A Dynamic, True Action MOBA Following League of Legends Structure

Circle of Vigor

A dynamic, true action MOBA following League of Legends structure.

Circle of Vigor is an action based MOBA in which the player controls one of five allied Elementalists competing against other teams in a battle royal for the chance to attune with the Circle of Vigor. At the end of each match every player is granted Elemental Shards to be used as currency for various unlocks throughout the game. Each player has constant access to the earth, water, air, and fire elemental attunements granting abilities based on the attunement selected. Each element will react in different ways when united. Characters are controlled from a third person perspective with direct aim of all actions they may take and abilities will not distinguish friend or foe.

The Circle of Vigor has been around for as long as anyone can remember. It is a massive magical arena located at the center of civilization. Attuning with the Circle of Vigor will grant the person years of life and power. However, not just anyone is able to use the Circle. While in the arena the Circle distorts time and space enhancing quadrants with the four elements. These elements can only be withstood by Elementalists who have studied magical arts for years to be able to use the Circle of Vigor. There is constant battle for control of four Elemental Conduits which produce endless elementals locked in an unending conflict to create harmony between elements. It takes no more or less than five Elementalists to activate the Circle of Vigor by having one person on each conduit and one in the center of the Circle and performing the delicate ritual in harmony. In order to gain control of each Conduit Elementalists have battled for as long as the Circle of Vigor has existed. Overview

The player assumes the role of a persistent character who acts as the players avatar, created via character customizer, and progresses as the game is played. The goal of the game is to wipe out all opposing forces and gain control of all four Elemental Conduits while taking careful measure not to harm your allies. Matches are divided into four teams and personal performance in each match will determine the amount of Elemental Shards rewarded and skill rating of the player. Skill rating will help match up similarly talented players and Elemental Shards will be used to acquire things such as upgrades, outfits, weapons, and weapon skins.

At the beginning of each match players must select one weapon to use for the duration of the battle. The player must then attune to different elements, which create different abilities for different weapons, in order to effectively deal with NPCs, opposing players, and teammates alike. Each of the four elements contain combinations of effects that will react differently depending on types of attacks used. Elements of NPCs will be changes as the match goes on depending on various factors.

Tone - Amalgamate Game Mechanics Elemental Attunements

Each Elementalist has access to all four Elements during a match. These attunements must be frequently switched in order to gain favorable results. Each attunement will have a short cooldown that will disallow the player from re-attuning to the same attunement for 15-30 seconds. While in each attunement the players abilities will have the current attunements Elemental Effects. The Elements

Fire - Fire inflicts devastating effects to Earth attunements, amplifying effects to Fire attunements, nullifying effects to Water attunements, and normal effects to Air attunements.

Earth - Earth inflicts devastating effects to Air attunements, amplifying effects to Earth attunements, nullifying effects to Fire attunements, and normal effects to Water attunements.

Air - Air inflicts devastating effects to Water attunements, amplifying effects to Air attunements, nullifying effects to Earth attunements, and normal effects to Fire attunements.

Water - Water inflicts devastating effects to Fire attunements, amplifying effects to Water attunements, nullifying effects to Air attunements, and normal effects to Earth attunements. Elemental Effects

Every attack made is associated with various elemental effects. Every attack has a distinguishable hit box and duration allowing many skills to interact mid execution. This interaction may only ever happen once per attack per effect type. Each effect may only ever be active once meaning there will never be multiple applications of the same effect on the same player. eg. Two Fire attuned Elementalists use a frontal cone flame attack in the same area creating two Amplified cone attacks(once for each player). If this attack first hits an enemy of the Earth attunement it will also apply a Devastating fire attack for the first hit but not on the second hit because one was already active. If the attack hit a second enemy or ally no devastating effects would attempt to be applied because they were used on the first enemy.

Devastate

Fire - lingering periodic damage

Earth - 20% movement speed reduction and a small extra hit

Air - 1.5x normal damage

Water - temporary 25% damage output reduction

Amplify

Fire - 2 second 20% damage output increase to target

Earth - 2 second 40% damage mitigation increase to target

Air - 2 second 25% action speed increase to target

Water - 2 second periodic healing effect to target

Nullify

Fire - creates "Mist" at location of impact for 2 seconds.

Earth - creates "Scorched Earth" at location of impact for 2 seconds.

Air - creates "Friction" at location of impact for 2 seconds.

Water - creates "Wind" at location of impact for 2 seconds.

Normal

No special attributes Elemental Fields

Elemental fields are areas on the ground which carry attributes of elements. These fields retain the elemental properties of respective attunements as well as other skill specific attributes.

