Jul 23, 2013

Dota 2 Compendium buyers have raised an extra $1 million for The International 3′s prize pool

Dota 2

Collectors of Dota 2's virtual e-sports bible, The Compendium, have boosted the prize pool for the upcoming International tournament by an extra $1 million. That's not quite as much as Valve themselves have contributed - with them supplying the base $1.6 million that fans have built upon with their Compendium purchases. But then, most International fans don't have Steam's money hose continuously flooding their building.

As a result of Compendium sales - $2.50 of each going directly to the International prize pool - owners have unlocked the penultimate $2.6 million stretch goal, guaranteeing them a new, as yet unrevealed, immortal item. Previous stretch goals have secured new UI skins, taunts, and a chance to vote on an 8 player solo championship, to be held during the tournament. The final stretch goal will be unlocked when the combined total prize pool hits $3.2 million, at which point fans will be able to vote on the next hero. This is also known as: the Techies poll.

There are still a couple of weeks left for that total to be raised. The International starts on August 7th.

Jul 19, 2013

Wish You Were Here

Dota 2 - Chet

Benaroya Hall isn’t just an amazing place to watch The International because it is a prestigious beautiful building that is home to the Seattle Orchestra, but at game time, it is also filled with friends and of course other Dota 2 fans.

<img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/dota2/images/blogfiles/brew_pubstomp.jpg" width=624 height=405>

While not everyone can fit in the hall, you can still watch with friends and other Dota 2 fans as a group. To help you find events, we’ve put up an <a href="http://www.dota2.com/pubstomps/" title="Official PubStomp page">Official PubStomp</a> page. Here organizers can submit their event to be listed and the community can find ones in their area and sign-up to attend. Make sure to check back for events in your area as more are submitted leading up to The International.

But what if you can’t make it to the event and instead you plan on watching the game from home – only one problem. You don’t own a Windows computer but instead use Mac or Linux? We’ve got you covered. Not only can you now watch games in client on Mac and Linux computers, the complete Dota 2 game is available for Mac and Linux players.
<a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/570/">Grab it here</a>.

<a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/570/"><img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/dota2/images/blogfiles/applelinux.jpg" border=0 width=624 height=405> </a>

Now that the what and where are covered, here is the when everyone keeps asking for.

The International Official Schedule
Group Stage Days
August 3: 9AM -> 10PM
August 4: 9AM -> 10PM
August 5: 9AM -> 2PM

Main Event at Benaroya Hall
August 7: 12PM-> ~9-11PM
August 8: 12PM-> ~9-11PM
August 9: 12PM-> ~9-11PM
August 10: 12PM-> ~7-11PM
August 11: 12PM-> ~6-9 PM

Since this is a live sporting event, the ending times may vary. All times are listed in PST.

What if you already knew all of this – how about this one? <a href="http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=421525">Team Liquid Merchandise </a> will be available at The International and Valve store once The International 2013 kicks off.

Jul 19, 2013

Wish You Were Here

Dota 2 - Chet

While not everyone can fit in the hall, you can still watch with friends and other Dota 2 fans as a group. To help you find events, we’ve put up an Official PubStomp page. Here organizers can submit their event to be listed and the community can find ones in their area and sign-up to attend. Make sure to check back for events in your area as more are submitted leading up to The International.

But what if you can’t make it to the event and instead you plan on watching the game from home – only one problem. You don’t own a Windows computer but instead use Mac or Linux? We’ve got you covered. Not only can you now watch games in client on Mac and Linux computers, the complete Dota 2 game is available for Mac and Linux players.
Grab it here.

Now that the what and where are covered, here is the when everyone keeps asking for.

The International Official Schedule
Group Stage Days
August 3: 9AM -> 10PM
August 4: 9AM -> 10PM
August 5: 9AM -> 2PM

Main Event at Benaroya Hall
August 7: 12PM-> ~9-11PM
August 8: 12PM-> ~9-11PM
August 9: 12PM-> ~9-11PM
August 10: 12PM-> ~7-11PM
August 11: 12PM-> ~6-9 PM

Since this is a live sporting event, the ending times may vary. All times are listed in PST.

What if you already knew all of this – how about this one? Team Liquid Merchandise will be available at The International and Valve store once The International 2013 kicks off.

Jul 19, 2013

Dota 2′s International Compendium updated with fantasy teams, player stamps, and more

Dota 2

The International keeps getting bigger, better, and even more interactive. After releasing the Compendium in May, Valve has pumped out content with Kickstarter-like stretch goals that is guaranteed to be full of awesome. If you’ve ignored all the other awesome features like the free Smeevil courier and the Battle Bonus stretch reward, get ready. Now you can make fantasy teams, collect and stamp player trading cards, and even try to predict the outcome of the tournament.

