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Defense of the Ancients

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Defense of the Ancients, commonly known as DotA, is an Aeon of Strife-style custom map created for the game Warcraft 3 by Blizzard Entertainment. Originally developed for Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos (RoC) by Eul, the map was later ported into the Warcraft 3 expansion pack, The Frozen Throne (TFT). Currently, several variants of the map exist under the name of DotA.

Gameplay

Concept

Two bases are set at opposite corners of the map from each other. In each base is situated a central building known as the Ancient, which is also where the map derives its name. The basic aim of the game is for a team to destroy the ancient of the opposing team and to defend their own ancient.

Each team has six players with up to five human players, known as heroes. All variants feature one computer controlled player per team. Standard variants do not support the artificial intelligence (AI) for more computer controlled players. A variant known as DOTA Mercenaries has allowed more computer controlled players, and is commonly used for training purposes or when other human players are not available to play with.

The opposing bases produce troops, known as creeps, at regular intervals of time. The creeps are produced in sets (also known as waves or spawns) composed of a number of ranged and melee units, and stream down the three lanes available on the map towards the base of the opposing team. As the creeps travel along these lanes they will battle any opposing creep they meet. Intersecting the center of the map, perpendicular to the three lanes between the bases, is a "river" traversable by heroes. Creep traveling past this center lane (represented as a river) will encounter two "towers" on their journey to the opposing base. Certain versions of DotA (Allstars/Mercenaries) have Runes in the river which can be picked up by any hero (friend or foe) to gain bonuses for a short time (such as Double Damage, Regeneration, Haste, and Illusion). Towers possess superb firepower and hitpoints, and will readily kill any creep or hero who wanders too close.

Without the influence of heroes, the game cannot be won by either team. Creeps will battle each other and then sacrifice themselves in pointless attacks on the towers, which will slaughter them.

Introduction to heroes

File:Dota hero attributes.png
The attributes for a Level 1 spellcaster hero at the beginning of an Allstars game

Heroes possess various abilities. They also possess three statistics (Strength, Intelligence and Agility) with every hero having a Primary Attribute. Heroes may gain levels during the game by earning experience. Experience can be earned by killing creeps which is known as farming. Neutral creeps are also planted throughout the map and they may also be killed for experience and gold. Neutral creeps are not programmed to do anything except battle other characters who come too close; as such, they exist only to be killed for experience and gold. Heroes may also gain experience and gold by killing heroes from the opposing team. While the killing of heroes is not the stated aim of the game, it is nonetheless one of the pursuits towards which any experienced player strives.

Each player may select a hero at the start of the game from a catalogue of heroes (with the exception of certain game modes which force a player to use specific heroes, such as All Random mode). Players generally only exert control over this hero but exceptions exists whereby certain hero abilities may allow the hero to gain control of creeps or of summoned creatures.

Heroes possess ratings for armor and for attack damage. Damage indicates how much a hero's attack subtracts from the recipient's Hit Points (or HP). Increasing the Primary Attribute of the hero will increase its attack damage, where every point of increase in the Primary Attribute increases the attack damage by one point. Armor increases as a function of agility. A hero with a primary attribute of agility can increase both his/her armour and attack damage by increasing agility.

Every hero has a rating for Hit Points and Mana. Hit Points represent how much damage a hero can absorb before he is killed. Hit Points regenerate with time to a maximum number. The maximum number of hit points a hero has and the rate at which it regenerates is a function of the hero's strength attributes. Higher strength heroes have a higher maximum number of hit points and regenerate faster.

A hero's mana is the amount of energy the hero has for utilising abilities or casting spells. Most (but not all) abilities are powered by mana. Mana is also regenerated over time. The maximum amount of mana and the rate of mana regeneration is a function of the intelligence of the hero.

Also, every hero has a movement speed and an attack speed. The hero's movement speed determines how fast the hero moves over land. Some heros have the ability to teleport (move to another location on the map) or to blink (move instantaneously over a straight line distance of limited length) but this is not influenced by the movement speed. The movement speed is a base value, which is different from hero to hero, but may be modified by abilities or items.

An attack speed determines how fast the hero strikes. A hero with double the attack speed of another hero would, therefore, strike twice as often in a given window of time. Attack speed is also determined by a base speed for each hero and influenced by agility.

