Topic: DotA2
started by: Leisher
Posted by Leisher on Sep. 12 2011,09:38
< Steam page >Not a ton of info yet.
Posted by GORDON on Sep. 12 2011,11:13
That could be a scene out of League of Legends.Assuming this game doesn't actually have Pixar-quality gameplay graphics.
Posted by Leisher on Sep. 12 2011,11:47
QUOTE
That could be a scene out of League of Legends.
That's because they're the same thing. Blizzard's will be too. There isn't a ton of variables in the genre, but it's still a blast. I suppose someone could give it new settings like they do with tower defense games, RPGs, RTSs, FPSs, etc.
QUOTE
Assuming this game doesn't actually have Pixar-quality gameplay graphics.
Ha! Leisher has slain Nemo!
Back to DotA 2, we're just keeping our eyes on it. It's a Valve product, and the early word is that they've really put a lot into it.
On a related note, I wish one of these developers would do tournaments. It can't be that difficult. I realize a million people would enter, but there's got to ways to make things run quickly and smoothly.
Posted by TheCatt on Sep. 12 2011,13:09
I signed up for the beta.I will specialize in making opponents feel better about themselves.
Posted by Cakedaddy on Sep. 12 2011,13:29
LoL does do them. Season one just ended. It had a $100,000 prize pool. Season two is going to have a $5,000,000 prize pool.< As seen here. >
Here's another < article >.
Posted by WSGrundy on Sep. 12 2011,13:55
All of these games are based on the Defense of the Ancients mod that was made with Warcraft III.Valve hired the original modder which is why I believe they get to use the actually name with their sequal.
Also Valve had a million dollar tournament for DotA 2 at gamescom. The best DotA players competed in an early build of the game.
Posted by GORDON on Sep. 12 2011,16:57
Signed up for the beta as well, and watched some game replays from a tourny they had.This game looks to be identical to LoL, but with better graphics... and I don't know if that is an improvement. In LoL I can glance at the minimap and, while a little cartoony, I can see immediately the status of the battlefield. The minimap in DoTA2 is more realistic, and a little harder to get a sense of what is happening at a glance. Things blend better. Which isn't really good.
Posted by Leisher on Oct. 07 2011,10:34
< They're going to have spectators, commentary, etc. >Awesome.
Posted by Leisher on Nov. 02 2011,13:52
< Beta is growing. >IF you get invited, you will also receive multiple copies to give to friends.
Posted by TheCatt on Nov. 02 2011,14:23
I got a survey today for it.It seems like they are, unfortunately, looking for people who have actually played Dota before.
Posted by WSGrundy on Nov. 02 2011,18:50
I didn't bother finishing it when all the questions were about your DotA experience.
Posted by TheCatt on Nov. 03 2011,05:36
I put a whole bunch of blanks and zeroes.
Posted by Leisher on Nov. 03 2011,05:58
I actually wrote the dev team about the survey.They held open signups for the beta, yet the survey assumes you've played DOTA, and there's no place to indicate that you haven't and/or you play other dota genre games like LoL?
Terrible.
That being said, I hope I get selected.
Posted by TheCatt on Feb. 01 2012,17:40
Lol.I got picked.
QUOTE
CONGRATUlATIONS!
YOU HAVE BEEN INVITED TO PLAY DOTA 2
YOU HAVE BEEN INVITED TO PLAY DOTA 2
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 02 2012,14:50
Are you playing?
Posted by TheCatt on Feb. 02 2012,15:32
I downloaded it. So that's progress.
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 04 2012,07:38
I have now also been selected.
Posted by TheCatt on Feb. 04 2012,10:28
Let me know what to do 
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 05 2012,21:03
I just watched a DOTA2 match because there doesn't seem to be any documentation whatsoever, and no bot games. I was lost. It was just a huge jumbled mess and it moved MUCH faster than LoL.
Here's what I saw:
-The 5v5 map is much bigger, but the same layout.
-There are a ton more jungle monsters.
-Several characters did the clone thing. One of them had 4 and they all seemed to have as many hits points as the original.
-Turrets and minions didn't seem to matter. There wasn't much farming going on, except of the jungle creatures. Turret diving was common, and the turrets didn't seem to do much damage. I watched a few guys standing there while getting hit by both nexus turrets and they didn't seem worried at all. Very little damage. The best way I can describe it is to compare them to the old damage model for minions in LoL. They do fire faster, but the damage didn't seem to equal LoL's turrets even with the faster firing rate.
-No inhibitor. Instead, there's two barracks behind each turret. When you take them down, all of your minions become "Mega", and they seem to be super charged.
-Lots of buildings in your base. No idea why.
-Some characters seemed to do no damage at all, and they just ran every fight. Others seemed to do a ton. One guy, a skeleton king, would die, and immediately resurrect like Phoenix Armor, only he did it constantly.
-There was a baron type creature that didn't seem as tough as baron.
