https://itunes.apple.com/nz/app/bug-heroes-2/id720208088?mt=8 I dont know why, but the link on the first page OP never works for me either...
Stupid question, but I imagine this is more like the first one than Bug Heroes Quest in terms of more objective based than having a storyline? It is, after all, Bug Heroes 2 and not BHQ 2.
In the preview build, there is actually no narrative/hero backgrounds/lore snippets at all. Here's to the hope this will change.
Ok, time to repost a bit. These impressions of the game and hero analyses where originally posted in the Upcoming thread, but I am moving them here for easy of access. I’ll start with the elephant snail in the room: On IAP, progression and hero acquisition BH2 is uncommon in the regard that it actually offers two ways to unlock heroes through gameplay, and only one through IAP. The player earns diamonds through play, and these can be put either towards scrolls (passive modifiers which increase some stats, and lower others, altering the focus of the hero without disrupting balance), or towards unlocking specific heroes. As reported before, heroes go for either 100 or 150 diamonds, while Legendary Heroes will set you back 500 diamonds. At my current level, I can easily earn 5-10 in a single mission (plus bonuses for using particular heroes). This is not a multihour run in classic endless mode, but a goal-oriented match that takes perhaps 5-15 minutes. A good run of endless (such as the one that placed me second on the leaderboards whoops just happened to slip that in there not one to put meself forward fingers slipped forget me own head if it wasn't attached), yields 20+ diamonds. Gr3nad3 reported making 50 diamonds in one single endless run. That's one third a regular hero, and one tenth one of the legendaries which are probably intended as one of the primary sources of revenue for Foursaken. Diamonds can also be bought for 150 diamonds/dollar (more per dollar with more expensive packages), and as you can see, each such purchase will net you any non-legendary hero. The player also earns stars. These are put towards global upgrades that affect all heroes. However, at certain set intervals (7, 30, 100, etc), the player also unlocks a random hero (without actually spending any stars). Most of these 5-15 minute missions (possibly less or more) will get you 1-5 stars. But there are random bonuses (such as an extra star for using a specific hero) that can increase this number. End result? From my initial impression, this seems like one of the more generous and fair freemium models in contemporary gaming. Nothing is locked behind absolute paywalls, and the acquisition rate of content seems high. Indeed, the rate of hero unlocks is so well-paced that it is a constant motivation for me to play. Or would have been, had not the actual playing been so durned fun. The game itself I might be back later with a detailed comparison of BH1 and 2. But so far, it doesn't seem to me that any elements of player skill has been lost in the transition to fancy next-gen iOS gaming and online competitive play. The action is extremly fast-paced and frantic at higher rounds, and there is no doubt that player skill rules the day. Dodging projectiles (and some melee attacks) is notably harder than in BH1, which I don't mind at all, and the new camera modes force the player to choose between oversight and awareness, or detail and precision. For someone who has launched nearly every MOBA there is, and closed them down shortly thereafter because the lack of twitch skill in combat (Bloodline Champions, I'll never forget ye!), BH2 is the kind of digital dream that I would play with equal passion on a desktop computer as on my smartphone. The game is a near-perfect mesh of the strategy skill of the MOBAs (smart and carefully measured application of abilities, keeping a cool head in roaring and raging battle, hairpin positioning, hyper-effective levelling, correct choice of equipment, etc), and pure twitch combat talent (reflexes, precision, split-second decisions and eyeblink wits). I've been asking for a MOBA with more interesting and twitch-y combat, and lo and behold, my desires fulfilled by a smartphone game. Have at thee, desktop gaming! Strategy is both simplified and deeply expanded, with a emphasis on the latter. Heroes are, as explained by Foursaken, much more focused, and far less flexible. In a way, that means loss of depth and strategy (but not of fun). Base building is actually much the same (except for the creep-spawning turrets, and creep spawns in skirmish, but skirmish is a very different beast), with a nice selection of varied turrets, so neither plus nor minus there. However, overall gameplay is vastly expanded in scope and variety, with strategic locations and chokepoints to seize and hold and build turrets upon, mercenary camps from which to purchase allies, missions that appear even during endless play and must sometimes be finished to end the round, and a gargantuan selection of enemies with even more varied behaviour than in the fist game. This last consideration is a particular selling point for me: every single enemy has some special