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Heroes of the Storm is late to the MOBA party, but Blizzard isn't worried
Blizzard's upcoming MOBA, Heroes of the Storm, has a lengthy development history. Officially, development on the game began in 2010. The full story however, goes back to 2002, with the release of Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos and a mod called "Defense of the Ancients" (DOTA). If that acronym sounds familiar, it's probably because it's also the name of Valve's popular game, Dota 2. If you're confused on the capitalization, the former is an acronym while the latter doesn't stand for anything. As for why Valve would use the name of a mod created for a competing company's game and why Blizzard would let go of the name that kickstarted a genre worth hundreds of millions of dollars well ... there's a story there, too.
The International: A Primer on Dota 2 and the biggest single-game tournament in eSports history
Dota is a Big Deal. The original Defense of the Ancients, which was nothing more than a mod for Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, became a core pillar of the competitive online gaming scene thanks to its tight balance and deep strategy. It was played by millions and showcased at tournaments across the globe. Dota is considered one of the primary influences on the now booming genre of games that we refer to as MOBAs; League of Legends is supposedly the biggest game in the world, but without Dota, it would have never existed. When Valve snagged the mod's developer, known as IceFrog, and charged him with making a sequel, expectations were high. Dota is a game celebrated for its intricate design, complex metagame, and robust character roster -- the pressure to improve on this formula without losing the basics was immense. It took over two years of somewhat closed beta testing to get everything right, and changes rolled out every week like Clockwerk. But that's all history. Dota 2 launched last month, finally. For better or worse, the game is considered complete (minus a few heroes). And what better way to celebrate the launch of a hotly anticipated title than by throwing one of the biggest tournaments in all of competitive gaming? Welcome to The International.
Valve partners with Nexon to bring Dota 2 to Japan and Korea
Online game publisher Nexon has announced that it's teaming up with Valve to bring the free-to-play Dota 2 to the Japanese and Korean markets. Dota 2 is of course based on a Warcraft 3 mod named Defense of the Ancients, and the multiplayer online battle arena style of gameplay, inspired by real-time strategy games, will likely appeal very much to those overseas markets. Valve's Gabe Newell says, according to the press release, that "partnering with Nexon will allow us to deliver Dota 2 to a massive audience of Asian gamers via a premium service."Dota 2's competitor League of Legends has already been enormously popular in Korea, with a South Korean team nabbing the world title at the last championships. So Valve is likely expecting a lot from Nexon, in terms of delivering the game to these new markets. Dota 2 is currently in closed beta and heading toward a free-to-play launch soon.
Dota 2 photo contest winners announced, spectator mode detailed
Remember Steven Addison, the guy who got his username onto a giant billboard to win Dota 2 beta access? Well, it worked! Icefrog has revealed the winners of the Dota 2 photo contest, and Addison is on the list with the photo above. There are plenty of great entries – we're awfully partial to this one – which you can peruse on the PlayDota forums. In other news, the Dota 2 blog has posted quite a bit of info on the game's spectator system. While it will obviously allow players to view match replays, it sounds like it includes a lot of customizable functionality as well. Players will be able to filter replays by certain characters, certain players (friends, pros, etc) and even certain skill levels. For example, if you're trying to learn how to use a certain character, you could search for a replay of a high level player who uses said character. Viewers can even see a replay from a particular player's perspective, including "the player's mouse cursor and input, their camera work, their HUD, their interaction with UI elements, and so on." It sounds like spectator mode could be a great resource for new players and anyone looking to improve their game.
Dota 2 launch moved up to satisfy seething fans
Valve Software has plans to launch Dota 2 in some form much sooner than originally intended. "We're going to take the current version of Dota 2, which has The International set of heroes, and get it out there as fast as we can," project lead Abdul "Icefrog" Ismail said in a Dota 2 blog post. The team had originally planned on "adding new features and slowly growing the number of heroes until we reached a level of parity with Dota 1" before launching the pseudo-sequel, but is moving the launch up in order to satisfy player demand. Regular post-launch updates are still planned. Icefrog additionally notes that the game will remain "invite only" for the time being, though he's hoping to minimize that period. It's still unclear whether Dota 2 will launch as a free-to-play title like competitor League of Legends, but it seems we'll find out much sooner than later.
