new gods), but I agree Neith is a solid choice. You can use her backflip to set up a weave before a minion wave hits, then detonate it with her 1 for double damage to the whole lot while they're still in a line; easy wave clear from a very early level. She also tends to teach beginners some good habits, as her ultimate relies on map awareness. For mages, try Anubis; he's notoriously easy to play.


Small tip that works wonders for your win rate in the lower levels: get comfortable with at least one god of each role, and make your pick based on the team. If you get a team that wants to insta-lock four physicals, get yourself a mage. No support? Guess you're playing support this match. The bruiser types like Odin and Thor are good choices to learn because they can fill multiple roles.