The Ultimate Mobile PVP Game: Chaos Arena

12 Rounds of Chaos

I spent about 200 hours producing a 155-page PDF document — which outlines a PVP-based computer game. It is called 12 Rounds of Chaos.

This PDF document cannnot be uploaded here on Medium, but you will find it at the top of this identical Substack article.

Mobile Gaming

Based on this concept, it would be easy to make a much simpler mobile game. Mobile gaming accounts for 49% of ALL gaming revenue (mobile, tablet, computer, console).

Mobile games have a much lower barrier to entry, and it is very easy to spend money on your phone. The credit card and the passwords are already in there! =).

Mobile games are also smaller, simpler, and easier to make. Marketing appears to happen naturally through the app, word of mouth, and positive reviews.

You do not need a big marketing budget in order to succeed with a mobile game. You just have to make a really good game.

Most small gaming companies focus on developing mobile games, for the reasons outlined above.

The mobile platform also allows for aggressive monetization tactics. Things that would not be allowed on a gaming console (like Xbox or Playstation).

Hero Arena

The basic idea for this game comes from a Warcraft 3 custom game called Hero Arena.

I also drew inspiration from a Dota 2 custom game called Custom Hero Chaos. This custom game has a player base of about 700 000 people.

It is HORRIBLY balanced, yet, it is INCREDIBLY fun to play. Highly addictive! I play it every single day.

Here is a link to my Steam Profile. I have clocked 3433 Hours (!) in Dota 2. I have played Custom Hero Chaos for 47.5 Hours over the last 2 weeks.

Here is a link to the Steam Page for Custom Hero Chaos.

Anyway.

In the Warcraft 3 custom game Hero Arena, you pick a hero, kill minions in an open terrain, make money, buy items, and duel another hero to the death.

Last man standing — WON! A simple — and very effective concept.

Hero Arena was a more popular custom game (within the Warcraft 3 game) than Dota, at one point. Hero Arena could have been bigger than Dota 2 is now, if a good company had taken it — and turned it into a real game.

Just like Valve did with Dota 2. They bought the rights from Blizzard back in 2009.

Now we have talked about my game 12 Rounds of Chaos, and we have talked about the Warcraft 3 custom game Hero Arena.

But we have not talked about Chaos Arena, which is the main point of this article.

We are getting there!

Chaos Arena

Chaos Arena is a PVP game that is played with one hero.

You pick a hero, battle your enemies, buy items, level up, and win the game. The rounds get harder and harder — until there is only one person left.

This person won.

A normal game will go to about 20 rounds. The first player will strike out at about round 10, assuming they are not AFK — and are actually trying.

Each round is 135 seconds. Which is 2 minutes and 15 seconds. 20 rounds translates to 45 minutes. So an average game will be 20–45 minutes, depending on how many rounds you complete.

When you are not able to beat the computer minions, and complete the round, you lose, and the game is over. You can stay and watch the other players — if you want.

This is a great way to learn new skill builds, item builds, and strategies.

Selection Phase

The game begins with the Selection Phase. Each game has 10 players. Each player gets to pick a hero. There are 50 heroes to choose from, who all have 4 skills each.

Each player gets to pick a Primary Hero, and get all 4 skills of that hero. They then get to pick a Secondary Hero, and get 2 skills from that hero. They then pick a Tertiary Hero, and get 1 skill from that hero.

• First Hero: 4 active skills
• Second Hero: 2 active skills
• Third Hero: 1 active skill

Although you get ALL the skills of the first hero, you get to pick what skills you want from hero two and three. When this is done, you will have 7 skills.

These skills will all be ACTIVE, not passive. An “Active” skill requires you to click on it, for it to work.

But each Hero will also have three PASSIVE skills that are unique to them. These could be called “Innate Skills”, like in Dota 2, who just introduced them.

You get all three passive skills of your Primary Hero. You get to pick two passive skills from your Secondary Hero. And you get to pick one passive skill from your Third Hero.

• First Hero: 3 passive skills
• Second Hero: 2 passive skills
• Third Hero: 1 passive skill

“Passive Skills” work no matter what you do, and require no action from the player.

You will have 7 active skills. And you will have 6 passive skills. In total, you will have 13 skills.

Each player gets 15 seconds to pick their Primary Hero. Then 15 seconds to pick their Secondary Hero. Then 15 seconds to pick their Third Hero.

In total, 45 seconds.

When the selection phase is over, you will start playing as your Primary Hero.

Heroes have different traits when it comes to hit points, armor, magic resistance, hp regeneration, attack speed, damage, spell casting time, spell casting range, attack range, and movement speed.