trait or ability, behavioural peculiarity or quirk. Some, such as the Fungal Druids, have no less than 4 active abilities of their own. I can't think of many games with such a huge and varied selection of enemies. Perhaps none. There is also the scrolls which, as mentioned, change the focus of a hero without unbalancing them against non-scrolled heroes. More damage at a cost of speed, greater survivability at the cost of a handsome face, etc. Oh, and there's also twice the number of heroes over the first game. And I would not be surprised if more will come. There is also skirmish mode, which allows players to spawn creeps and take down an enemy base. Together with all the strategic elements above, this mode creates yet another complex metalayer. The sum is that while there is less customization to each hero, and their scope has been narrowed drastically as compared to the first game, the different new layers and metagame, the new map elements, the hero selection, improved and expanded and even more twitch-y combat, expanded ability mechanics, enemy behaviour, new play modes, even the new camera modes all contribute to an experience which so far seems even more sophisticated and intricate than the original. Add up this diet of bugs, and this is what you get: Bug Heroes 2 will with little doubt be my primary go-to title for quick (and incredibly fun) action for a long, long time. For heavy action with strategic elements, it is unmatched. It will also take the top spot as my long-term grinding investment (next to some of the epic and near-endless massive iOS titles, such as FFT, WHQ and IB3, and Ravenmark: Mercenaries). I will refrain from purchasing heroes through IAP to retain longevity and something to work towards (I imagine unlocking the final legendary heroes months or years from now), and hope there will be other ways to throw money Foursaken’s way. It will also be the first competitive realtime/non-async multiplayer game I’ll invest time and (comparable) effort into, and struggle vainly to actually remain competitive at. I can already feel the bloodthirsty hordes of TAers frothing at the mouth for my leaderboard spot (whoops there we go again frightened yet Gr3nad3 question mark probably not since you have more than double my score etc), and look forward to finding the most unlikely hero, turret and strategy combinations to reach yet another round of endless. In simple terms? One of my favourite games of all times, and one of the most polished and thought-out products of modern gaming. I've already heard it referred to as the culmination of Foursaken's efforts, experience and talent. My sentiment is the opposite. I think it is the product that will make them truly relevant, their true entry product into gamemaking hall of fame, and the first step towards some truly astounding stuff... Some early and quite possibly erroneous suggestions and criticism You want some negative feedback as well, to balance my praise and keep my opinions credible? Of course. Do notice the similarities in length of the laudatory and critical passages. That's true journalism. * It would be rewarding to have a small chance to find scrolls in-game, or through some very rare missions. I currently keep all my diamonds as I work towards the next unlock, and purchasing a scrolls feels counter-intuitive. Or at least counter-fun Attaining the occasional, rare scrolls through gameplay alone would be a very nice motivator and surprise reward. *Losing missions and skirmishes reward very little for the time spent (only some progress towards a hero’s mastery level). Earning one or some very few diamonds for a particularly good but ultimately doomed effort might make that sad defeat screen slightly less down-putting * I also don't find the ability icons very... tapable. Much less so than in BH1. I often miss them in the midst of battle, or activate an ability when I am really trying to add another skill point to that ability by tapping the cross that appears on level up. Perhaps just a matter of accustomization, or perhaps there are some final tweaks to be applied to the UI. I'd really prefer the option to move and resize all UI elements freely. *It would be nice to have access to the Bugopedia in game. Or perhaps this is a conscious decision, to have us study and analyse enemies between matches, and rely on our own knowledge during battles? (If so, I can dig.) *In fact, I'd like a whole hero central accessible directly from the start screen, with heroes, upgrades, scrolls and the Bugopedia, instead of hiding all of this behind mode and map selection. Puts emphasis on the vast selection of abilities, heroes and enemies. *I would really, really like a co-op skirmish mode (currently, co-op is only in endless mode). This would be a splendid way to practice strategies for PvP (since PvP takes place base against base). * And I would really, really, REALLY want a single hero arena mode (and dual hero arena as well), similar in style to BH1. And preferably a duel mode for PvP that takes places on the same maps (but without the creeps). For no particular reason other than that it would just be so durned much fun.
