Nome
09-02-2009, 07:12 PM
This is a guide in a very loose sort of way. I will be updating it with a lot of random stuff. I highly suggest everyone check back periodically as I add things that become apparent to me. There's a lot of stuff that basic gameplay guides won't teach you.
Attacking
Almost every spell animation is cancellable. This can be used to trick your opponents--for example, Devourer's Gutling Hook can be cancelled, but the sound can still be played. You can psyche your opponent out by pretending to Gutling Hook an allied creep, then moving in for a real Hook--he'll think you wasted it and let his guard down. At the beginning of the game, in the fountain, practice cancelling your spells and get the hang of its timing.
On that note, you should cancel your spell if you think it's going to miss. This is especially useful for Gutling Hook, Javelin, and just about every ground-target AoE stun or wave.
Attack animations may all be cancelled. This is especially important for melee heroes, and doubly important for heroes with flashy attack animations like Accursed, who can easily tricks opponents into failing a last-hit with a cancelled attack animation.
Movement and Positioning
Turn rate is slow in HoN. Abuse opponent turn rates by attacking them as they turn away, and back off before they can turn back to retaliate.
There is a slight acceleration in HoN. Keep in constant motion so that you have as much time to react as possible.
Don't just click where you want to go. Click in the direction you want to go, and adjust accordingly as you move. This way, you avoid any potential pathfinding problems. The longer the path you click, the more likely you will deviate from what direction you want to go in.
Map and Camera Awareness
Your vision diameter (3600 during day) is greater than the camera zoom (1650).
Position your hero on your screen such that there's enough space on every side to watch for incoming ganks. Allocate screen space depending on potential threat--if there's an allied tower right behind you, scroll away from the tower so that you can barely see the tower so that you can focus on the space in front of you.
When moving alone through the jungle, ignore the main screen and navigate solely via minimap. This way any heroes you see for a split second through the fog become obvious.
Attacking
Almost every spell animation is cancellable. This can be used to trick your opponents--for example, Devourer's Gutling Hook can be cancelled, but the sound can still be played. You can psyche your opponent out by pretending to Gutling Hook an allied creep, then moving in for a real Hook--he'll think you wasted it and let his guard down. At the beginning of the game, in the fountain, practice cancelling your spells and get the hang of its timing.
On that note, you should cancel your spell if you think it's going to miss. This is especially useful for Gutling Hook, Javelin, and just about every ground-target AoE stun or wave.
Attack animations may all be cancelled. This is especially important for melee heroes, and doubly important for heroes with flashy attack animations like Accursed, who can easily tricks opponents into failing a last-hit with a cancelled attack animation.
Movement and Positioning
Turn rate is slow in HoN. Abuse opponent turn rates by attacking them as they turn away, and back off before they can turn back to retaliate.
There is a slight acceleration in HoN. Keep in constant motion so that you have as much time to react as possible.
Don't just click where you want to go. Click in the direction you want to go, and adjust accordingly as you move. This way, you avoid any potential pathfinding problems. The longer the path you click, the more likely you will deviate from what direction you want to go in.
Map and Camera Awareness
Your vision diameter (3600 during day) is greater than the camera zoom (1650).
Position your hero on your screen such that there's enough space on every side to watch for incoming ganks. Allocate screen space depending on potential threat--if there's an allied tower right behind you, scroll away from the tower so that you can barely see the tower so that you can focus on the space in front of you.
When moving alone through the jungle, ignore the main screen and navigate solely via minimap. This way any heroes you see for a split second through the fog become obvious.