Perceived Counterplay and Actual Counterplay Affect Player Frustration

1. Introduction & Context §

• Speaker: Riot August, Lead Assassin Designer for League of Legends (LoL).
• Audience: Competitive e-sports players and aspiring game designers.
• Topic: How perceived counterplay and actual counterplay affect player frustration, using LoL’s assassins (e.g., Zed, Talon, Evelynn) as case studies.

Link:

title: "August-Why ZED is so FRUSTRATING/ Simple= Less Frustrating?/ Y is ZEDS Banrate LOW In Other Regions?"
image: "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/IDdWnJWlUhc/hqdefault.jpg"
description: "0:00 - Why ZED is so FRUSTRATING2:08 - ZED’s Reality vs. Percieved Counterplay (EVELYN, MALPHITE, YASUO)7:24 - Simpler Champ Designs to LESSEN Frustration? /…"
url: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDdWnJWlUhc"

Why this matters:
As competitive players, understanding why certain champion designs (or mechanics) are perceived as “unfair” can inform better decisions when creating or balancing characters in any game. LoL’s massive player base has given Riot extensive data on what truly bothers players and what they misunderstand—insights that translate to other genres.

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2. Zed vs. Talon: Ban Rates & Frustration §

2.1 Ban Rate Insight §

Zed §

• Win rate: ~48% (at time of talk)
• Ban rate: ~22% (top six most banned champions globally)
• Popularity: High (one of LoL’s most iconic assassins)
• Implication: If Zed’s win rate crept to ~50%, his ban rate would likely climb even more, driven by player perception rather than pure statistical dominance.

Talon §

• Win rate: Similar to Zed at ~48%, but ban rate is significantly lower (~6–8%).
• Reason: Despite having a one-shot potential, fewer players find Talon “torturous” compared to Zed.

Key takeaway: Ban rates often reflect how frustrated players feel, not just how strong a champion is on paper.

2.2 Why Zed Feels More Frustrating Than Talon §

Zed’s “torture” combo: §

1. Death Mark (R): Zed marks a target, creates shadows →
2. Shuriken & Skillshots: Multiple telegraphed attacks →
3. Escape with Living Shadow (W): Zed blinks back, waits 2–3 seconds →
4. Execute: Target “explodes.”

• Perceived flow: “He toyed with me,” “He danced around,” then I die.
• Result: Even though there are multiple windows to dodge or counter (e.g., buy a Chain Vest, play safe, interrupt shadows), the drawn-out nature “feels” more unfair.

Talon’s “one-shot”: §

• Combo: Q (Noxian Diplomacy) → W (Rake) → E (Assassin’s Path) → R (Shadow Assault) → auto-attacks.
• Perceived flow: Talon appears, stabs once, you die instantly.
• Reality: Less “showmanship” or “mind games”—players often feel “I got outplayed,” but it’s over quickly.

Riot August’s observation:
“The only thing more frustrating than dying instantly to an assassin is dying over three seconds to one.”

In tests during the Assassin Update (2016–2017), giving assassins more windup/escape time actually increased player frustration, because the drawn-out experience felt more tortuous.

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3. Reality of Counterplay vs. Perceived Counterplay §

3.1 Definitions §

• Counterplay (Actual/Objective):
  In-game mechanics or decisions that can be used to avoid, mitigate, or punish an opponent’s actions.

  • Examples: Buying armor, placing vision wards, timing shields/heals, dodging skillshots.

• Perceived Counterplay:
  What players believe they can do (or understand how to do) when facing a threat.

  • If a player doesn’t notice a window to counter (e.g., unaware of Zed’s shadow timing), they feel helpless, even if counterplay objectively exists.

