Defense of the Ancients is a game that you might have heard of in the past ten years or so since the Warcraft 3 mod exploded onto the scene. Two teams of five players, controlling characters called 'heroes', attempt to help their AI allies, or 'creeps', push into the enemy's base and destroy their Ancient. Sounds simple enough; like tug of war in reverse. But even in a game as seemingly simple as tug of war, a few simple questions can tip the scales of an otherwise even match:
Who should go on point? Who's our anchor?
Since we can't just constantly pull, what rhythm should we pull in?
What do we do if someone slips up and they get an early lead?
To learn Dota 2, you have to constantly be asking yourself questions like these. And not only that, you have to change your questions. Once you can do that, though, it's one of the deepest, most involving games you'll ever play, particularly for free.
From the very beginning of the game, you have to start asking yourself what to do at the hero select screen. There is a mode that restricts the hero pool from 110 or so to twenty, and at first you start by asking yourself, Who looks cool? Who seems like a fun hero based on their abilities? When you move up to all pick, you have to ask, Is there any role we don't yet have on our team? Who counters someone on the enemy team? And you don't have any time to admire the character designs or the graphics, because it's straight into more questions: What items should I buy with my starting gold? Which lane should I work in at first? You won't always be able to come out with the right answers, especially considering that you can't see the other team doing the same thing, but don't get discouraged too early.
Later on in the game, once the 'lane' arrangement breaks down and everyone starts fighting everywhere, the questions change. Which abilities should I max out first? What items would complement my hero or my team the best? When do we try for a push, and how do we stop the other team doing the same? Once the barracks start going down and bases get invaded entirely, you ask, Should we try and kill Roshan? Can I do it on my own? Is it still worth using one of my limited item slots for a consumable such as Dust of Appearance or wards? This is a natural progression of the game's flow, and eventually you no longer have to ask those questions, but you simply act on each situation the game throws at you.
And that's when Dota 2 has completely pulled you in.
The game looks fantastic, it sounds amazing, the writing isn't as good as Team Fortress 2 but it does the job and occasionally it's worth a laugh, but it's the learning process and the flow of each match from moment to moment, phase to phase, that makes Dota 2 as interesting a game as it is. Each match feels different though it's played on the same map, and when you manage to get into a team that can coordinate attacks as a team, overcoming their own individual weaknesses, that's the closest I've ever come to gaming Nirvana.
You will rage, both at your own stupidity and that of your teammates. But power through the rage. Turn it into a source of energy. Let the hate flow through you until it's replaced by a will to win and a knowledge of how to do it, work with other people to find more questions and better answers, and dive into a game that could just keep you hooked for life.
And you don't even have to pay anything for it any more, so what are you waiting for?
Who should go on point? Who's our anchor?
Since we can't just constantly pull, what rhythm should we pull in?
What do we do if someone slips up and they get an early lead?
To learn Dota 2, you have to constantly be asking yourself questions like these. And not only that, you have to change your questions. Once you can do that, though, it's one of the deepest, most involving games you'll ever play, particularly for free.
From the very beginning of the game, you have to start asking yourself what to do at the hero select screen. There is a mode that restricts the hero pool from 110 or so to twenty, and at first you start by asking yourself, Who looks cool? Who seems like a fun hero based on their abilities? When you move up to all pick, you have to ask, Is there any role we don't yet have on our team? Who counters someone on the enemy team? And you don't have any time to admire the character designs or the graphics, because it's straight into more questions: What items should I buy with my starting gold? Which lane should I work in at first? You won't always be able to come out with the right answers, especially considering that you can't see the other team doing the same thing, but don't get discouraged too early.
Later on in the game, once the 'lane' arrangement breaks down and everyone starts fighting everywhere, the questions change. Which abilities should I max out first? What items would complement my hero or my team the best? When do we try for a push, and how do we stop the other team doing the same? Once the barracks start going down and bases get invaded entirely, you ask, Should we try and kill Roshan? Can I do it on my own? Is it still worth using one of my limited item slots for a consumable such as Dust of Appearance or wards? This is a natural progression of the game's flow, and eventually you no longer have to ask those questions, but you simply act on each situation the game throws at you.
And that's when Dota 2 has completely pulled you in.
The game looks fantastic, it sounds amazing, the writing isn't as good as Team Fortress 2 but it does the job and occasionally it's worth a laugh, but it's the learning process and the flow of each match from moment to moment, phase to phase, that makes Dota 2 as interesting a game as it is. Each match feels different though it's played on the same map, and when you manage to get into a team that can coordinate attacks as a team, overcoming their own individual weaknesses, that's the closest I've ever come to gaming Nirvana.
You will rage, both at your own stupidity and that of your teammates. But power through the rage. Turn it into a source of energy. Let the hate flow through you until it's replaced by a will to win and a knowledge of how to do it, work with other people to find more questions and better answers, and dive into a game that could just keep you hooked for life.
And you don't even have to pay anything for it any more, so what are you waiting for?