Overwrought and hasty initial hero analysis Spider is, as many of you have assumed, monstrous. She is a burst DPSer, a chaser, a stealther, a crowd controller and a debuffer. She works almost as well for base defense as for takedowns and aggressive play (mostly thanks her ability to both debuff armour, slow, and increase damage taken, but also stop enemies from attacking outright. Splendid for setting up enemies for easy turret kills). And most of all, of course, she is VERY sneaky, in a brutally effective manner. But she is also monstrously fun, and can probably be used with a very high level of skill (even compared to some of the other heroes). Her Ninja Smoke ability is very twitch-y, requires precision and speed, and can be used for both chasing/escaping, and debuffing/debilitating. Actually, every single one of her active abilities can be used to both chase down fleeing heroes, and to escape, but each have other purposes and effects as well (stealthing, debuffing armor and movement speed in an area, dealing high damage to multiple enemies, teleports and true invisibility, etc). The end result is a very, very flexible hero, who sacrifices little power for all that amorphous nature. Downside? She is squishy. Very squishy, in the manner of all spiders. This can be alleviated through equipment, but in doing so, the player foregoes knockback, poison, armor piercing and other effects that just go so well together with those large, curved blades. Bumblebee is really kind of awesome. Focused in his abilities (deal extra damage after standing still, deal damage and pierce armour, deal damage to multiple enemies, deal even more damage and take less, and deal EVEN more damage and stun. See the pattern?), his area of application is larger than what is apparent at first. He is a superb base defender, able to toggle his ability to strike many bugs at once, in COMBINATION with his passive charge attack, and another ability that allows him to pierce armour. He becomes extremely vulnerable when doing so, taking extra damage, but when stationed among all those turrets and feeding possibilities, this is less of a drawback. With reasonable speed and multiple equipment for self-healing, he is also adept at roaming far afield, picking of stragglers, collecting resources, and taking down large groups of weak enemies before they can harass base or strategic locations. He can even go up against singular, powerful entities with a combination of his charged attack (possibly the most damaging non-ability attack in the game), armour piercing and damage bonuses, and stunning Breaker Punch. With all that HP (virtually no armour means he needs it to survive), he does extra well when paired with Moth. Together, with dual disruptive area-of-effect-attacks, they can demolish groups of enemies, Moth healing Bumblebee all the while. Also, I just like his animations. His punches really connect, enemies go flying over ledges (though sadly without that AAAAAAA from BH1), and he swings his fists in a very man... bug-gly way. He is power, all power (but with surprising finesse), and you can really tell when you see him in action. Moth is just awesome. Pure, unadulterated awesomeness. Don't believe the anti-hype. I don't even like support roles, but even I can recognize her greatness. She is, perhaps, the perfect second fiddle hero for single player. With a highly disruptive auto-attack (knockbacks and scatters) that also heals the other hero, plus robes that passively heal all allies, she is my absolutely favourite when I want to focus on a single hero (either for fun, or for a particular effect, such as Spider's high damage, Bumblebees crowd attacks, or Roach's extreme durability, the latter going very well with all that healing). For a more active use, she is pretty awesome still, in particular of you just switch to her for active heals, area-of-effect-buffs or shield. And she is really not bad for base defense. Scatters attacking hordes of creeps, three abilities which can all help defend the base (or at least keep herself and other defending heroes alive), and can be visited by a far-ranging hero for some quick healing. Station her at the entrance, have her act as healing bot and turret, and just switch to her to activate defensive abilities. I am really glad I received her as my third random hero (my initial unlock was Spider and Bumblebee), as she has probably made MANY missions considerably easier, and demonstrated to me some of the depths of the mechanics. And then there's the Silence. 10 seconds (at level 1!) of ability lockdown for heroes, no attacks whatsoever for creeps. Good candidate for best ability in the game. ---------------------------------------- Are you slimy with anticipation yet? Next episode: the always contentious and situationally possibly overpowered Bandit Fly, solid and reliable Ant - a true hero of bugs with hidden depths -, and the universally (by a player base of 5-10) under-appreciated Roach Knight...
Just in time to do some last-minute enticing, here is the second episode of my Deeply analytical, highly empirical and possibly grossly subjective hero analysis: Of all the little buggers, Fly is probably the littlelest, and the most buggerish. A high damage, medium mobility (great movement speed, no mobility-related abilities), low self-preservation ranged fighter, Fly can either seem underwhelming or overbearing, depending on circumstances. This is perhaps best embodied in his bandit allies. Even with equipment that increase their tenacity, they drop like.. yeah, flies. But if they somehow survive that unpleasant and fitting metaphor, they can grow to extreme numbers, with absurd damage potential. I have yet to summon enough allies to reach any kind of cap, but I've been lawnmoving about the map with 15 trigger-happy scoundrels by my side, and even centipedes and large snails only lasts seconds before that kind of firepower. I imagine that in any PvP match, they will be the first targets, and will go down quickly before AoEs. If that means that one of Fly's primarily weapons is rendered useless, or is just the thing to keep attention away from Fly long enough for him to bring his