Valve shares some insight into Dota 2's development
Turning a Warcraft 3 mod into a fully-fledged product is probably a tricky process, especially when that mod has a feverishly devoted fan base. Valve senior project manager Erik Johnson recently spoke to IGN about how the Dota 2 dev team is tiptoeing through this potential minefield, explaining that the core gameplay of the mod will remain unchanged. "We'd be pretty hard-pressed to improve on that," Johnson explained. Valve's additions to the DotA formula will be largely cosmetic, focusing on "infrastructure, art, and providing helpful tools to newcomers so they can figure out what's going on." That seems like a good compromise -- keep the things that hardcore DotA fans already know and love, while giving a leg-up to people like us, who manage to lose DotA matches within mere milliseconds.
Dota 2 FAQ has Icefrog talking AI bots, replays and more
Icefrog himself has answered a set of frequently asked questions on Dota 2's official website, clarifying and detailing a few concerns players have had since the game's official announcement. Much of the questions revolve around players leaving games -- Valve has not only implemented an AI system to take over for missing players, but players will be able to have a "friend of similar skill level" jump in and take over if necessary, or simply jump into current games that are missing players. The bots will also be customizable, so if you want to play against an AI that tests a specific part of your game, like "denying, last hitting, and harassing," there will be specific configurations to challenge those. Replays are also mentioned -- players will be able to examine games in progress from all sorts of angles, watching charts and graphs in real time as the game goes on. There will also be "commentating and editing" features for replays, and the game will make extensive use of the Steam Cloud, keeping keyboard preferences, replay files and other settings available from any computer. Icefrog also says that there won't be any changes for the sake of change in the actual gameplay, and that he will continue development on the original Warcraft 3 mod "for as long as the community wants," but that Dota 2 "represents the long term future for the game." In that sense, Dota 2 sounds like a very direct translation of the original game, though Valve is sparing no expense in adding metagame features to make it a smoother experience for everyone.
Alleged Valve employee speaks out on DotA co-developer
An alleged Valve employee seeking to air grievances with his employer and one specific employee has taken to an anonymous blog titled "The Truth About IceFrog." In it, the person -- supposedly working on "an unrelated project" from "IceFrog" -- describes not just a poor working environment with the Defense of the Ancients co-developer (whose real name is said to be Abdul Ismail), but also details "something fishy" regarding his past. Though "IceFrog" apparently told colleagues and Valve execs he never worked at S2 Games -- developers of Heroes of Newerth, a DotA clone -- a handful of online evidence suggests he did at one point (DotA co-developer Steve "Pendragon" Mescon even outright states as much). Furthermore, the anonymous blogger likens "IceFrog's" actions to being "the CEO of McDonald's (DOTA) looking for a job at Burger King (Riot Games), then working for Fatburger (S2 Games), then quitting and going to work for Wendy's (Valve) but outright lying to Wendy's (Valve) of involvement with ANY previous employer," adding, "In the corporate world, this would be the equivalent of stealing trade secrets." As announced this morning, "IceFrog" is currently working on Dota 2 for Valve. When we contacted S2 Games to confirm whether or not a man named Abdul Ismail or "IceFrog" ever worked there, we were repeatedly told, "No comment." Valve representatives didn't mince words, saying only, "It's fake," while League of Legends developer Riot Games offered, "At no time did Abdul Ismail, or anyone known as 'IceFrog,' work at or for Riot Games in any capacity." Now if you don't mind us, we can't fight the sudden urge for a fast food burger. If you've got first-hand knowledge regarding any of the accusations, feel free to drop us a line.