3.2 Case Study: Zed’s Counterplay §

Objective (“Real”) Counterplay: §

1. Buy Armor (Chain Vest, Ninja Tabi): Reduces damage from post-merge shurikens and Death Mark explosion.
2. Dodge Skillshots: Zed’s Q (Razor Shuriken) and W (Living Shadow) are skillshots—players can sidestep.
3. React to Death Mark: Zed’s ultimate casts a visible marker on the target; you have ~2.5 seconds to:
   • Use crowd control (stuns/snares) to interrupt the ultimate’s damage portion.
   • Dash away or use defensive summoner spells (e.g., Flash, Barrier).
   • Activate shields/heals (e.g., from teammates or Glyphs).

Why players don’t frequently use it: §

• Tunnel vision: Under the pressure of mid-lane skirmishes, many miss the Death Mark cast or shadow positioning.
• Punishing play patterns: Zed players often “dance” around with shadows, baiting enemies into commitment before committing to the full combo.
• Psychological toll: Even if there’s time to react, the morbid spectacle of “he’s about to finish me” is more upsetting than an instantaneous burst.

Analogy (Evelynn’s permanent stealth): §

• Evelynn (pre-Rework) was technically countered by a pink ward (Vision Ward) bought by the enemy.
• Problem: Most players found buying pink wards unfun “just to see Evelynn.”
• Outcome: Riot removed permanent stealth in 2016–2017 because “if players don’t want to engage with counterplay, it might as well not exist.”

3.3 Other Examples: Yasuo & Malphite §

Yasuo §

• Mechanics: Dashes (E), windwall (W), tornado (Q “stack” + Q “tornado”), R (Last Breath).
• Perception: “He’s wind-walling me? Dashing around? Outplaying me?”
• Reality: He has clear windows—once windwall is down, he’s vulnerable; tornado is a large telegraphed projectile.
• Frustration: His flashy outplay potential “feels” beyond your skill level even when fair.

Malphite §

• Mechanics: Q (Seismic Shard), E (Ground Slam), R (Unstoppable Onslaught).
• Perception: When R is up, Malphite can instantly engage, knock up your team, and delete squishies.
• Frustration Levels:
  • Low Elo (“High” players in context): Most can recognize “R is up → stand behind minions” or “keep track of cooldowns.”
  • When Malphite is Over-tuned (Strong Meta): R deals >50% HP instantly, armor + AP items make him unstoppable → No counterplay window → Extremely frustrating.
• Comparison:
  • If Malphite is reasonably balanced, dying to him feels like “I mispositioned” or “I got outplayed,” which many players accept.
  • If Malphite is OP, dying feels like “I couldn’t do anything,” which is much more enraging.

Design principle:
“Players are far less frustrated by champions whose limitations and windows to counter are obvious and intuitive—even if they kill quickly—than by champions whose mix of mobility, stealth, or multi-phase combos ‘trick’ you into thinking you had a chance.”

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4. Designing for “Low Frustration” vs. Designing for “Power” §

4.1 The “Ideal” Low-Frustration Champion §

• Objective: Maximize win rate + minimize player frustration.

• Riot August’s “thought experiment”:

  1. Global, Invisible Buffs: Give teammates a silent aura that makes them feel “empowered,” but they can’t see the source.
  2. Old Janna Passive Logic:
     • “All allied champions gain +3% Movement Speed (MS) at all times.”
  3. Impact:
     • Powerful: Global MS auras are among the strongest buffs in LoL.
     • Low Frustration: If an enemy Jax runs you down using that +3% MS, do you blame Janna for “wrecking” you? No—Janna is in the background.
     • Design Issue: No counter-interaction—targets can’t directly “play around” a hidden global buff.
  4. Result: Yields an overpowered champion that’s “not frustrating” because most players don’t perceive where power comes from.

Conclusion:
“A champion can be both extremely powerful and extremely ‘unfrustrating’ if it hides its strengths in non-interactive ways.”

Trade-Off: This kind of design is often considered “low skill expression” or “unengaging” because opponents don’t feel they can meaningfully challenge or play around it.

4.2 Acceptable vs. Problematic Frustration §

Acceptable Frustration §

• “I knew Zed had an escape. I should’ve bought armor sooner.”
• “Yasuo walls my ult, but I can wait for cooldown.”
• “I got Malphite ulted—he was ahead and caught us unprepared.”

