Patch 3.0.0 Changelog

Version 3.0.0

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== General ==

- Forest of Caldavar revamped
* The Forests of Caldavar map has received a complete overhaul in terms of its appearance and layout. The environment is now more dynamic and includes stunning new aesthetics, tower designs, fountains, buildings and more!

- Added a new major feature: AI Bots
* AI-controlled Bots are now available as an integral part of the Heroes of Newerth experience!
* You can now challenge the following Bots in Matchmaking or in a custom game with friends or by yourself
* Arachna Bot
* Chronos Bot
* Defiler Bot
* Demented Shaman Bot
* Flint Beastwood Bot
* Forsaken Archer Bot
* Glacius Bot
* Hammerstorm Bot
* Magmus Bot
* Predator Bot
* Witch Slayer Bot
* Amun-Ra Bot - by community member St0l3n_ID
* More to come in the future!

- Matchmaking significantly improved and updated
* Revamped the Matchmaking screen to be clearer, cleaner, and much easier to use!
* You can now play with Bots, either alone or with friends!

- Tutorial reworked into the new Walkthrough
* The game's Walkthrough has been completely revamped with an in-depth guide to better prepare first time players for the world of Heroes of Newerth
* The new Walkthrough will also include Bots so that beginners can test and develop their skills before venturing into more competitive play

- Herodex reworked into the new Learnatorium
* This new feature will provide players with a series of videos that reinforce and explain in great detail some of the game's basic and more complex concepts and techniques
* This is where you can find all information on Heroes, which includes the following:
* Hero Guides: One of the key features of the 3.0 update is the inclusion of lore within the world of HoN. Discover the story behind your favorite heroes as each one has a unique tale concerning their involvement in Newerth.
* Alt Avatars
* Hero Usage Graphs and Stats
* Learning Videos
* Hero Spotlights
* Developer Blogs
* New Walkthrough

- Casual Mode reworked
* Hero kills are worth more or less based on the Hero's GPM relative to the average GPM of the game
* Slightly increase passive gold per minute
* Average creep gold mechanic is now in Casual Mode
* Casual mode stats are now completely hidden from everyone besides yourself
* 4 man concede vote changed from 30 minutes to 25 minutes

- Report-A-Player has been updated to version 3.0
* RAP 3.0, an all new Report-A-Player system, gives the community the power to clean up and police itself while impacting the behavior of negative players
* Anyone can now report regardless of account status
* Reporting can be done from in-game chat, Ally portraits, Scoreboard, or end game screen
* Can now report players in Midwars
* Coin deposit for reporting has been removed
* Wait timer for reporting after a match has been removed
* Report-A-Player button removed from top toolbar
* Redesigned Report Interface

- New Mute Suspension
* If someone is suspended for Chat Abuse they will be restricted from using any chat or voice in a match until after their suspension has been served
* This is in addition to the normal account suspensions, not replacing it

- New Referral System
* Players can recruit friends for in-game currency and other tangible prizes!
* You can now set your referrer by name when creating account OR when playing as a new or inactive friend
* You will be prompted to select people you queued with as a referrer to receive coins!
* You can click on an inactive friend in the friends list to send an email to bring them back to HoN
* The referral info page in the Options menu has been completely redone from the ground up
* The new Referral system is both in-game and on the website!

- Kick vote has been removed
* You can still kick players who have been tagged as AFK
* AFK kick vote will now only require 2 Yes votes

- 30 Heroes have had their base models redone
* These heroes now look better than ever as they have been redesigned with spectacular high definition graphics!
* Accursed
* Andromeda
* Blood Hunter
* Deadwood
* Defiler
* Devourer
* Glacius
* Keeper of the Forest
* Legionnaire
* Madman
* Magebane
* Martyr
* Moon Queen
* Night Hound
* Ophelia
* Pebbles
* Pharaoh
* Puppet Master
* Sand Wraith
* Scout
* Slither
* Soulstealer
* Succubus
* Swiftblade
* Tempest
* The Dark Lady
* Torturer
* Valkyrie
* War Beast
* Wildsoul

- New in-game chat system
* You can now customize what you see for your in-game chat, such as only team chat, all chat, or friend-only chat
* Default is team-only chat
* Each tab can be customized by right clicking on it while holding Z

- The Message of the Day has been totally redesigned
* The MotD now features the latest news, patch notes, eSports updates, and new heroes and lore!

- Notifications have been reworked
* Easier to find and read
* Friend requests no longer get lost in the void and are shown separately
* The default options have been improved for less intrusive gameplay
* Added a search feature to find past Notifications

- Friends list has been reworked
* Now contains custom friend groups
* Can sort by several different parameters
* Easily Minimize/Maximize groups individually
* Search your friends or add more easily!
* Added a new "Recently Played With" area

- Public Games renamed to Hosted Games
* Updated and streamlined significantly
* Now supports different difficulties of Bots
* Easier than ever to find the matches you're looking for so you can start playing!