Your passive abilities will boost some of these traits. A magician might have a passive ability that increases spell casting range, allowing them to nuke enemies from a distance.

Or an ability called “Mana Shield”, which uses your mana as a shield to absorb damage. I loved this Sorceress ability in Diablo 2.

Anyway.

With 50 different heroes, there are 117 600 (!) different hero combinations (50 x 49 x 48 = 117 600). That only accounts for heroes, and does not worry about the active and passive skills that you pick for each hero.

If you account for the various skill builds, the number becomes much higher.

Rounds

Each Round is 2 minutes and 15 seconds long. This is 135 seconds. Each Round has 3 Parts. Each Part is 45 seconds long.

Each Part is divided into a 30 second “Battle Phase”, and a 15 second “Store Phase” (30+15=45). In the “Battle Phase” you battle, and in the “Store Phase” you buy items from the store.

Let’s go through each part in chronological order.

Part 1

In the first round you battle PVE minions (computer controlled minions) in a relatively small space. The fastest clearer of these minions gets the most gold. The slowest clearer gets the least gold.

The fastest clearer might get 200 gold. The slowest might get 20 gold. The second slowest gets 40 gold. The second fastest gets 180 gold.

The minions will be very easy in the beginning, and grow gradually harder. You want new players to have a chance to learn the game, and you want a warm-up phase for the hardcore players.

The battle phase is 30 seconds. If you are not done by 30 seconds, you will be transported to the shop, and be paid by how many minions you killed.

You now have 15 seconds. Use this time to buy items — and prepare for the next part.

You will also have a skill point, because heroes LEVEL UP after every single part. You can put this skill point towards upgrading one of your active skills, or improving your hero attributes.

This is discussed in more detail down below!

Part 1 is now completed.

Part 2

In the second part you battle PVE minions and all other heroes in a large open space. There is some terrain, hills, rocks, trees, water, a couple bridges, and animals running around.

The strongest minions are in the center of this space. The weakest minions are in the outskirts. The intermediate minions are somewhere between them.

The stronger heroes will gravitate towards the center of this space, to get the best farm. But this will push them together, to the point of them fighting each other.

This is Hunger Games, in mobile gaming format. Killing other heroes gives lots of gold, but it is also very dangerous.

During this phase, you can kill minions, and you can kill heroes. You can do one of them, or you can do both.

Area of effect spells and splash damage is better for killing minions. Single target spells and damage is better for killing heroes.

You do not lose gold when you die. You will respawn in a safe area where there are no other heroes. This area will have weak minions that are unable to kill you.

Once you leave this area, you can get killed again.

When the 30 second Battle Phase is over, you are transported to the shop. Here you can buy items, research opponents, and place your skill point.

• Part 1 was pure PVE.
• Part 2 is PVE and PVP.
• Part 3 is pure PVP.

Part 2 is now complete.

Part 3

In part 3 you battle another hero to the death. The hero with the highest net worth — gets to phase the hero with the least net worth.

The second highest will phase the second lowest, and so on. Players in the middle will simply phase each other. The winner of this duel gets lots of gold. The loser gets nothing.

For the first 10 rounds, players will battle each other according to this schedule. When all players have phased each other one time each, a new schedule is set with the same mechanism for round 11–20.

At round 21, it starts over again. Every 10 rounds, there is a new “calibration”, which determines the opponents for the next 10 rounds. You will never face the same hero twice during those 10 rounds.

The hero duel is over when someone dies, or when 30 seconds have passed.

If nobody is dead at that time, the hero with the highest hit points wins. This is calculated as a percentage of maximum health.

When the PVP battle is over, you are transported to the shop, where you can buy items. You now have 15 seconds to prepare for the next round.

Part 3 is now completed.

Each round has these three parts: Part 1 + Part 2 + Part 3.

It is the same thing every time.

Items

For each hero, there is a list of “recommended items” that a player can buy from. This will help new players.

But there will be a large selection of items, to enable many different strategies, and several counters to each strategy.

It is very important to me that there are several different options for each early/mid/late game strategy. This was not the case in Diablo 3, and this is not the case in Dota 2.

For example, say you are playing a physical damage dealer in the later part of the game. You already have attack speed and lifesteal — so you need damage. I want there to be at least 5–10 different high damage items to choose from.

The same concept applies to everything else. Gaming companies are, generally speaking, too restrictive when it comes to adding new items.

New items always bring excitement to the existing gaming crowd.

In Chaos Arena, you will be able to UPGRADE many items. Especially the more expensive ones, since you buy them in the late game, where you run out of item slots.

Nobody should suffer the anguish of having lots of money, without the ability to spend it.