other tricks to bear, I cannot say. With three of his four active abilities primarily used to deal damage (one, the straight line, armor-piercing quick draw, perhaps one of the best pure attacks in the game), and two of them (the bandit allies and the sky bombardment) in a not entirely reliable way, Fly is a powerful offensive weapon, but one that is kinda hard to aim. And that costs money even to look at. He remains contentious, and partly random, and I'm sure that's just how he likes it. Ant is reliable, protective and suitably heroioc, and much like you'd expect him... but in partially unexpected ways. A ranged fighter and prime base defender, he is given additional purpose and flair through one mobility skill, elements of hero support, and good crowd control. While not normally heavy on the DPS side, with his passive damage increase of marked enemies, buff to both his own attacks and turrets, and a quite large armor debuff, he can come out bursting and probably do more hurt than most heroes in the game when close to home. But he can also stun quite well, teleport about the map, send enemies flying and construct armor for his pals. His primary purpose is quite obvious, but his secondary multi-purpose abilities makes his surprisingly dynamic, and a good backup even for frontline battles. Balanced, is a word I'd use over all other, and isn't that precisely the kind of hero the world of Bug Heroes need (if not always the one we want)? And then there is Roach. Tincanned, awkwardly cute Roach, with a haphazard array of abilities and equipment with food as the only recurring denominator. Slow, bulky, inflexible Roach, with a short attack range, and a purchaseable backpack to carry more stuff but without the mobility to ever be a proper resource gatherer. Tank-like, absurdly armored Roach with an innate armor piercing second to no other hero... No, Roach does not have a wide application, and no, Roach cannot handle most circumstances well, and no, Roach's equipment and abilities do not synergize particularly well, if at all. But what he can do is stand still, survive almost anything thrown at him (in particular when paired with Moth, who'll heal him faster than many enemies can pierce his armor), and inflict more damage on armored enemies than possibly anything else in the game. This essentially makes him a turret, something to be left by the base, a practical hero for single player for those who like to focus on strictly another bug as their active hero. Also, this application makes him drab, flat and entirely unappealing. But you already knew that, from looking at his stats, or you will in a few hours. But that's not what makes Roach interesting. It is precisely his lack of synergy, and abilities which seems to do a little of that and a little of this, still without imbuing Roach with any true flexibility or multi-purpose appication, that makes this little guy more than meets the eye (which is a tin can, really). I'm not certain it makes him good, perhaps not even always mediocre, but it does makes him surprising and weirdly powerful under very limited circumstances. And sometimes, it compensates for his huge flaws. Sometimes, it accentuates them. Suddenly, Roach sets off across the battlefield with a 30 second burst of speed, the last thing you'd expect from a nearly immobile defender, and ends that burst with a nasty attack, that also happens to do nasty crits thanks to one of the best crit-boosting pieces of equipment in the game. Or, he steps up before your wildly swinging Beetle stick and counter attacks you for huge damage. Or, he saps all surrounding enemies for 50% of their health. Or, he buffs his own damage for half a minute, nasty for a character that can be hard to bring down. And he does all this while both finding and consuming food, buffing his allies armor all the while. I can't decide whether to keep him by the base, at the front lines, harassing enemy heroes, defending strategic locations or weirdly waddling about the battlefield, mixing high-speed resource collection with clumsy tanking and inability to get back to safety. And THAT's what makes him interesting. Though only occasionally useful ----------------------------- In our next installment, I celebrate the BH2 launch by tackling two highly specialized heroes, the supposedly noble and self-sacrifical Aphid, who only seems to to benefit the more he pretends to give up for others, and Worm, one of the most vulnerable but simultaneously durable heroes, who'll set the whole battlefield ablaze and leave little left standing if he survives long enough...
Well...yes, it is I guess. I just saw the smoke like animation and then he went black. Now I'm feeling kinda dumb btw: how can i delete my game progress? I've deleted the documents folder and the iCloud savegame but my progress is still there. Hmm, I just want to reroll :/
Don't. Yer rocking Cicada, and playing BH2. Feel awesome instead! (Also, it is a completely understandable assumption, and will help other new players avoid the same bug report )
Yeah, never mind less fortunate unlocks. You'll be bringing in diamonds aplenty very soon, and unlocking selected heroes by the day (with enough dedication). (See my first long post on previous page for a quick rundown of the IAP/unlockable model.)
Having never played any of these games, would it be correct that somebody looking for a more RPG like experience needs to check out Bug Heroes Quest?
Oh, by the way, those of you already bugging it out - go contribute! (I choose to make a new wiki rather than to clutter up the old Bug Heroes 1 wiki I made back during the heyday of the first game. Since the BH2 wiki will probably be mostly about the online competitive aspect of the game, and all the discussion and analysis this entails, a wiki of its own will probably grant users the best access to information.) Strategies, hero builds, enemies and turrets, lore, hints and tips and bad advice, bring it all!
Ye, thanks. Just got black widow with 7 stars. Now that is the one I rly wanted :> Now I have 3 missions were two of them are locked and the third one is a 3 star mission and it's damn hard. Thanks for all the effort Ayjona
