Simply put, I can't wait for the full launch.
For the purpose of this post, I'm going to write from the perspective of a longtime DotA player making the transition to DotA 2.
Alrighty then, lets do this.
So, one major change is that there is no lobby per say, unlike in Battle.net. Instead, you go to the Play tab on the top toolbar and simply choose your region, game types and click search.
This will automatically help you find a game according to your criteria, and when Steam has found a game, you can then choose to accept or decline.
It's still miles ahead of, say, Origin in its user-friendliness.
You might have also noticed that there's a create lobby button there, but it's only for private games for some reason. I have yet to try that function out.
Also, the curious thing is that for the time being, the All-random game type is not available. Possibly they're still coding the "swap heroes with other players" command.
So far, I've not have any connection nor lag issues with DotA 2, which may be attributed to Steam. On the other hand, it could be my connection is just stronger. In fact, loading only take seconds. The only thing that would delay a match starting is the amount of players available in the pool. However, currently there are a few thousand players, so so far I haven't had much of a problem with that.
One of the most important features that the team has added is the ability to reconnect to the game after you have disconnected from the game. Very useful feature for people that have shaky connections, and better for the game overall.
So, even if you have disconnected, DESPAIR NOT!! Rejoin and continue the fight!!
Unless you're a leaver.
In which case. FUCK YOU.
The first thing that you will notice when you start a game is that you now get to actually see ALL the heroes in a single menu, as compared to Warcraft III (shortened to W3 for the rest of the post) DotA, where Icefrog had to distribute the heroes between several taverns to choose from.
You get about 1 minute to pick your hero then the game switches to the main map and another 30 seconds or so will pass before the game starts.
One of the best things about DotA 2 is that the developers are free from the restrictions of the Warcraft III engine, and have full reign of the game, thus letting them put in custom models, special effects and dialogues.
Each hero is beautifully rendered, and are detailed, right down to their animation. Take for example, the Alchemist: in W3 DotA, when he uses his Chemical Rage ultimate skill, he is basically replaced by a slightly different model; in DotA 2, you can see him change color and draw out his swords from the back. It all happens within a fraction of a second, but it's always the little details that bring life to a game.
By the way, notice the little boxes on top of the heroes? Each small box represents 250 hitpoints. So just by looking at it, you can judge how much (or how little) hit points your enemies or allies have. Obviously, the more boxes, the more hitpoints they have. Which actually helps making the judgement of your relative damage output easier to comprehend.
A different approach has been given to the UI panel at the bottom of the screen, which is an inversion of the W3 version.
As you can see, the Skills take up most of the screen now, while the stats take up a much smaller screen between the loving detailed Hero portrait and Skills.
The basic 4 skills are now universally represented by the Q, W, E and R keys (with exceptions for a few heroes with more than 4 skills), this does get some getting used to as well, especially for this player who had to sorta fight against 7-8 years worth of DotA muscle memory. However, after 2-3 games, I got used to and liked the new shortcut keys.
A mouse-over reveals what the skills are and the stats. Each small orange box underneath the skill represents one skill point invested into it, other players can see what skills you have invested in as well.
On the far right is the inventory system, which is now reworked into a 2-row, 3-column grid; as compared to the 3-row, 2-column grid of W3 DotA. The reason for this change I believe is to accommodate the current gold display and the quick buy box right above the inventory.
I like that quick buy box, by default you can buy the Town Portal scrolls by just right clicking on it whenever you are near any shops, instead of scrolling through the tabs trying to find the scrolls within mountains of items.
A nice little touch there.
Speaking of shops...
At any one location, the shop is now represented by ONE vendor. As a result....
As you might have noticed, there is a suggested items bar right next to it, which is a very useful hero-specific guide. Another time-saving measure implemented is that you can simply right click on the upgraded items (which consists of several items and sometimes a recipe), and buy the whole thing immediately!
I seriously love that feature. Back in W3 DotA, you had to buy everything individually and had to make sure you had every component on your hero to be able to combine it properly, which can be time consuming if said item requires 3-4 items (remember: you only have six slots, not counting the other items you already have).
However, this won't work with items that require the Recipe (if you're not at the fountain) or if one of the components is something that can only be bought at the Secret Shop (if you're at the fountain or the side shops).
So far, I do have an issue with DotA 2.
Most of the special effects are a bit underwhelming I feel, which makes it hard to pick out the spells during battles. Mind you, I could pick out exactly what was going on and what spells were used during a full scale 5 on 5 fight on W3 DotA.