- The Options menu has been reworked and is easier to navigate
* New "Troubleshooting" section
* Options are explained much more clearly
* Graphics settings now have a preview window
* Added a Search feature to find any option quickly

- Out of Game chat rewritten and performance improvements
- Player colors in Matchmaking games are now randomly assigned, besides Blue and Pink


== New Content ==

- Added new Scout Ultimate Avatar: Cyber Scout preview
* A brave Scout nearly died fighting Pestilence. Now he is remade as the ultimate stealth assassin RXR9--enhance his weapons and armor in-game to become a last-hit master!
* Releases 1/31/2013

- Added new Blitz Alt Avatar: Quaterback Blitz preview
* With crazy legs and a rifle arm, Quarterback Blitz tears up the turf and will not be denied the winning score--or the ensuing celebration dance. You must protect this house!
* Releases 2/1/2013

- Added new Tremble Alt Avatar: Groundhog Tremble preview
* This Groundhog Tremble fears no man, beast, or daemon! But every time he and his pet Boris emerge from the tunnels, that cursed shadow is waiting for him. Get it Boris!
* Releases 2/1/2013

- Added new Sand Wraith Alt Avatar: Shadow Wraith preview
* When a hero cheats Death for too long, Death leaves the job to the Shadow Wraiths, the most ruthless soul repo men in Newerth. You can run, but you'll only die tired.
* Releases 2/6/2013

- Added new Witch Slayer Alt Avatar: Hope preview
* The Sisterhood of Sol exists to destroy evil and headstrong Hope is their Champion, entrusted with the order's lethal artifacts and a fragment from Sol himself as he ascended to godhood. She lifts.
* This Avatar is exclusive and only available through the New Referral System

- Added new Announcer Pack: Thai preview
- Added new Announcer Pack: Thai (English)
* We are very happy to add the new Thai language announcer pack! Good luck!
* Releases 2/4/2013

HON 3.0 Dev Blog - Bots

Cyber Scout - No Item Effect

HON 3.0 Dev Blog - Video Series

MuFC TteSports Disbanded, but PixieBaby is not giving up yet!

It seems that one of the strongest team in Garena SEA competitive scene, MuFC TteSports, lead by `kiDDo, had been disbanded after the TMHNC finals. But none of us knew the actual reason behind it. This was the message they left for their fans and supporters before MuFC was disbanded.

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We are so sorry that we are going to release our HoN team. The reason is merely because some of us have to focus on our personal lives and can no longer commit to our full-time gaming career.

Thank you for everyone's support all these while.

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Both `kiDDo and Nick_Oks joined Orange Esports Malaysia. It seems that right now `kiDDo is in Orange's main roaster since XXF_ left HoN and joined LoL.

So PixieBaby, previously from MuFC, but in Team Eclipse right now, shares with us some of her insights. 

More about HoN 3.0

My first experiences in the MOBA genre went something like this: "What do you mean last-hitting and how come these towers keep shooting me? I'm a hero, for freak's sake!" to which my teammate would respond, "Quit feeding and die in a fire." It was a confusing and tumultuous time. Thankfully, the genre has taken a turn for the better, adding more in-depth tutorials, bot matches, and various other aids to help new players transition into the game and beef up the competitive numbers.

Heroes of Newerth is no exception. S2 Games is preparing to globally launch (yes, everywhere at the same time) patch 3.0 on January 31st, 2013, and it will include a lane full of visual enhancements, bots with customizable AI, and a stronger emphasis on teaching new players the ropes.

Could HoN establish itself as the MOBA for new players of the genre? We trekked to a demo in San Francisco last week to find out.

Possibly the most important additions to HoN are focused on improving the new player experience. Bot matches will now be available for casual play, a huge relief to seasoned noobs like yours truly. A popular feature in the hit League of Legends, bot matches have brought a whole new community of casual players to MOBAs because facing the AI is one of the easiest and least terrifying ways to learn about the basics of classic 5v5 MOBA gameplay.

"We've completely revamped the new player experience, not only by adding bots but by making a whole new walkthrough system that teaches players how to play the game by matching them against bots," said Ryan McDaniel, Lead Content Manager for S2 Games. "The walkthrough gets people into playing HoN much faster than the old tutorial."

Upon completing the walkthrough, players will gain access to the new Learnitorium. This in-game feature acts as an archive for videos, tutorials, and Hero decks and information.

"Some of our balance designers have been working on new video series to help teach basics of MOBA gameplay, and eventually, we'll expand to more advanced tactics," says director of operations Nathan Garcia.

HoN 3.0 New Website Look