Arena [WIP] Brainstorming the Basics

[Frozenhelfir]

I've had my sights on creating a hero arena ever since I made the jump from gui to JASS. However, I have found myself to be very indecisive when it comes to the fundamentals. That being said, I'd like to get your opinion on what makes a hero arena fun. You don't have to answer these line-by-line, in fact I think it'd be better if you just gave a few sentences summing up your ideal arena.

Map Size: small/medium/large? Somewhere in between?
Team Setup: How many teams? How large? FFA?
Teamwork: How heavy should the emphasis be on teamwork? What is the best way to provoke said level of teamwork?

Creeps:
-Should there be any?
-What about bosses?
-Should the only creeps be bosses?
-How strong should creeps/bosses be compared to the heroes?
-How should their rewards compare to rewards from killing heroes?
-What about a penalty for only creeping and not fighting the other heroes/teams?
-Should people be gankable when they fight bosses?

Heroes:
-Stat amounts: Double digits? Quintuple digits?
-Stat gain: How fast should heroes gain stats? Should players be able to choose how to spend them?
-Primary Attribute: Should it play a large role or not have much of an impact?
-Skills: Should their effects be based on attributes? Should heroes have preset skills or allow the player to choose/buy them?
-Customizable skills: Should there be no limits on skill choices or force someone to choose an offensive, defensive, support, and ultimate?
-Combat: How long should it take to kill a hero? What about a way to prevent running such as slowing down as health is lost?
-Hero Tiers: What about allowing players to acquire better heroes as they meet certain requirements?

Tomes?: Items will be way better than tomes, I refuse to have a tome-massing arena. However, should they be in there in the case that your inventory fills? Should they transfer to other heroes if you upgrade or get a different one?

 

[Ryuu]

This is your arena, or is it a guide for making an arena?

 

[Frozenhelfir]

My arena, I can't really decide how I should set it up. Trying to get some ideas so I can start! Slightly modified the first paragraph to clarify.

 

[Metaldrummer]

Well I figure it should be your ideas that make it your map, but here are my opinions:

Map Size: small/medium/large? Somewhere in between?
It doesn't need to be too big, unless you want to be able to choose between four or five different arenas. All you really need is a decent sized battle area, and a small base for each player or team.
Team Setup: How many teams? How large? FFA?
I tend to prefer teams, because that tends to create more strategy and teamwork which leads to a deeper gameplay experience. The number of teams depends on the gameplay you're looking for, two for organized, team combat, three or more for chaotic, unpredictable free-for-all style matches.
Teamwork: How heavy should the emphasis be on teamwork? What is the best way to provoke said level of teamwork?
It all depends on who you get stuck with. If you're team is awful, you're not going to have much fun. However, teamwork can lead to a whole new level of strategy, which is what I enjoy the most.

Creeps:
-Should there be any?
Creeps are good for gaining a few levels off the side, which is really helpful if one of your members needs a few extra levels. Perhaps you could have a neutral dungeon-type area where you could go for extra gold or experience.
-What about bosses?
Bosses are a nice goal for teams that can only be beaten with a strong amount of teamwork. This can also be used as a competitive aspect where the teams race to gain whatever powerful items or allies await them.
-Should the only creeps be bosses?
It really depends on how you want the game played, whether the emphasis will be on arena combat or creeping.
-How strong should creeps/bosses be compared to the heroes?
Creeps should be able to be soloed, but not easily. You might need healing after fighting three or four of them. Bosses should be difficult even with some team members to help you. They are the toughest in the arena, but give the best rewards.
-How should their rewards compare to rewards from killing heroes?
This, again, depends on the focus of the map.
-What about a penalty for only creeping and not fighting the other heroes/teams?
Maybe at higher levels, creeps could stop benefiting you as much as they used to, and as much as killing heroes would. Thus the player would get behind, and be underleveled as a penalty.
-Should people be gankable when they fight bosses?
Yes, it's annoying, but it will happen if both teams have access to the boss area. And if you think about it, all it really is doing is moving the arena from the main area to the boss area.

Heroes:
-Stat amounts: Double digits? Quintuple digits?
I like to use smaller amounts, because once you get to 500+ it get's ridiculous. By changing gameplay constants you can achieve whatever results you want with whatever stats you want.
-Stat gain: How fast should heroes gain stats? Should players be able to choose how to spend them?
I've always thought that was a good idea. It gives you more control over the direction of your hero, which adds more individuality making it YOUR hero, rather than just the Warrior or the Mage.
-Primary Attribute: Should it play a large role or not have much of an impact?
Really, the primary stat just chooses which stat adds bonus damage, and thus which stat players will focus on increasing. If you emphasize your players using their skills rather than normal attacks, this stat won't matter too much more than the others.
-Skills: Should their effects be based on attributes? Should heroes have preset skills or allow the player to choose/buy them?
I dislike letting players choose the skills for their heroes, because everyone will usually pick the same skills every time unless you balance the game rigorously. As far as attribute-based goes, you could have the three normal skills be based on one of the three attributes each. One skill would be based on Strength, one on Agility, and one on Intelligence. Just an idea.
-Customizable skills: Should there be no limits on skill choices or force someone to choose an offensive, defensive, support, and ultimate?
Having no limits would lead to more focus on hero customization, and especially teamwork. If you force them into that particular choice, heroes would be more accustomed to soloing, and less reliant on their teammates. Your choice, really.
-Combat: How long should it take to kill a hero? What about a way to prevent running such as slowing down as health is lost?
It shouldn't take forever, but it should take longer than, say, 2 or 3 seconds. Really, it will depend on how evenly matched the heroes in question are, but I would say 10 normal attacks at least, without backup or the use of skills.
-Hero Tiers: What about allowing players to acquire better heroes as they meet certain requirements?
This really depends on your answers to the previous questions, but this can be a really nice feature if the heroes have set attributes and abilities. Each hero can choose to morph into a more specialized version of the hero they chose (i.e. Warrior morphs into either Berserker or Defender). Personally, I'm a big fan.

Tomes?: Items will be way better than tomes, I refuse to have a tome-massing arena. However, should they be in there in the case that your inventory fills? Should they transfer to other heroes if you upgrade or get a different one?
I don't like tomes, because they tend to be overused, as you said. If you choose to implement them, they should either be really expensive, or really uncommon. But they shouldn't be transfered, because the hero might need a different stat alignment. Perhaps you could drop the tomes upon hero change, or get money back to buy new ones.

That's all I have to say. I hope I was helpful.