In DotA 2, however, not so much. And it's not because I'm not used to the graphics either. The graphics for the special effects just feel a little flat, or blends into the surroundings too much.
Take for instance, the item Mjolnir (Yes, it is based on Thor's Hammer): it has a chance to proc a chain lightning with every attack; in W3 DotA, when the chain lightning comes out, it feels and looks like raw blue electrical energy striking the targets, and you can feel that holy crap, THAT IS LIGHTNING STRIKING MY ENEMIES; in DotA 2, the chain lightning erm....well for lack of a better word, looks a bit pathetic.
Still, it's just a graphical thing that I can get used to, it's just that I feel that some of the special effects need to be flashier.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
So, overall, I have to say, I'm very impressed with the game. Quite simply put, it IS the game that definitely trumps the current W3 DotA by far. Like, lightyears. No shit.
And to make the transition was a bit difficult at first, because everything looked different, it took me some time to learn to identify the items, the heroes, the spells, and even learn how to last hit properly again.
But in just 2-3 games, I was back on track, having loads of fun and working together with random people, with the sole goal of taking down the other teams Ancient.
At the moment, it's still in Beta testing, though I think more and more people will be selected for it.
Try your luck here.
DotA 2. I await your official launch.
Excuse me, I have to go on a killing spree.
This will automatically help you find a game according to your criteria, and when Steam has found a game, you can then choose to accept or decline.
 |
| Yes I know I have more losses than wins. So sue me. |
I've always liked Steam, it's seamless, smooth and fast. And it has that little overlay where you can find your friends and integrated browser for surfing Facebook and other websites while waiting for games.
It's still miles ahead of, say, Origin in its user-friendliness.
You might have also noticed that there's a create lobby button there, but it's only for private games for some reason. I have yet to try that function out.
Also, the curious thing is that for the time being, the All-random game type is not available. Possibly they're still coding the "swap heroes with other players" command.
So far, I've not have any connection nor lag issues with DotA 2, which may be attributed to Steam. On the other hand, it could be my connection is just stronger. In fact, loading only take seconds. The only thing that would delay a match starting is the amount of players available in the pool. However, currently there are a few thousand players, so so far I haven't had much of a problem with that.
One of the most important features that the team has added is the ability to reconnect to the game after you have disconnected from the game. Very useful feature for people that have shaky connections, and better for the game overall.
So, even if you have disconnected, DESPAIR NOT!! Rejoin and continue the fight!!
Unless you're a leaver.
In which case. FUCK YOU.
 |
| I hope Santa Pudge visits you for Christmas, ye damn leavers. |
You can also report other players for offences such as verbal abuse, intentional feeding, and ability abuse. You can also commend other players for being forgiving, good leadership skills, friendly and for teaching other players.
I can understand the reporting players bit, the commending one seems somewhat unnecessary, 'cause at the moment seems to serve not much purpose other than having a few points on your profile.
I can understand the reporting players bit, the commending one seems somewhat unnecessary, 'cause at the moment seems to serve not much purpose other than having a few points on your profile.
 |
Though I admit, having a few points on my profile does give a certain amount of gratification.
But enough about the lobby/Steam etc etc. To GAMEPLAY!!
But enough about the lobby/Steam etc etc. To GAMEPLAY!!
The first thing that you will notice when you start a game is that you now get to actually see ALL the heroes in a single menu, as compared to Warcraft III (shortened to W3 for the rest of the post) DotA, where Icefrog had to distribute the heroes between several taverns to choose from.
You get about 1 minute to pick your hero then the game switches to the main map and another 30 seconds or so will pass before the game starts.
 |
| Dibs. |
For the time being, not all the heroes are implemented in the game, new heroes get implemented every few weeks or so.
One of the best things about DotA 2 is that the developers are free from the restrictions of the Warcraft III engine, and have full reign of the game, thus letting them put in custom models, special effects and dialogues.
Each hero is beautifully rendered, and are detailed, right down to their animation. Take for example, the Alchemist: in W3 DotA, when he uses his Chemical Rage ultimate skill, he is basically replaced by a slightly different model; in DotA 2, you can see him change color and draw out his swords from the back. It all happens within a fraction of a second, but it's always the little details that bring life to a game.
 |
| I'm the brains. And I'm the Brawns. |
They have added functions that would be limited by the W3 engine, or be too buggy of any use. For instance, items can now be dissembled from the inventory itself, as compared to W3 DotA, where you have to be back at the fountain, drop the item into the circle then press the "Dissemble" button. There are even dedicated buttons for the Courier and the Fortify Tower functions, so you don't have to, again, click on the circle at the fountain.
