Recipes give upgraded items a name and meaning. In DOTA, you can upgrade Necronimicon and Dagon several times, but it doesn't have the same pzazz as say building towards a Burize.
Yeah, I know I'm in the minority here. Innociv really dislikes Dota and its recipes and he's alot louder on these forums then me and many others. Regardless, I like recipes and what they add to DOTA. Perhaps its grown to complicated and so its confusing for a new player. However, there is a very real need for recipes. The basic advantages are:
1. Free up slots -
There's a limited amount of equipment slots. Upgrading circumvents this by allowing you to boost those items currently in the slots. Recipe's allow you to combine multiple slots into 1.
2. Synergy bonus -
Recipe's encourage a player to taking time to carefully select items that match together well instead of throwing together a hodge podge random mixed items. This can be seen in other games (not just DOTA).
In WOW, if you collect matching pieces of armor your granted synergy bonus. This may not be a bad idea for Demigod. Let's say with the current shop layout that there's a set of armor (boots, plate, helm, gloves, ring) that all have the same common name (i.e. Scathis's Suit of Confirmation). As you collect each piece, you get synergy bonuses (hey its magic, they were meant to be together). Say you buy the boots first. Then you get enough money to buy the gloves, which gives you additional bonuses greater then the 2 items alone (2 of 5). Pick up the helm later, more synergistic bonus (3/5). Pick up the breast plate (4/5), then finish with the ring (5/5). Each part is greater then the whole. Instead of throwing together a bunch of mismatched armor, your going for the whole set with each component complementing the other. Its not cryptic, it can be done on the fly, you just buy each item that has the same graphic style. Synergy and coolness.
If you pattern after DOTA, then the entire suit would take 1 slot. Perhaps an easy progression (to keep slots open for other needed items) may be that the gloves and boots would combine automatically into 1 slot. The helm and Plate would take 1 slot. And if you the 2 combo's together with the ring, wala, 1 slot. The "recipe's" don't even need to cost money or even be visible for purchase. Once you get two matching items, they combine automatically taking the deep thinking/guessing out of it. This would also mean that item combination would have to be simpler and items should not cross over into different combo's.
3. Quickly Identify the threat (this assumes we'll be able to mouse over or select enemies and see what they have equipped, a must in my opinion) -
In DOTA, you can select on visible enemy heroes and quickly assess what they are capable of simply by looking at their items. Recipe's provide a very quick reference of what the heros is capable of. Without recipe's, there's alot more thinking and alot more mess involved.
For example, the item Buriza-do Kyanon(+75 damage, 2.2X Critical, 20% chance) is made up the the following:
Demon edge: +36 damage, 2600 gp
Crystalis(+35 damage, 1.75X Critical, 10% chance)
Broadsword: +18 damage 1200 gp
Blades of Attack: +9 damage 650 gp
Crystalis Scroll: adds 8 damage and gives 1.75X critical with 10% chance, 500gp
Buriza-do Kyanon Scroll: adds +4 damage, upgrades crit to 2.2X and chance to 20%, 1,000 gp
If there were no recipes your inventory would have 5 items with the following bonuses:
+36 dmg, +18 dmg, +9 dmg, +8 dmg & crit (1.75X 10%), +4 dmg & crit upgrade (2.2X 20%).
Or you could just have each item combine into 1 slot with +75 damage, 2.2X Critical, 20% chance.
As a compromise, maybe if you mouse over a Demigod (or select) instead of seeing his items, you see his base stats (attribute bonuses added in) and his lump bonuses from items.
Example:
Mouse over regulus and his stats appear:
Move Speed: 15 + 5
Attack Speed: 20 + 4
Damage: 130+265
etc etc.
I'm not saying lets replicate DOTA's item/recipes (46 items and 54 recipes). But lets take the best from it and improve. Recipes have alot of advantages as long as they are intuitive, simple, and motivating. Current item builds (or lack of) are pretty vanilla and boring.