Problematic Frustration §

• “I couldn’t even see him coming.”
• “I was mid-fight, he danced around me, and I died after three seconds even though I was playing carefully.”
• “I tried to place a pink ward, but he killed my support before I could react.”

Key design goal:
Maximize “fair annoyance” (i.e., “I respect your skill, I can learn from that death”) and minimize “unfair annoyance” (i.e., “I felt helpless or tricked”).

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5. Regional Differences: Why Zed’s Ban Rate Varies §

5.1 East vs. West Player Mindset §

Western Regions (NA, EU) §

• Tend to be more frustrated by “outplay” champions (e.g., Zed, Yasuo).
• “I hate getting kited, dived, dashed on, and out-angled.”
• They often prefer “transparent power spikes” (e.g., Malphite R): “I see the big ult, I know exactly where I stand.”

Eastern Regions (China, Korea) §

• Tend to be more frustrated by “static” or “point-and-click” oppressive champions (e.g., old Evelynn before stealth changes, funnel metas, 15-minute turret dives).
• More willing to “git gud” at dodging or tracking shadows.
• Result: Zed’s ban rate in China/Korea is lower than in NA/EU because high-level mechanical outplay is more accepted.

Global Balancing Approach §

• Riot averages ban rates across all regions and some pro data.
• If Zed is 22% banned in NA but 15% in China, the “global ban threshold” (where Riot flags for rebalancing) is around ~18–20%.

Practical note:
“Different regions develop different meta-reads. A champion might be OP in EU but underplayed in KR simply because KR players have found stronger counters.”

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6. Actionable Design Principles for Other Games §

1. Identify “Obvious” vs. “Hidden” Counterplay

   • Make counters transparent (clear cooldown icons, audible/visual cues).
   • When designing multi-phase abilities, ensure players can intuitively recognize each phase.

2. Mind the “Psychological Timeout”

   • If an ability lasts >1–1.5 seconds, players expect multiple opportunities to respond.
   • If you extend a kill window (e.g., 3-second channel → execute), test whether players actually use the extra time. If they don’t, the longer window only increases frustration.

3. Balance “Showmanship” vs. “Fairness”

   • Showmanship: Abilities with flashy visuals (e.g., teleports, spins) are enticing but can be perceived as “I got tricked.”
   • Fairness: Make telegraph timings consistent and give opponents reliable indicators (e.g., “Zed’s shadow appears with a neat circular ground effect—dodge now!”).

4. Measure Frustration, Not Just Win Rates

   • Collect both quantitative data (win/loss, ban/pick rates) and qualitative feedback (post-match surveys, social channels).
   • Ask: “Did the player feel like they had a chance?” “Did they understand how to avoid the ability next time?”

5. Avoid “Hidden Power” That Refuses Interaction

   • Be wary of global buffs or invisible mechanics that shift frustration onto third parties (e.g., granting a teammate an aura that makes someone else kill you).
   • If you do give global, silent buffs, provide a visible icon or tooltip on affected allies so opponents can at least know something is buffed.

6. Regional/Biome Considerations

   • If building a game for multiple player “biomes,” recognize that some audiences relish mechanical outplay, while others want clarity.
   • Consider separate tuning for ranked vs. public matches, and allow custom game modes / difficulty sliders.

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7. Summary of Key Points §

• Ban Rate ≠ Pure Strength: Often a reflection of perceived unfairness more than statistical dominance.
• “Torture” vs. “One-Shot”: Longer kill sequences can feel more frustrating—even if they offer more counterplay.
• Perceived Counterplay Matters More: If players don’t notice ways to counter an ability, they feel powerless.
• Transparent Mechanics Reduce Rage: Abilities that telegraph well and can be interrupted are generally more “acceptable,” even if they hit hard.
• Balance Innovation with Intuition: Creativity in abilities is great, but only if players can grok how to respond.
• Designing “Low Frustration” Is Not Always Good Design: Over-simplified or hidden-power designs often feel “cheap” and diminish player agency.