May 19, 2019

Dota 2 s paid avoid player option is part of a pattern of developers sidelining anti-abuse features

Dota 2 - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Jay Castello)

Dota 2‘s International 2019 Battle Pass has plenty of issues. As Matt wrote earlier this month, alongside a waterfall of cosmetics and a special mode, the pass will unlock an in-game assistant that seems to give owners an advantage over those who haven t forked over at least 7.50/$10. But (as reported by The Verge) the pass is paywalling another key feature the ability to avoid players.

Obviously, you shouldn t have to pay to access the ability to not group up with abusive players. Valve calls this an experimental feature (by many accounts it s not working well), suggesting that it could be extended out to all players after this test on Battle Pass owners. More surprising, then, is the fact that Dota 2 has been out for six years without the option to not have to play with someone ruining the fun, whether it be throwing games or yelling slurs. And yet, even though how other people act is a huge part of the experience of many online games, giving players the ability to regulate their interactions often seems to be a secondary concern for developers.

(more…)

May 16, 2019

Dota 2 Short Film Contest

Dota 2 - Ward

We are pleased to announce that we're now accepting submissions for the 2019 Dota 2 Short Film Contest. Filmmakers have until the morning of August 7, 2019 to submit their short film creations of 90 seconds or less to the Dota 2 Steam Workshop to be eligible for consideration.

As is tradition, we invite all fans to visit the Workshop to participate in the voting and discussion process to help us select the best entries to be showcased as part of The International 2019 broadcast. Upon review of the Workshop ratings and discussions, Valve will nominate the top entries to be featured in The International 2019 Battle Pass for a final voting process by the community to determine the winners.

As before, each finalist that places in the top ten will be guaranteed to win $500, and the top three selections will be awarded prizes of $25,000, $10,000, and $5,000 in recognition of their contributions to the Dota community.

More information and guidelines on the submission process can be found on the Dota 2 Short Film Contest site. Be sure to check in on the Workshop page regularly to help review the submissions you would like to see showcased at The International 2019.

May 9, 2019

The Dota 2 International 2019 Battle Pass includes lizards, a new mode, and problems

Dota 2 - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Matt Cox)

The jungle is a rumblin’, thanks to Dota 2‘s International 2019 Battle Pass. Nowadays Dota 2’s Battle Passes aren’t just big sticker books where you make predictions about how your favourite athletes will perform in the wizard world championships, they’re books you have to buy if you want to play a special mode and access features that give you an advantage. That first inclusion is fair. The second seems… real bad? Ach, we’ll get back to those.

(more…)

May 7, 2019

The International 2019 Battle Pass

Dota 2 - Ward

The International Battle Pass has arrived. Prepare to cut a path into the final months of the DPC season and discover an abundance of new and classic features—including a new game mode, living towers, consumables, a Coach's challenge, and of course a host of exclusive rewards. As is custom, 25% of all Battle Pass sales go directly to The International prize pool.

Raise your Battle Level by embarking upon the Jungle Expedition, facing the upcoming Wrath of the Mo'rokai custom game, and completing other challenges and Achievements to unlock increasing amounts of mythic rewards. You can even use Wagering Tokens to score extra Battle Points from your weekly games to help you on your way. With reward line items like the custom 'Overgrown Empire' terrain, evolving courier, 'Majesty of the Colossus' Tiny Prestige Item, 'Planetfall' Earthshaker Arcana, weaponless 'Axe Unleashed' item set, and so much more, the yearly call to adventure begins now.

Head over to The International 2019 Battle Pass page for more information on everything included in this year's tribute to the biggest Dota event of the year.

With only one round of Major and Minor tournaments remaining before we turn our eyes to Shanghai, the next gameplay patch will arrive after the conclusion of the final Major and Minor DPC Qualifiers starting soon.

May 7, 2019

The International 2019 Battle Pass is now available

Dota 2

The Dota 2 International 2019 doesn't get underway until August, but The International Battle Pass, which grants owners access to exclusive content, features, and rewards, is available for purchase today. The "standard" Battle Pass can be had for $10, while higher level passes—with more rewards—are also available at discounted prices.

This year's pass includes Wrath of the Mo'rokai custom game mode, a Jungle Expedition, and unlockable "Guardians of the Lost Path" custom towers that "will never be tradable or purchasable on the marketplace"—you either unlock them with the Battle Pass, or you miss out.

New consumables, like the Trusty Shovel, the Snake Balloon, and the poop-flinging Silly Monkey will help you along the journey, a new Coach's Challenge will test your ability to guide lower-MMR players through matches, and new Party Finder will help you find fun people to play Dota 2 with, without having to screw around with your Steam Friends list. (Avoid Player, which does precisely the opposite, is also in there.) There's a new avatar banner, a High Five action, MVP voting, a new Versus screen, and more—it's a really extensive list.

Returning features—because that's just the new stuff—include the ability to double down MMR rewards (or losses) once per week, Immortal item recycling, wagering, ranked roles, in-game tipping, trivia, predictions, the Daily Hero Challenge, and a slew of rewards that increase with Battle Pass levels.

The point of all this, aside from loading up Dota 2 fans with stuff, is to pump up The International prize pool: 25 percent of Battle Pass sales are contributed to the pool, which is already pushing $2.7 million. The big show this year runs August 20-25.

May 1, 2019

Has Dota 2 been improved by its updates?

Dota 2 - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Rich McCormick)

I try not to make a habit of internalising internet comments, but I ll always remember one left on PC Gamer s Dota 2 review that came in when I worked there.

Nobody should be reviewing Dota unless they have more than 500 hours played.

The reviewer in question, the inimitable Chris Thursten, had north of 650 hours of Dota played at the time, and we told the commenter as much via reply. A few minutes later, another response came back.

He needs 750 hours.

(more…)

Apr 15, 2019

Watch pro Dota 2 players take on an AI team

Dota 2

Reigning Dota 2 world champions, OG went up against a virtual AI team in San Francisco this past weekend. You can watch the game above. If you're worried about spoilers, look away now.

OpenAI is the research organisation behind the fully AI team and has spent the last four years working on an artificial intelligence that can replicate human-level skill in Valve's Dota 2. OpenAI Five lost out at last years World Championships where it failed to defeat the two pro teams it was put up against.

The hard work paid off though and culminated in success this weekend at the OpenAI Five Finals with the AI winning the first two matches against OG but losing out on the third.

Practice makes perfect and that's certainly the case with OpenAI Five as the virtual team plays a whopping '180 years’ worth of games every day' as part of its training. Phew!

Thanks, VentureBeat.

Apr 13, 2019

Dota 2's black hole creating hero, Enigma, sees increased play after Powehi image

Dota 2 - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Jay Castello)

This week we got a peek through the vastness of space, with the release of the very first image of a black hole ever captured by humans. Not long after, more players were making similar vast, galaxy destroying horrors in Dota 2 thanks to the abilities of mysterious hero Enigma. Correlation doesn t equal causation and all that, but it s not hard to imagine people getting nudged towards the character. After all, what s more human than seeing an incomprehensible celestial object and wanting one of your very own?

(more…)