Hero Selection Screen Pings

[Spiriax]

Hello fellow HoN players.

In the hero selection screen, I feel there should be a function where you can ping hereos. Yes, ping, like on the minimap, except on the hero picking screen.

But why do we need this?!

This is not only for beginners and semi-beginners, no, I bet you don't even know 100% where all heroes are in the picking screen.
Yes, you do know which section is Intelligence, Strength and Agility, but not the exact location of every hero.

Even in beginners case this is a really good thing to have. When my friend who wants to learn this game asks me "Where is Wretched Hag?", I don't want to respond with either in text or verbally
"She's at the right section in the middle, to the upper left", but instead I just ping the hero.
The same sound cue as when map pings are done should be played.

Also, this would be needed in order for people to not need to write. When you ask your team "What do we need?", people can respond with simple pings instead of writing.
Chances are, some people who don't feel like writing, will now use this because it's just so much simpler.

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Let me illustrate what I mean here:

In this case, one player (yellow), the one who is controlling the mouse pointer, is the one pinging, and pings a hero so that he won't need to type:

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In this next illustration, a hero is pinged because the player (purple) who picks doesn't know where the specific hero is.
The one who controls the mouse pointer is the one who picks the hero this time.
Also, two players pings the hero this time (teal and orange).

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So how does this work?!

As we all know, in the picking screen, left mouse button is clicked to pick your hero, and right mouse button is to show your team what you're gonna pick.
That leaves us to... not another button on the mouse at least.

No, to ping you would have to hold Alt, and then left-click. Left-click while holding Alt button down. Yes, exactly as on the map!

Doesn't that mean it could happen that I pick a hero by mistake?!

Look at illustration example one. Look how the mouse pointer changes visual before the ping is done. That mouse pointer visual is already in the game, and it is there to show you that whenever it is visible, it would be safe for you to ping a hero.
As long as you're still holding Alt while left-clicking.

Also, just for the sake of insurance, you can't pick or ping a hero after you already pinged it for about 0.5 seconds, to prevent you from pinging and picking in the same click, would your mouse register one click as two.

But wouldn't the selection screen get spammed?!

No, it would need some sort of cooldown. Maybe 5-10 seconds.

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So in what modes would this come in handy?

• All Pick
This would probably be the best mode for hero pinging, since a lot of beginners play All Pick. Except now when I tutor someone I can just ping the hero I think they should play, instead of explaining where they are.

• Banning Pick
The second best mode for hero pinging. Doesn't it sometimes feel like the ones who bans pick is doing it alone?
They won't be anymore, just ping a hero to suggest a ban.

• Banning Draft
I guess it would be useful for the same reasons as Banning Pick here.

• Single Draft
You could ping your allies' heroes to let them know what you want to swap?

• All Random
Hero pinging won't have any use here.

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Happy voting!

Remember, it is always good if you give me criticism if you don't like it.
Otherwise I won't know what to improve.

Thanks for reading and voting!

[[B4C]Systemdir]

good idea :P

[AsranZala]

Awesome idea .

Approved !

[Spiriax]

Thanks guys! You're my saviors.

I updated the first post with what modes this would come handy in. Check it out!

[[Loli]N`Hydrolisk]

Looks pretty useful. I often find myself wondering who to be. With this, my allies could ping me some ideas (instead of writing them, which may break games if it's the last 5 seconds to pick a Hero).

[Spiriax]

Thanks Hydrolisk. You put up some good points as to why this would be useful.

[[BNE]Spiky]

Maybe a Scrool button click would be fine to ping the hero

[Nubcaeks]

Doesn't ghost picking grey out the selected hero? Couldn't you just ghost pick the hero and say "This one" or just have him look over the 4 Greyed Out icons?

[Spiriax]

Spiky: That would work very well too!

Nubcaeks: I guess you could do it that way too. But a greyed out icon is only shown at your hero portrait, right? So you would kind of still need to look for the hero even if you know how it looks... or at least for a beginner. I didn't get what you meant with "the 4 Greyed Out icons" though.

Man, you just beat me to a much better solution. Why not just make it so ghost picking "pings" your pick instead? So when you right-click a hero, not only does your hero portrait show the hero in grey like it does now, but also the position of the hero gets a glow of your player color, like a ping.
Sure, it could get messy if all players were to spam right-click over every hero but it could be limited.

I think though this way might be much better and more convenient for all. No new hidden way of doing stuff but just integrated into an earlier feature. This way right-clicking could be used both to show your pick [I]and[/I] to show the position of a hero portrait/give pick advice, etc.

EDIT: ^ Never mind that.

[[E]Ahimtar]

at first i thought about no, but yes, in banning modes this will come in handy. also the swap in sd... idk why i dont find a good use in ap

[Spiriax]

Ahimtar: Thanks. In AP if someone asks "what hero should I get?" maybe you could ping some suggestions. The biggest reason for hero ping in AP for me though is that many beginners choose to play AP first because it's easier if they start out with an easy hero, and then instead of explaining where every hero are you could just ping them.

[Spiriax]

Bump.

[Kleech]

I almost have to like this because those gifs are beautiful. But really, it's a great idea.

[Spiriax]

Thanks alot Kleech!

[[BCPK]ZusE_TT]

Why ghost pick...when you can ping heros...wait....what?