By the way, notice the little boxes on top of the heroes? Each small box represents 250 hitpoints. So just by looking at it, you can judge how much (or how little) hit points your enemies or allies have. Obviously, the more boxes, the more hitpoints they have. Which actually helps making the judgement of your relative damage output easier to comprehend.
A different approach has been given to the UI panel at the bottom of the screen, which is an inversion of the W3 version.
 |
| Dibs on her as well. |
The basic 4 skills are now universally represented by the Q, W, E and R keys (with exceptions for a few heroes with more than 4 skills), this does get some getting used to as well, especially for this player who had to sorta fight against 7-8 years worth of DotA muscle memory. However, after 2-3 games, I got used to and liked the new shortcut keys.
A mouse-over reveals what the skills are and the stats. Each small orange box underneath the skill represents one skill point invested into it, other players can see what skills you have invested in as well.
On the far right is the inventory system, which is now reworked into a 2-row, 3-column grid; as compared to the 3-row, 2-column grid of W3 DotA. The reason for this change I believe is to accommodate the current gold display and the quick buy box right above the inventory.
I like that quick buy box, by default you can buy the Town Portal scrolls by just right clicking on it whenever you are near any shops, instead of scrolling through the tabs trying to find the scrolls within mountains of items.
A nice little touch there.
Speaking of shops...
At any one location, the shop is now represented by ONE vendor. As a result....
 |
| Oh crud |
Yea...That's just one page of basic items, separated into four tabs of different categories. That's not even touching the Upgrades/Recipes page. The picture above is actually showing the full list of items without descriptions nor names. The other view mode shows the name and costs.
The first time can be very confusing, even for someone who made the jump from W3 DotA, especially since the icons are now very different. The system works very well actually, it's just that it will take time to get used to it, mostly to remember the icon for the items.
Once you get the hang of it, the UI is actually pretty good.
In fact, the development team have thought ahead and added very useful features to the interface. First and foremost is the search bar on top, which was very helpful in finding items, and even more so as it displays results AS you type the name, so its all very quick.
Once you get the hang of it, the UI is actually pretty good.
In fact, the development team have thought ahead and added very useful features to the interface. First and foremost is the search bar on top, which was very helpful in finding items, and even more so as it displays results AS you type the name, so its all very quick.
As you might have noticed, there is a suggested items bar right next to it, which is a very useful hero-specific guide. Another time-saving measure implemented is that you can simply right click on the upgraded items (which consists of several items and sometimes a recipe), and buy the whole thing immediately!
I seriously love that feature. Back in W3 DotA, you had to buy everything individually and had to make sure you had every component on your hero to be able to combine it properly, which can be time consuming if said item requires 3-4 items (remember: you only have six slots, not counting the other items you already have).
However, this won't work with items that require the Recipe (if you're not at the fountain) or if one of the components is something that can only be bought at the Secret Shop (if you're at the fountain or the side shops).
So far, I do have an issue with DotA 2.
 |
| All the girls in DotA 2 look hot. Definitely not an issue here. |
Most of the special effects are a bit underwhelming I feel, which makes it hard to pick out the spells during battles. Mind you, I could pick out exactly what was going on and what spells were used during a full scale 5 on 5 fight on W3 DotA.
In DotA 2, however, not so much. And it's not because I'm not used to the graphics either. The graphics for the special effects just feel a little flat, or blends into the surroundings too much.
Take for instance, the item Mjolnir (Yes, it is based on Thor's Hammer): it has a chance to proc a chain lightning with every attack; in W3 DotA, when the chain lightning comes out, it feels and looks like raw blue electrical energy striking the targets, and you can feel that holy crap, THAT IS LIGHTNING STRIKING MY ENEMIES; in DotA 2, the chain lightning erm....well for lack of a better word, looks a bit pathetic.
Still, it's just a graphical thing that I can get used to, it's just that I feel that some of the special effects need to be flashier.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
So, overall, I have to say, I'm very impressed with the game. Quite simply put, it IS the game that definitely trumps the current W3 DotA by far. Like, lightyears. No shit.
And to make the transition was a bit difficult at first, because everything looked different, it took me some time to learn to identify the items, the heroes, the spells, and even learn how to last hit properly again.
But in just 2-3 games, I was back on track, having loads of fun and working together with random people, with the sole goal of taking down the other teams Ancient.
At the moment, it's still in Beta testing, though I think more and more people will be selected for it.
Try your luck here.
DotA 2. I await your official launch.
Excuse me, I have to go on a killing spree.
 |
| Yessssssss |
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