-This game is far better looking, but I think that works against it. It's a lot more difficult to find your way through the jungle, and the lack of colors make it harder to see things.
-Different roles for the characters, and the focus of players seems to be more about jungling and fighting each other. Ones I remember are bounty hunter, ganker, pusher, support, initiator, and I think there's one more.
-People who die can buy their way back in immediately. There were no moments where an ace occurred and the other team was able to push. This might have contributed to the sluggish pace of the game despite everything going so much faster.
-I saw lots of cursing, inappropriate names, and a "U mad bro?". I don't think Valve has any sort of tribunal system in place yet.
I don't know how I feel about it yet. It looked very confusing. I think LoL is still the better game. LoL's more cartoony graphics and slower pace work heavily in its favor.
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 06 2012,09:54
I was just watching a video about the new LoL character and realized the biggest problem with DOTA2. Their champions were barely recognizable. A guy in the video was talking about how awesome the new LoL character is when running because of his facial expressions, and there is none of that in DOTA2.
The camera is set too far back, and none of the characters come across well. I had to really focus and zoom in the camera see if a few were even humanoid. Many times I'd click them to see their profile picture, and many didn't really look like they were the same character.
Also, maybe the camera is different for watchers, but when I zoomed in, it seemed to have 3, maybe 4, settings, and as you got closer, it also leveled the camera to the battlefield. That means at the closest zoom I was also looking in a straight line (almost). Not good for a genre where attacks come from all directions.
It might be a bit different according to the video below, but it still sucks.
Still, the shopping seems to be cooler as a flying donkey delivers your goods to you. Really.
Posted by Leisher on Apr. 20 2012,12:34
< Free to play. >"With some twists", whatever the hell that means. I'm thinking it translate to: "We're stealing Riot's business model."
Posted by GORDON on Apr. 20 2012,12:36
With the massive popularity of Riot/LOL, what are the chances this game will fizzle for lack of interest?
Posted by Leisher on Apr. 10 2013,06:56
According to one independent study, < DOTA2 has surpassed LoL as the world's most popular game. >Ok, probably not, as the writer immediately points out. Still, this is a big deal.
It makes one wonder when EA is going to announce their MOBA game...
Posted by GORDON on Apr. 10 2013,07:00
I've heard the situation described as,"DOTA2 is more strategic, but LOL is more fun."
Posted by Leisher on Apr. 10 2013,07:11
Yeah, I've heard the learning curve in DOTA 2 is a bit ridiculous. Plus, they've been in beta for well over a year now. They've always said the game will cost money once they get out of beta, which I think might be dumb, unless they simply plan to give you all content out of the gate.
The thing that irritates me about DOTA 2 the most is that it's being worked on constantly, but we're still waiting for HL2:Ep3.
Posted by Stranger on Apr. 10 2013,08:14
The fact that DOTA has been in beta forever shows that its not up to par with LOL yet. It looks interesting and i would like to try it out but get it out of beta already!There are also a couple of other MOBA's out there. Hero's of Newearth is one, i read that one sucks though.
Another one thats in beta is called Smite, its in 3rd person view and actually looks kinda cool. I've watched a few streams of this game before and it shows promise, but it literally only has like 10 champs right now so its prolly got a while before that one comes live.
And X-box actally got a MOBA a few months ago. Guardians of Middle Earth, i got a little excited when i saw this just cause it was Lord of the Rings. But its on X-box, and i guess that you don't even buy items in the game and each champ just goes along a set path as they go up levels, leaving any sorta build strategies outta the question. Basically its a dumbed down MOBA for begginers.
I would love to see an X-men style one though, i think Leisher had mentioned one in a post somewhere. There is just sooo many champs that they could make outta that.
Posted by Leisher on Apr. 10 2013,08:38
QUOTE
The fact that DOTA has been in beta forever shows that its not up to par with LOL yet. It looks interesting and i would like to try it out but get it out of beta already!
I think they've actually painted themselves into a corner.
I'm not sure what the actual plan might be, but I can't imagine an open beta for 2 years was in it. Who knows though? Maybe they're waiting for some of the bloom to fall off of LoL's rose?
QUOTE
There are also a couple of other MOBA's out there. Hero's of Newearth is one, i read that one sucks though.
There are quite a few out there, but none with the numbers close to LoL or even DOTA2.
I've heard that in at least one, the turrets walk around or some shit.
QUOTE
Another one thats in beta is called Smite, its in 3rd person view and actually looks kinda cool. I've watched a few streams of this game before and it shows promise, but it literally only has like 10 champs right now so its prolly got a while before that one comes live.
When they go into 3rd person, I think that's when I'll walk away. That view just doesn't work for this type of game. It turns it into a shooter instead of a tactical game.
I always felt the same way about MMOs. 3rd person is great for FPSs, and some MMOs, but the best don't have that view. It also sucks for sports games, and LoL is technically a sports game... (think about it)
QUOTE
I would love to see an X-men style one though, i think Leisher had mentioned one in a post somewhere. There is just sooo many champs that they could make outta that.
