League of Legends will be free to play

One of my favorite upcoming online multiplayer games, “League of Legends,” is now going to be free-to-play. Based on the “Defense of the Ancients” style of gameplay, “LoL” has a team behind it with tons of experience across the gaming sphere — from “DotA” to “World of Warcraft.”

For those who haven’t played “DotA” or other similar online games, “LoL” is very simple to understand. Basically, you play against another team, and each team has a base. There are multiple paths connecting the two bases, each littered with towers defending against attack, and populated by constantly auto-spawning NPC minions. Take out the towers, take out the other team’s base, and you win.

By becoming free-to-play, “League of Legends” is going to drastically increase the player numbers — especially when the paying benefits are more matters of convenience than gameplay-changing features. (The method that we’ve stated before is the correct way to go.)

What do you get if you pay?

The game puts players in the role of a “Summoner,” which is basically your account (but with spells and stuff). As you play, you’ll earn Influence Points, which are used to unlock new characters, and power-ups for those characters. By paying, players can buy Riot Points, which will let them unlock characters — but not upgrade them or make them better. So, you’ll have the choice of paying to unlock a new guy to use, or just using other guys until you earn enough points.

The $29.99 in-store version of the game will work similar to other free-to-play boxed MMORPGs. It’s an optional purchase, and buying it will reward you with some extra characters, skins, Riot Points, etc. So it’s like buying in-game stuff, but at a retail store.