DotA 2Follow

Anyone interested in the dota-style of game most likely knows that Valve signed Icefrog on to help them make another DotA clone. Well, as it turns out it's not just a clone, it's basically copying the entire game over verbatim (keeping all heroes and items the same), but with some drastic improvements in other areas. I think it sounds pretty interesting, and I will most likely pick it up next year when it comes out.

http://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2010/10/13/dota-2-announced-details.aspx

I know I'm in the minority, but I feel Half-Life 2 (didn't play the first one) was one of the worst FPS games I've ever played, and it was the only thing in the Orange Box I didn't like.

Back on topic though, I'm wary of Dota 2. With both ICefrog and Valve supporting it, I'm sure it will be a quality game, but an exact Dota clone isn't something I'm sure I would enjoy. Having played Dota, HoN, and LoL all extensively, there are a lot of mechanics in Dota that I find irksome, and a lot that the genre in my opinion still needs to fix.

Some of the problems are specific to DotA/HoN, and the other seems to be prevalent through the genre so far.
-Creep denying, and to a lesser extent last hitting. Yes it does add depth to the games, and it does create much needed conflict in the early laning phases. But it's incredibly tedious while being incredibly necessary. While whatever byproducts that come of it may be good, the activity itself is simply not fun.Something so very unfun shouldn't be a core part of a game.
-Permabashing. Even after the nerf, even without being always viable strategy at the most competitive levels, it is still incredibly annoying.
-The extreme significance of 1 leaver, afk, or feeder. This ties more into the next poitn, but a game with just a single player on your team doing any of the previously mentioned actions makes the game extremely difficult to win.
-Slippery slope gameplay. This seems to be a component of every one of these games released, and it is one which I very much dislike. Winning makes it easier to win, and losing makes it easier to lose. When you are killed by an enemy hero, you lose gold and exp (by being unable to gain more exp for a short while) and he gains gold and exp. One victory increases the difference in strength between the two of you for the next fight. With 10 players fighting in numerous situations, this flaw can be overcome when it is still at manageable levels, but it still exists. What would football be like if for every touchdown you scored you gained an extra player?

Edited, Oct 13th 2010 8:33pm by Allegory

Haha, it's true.

Yea Im all for Episode 3.... What is a DOTA?

DOTA: Dead On Train Arrival

It's the term used for those rare occasions in which the hero didn't make it in time to untie the DiD from the train tracks.

About 10-15 seconds, a bit slow I know.

I was a little unsure of what the bloodseeker was supposed to be until I saw that it was the bloodseeker... but they're all awesome. Personal favorite is Morphling followed by Lina (similar to in game).