Bugs are seemingly an inseparable part of any game, regardless of genre. They allow developers to see the flaws in their games and find ways to improve their products. That’s why most new games go through a testing phase for players to experience and identify bugs before they are officially released.
League of Legends is no exception; Riot Games’ number one game has always encountered bugs, and it has never been a perfect game. However, bugs should only be a concern up to a certain level. In this case, League of Legends is facing too many severe bugs, from gameplay changes, champion interactions to continual client crashes.
If this occurred for a short time, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but a series of game bugs have erupted since patch 9.14, from mid-July last year to now, with no sign that Riot will fix them. In fact, these bugs have even impacted professional matches, which is a major concern for an Esports game like League of Legends. Perhaps the most veteran players are envious of their opponent DOTA2, which has recorded very few severe bugs over the years.
I’m a long-time League of Legends player and I’m truly envious of you all (this post was published on the DOTA2 subreddit)
This isn’t a post to incite war like “I came from League, I only play DOTA”; I can use Google, you know.
Although I am a fan of League of Legends, I think it’s undeniable that DOTA2 is generally a better game. During my time playing, I have never encountered any game bugs at all. I’ve never been stuck on the loading screen, never been repeatedly kicked from the game, and my computer has never overheated to the point of crashing.
I’m sure DOTA2 has its own issues; if I played it as much as I do League, I would probably encounter some bugs. However, I think there’s no doubt that any such issues would be far less significant than those in League.
I just have a few questions. How on earth (which I can Google) do 30 employees maintain DOTA2 so smoothly, while a company with two dozen studios and thousands of employees worldwide is stuck with such basic issues? Are there any technical problems you face while playing DOTA2? Do those bugs recur with each patch, and how long does Valve take to fix them?
Sorry for rambling; I’m just tired and frustrated with League.
We cannot deny that League of Legends is the biggest Esports title in the world with a top player count, and the number of viewers at the World Championship is also outstanding… However, League of Legends itself is not a top-quality game. Riot excels in advertising, producing many music videos, but struggles with game development and balancing the characters appropriately.
Meanwhile, with DOTA2, it wasn’t until after TI 10 that Valve really started working on the tournament system. They also don’t have a massive marketing team, and cinematic videos are very rare, mostly created by players or third-party organizations. However, DOTA2 has very few game bugs; if there are any, they are extremely rare, and since the game doesn’t have a client like League, many of its issues have been completely eliminated by Valve.
There’s a quite accurate remark: “Valve makes games while Riot makes Esports,” and to reach a broad audience and attract many new players, Riot and League are clearly ahead of Valve. Meanwhile, DOTA2 can proudly claim that it has very few bugs and that the game is meticulously cared for in every detail.
Perhaps if asked which is more appealing, League of Legends or DOTA2, the answer would undoubtedly be League, but when it comes to which game is of better quality, DOTA2 seems to be the most accurate answer.