dota
Latest
‘Dota 2’ update should make things much easier for newcomers
An overhauled new player experience arrives the same day as Netflix’s 'Dota' anime.
'Dota 2' will match players sooner if they're open to different roles
Play class-based games and you'll know that it's tough to convince people to play certain roles -- there are only so many people who'd rather be the support character than the front line hero. Valve's solution for Dota 2? Give players an incentive to fill those roles. Its latest update to the game adds a Fast Queue option that bumps Ranked players to the front of the line when they're willing to play with all roles selected.
'Dota 2' app rewards you for predicting pro match winners
Valve doesn't just want you to watch Dota 2 eSports matches -- it wants you to have a small stake in them. It just released a Dota Pro Circuit app for Android and iOS that lets you win Shards (the in-game currency for Dota Plus members) by predicting the winners of Circuit matches. It's sports betting, just without spending real money beyond your existing subscription.
Valve updates 'Dota' card game with open tournaments and chat options
Valve has delivered the first large upgrade to Artifact since it premiered in late November, and it's clear there's lots of headroom for the Dota card game to grow. The 1.1 update adds short Open Tournaments that anyone can join. You don't have to chat up players or advertise them on social networks -- you just have to hop in and wait for Valve to pair you with an opponent. There's also a Free-for-All tourney mode that asks you to play as many people you can within three hours, awarding the win to whoever wins the most games in that time span.
Red Bull built an underground eSports bar in London
London's Red Bull Gaming Sphere has everything you would expect from an eSports venue: neon-strewn PCs, large TVs, chunky headsets and the latest Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft consoles. But this isn't a stadium designed to compete with the Gfinity Arena or ESL's Studio 1 in Leicester. There are no seats, for instance, beyond a few cube-shaped blocks scattered in front of a 190-inch wall-mounted TV. It's something else, a strange hybrid of eSports arcade and Twitch-friendly streaming studio. The hardware inside is undoubtedly impressive, but on opening night, few are sure what it's actually for.
Valve’s new ‘Dota 2’ subscription adds an in-game coach
Dota 2 is a completely free-to-play game, with all the MOBA's heroes available to new players from day one. Valve makes money by selling different in-game cosmetics, announcers, HUDs, etc. When major tournaments roll around, the house that GabeN built also puts out time-limited "Battle Passes" that add challenges, co-operative game types, fantasy leagues and other things that encourage your participation in exchange for special effects and the latest hero skins. That's how it's worked in the past, but this year Valve is trying a more consistent approach to monetization with the new Dota Plus subscription.
How the eSports community cares for injured players
Clinton Loomis, known to many by his online alias Fear, had his first experience of arm pain in Dec. 2013. For more than a decade, Loomis has been a professional esports athlete for Defense of the Ancients (Dota) and Dota 2. At tournaments, his reputation precedes him. He is considered one of the best players in the games' history, with multiple first-place finishes in global competitions, earning him six- and seven-figure sums. Similar to traditional sports, the number of people who play Dota 2 is far greater than the number of people who can make a living from it. Professional gaming requires fine motor precision, encyclopedic knowledge and relentless practice. The average gamer plays video games for five to six hours per week. Loomis estimates that at his professional height, he logged anywhere from eight to 12 hours per day playing Dota 2. A professional gamer like Loomis can average hundreds of actions per minute during those hours.
Valve reveals 'Artifact,' the official 'Dota' card game
Tonight, during Valve's "The International" Dota 2 esports tournament the company announced it's making a spinoff card game associated with its popular MOBA. Other than its name, Artifact, a brief teaser trailer and a release window of 2018, we didn't get any details, but Dota fans have been dreaming up Hearthstone-like card game iterations for years, so it should be well-received by the community when it drops. Former Double Fine developer Brad Muir (Iron Brigade, Massive Chalice) revealed he's been working on the project "for a while now" but that's all we know.
'Dota 2' won't be so intimidating to newcomers
For many rookies in Dota 2 and other multiplayer online battle arena games, the biggest obstacle isn't the game itself -- sometimes, it's the community. There are certainly helpful players, but MOBAs are notorious for jaded players who are hostile to anyone who isn't already a grizzled veteran. Valve wants to fix that. It's delivering a Dota 2 update that matches newcomers with players with reliably high behavior scores, reducing the chances that someone will berate you while you're still learning the ropes. There's no guarantee they'll be forgiving, but it's better than risking a stream of profanity just because you haven't spent 200 hours mastering your hero.
Valve is taking control of the competitive ‘Dota 2’ scene
Next month, Valve will host The International 7 at Seattle's KeyArena. The annual Dota 2 tournament is all but set to break the record for prize pools in eSports for the fourth year running, with over $20 million in the kitty to date. But GabeN & Co is already looking past the headline championships to the next competitive season. While Dota 2 tournaments happen all the time, there are only three "official" Valve events: two "Majors" and The International. Next season, though, the house that Steam built will embrace the wider competitive community in a big way, sponsoring third-party tournaments and creating a new ranking system that will define how 2018's International plays out.
'DOTA 2' forum hack spills almost two million passwords
The website LeakedSource has revealed that a forum tied to the game DOTA 2 was hacked on July 10th, 2016. Attackers were able to make off with almost two million records, including usernames, email addresses, passwords and IPs. You can check if your personal details are amongst LeakedSource's records by heading over to the site and searching for your own name. Users will be able to request that their details are removed from the list using its automatic deletion tool as well.