The coolest feature for me is “The International Fantasy Challenge.” You can make fantasy teams with any of the players attending The International. If your team does well by the end of the tournament, you’ll earn actual items and the right to gloat about your future as a team manager—paging Na’Vi. With a full leaderboard tracking the performance of the player-created fantasy teams, you can root for your favorite real, and fantasy team.

I’ve been ignoring Steam Trading Cards as long as I can, but Valve is making it really hard. If you’ve played Dota 2 recently, you’ve probably noticed player cards dropping along with the usual items and chests. Stamp those cards into your Compendium and you’ll get to customize your International Courier. If you manage to get the whole set Valve will throw you a mythical crab mount.

But wait, there's more! If you’re the type of person who meticulously tracks stats and calculates win percentages based on hero picks, bans, and team compositions you’ll love the fact that you’ve got seven pages of predictions to make about the results of the tournament.

If you plan on watching The International, you might want to grab a copy of the Compendium right now. Check out Valve's post about the changes for more details.

Jul 18, 2013

The International Compendium Evolves

Dota 2 - SZ

When we first announced the <a href="http://blog.dota2.com/2013/05/introducing-the-interactive-compendium/">Interactive Compendium</a>, we hoped it would be something that Dota players would be interested in. Shortly afterwards, we were forced to admit we underestimated <a href="http://blog.dota2.com/2013/05/stretch-goal-two-completed/">the community's response to it</a>. Upon reflection, we decided that the community was clearly sending us a message - so we spent the next two months adding more features to the <a href="http://www.dota2.com/international/compendium/">Compendium</a>.

With the International only three weeks away, we thought we'd cover some of the things we've added. If the last time you looked inside the Compendium was back when it first shipped, we hope you find some of these additions interesting.

THE INTERNATIONAL FANTASY CHALLENGE
Assemble a fantasy team of players from those attending The International. As they play in the tournament, your fantasy team will earn points. At the closing of the tournament, each of your fantasy teams will earn you an item based on its performance. The in-game UI tracks the points earned by your fantasy players, so that you can easily compare and compete with your friends. Leaderboards and highlights on fantasy teams will displayed at both the International web site and the event itself.

<img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/dota2/images/blogfiles/inline_compendium_2013_fantasychall.jpg">

PLAYER CARDS
Collect trading cards of your favorite players at The International, and stamp them into the Compendium's team pages. Collect an entire team and earn more customization options for your International Courier. Trade your extra player cards with your friends to complete the whole set, and bag yourself a mythical crab mount as well.

<img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/dota2/images/blogfiles/inline_compendium_2013_playercards.jpg">

PREDICT THE FUTURE
Compete with your friends to make accurate predictions on many results in the tournament. With seven pages of predictions to make, there's an endless amount of statistical analysis you can do to prove you knew what was going to happen all along.

<a href="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/dota2/images/blogfiles/inline_compendium_2013_predictions_full.jpg"><img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/dota2/images/blogfiles/inline_compendium_2013_predict.jpg"></a>

SOLO CHAMPIONSHIP AND ALL-STAR MATCH
Vote on the players you'd like to see participate in a Solo Championship to determine who's the greatest solo mid-lane player in the world. If you haven't yet, don't forget to also vote on the ten players you'd like to see in the All-Star Match.

NEW REWARDS
Along with your compendium itself, you also receive a number of extra bonuses: a limited edition 125% XP Battle Bonus that lasts until the International is over, an International Smeevil courier with customization capabilities, and new taunt animations for several Heroes.

<img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/dota2/images/blogfiles/inline_compendium_2013_rewards.jpg">

If you're interested in more in-depth details, check out the <a href="http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=144566542" target="_blank">The International 2013 Interactive Compendium Guide</a> that Jimo and <a href="http://www.cyborgmatt.com/" target="_blank">Cyborgmatt</a> put together.

Jul 18, 2013

The International Compendium Evolves

Dota 2 - SZ

When we first announced the Interactive Compendium, we hoped it would be something that Dota players would be interested in. Shortly afterwards, we were forced to admit we underestimated the community's response to it. Upon reflection, we decided that the community was clearly sending us a message - so we spent the next two months adding more features to the Compendium.

With the International only three weeks away, we thought we'd cover some of the things we've added. If the last time you looked inside the Compendium was back when it first shipped, we hope you find some of these additions interesting.