Hero Levels

When you pick your hero, it will be level 1. Each Round gives you 3 Levels. Each Round has 3 Parts, and each part gives you 1 Level upon completion.

By Round 10, you will be Level 30. By Round 20, you will be Level 60.

A normal game experience will be 15–20 rounds. This game will take 34–45 minutes. This will make your hero level 45–60.

Skills

You will have 7 active skills (4 + 2 + 1), and 6 passive skills (3 + 2 + 1). Your passive skills automatically scale with your hero.

But your active skills have 10 levels each. In order to max out all of them, you would need 70 levels.

And even after maxing out a specific skill, there are another 5 upgrades which reduces the casting time and cooldown reduction of that skill.

Each upgrade will reduce casting time by 5%, and cooldown reduction by 5%. This maxes out at 25%/25%.

This means that you can spend 15 skill points on upgrading one single skill. This will make that skill Level 10, and it will have -25% casting time, and -25% cooldown reduction.

All active skills in Chaos Arena will have a casting time of 0.2–1 second. Item casting time will be instant (like in Dota 2). The bigger the spell, the longer the casting time.

If you have a passive ability that gives you 20% cooldown reduction, and have maxed out all 15 levels of one skill, then that skill will now have 45% cooldown reduction.

Does that make sense?

I have intentionally given each Hero many more possible skill upgrades, than skill points. Because this allows for highly specialized strategies. Where you might be spending the first half of the game just maxing out 2–3 skills.

But you can also spend “Skill Points” — on improving your hero attributes.

Keep reading!

Attributes

Your skill points can be used to upgrade your active abilities, but not your passive abilities.

But there are other things you can do with your skill points. You can “upgrade” various aspects of your hero.

These are:

1. Utility (movement speed, slow resistance, status resistance)
2. Attack (attack damage, attack speed, lifesteal)
3. Spell Casting (spell casting time, spell amplification, spell lifesteal)
4. Regeneration (passive hp regeneration, hp regen each attack performed, and each spell cast).
5. Durability (Armour, evasion, magic resistance)
6. Damage Block (this will block incoming physical and magical damage by a fixed number).
7. Damage Reduction (this will reduce all incoming damage by a percentage).
8. Damage Reflection (this will reflect a percentage of all incoming damage back to the attacker).

Each attribute has 10 upgrades each. So 80 skill points are required to max out all of them.

You actually need 185 Skill Points — to max out everything in the game.

A skilled hardcore player might make it to Round 30, which will give them 90 Levels.

This forces the player to develop a deliberate strategy, in what they upgrade. Instead of just mindlessly upgrading everything to the max.

This has been a flaw in many well-made computer games.

Reset

Every 10 Rounds (Round 10, 20, 30) you will be given a “Reset Book”, which resets all of your skill points. This will allow you to make a mistake — and still come back.

It will enable various short term strategies for the early game, a different strategy for the midgame, and another one for the late game.

It is important to me that this game is forgiving to new and casual players.

New Skill Book

Every 5 Rounds (Round 5, 10, 15, 20, 25), there will be a “New Skill Book” up for auction. This book will go to the highest bidder. This will allow you to pick another active skill.

You cannot pick a skill that is currently active in the game. It has to come from a Secondary Hero, a Tertiary Hero, or an unpicked hero.

Ranking System

There will be a ranking system.

On the loading screen, before each match, all 10 players would be listed from highest ranking — to lowest ranking. With their actual rating next to their name.

But this rating would not affect matching. Matches would be created with the first 10 available players from each region.

This ranking system would invoke that competitive spirit inside you.

Once the game is making money, I also like the idea of giving the Top 100 players from each region a small stipend every month (100–200 dollars).

This would set the right tone, and enable it to become a respected Esport.

Mobile vs Computer

Now that this text is written, I realize that this game would probably work as a computer game — as well.

There is enough complexity to entertain the more demanding pc gamer.

But I do think it would work great for mobile and tablet. You might have to remove a couple features from this game, which is not hard to do.

It is much easier to remove a feature, than to add a new feature.

Mobile games are much simpler than computer games. But many gaming companies fall into the trap of underestimating mobile gamers. They make the games so simple and predictable — that they become BORING.

I do not want to do that!

Although this game was intended for mobile, I also think it would work for computer gaming.

What do you think? =) Please tell me! I read and answer EVERY SINGLE comment.

Want More?

I actually wrote a similar text about Starcraft 2: This is how I would Revamp Starcraft 2

I actually wrote a similar text about Dota 2. It is called: My 3443 Hour (!) Dota 2 Overhaul

Here is a link to all my published texts here on Medium.

Here is a link to all my published articles on Substack.

Here is a link to my Facebook profile.

This text was written by Theo Alexander Gerken.