Mist - Retain Water properties and periodically heal small amounts of damage to players attuned to Water. Scorched Earth - Retain Fire properties and periodically inflict small amounts of damage to players within who are not attuned to Fire.

Friction - Retain Earth properties and stun players within who are not attuned to Earth when the field is contacted with Earth abilities.

Wind - Retain Air properties and push back players within who are not attuned to Air when the field is contacted with Air abilities. eg of field use: player A is attuned to fire, player B is attuned to Water. Player A hits player B with a fire attack. The attack lands as normal but since Player B was struck with a Fire attuned attack, a mist field forms for 2 seconds at the location of impact. Player B begins to regenerate health and when they cast water attuned attacks the field reacts as the attack passes through granting player A another source of periodic healing for a short time. Controls

The player is controlled from a scrolling third person perspective with a locked camera crosshair similar to third person shooters. Abilities will always be activated with the current location of the crosshair as the target of the ability. Each ability will be assigned a button for activation. The player will be able to jump but not activate abilities mid air. Every ability and player has a unique hit box to determine when contact is made giving a strong emphasis on skill for most weapons.

Evasion

Each weapon will have a unique evade with varying cooldowns, durations, and animations. These skills will apply a very short invulnerability. Weapons

Every ability used is controlled by the current weapon a player is using. All abilities will affect anyone including the user of the ability if struck. There is one basic attack with no cooldown, 3 main skills with specific cooldowns depending on the attunement, and one ultimate ability that shares a cooldown through all attunements. The first skill has varying animations, almost no cooldown, can be used repeatedly, and remains the same through all attunements, the second skill is an offensive ability with a short cooldown, the third skill is a utility ability with a moderate cooldown, and the fourth skill is a defensive ability with a moderate cooldown. Each weapons ultimate behaves differently depending on the current attunement. All weapons will require vigorous testing and balancing to apply proper damage/cooldown values. I will provide the framework for one weapon to give an idea of the concepts the game will be dealing with. Greatsword (melee AoE)

Evade - Use your sword as a vaulting device to leap in the air evading attacks for 1 second. (10 second cooldown)

1. Cleave - short range frontal cone attack dealing moderate damage

2. Molten Steel - Stab your sword into the ground damaging nearby foes and creating Scorched Earth within the radius for 6 seconds.

3. Fiery Wrath - Immolate yourself causing damage every second to nearby foes for 4 seconds.

4. Burning Barrier - For the next 10 seconds all attackers attack you will gain a devastating fire effect.

2. Hindering Thrust - Launch forward with a thrust inflicting moderate damage and applying a devastating Earth effect.

3. Earth's Embrace - Launch a rock from your offhand immobilizing anyone within the path of the projectile for 2 seconds.

4. Nature's Armor - Create and amplifying Earth effect on yourself every 2 seconds for 6 seconds.

2. Lightning Slash - Slash your sword forward in a cone striking all foes once for moderate damage and bouncing to one nearby target of each initial strike for the same damage.

3. Tornado - Spin your sword to gain an amplifying Air effect every 2 seconds for 4 seconds. 4. Whirling Defense - Remain stationary while spinning in a circle creating Wind as well as launching electric projectiles to damage enemies.

2. Wave Slash - Slash your sword downward creating a damaging wave that moves forward in a line.

3. Quench Thirst - Use your sword to siphon elemental water into your mouth healing you for a moderate amount.

4. Sword Shower - Summon swords that rain from the sky towards the player for 6 seconds inflicting no damage but registering hits.

5. Furious assault - For 10 seconds movement speed is reduced by 50% while you violently slash in a point blank area inflicting devastating effectiveness regardless of opponents attunements.

All weapons will be added upon green lighting.

Mace (Melee control)

Axe (Melee single target)

Spear (Short/Mid range damage)

Staff (Long range Nuker)

Bow (Long range single target)

Magic (bare hands, Mid/Long range Nuker) Match progression

The Player

Each match will be a fresh start to your character. You will be able to reach a maximum of level 20 in each match. Characters will have the health, damage, and defense attributes. Each of these attributes will raise per level gained. Levels will be gained through being near enemies when they die. Each level will grant a slight increase to health, damage and defense. You will begin the match with the basic attack of each attunement and must select skills to unlock as you progress in levels. Each skill (other than basic attack) may be upgraded 3 times increasing it's effectiveness. There are no limitations to the order of which you unlock abilities.

Crystals are obtained through achieving the killing blow on enemy NPCs and the player may use these crystals to purchase modifications and consumables for each match. Modifications will grant anything from flat stat bonuses to new attunement effects. You will be allowed 2 general inventory slots and 1 modification slot for each Elemental attunement. Mods attached to an attunement are initially only active within that attunement. Some mods will have special affects that work in other attunements through "harmony bonuses". Harmonic sets will take more crystals and time to acquire.