THE INTERNATIONAL FANTASY CHALLENGE
Assemble a fantasy team of players from those attending The International. As they play in the tournament, your fantasy team will earn points. At the closing of the tournament, each of your fantasy teams will earn you an item based on its performance. The in-game UI tracks the points earned by your fantasy players, so that you can easily compare and compete with your friends. Leaderboards and highlights on fantasy teams will displayed at both the International web site and the event itself.

PLAYER CARDS
Collect trading cards of your favorite players at The International, and stamp them into the Compendium's team pages. Collect an entire team and earn more customization options for your International Courier. Trade your extra player cards with your friends to complete the whole set, and bag yourself a mythical crab mount as well.

PREDICT THE FUTURE
Compete with your friends to make accurate predictions on many results in the tournament. With seven pages of predictions to make, there's an endless amount of statistical analysis you can do to prove you knew what was going to happen all along.

SOLO CHAMPIONSHIP AND ALL-STAR MATCH
Vote on the players you'd like to see participate in a Solo Championship to determine who's the greatest solo mid-lane player in the world. If you haven't yet, don't forget to also vote on the ten players you'd like to see in the All-Star Match.

NEW REWARDS
Along with your compendium itself, you also receive a number of extra bonuses: a limited edition 125% XP Battle Bonus that lasts until the International is over, an International Smeevil courier with customization capabilities, and new taunt animations for several Heroes.

If you're interested in more in-depth details, check out the The International 2013 Interactive Compendium Guide that Jimo and Cyborgmatt put together.

Jul 18, 2013

Dota 2 Update - July 18th, 2013

Dota 2 - Valve

PLATFORM
Dota 2 is now available for Mac OS X and Linux.

Dota 2 Mac OS X Minimum System Requirements:
Mac OS X Lion 10.7
4GB RAM
8GB Hard drive space
nVidia 320M or higher, or Radeon 7000 or higher, or Intel HD 3000 or higher

Dota 2 Linux Minimum System Requirements:
Ubuntu 12.04
Dual core from Intel or AMD at 2.8 GHz
4GB RAM
8GB Hard Drive Space,
nVidia GeForce 8600/9600GT, ATI/AMD Radeaon HD2600/3600 (Graphic Drivers: nVidia 310, AMD 12.11), OpenGL 2.1
OpenAL Compatible Sound Card

UI
- Added automatic detection of GG calls in tournament and practice lobby matches, which then ends the game 10 seconds later.
- In the fantasy stats dropdown, players you have on any of your teams will be highlighted and mousing over them will list which of your fantasy teams they are on.
- Guild invitations now display who's inviting you, and how many members the guild has.
- Added a tournament drop for early roshan kills (before creeps spawn)
- Quick Cast now works on the portrait of your currently selected unit.
- Players can customize which messages appear on the Chat Wheel.
- Messages sent via the Chat Wheel appear with an arrow icon next to them.
- Calendar page now shows a list of tournament games per day.

VISUALS
- New Earthshaker model
- Updates to some Earthshaker effects
- Fixed Eclipse not always playing the missed Lucent Beam visual effects
- Made Abaddon's Borrowed Time effect and healing more clear

MATCHMAKING
- People who decline Matchmaking are temporarily restricted from searching for 45 seconds
- Parties are more likely to be matched against other similarly sized parties
- Reduced the average skill variance in games where there are 10 individual players
- When matching parties, the matchmaker now also considers the minimum experience level on both teams rather than just the average.
- Fixed a bug in the matchmaker that was causing it to insufficiently segregate players based on win count
- Fixed a bug that would cause excessive queue times, especially for large parties or high skill players

GAMEPLAY
- Abaddon: Fixed Abaddon's illusions applying Curse of Avernus
- Abaddon: Fixed Aphotic Shield being dispelled
- Abaddon: Fixed Mist Coil Heal/Damage order
- Dragon Knight: Fixed Dragon Blood's bonus armor not showing properly in the UI
- Gyrocopter: Fixed the Fountain doing no damage to Gyrocopter 's Homing Missile
- Io: Fixed Tether sharing mana regeneration when you have full mana
- Io: Fixed Spirits initially spawning 250 units away instead of 150 units
- Medusa: Fixed various spells being unable to remove the stun from Stone Gaze
- Medusa: Fixed Stone Gaze facing requirement not taking into account distance once the debuff is added
- Necrolyte: Fixed several specific heroes being unable to buyback for the rest of the game if they died to Reaper's Scythe.
- Omniknight: Fixed Guardian Angel not affecting Siege units
- Silencer: Fixed Curse of the Silent being removed by Aphotic Shield/Manta
- Slark: Fixed Pounce's Leash getting dispelled
- Visage: Fixed being able to dodge Soul Assumption
- Fixed the free courier in Mid Only not always being controllable if you selected your hero too late
- Fixed Backswing behavior for: Soul Rip, Tombstone, Cold Feet, Ice Vortex, Chilling Touch, Enfeeble, Shallow Grave, Thunder Strike, Kinetic Field, Static Storm, Malefice, Midnight Pulse, Howl, Stifling Dagger, Static Link, Shrapnel, Psionic Trap, Whirling Axes (Ranged), Storm Bolt, God's Strength, Wave of Terror, Venomous Gale, Shadow Word, Fatal Bonds, The Swarm, Time Lapse, Maledict, Overpower and Ice Shards