'Quake' is coming back to the PC with a modern twist or two
Bethesda kicked off its big E3 2016 showcase with a old favorite: Quake. Big guns, team battles, gore. Quake Champions is coming -- at the moment to PCs and will be arena-style shooter "designed for people at all skill levels". The most impressive technical part? The team is promising 120Hz with unlocked framerates. That's seriously smooth -- and sounds so very ready for VR. Of course, it's also perfectly timed in a current = boom in competitive shooters, especially with the mention of "characters with unique abilities" -- like this thing. Gaze at the trailer below, but be warned it's a bit graphic in that Quake kinda way.
'DOTA 2' VR spectator mode may be as exciting as playing the game
The next time you want to follow an eSports tourney, you might find yourself strapping on a virtual reality headset. Valve just teased a VR spectator mode for DOTA 2 (scroll down to the video above "you're not starting from scratch") that gives you more information than you're used to seeing during a MOBA match. The actual game is front and center, but look around and you'll see details of each team's heroes, a visually rich map and nice-to-know stats.
Valve opens up 'Dota 2 Reborn' to beta testers
Dota 2 Reborn is now open for beta testing like Valve promised, and just in time for the weekend. You will need to install Dota 2 if you haven't yet, so you can access the Reborn tab and download the game. The two versions share your match history, MMR, cosmetic items and friends, but Ranked Matchmaking isn't available in the beta yet, as the game developers want to focus on testing and improving the basic features first. Reborn runs on Valve's new Source 2 game engine, which makes it easy for people to create user-generated content. According to PC Gamer, it has a stunning UI, and it feels like a brand new game instead of an update to Dota 2 -- plus, the Custom Games tab made possible by Source 2 looks promising. The only bad news? Like many other betas (and far too many commercial releases) your worst enemy at this point in time is serious connectivity issues.
'Dota 2 Reborn' will make playing or just watching easier next week
E3 isn't even under way yet, but Valve (which will not be presenting at the event) is starting things early by revealing a new client for its massively popular PC game Dota 2. Dota 2 Reborn is being revealed in three blog updates before it launches in a beta test later next week, but what we can see so far should impress both fans and those still trying to get into these types of games (check out our primer here for a heads up). The dashboard players use to enter games is completely redesigned, with buttons to launch a session from anywhere, and easier ways to join up and play with friends. It's all running on a new engine (not specified, but presumably Source 2), and also adds support for Custom Games, which Valve will talk more about next week.
Get your free League of Legends soundtrack now
You know what's awesome? Free stuff. Free stuff is awesome. And League of Legends is notable for giving away free goodies over the years, so we're not surprised to see that Riot's put the game's brand-new soundtrack album up on the site as a free download -- before it's going to be sold elsewhere. So if you want to get 15 generally excellent tracks (we know; we've listened to it), then head on over and snag it now!
Riot will pay you cash to find League of Legends bugs
A discovered vulnerability in League of Legends led Riot Games to the conclusion that it not only needed to react to such issues when they arise, but to be more proactive in discovering these weak spots in the game. To wit, the studio has implemented a bug bounty program that will reward players who find vulnerabilities in LoL's code. The studio has been testing out the program with a smaller group and has given $100,000 in rewards so far: "Currently in closed beta, the Riot bug bounty program is only available to a few security professionals who we've already identified. These professionals have helped us squish more than 75 bugs, vulnerabilities, and exploits, including client crash exploits, vision related exploits, and vulnerabilities that could potentially lead to player impersonation on forums."
League of Legends rewards positive behavior
Just how toxic is League of Legends' community? According to Riot Games, it may not be as bad as it once was. The team posted a letter praising "positive behavior" in the community, saying that 95% of players have never received punishment. Furthermore, only 1% of the crowd have caused issues that resulted in lengthy bans or chat restrictions. Riot says that it is trying out new ideas to further combat bad behavior: "We've recently been focused on addressing extreme cases of verbal toxicity, and will soon be testing additional systems that address gameplay toxicity like leavers, AFKs, and intentional feeders." To players who haven't received any punishments in the 2014 season, Riot will be granting four-win IP boosts next week.
League of Legends spotlights Kalista, the Spear of Vengeance
Yesterday, Riot Games formally unveiled the long-rumored Kalista, the Spear of Vengeance, a new champion coming to MOBA League of Legends. Says the studio, Kalista is a marksman who cooperates with her Soul-Bound to deal substantial sustained damage, access her full repertoire of abilities and wither her enemies under her relentless assault. Kalista’s potential is unlocked by solid communication and cooperation with allies rather than raw mechanical skill. While still capable in her own right, Kalista misses out on Soul-Marked's bonus damage and effective use of her ult without direct cooperation from her ally. Riot has a brief unembeddable spotlight clip on the official site; we've included a longer one from YouTuber SkinSpotlights below.
Professional League of Legends streamer makes over $817,000 a year
If you ever tried to make the argument to your parents or loved one that you could be earning a living from doing nothing but playing video games, now you have some solid ammunition to back up your case. OnGamers translated an article that discusses how several professional Chinese League of Legends players are making six-digit salaries a year from streaming. One such player is 22-year-old Wei Han-Dong, who "retired" from playing professionally in order to sign a contract to stream 90 hours of matches a month for $817,863 a year. He maintains that streaming is less stressful than entering in tournaments, in which he was part of a world championship team in 2012. The lengthy article discusses how competitive and costly the world of professional esports and streaming has become, how managers are paying large chunks of money to sign players, and how the industry is rife with negativity and instability.