Inventory

Items will be divided into health, defense, damage, and consumable sections. The player may purchace items at any sigil using crystals. Items will progressively be upgraded for higher values of crystals. Most items will have various "harmony bonuses" at hgiher levels similar to set bonuses in other games. These harmony bonuses will be persistant throughout each attunmeent while the base stats of the item are still only active in the element it is equipped to. Battle Royal Game Mode

The map

Each match consists of four teams initially designated to one main "base" signified by the four outer Sigils. Blue is water, yellow is air, red is fire, and green is earth. The color coded quadrants of the circle signify the current elemental attunement of NPCs spawning within that area. The Circle of Vigor has the ability to change the properties of each Sigil as explained later. Players initial teams are signified by their starting Sigil color and remain the same regardless of how their current Sigil(s) are aligned. Black lines signify paths of travel for players and NPCs alike. The larger red central circle signifies the center of the Circle of Vigor. I will refer to this image when explaining more in depth concepts. Map Quadrants

Elements

Each quadrant is given 1 of 4 elements while making sure 1 of each element is present within the field in the order show to the right. This elemental configuration will change at random intervals, no less than 2.5 minutes and no more than 5 minutes apart, throughout the match shifting the circle 1 to 3 times in either direction and possibly fliping horizontally or vertically. This will keep the alignment of one side strong one side weak the same but teams elementals different alignments. The timer for random changing will reset any time a player changes alignment. Alignment cannot be changed more than once every 2 minutes.

Win condition

One team must clear out opposing teams to its left and right until no opposing teams remain. Each sigil sends out an equal amount of Elemental enemies with only basic attacks in the three main directions (to the center and to both opposite sigils) to battle with the opposing forces. When a team is defeated, the conquering team gains control of their sigil and continues their assault with the new NPCs. A sigil will not send Elementals to a friendly sigil, instead they will fortify the area with an equal amount of Elementals to one wave. When controlling more than one sigil, an amount equal to one sigils Elementals will be spawned throughout all owned sigils to attack the center.

Lane management

Each team always has a total of three active quadrants at a time. You can have one neutral quadrants and 1 non-active quadrant depending on your teams progress. You may partake in battle within any quadrant but there are a few rules. Active quadrants are the closest enemies quadrants to the left and right of the current teams sigil as well as your current sigils quadrant. This means that if (in the picture) green took over yellow, all quadrants would become active for green. Before the takeover Blue would have been non-active for green and once green took over yellow and blue, yellow would become neutral. Sections in the intersections of quadrants remain accessible if your active quadrants touch the middle lane.

Circle of Vigor

The center red circle signifies the free for all, always active, quadrant on the map. Kills within the Circle of Vigor grant extra crystals to the entire team. Controlling the Circle long enough will also allow you to rotate the Elements within Quadrants as the player sees fit. This is determined by the player who is within the circle the longest at the end of every 2 minutes. The Circle of Vigor does not accept more than one player of each team within it at any one time. The second player to enter the Circle will slowly drain health until they exit.

Quadrant Balancing, Harmony

Each active enemy quadrant of a team must remain in balance to the other. This balance is signified by a harmony meter for each team. Each teams meter is visible to everyone. The goal is to keep the meter in the center. This is achieved by each player being within a reasonable range of enemy elementals for extended amounts of time. This means that if two players are on one side and one on another side for too long harmony will be lost. If a player dies, their elemental power will be used as a conduit for regaining harmony, this balancing of harmony will take as longer as the match progresses. Once harmony is lost the Circle of Vigor will slowly drain the life from players breaking the harmony (overcrowding one lane) in order to achieve balance once again. Griefing

If players acquire too much friendly damage, cause too much imbalance of harmony, or too many disconnects they will begin to acquire a lower priority for match placement. Continued Good standing will raise this value over time but "griefers" will rarely, if ever, be matched with players having a good standing on their accounts. Monetization

This is a free to play game for PC with an incredibly similar market to League of Legends and other similar MOBA games. Elemental shards will be granted through purchase or play and be used within various sections of the game. By giving the player a persistent character it allows for more incentive to customize and be unique. The player will be given opportunities to purchase weapon skins, outfits, character modifications, character titles, and other cosmetic items.

Weapons will rotate on a random basis each game initiated only allowing free use of 10 per match for everyone present. Each player will be allowed to select any weapon available or they can quickly select a weapon otherwise not available using Elemental Shards or by purchasing a weapon permanently in the store. Players will only see their teams weapon selections until the match is locked in. The goal is to launch the game with about 20 weapons and expand the selection on a monthly basis.