AUDIO
- Non-default announcers will now comment on pick/ban phases.
- Windows Mixer control for Dota2 no longer resets to full volume on start up.
- Music volume floor goes to 0.
- Updated Abaddon VO

Jul 12, 2013

Dota 2 Update - July 10th, 2013

Dota 2 - Valve

Added Abaddon!

GAMEPLAY
- Death Prophet: Fixed AI on Exorcism spirits that caused them to sometimes be less efficient and linger on units far from you
- Doom: Fixed Doom not disabling Flak Cannon
- Huskar: Fixed being able to attack while he is leaping in Life Break
- Jakiro: Fixed Liquid Fire debuff being removed by Manta/BKB
- Lich: Fixed the order of damage instances on Frost Nova
- Omniknight: Fixed his spells not working on Mechanical units
- Phantom Assassin: Fixed Stifling Dagger projectile speed traveling a little too slow
- Sven: Fixed Storm Bolt aoe not hitting invisible units
- Fixed Siege not getting increased damage when the Ranged Barracks dies
- Fixed Buckler and Mekansm +2 active armor buff stacking
- Fixed Vladmir's Offering not working on Siege units

TRAINING
- Added match making option to opt out of Limited Hero mode
- Fixed some players not receiving item rewards after completing training tasks
- Play Tab will now remember your previous selection
- Fixed various progression bugs in Mechanics II
- Fixed disabled skill assignment using CTRL+Ability when in tutorial

COMPENDIUM
- Added Player Card rewards. Unlock the Smeevil Crab mount by stamping complete teams
- Added the International Fantasy Challenge
- Added Solo Championship Voting

UI
- Added a hotkey to Select All Units
- Added a hotkey to activate Speed Burst on your flying courier
- Minor reorganization to control settings page
- Fixed Replay Speed Decrease hotkey missing from the configuration panel
- Increased the maximum number of total spectator slots from 14 to 22
- Removed Favorite hero count limit
- Moved Solo Only Matchmaking to a setting on the main Find Match tab.
- New Tournament Drops:
# When a player reaches a Godlike streak
# When a Courier is killed
# When a player buys a Divine Rapier
# When Earthshaker Echoslam's 5 heroes
- Increased number of item drops when a Tournament Event occurs.
- Tournament Items can now be upgraded by watching through Twitch
- Fixed Quick Cast bug preventing use on neutrals/couriers

VISUAL
- Fixed Global Silence not showing the visual effect on Familiars even though they are silenced
- Updated ability icons for Dark Seer and Dragon Knight
- Added new disarmed effect
- Fixes for a few portrait based effects, such as Enigma's vortex

AUDIO
- updated Mekansm SFX.

WORKSHOP
- Added Mok mandrill courier
- Added Defense Grid announcer
- Fixed orientation on Bounty Hunter's Jinada Glows on workshop items
- Fixed Nether Ward effect orientation for workshop items
- Added support for workshop authored effects on Kunkka's weapon

BOTS
- Bots will no longer stare at a dropped gem, futilely trying to destroy it.

Jul 10, 2013

No, Really: DOTA 2′s Beta Is Over

Dota 2 - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Nathan Grayson)

We live in strange times. Food chains are trying to poison us, we can probably save lives by putting heads on dead people’s bodies, and games can corral a million-gajillion players without ever being “released”. Madness. Nothing makes sense anymore. Civilization has been replaced by a steaming crater of contradiction. And while those first two things have much further-reaching, highly disturbing implications, this is a videogame site so let’s talk about the last one. DOTA 2‘s beta ran for two years>. During that time, it dominated all lanes of Steam’s most-played list because people like MOBAs a little bit maybe. But now – finally, amazingly – Valve Time has aligned with Real Time for a brief, shining moment. DOTA 2 is out. Oh, but you might still have to wait if you want to actually play. Why? Because – as I said earlier - nothing makes sense anymore>.

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