Yeah, rumor has it that DC/WB is working on one, and a Marvel one would be a no brainer.
For the Marvel one:
-I can name three villains off the top of my head who give Marvel a pre-conceived story line to explain the game's back story: Arcade, Mojo, and the Beyonder.
-The dragon can be Fing Fang Foom.
-Baron can be Galactus.
-Jungles spawns can be various Hydra, SHIELD, AIM, etc. members.
-When you teleport Gateway or Lockjaw show up to take you.
-Minions can just be murderbots or some shit.
-Wolverine's ult would be "Berserker rage"
-The Human Torch's would be "Nova"
Holy shit, TONS of ideas are flooding my brain right now. I could talk about this concept all day.
Posted by GORDON on Apr. 10 2013,08:53
"Beta" status doesn't mean too much... isn't gmail still in beta?
Posted by Leisher on Apr. 11 2013,06:11
< More on how that report is bullshit. >QUOTE
“Riot is actually going to give us some actual numbers so we can compare,” Cole continued. “LOL does have a lot more users and we may have underestimated LOL. Thing is, we have never seen anything like it, so have been pretty conservative. But Dota 2 is still big.”
So they're going by hours played, and they don't even have legit numbers from LoL. Sounds quite scientific...
For example, as the article notes, Riot has peak concurrent highs of 500,000 users on EU West servers alone. DOTA2 reports a high of 300,000 and change for all servers. So yeah, obviously DOTA2 is the bigger game? How the fuck did they reach their conclusions?
Posted by GORDON on Apr. 11 2013,06:14
Sounds like DOTA2 isn't even in the same league as... League.
Posted by Leisher on Jun. 18 2013,08:27
< Finally leaving beta this summer. >Since everyone on the planet who wanted access to play it could easily get it, I'm not sure what will be different.
Posted by Leisher on Aug. 12 2013,10:24
Not up to LoL yet, but < it's getting bigger. >
Posted by Malcolm on Aug. 12 2013,10:35
< Traitors >.
Posted by GORDON on Aug. 12 2013,10:51
(Leisher @ Aug. 12 2013,13:24)
QUOTE
Not up to LoL yet, but < it's getting bigger. >
They managed to fill a theater with all the people who'd been banned by the LOL Tribunal?
Posted by Leisher on Mar. 07 2014,12:19
Gordo and I were once discussing how it seems PCGamer is in Valve's pocket because they ALWAYS talk about DOTA2, and not LoL (the biggest game in the world).< DOTA2 gets its own column in PC Gamer. >
Personally, I wish DOTA2 would have failed because we'd probably have seen a new HL game by now.
Posted by GORDON on Mar. 07 2014,12:52
As someone who still plays LOL, I find that bias irritating.
Posted by Leisher on Jul. 21 2014,08:07
If you missed it, video games took a huge step into the mainstream over the weekend. Valve's DOTA 2 "The International" tournament is currently being held, and not only did it get a front page story on ESPN.com, but it was also being aired on ESPN 3.
Nerd Power!
Posted by TPRJones on Jul. 21 2014,08:10
ESPN 3? I vaguely remember that ESPN 2 was where they showed twenty-year-old hockey games. I can only presume ESPN 3 is usually most International Badminton Playoffs.Hardly mainstream, that.
Posted by Leisher on Jul. 21 2014,08:14
You're thinking of ESPN Classic, which does still exist. Actually ESPN 3 is their online channel, and I believe was previously ESPNU?
The mainstream part was being front page news on espn.com for the entire day yesterday. That is a big deal. They weren't just a headline on the side of the page, but one of the top 5 stories.
Posted by GORDON on Jul. 21 2014,09:35
Should have been on The Ocho.
Posted by Malcolm on Jul. 21 2014,09:37
QUOTE
The mainstream part was being front page news on espn.com for the entire day yesterday.
No football, no hockey, no basketball, World Cup just ended, and the only thing on is baseball.
Posted by Leisher on Jul. 30 2014,05:39
< The International set viewer records. >QUOTE
No football, no hockey, no basketball, World Cup just ended, and the only thing on is baseball.
I don't think taking advantage of an empty marketplace is something we should be saying is a negative.
Posted by Leisher on Mar. 02 2016,08:22
< Shanghai Major event is a trainwreck. >
Posted by TPRJones on Mar. 02 2016,09:20
Apparently < it's mostly Valve's fault >, if this guy is to be believed. Short version: Valve hires guy that says "cunts" on Twitch for a living to host event, tells him to just be himself, gets pissed when starts out by saying "cunts" on air. After Valve tells guy they will fix problems between them quietly and keep it out of the public eye, so GabeN goes to reddit to tell everyone this guy is an asshole and make a big PR mess.Seems to fit in with the fact that GabeN is a big fucking unprofessional baby about stuff sometimes.