Devlog #1: Seven heroes, thirteen units and no automatic waves
Welcome to the first Hero Line Wars devlog. This is where we will share what is being built, what changed and what comes next. To start, here is an honest look at where the game stands today.
What Hero Line Wars is
Hero Line Wars is a standalone lane-war strategy game for PC, built in Unreal Engine 5 and inspired by the classic Hero Line Wars custom game mode from StarCraft II and Warcraft III. You control one hero in your own lane. You fight off the units your opponent sends at you while spending gold on units to send into their lane. Every unit that reaches a base costs that player a life, and whoever runs out of lives first loses.
Seven playable heroes
The current build has seven heroes, each with three abilities and an ultimate that unlocks at level 6:
- Warrior: an armored frontliner with Shield Charge, Battle Cry, Cleave and Last Stand.
- Bone Dragon: soul-fire breath, flight and a curse that makes a target take extra damage.
- Necromancer: bouncing soul skulls, bone prisons, life drain and an army of skeletons.
- Barbarian: a returning axe, leaps and attack speed that stacks with every hit.
- Arcane Mage: piercing orbs, Frost Nova and Blink.
- Orc Rider: a war wolf, a pack of summoned wolves and a trampling Stampede.
- Rocketeer: bombs, turrets and rockets built around scorching enemies so they explode when they die.
Heroes level up to 25 and grow through Strength, Agility or Intelligence. The shop at your base sells items and tomes, including the Vampiric Fang for life steal. All seven heroes are getting a second balance pass right now, so numbers will move.
No automatic waves
One of the bigger design decisions so far: there are no automatic creep waves. Every unit in your lane was sent there by your opponent. That makes every bit of pressure in a match a decision someone made, and it makes reading your opponent's sends as important as playing your hero well.
Sending: 13 units in three tiers
Sending is the heart of the game. The current build has 13 units split across three fortress tiers, from the Scrap Scout and the Glowing Insect at the bottom to the Storm Drake and the Fiery Phoenix at the top. Upgrading your fortress moves you up to the next tier. Each unit type has a limited stock that refills over time, so you cannot just spam the best unit you can afford. Every send also raises your income, which is paid out every 30 seconds, and landing the killing blow on enemy units earns you extra gold.
Playing alone and online
Single-player is a 1v1 match against a bot that picks a hero, levels up, buys items and sends units just like a player would. Online 1v1 through Steam is built and now needs real testing with two players on separate machines before it is ready for anyone else.
What comes next
- Play-testing and balancing all seven heroes.
- Online testing of every system added since the first multiplayer build.
- Separate volume sliders for music, effects and interface, plus new sound effects and music.
- In-engine screenshots and footage for this site. Everything you see here today is concept art.
If you want to be there when testing opens, register for alpha access. And if you have questions about the game, the FAQ probably has the answer.