Dota 2 detailed, includes all 100+ characters and new social features
Valve's newly announced Dota 2 will bring back all of the WarCraft 3 mod's hundred-plus heroes, and bring some new social features in as well. A writeup over at Game Informer says that Valve is updating its Steamworks system specifically for the game, and in addition to including in-game features like the ability to point out and recommend certain strategies and items for beginning players, veterans will get rewarded for helping outside of the game as well, by writing and editing strategy guides and tips. There will also be an in-game coaching system available with voice chat and screen sharing, all designed to help a wider audience adapt to the hardcore world of "action RTS" gameplay. As for gameplay, there will be still only one map to play on, though there will be different match types available, some added after launch. "Denying" is in -- DoTA remake League of Legends decided not to include the controversial mechanic in its gameplay, but Valve's version will let you kill your own creeps to prevent the enemy from getting XP. And AI bots will be available, but not for a full singleplayer experience, just to fill in when human players drop out or aren't around. Graphics will of course be updated -- GI says Valve has "a sizable art team" working on the game, and there are other design tweaks as well, like the environments getting the saturation tuned down so players can focus on the gameplay. Characters will have all new voicework, too, and not just toss out one-liners in certain situations, but sometimes even interact when they have a past with one of their teammates or opponents (we already know who one of those voices will be). And Valve promises the game will get the same community support as its other titles like Team Fortress 2, including possibly more hat-related shenanigans. It all sounds quite fun. Too bad we have to wait until 2011 to actually sit in Ventrilo Valve's own voice chat, and play Dota.
Valve announces Dota 2, coming to the PC and Mac in 2011
As expected, Valve has just announced Dota 2 – that's capital D, lower-cased ota – its "massive sequel for one of the most played games in the world." There aren't many details in the short press release found after the break, save for its platforms -- Mac and PC -- and its release window of 2011. The title, which eschews the original's acronymic camel-casing ("DotA"), also avoids any mention of the actual original game's title, which is "Defense of the Ancients." Earlier this year, Valve filed a trademark application for the DotA trademark which led one of the game's original creators, Steve "Pendragon" Mescon -- now working on DotA-esque League of Legends at Riot Games -- to tell Joystiq that he was "surprised that [Valve has] decided to try to trademark the DotA name, because it goes against what [he] and others believe DotA means to the community." Riot Games even counter-filed for the DotA trademark, pledging "to protect the work that [original DotA creator] Eul, Guinsoo and dozens of other modders have done to create the game," adding, "if we were to obtain the trademark, we would keep the game and the DotA name freely available to the mod community." Update: Game Informer got its hands on the game; here's our takeaway of that preview.
Riot Games counter-files for DotA trademark
The Defense of the Ancients trademark recently filed by Valve is being challenged. Riot Games, the creator of the free-to-play DotA clone League of Legends, has apparently counter-filed, claiming that the trademark should be held by DotA Allstars creators Steve "Guinsoo" Feak and Steve "Pendragon" Mescon, who later worked with Riot on LoL. The pair filed for the trademark themselves "to protect the work that [original DotA creator] Eul, Guinsoo and dozens of other modders have done to create the game," Pendragon told Joystiq via email. He added that, "if we were to obtain the trademark, we would keep the game and the DotA name freely available to the mod community." Valve still hasn't returned multiple requests for comment, but of course DotA's most recent author, Icefrog, now works for the company on a project that will "excite " DotA fans, and as long ago as 2008 was reportedly shopping around a full-scale version of the popular mod. Pendragon tells PC Gamer that he'd prefer no one owned the trademark to DotA, but it seems that if Valve is planning to take the name for its own title, Guinsoo and Pendragon will fight for it.
Valve files 'DOTA' trademark
A few days after voice actor Jon St. John (best known as Duke Nukem) tweeted about doing work on Valve's unannounced Defense of the Ancients, Superannuation has noted a trademark filed by the publisher with the US Patent and Trademark Office for "DOTA." We're following up with Valve again for an official response, but you know how this one goes. It's okay, Valve -- you can talk to us. There's no shame in working on DotA. We're okay with it, nobody is judging you -- we'll still give you bro hugs and use Steam even after you come out with it.
Duke Nukem voice actor recorded for Valve's 'Defense of the Ancients'
We heard a while ago that Defense of the Ancients creator Icefrog had been hired by Valve to work on something that would make DotA fans excited, and now voiceover artist Jon St. John – better known as the voice of Duke Nukem – has tweeted that he visited Valve in Seattle to do some "recording for DotA." Interesting. There have been a few DotA-style games released already, including the popular League of Legends and Heroes of Newerth, but if Valve's collaboration with Icefrog is actually called Defense of the Ancients, it could be even closer to the classic game than any of the full-scale competitors. Of course, the original DotA was a WarCraft 3 mod based on an original StarCraft map, but with Valve on board, this would presumably be a standalone title with plenty of Icefrog insight. We've contacted Valve to see what's up and just how close that announcement might be, and we'll let you know if and when we hear back. [Thanks, Mark B.]