A summary of the hero types based on its Primary Attributes:

  • Strength - usually powerful melee attackers, high Hit Points, fast HP regeneration rate
  • Agility - archers/assassins/rapid attackers, fast attack speed, high Armor
  • Intelligence - spellcasters/technology users, high total Mana amount, fast Mana regeneration rate

Game mechanics

Hero attributes and abilities may be augmented or modified by purchasing items. Items can be purchased using gold which is obtained by slaying creeps or other heros. Gold is also obtained by destroying towers or other structures. Hero kills made by the creeps in your team will result in the gold being placed in the team coffers and distributed to every team member. Players may not access the general team coffer. Some items cannot be purchased outright and have to be built using other items, determined by a specific recipe. Generally the higher the cost or the complexity of an item, the greater its influence on the hero's abilities. Some items grant abilities to the hero rather than augmenting a pre-existing ability or attribute.

Due to limitations in the coding model and the Warcraft game engine (and to avoid over-powering a hero in some occasions), not all items may work with each other or with every hero, known as "stacking". As such, experience in the behavior of all items is very much an advantage in the game.

Heroes who die are respawned at an area known as the "fountain". However, spawning occurs only after a waiting period which lengthens as the hero's level increases. Gold may be paid out to respawn prior to the end of the waiting period with the amount of gold necessary being proportional, once again, to the level of the hero. The death of a hero generally results in gold being subtracted from the amount of gold the player in question controls.

Victory can depend on both the player's skill and teamwork. A single skilled player can make short work of a single opponent, or sometimes several at once; but likewise, several players, with proper cooperation, can easily return the favor. All variants of the game are designed with soft and hard counters in mind for items and heroes alike, and thus some heroes will be better equipped to defeat certain heroes than others.

Some DotA is have formed clans specifically for this game, such as Clan DCE, Clan mOpD, Clan TDA, Clan ToN and Clan LSD.


DotA Classic

This series is the original DotA, which began with Eul, the creator and first editor. This RoC map is considered by most DotA players to be the most balanced map series for DotA. Eul, the original editor and creator of DotA, has since declared his map to be open-source, and currently there is no official editor for the RoC DotA maps.

However, there are still unofficial editors whose maps are hosted frequently. The most notable current editors are Fluffy_Bunny (3.7 and the 3.8x series), Ryude (3.7x series), and Danite (Rumble 3.x series, and Multimode 4.0). DotA Classic for RoC is not as popular as Allstars, but there are still clans that continue to play against each other, and the occasional tournament is held.

The most popular version on most servers is 3.7 (created by Fluffy_Bunny), while 3.6d is still played in Asia. The 3.7x, 3.8x and Rumble series are all played in decent numbers in public games.

CHAOS

CHAOS is a Korean-language port of DotA, and is not popular outside of Asia, though it enjoys cult-like popularity there.

Allstars

Development

DotA Allstars is a Frozen Throne version of DotA, made, without Eul's involvement, by a player named Guinsoo. It contains many more heroes and items than does the original DotA, and is updated frequently, which may explain its continuing popularity. The controversy about Allstars is that a number of Classic players resent him for having 'stolen' their game, especially since he is alleged to have similarly 'borrowed' most of his triggers, spells, heroes and items from other people; Guinsoo, for his part, maintains that the map was created from scratch and based only spiritually on Eul's work. Regardless, Allstars remains widely played, and is rumored to be the most popular Warcraft 3 custom map of all time.

The latest version is 6.09b (version 6.10 is a hoax/fake map, as of the end of June 2005), now edited and updated by a new development team, under the direction of Neichus and Icefrog.

Bugs in version 5 of AllStars prompted many to offer fixes to Guinsoo but the development of the code was opaque and release schedules were discretionary. As such, the map forked in version 5.84b with Guinsoo releasing version 6.

Another developer named True.Rus (from Russia) developed a fork named 5.84c. Since the map was encrypted, True.Rus had to decrypt the map. Every version of Allstars released prior to 5.84c had focused on new functionality or heroes. The version created (or rather modified) by True.Rus did not feature any new functionality. Instead:

  • It refactored the map tokens to allow for faster loading times (reports from frequent Battle.net players indicate a reduction of almost 1-2 minutes)
  • It also fixed some game bugs which were considered by fans to be "imbalancing" to the game.

The current favorite among AllStars regulars continue to be 5.84c in some places (such as LAN parties and Battle.net), mainly due to the fact that it is believed to be more stable than the later versions. 5.84b is also played, albeit less frequently. Version 6.09b is the latest official version which is also played aside from the 5.84b/c versions.

Currently, DotA Allstars is popular among players in Malaysia, Singapore, Romania, Korea, the Phillipines, the European Union, Indonesia, USA and many other countries, as observed on the Battle.net servers. Players of DotA Allstars, particularly in the Asian region, normally go to cybercafés for friendly matches or even cash tournaments.

Clan TDA (Team DotA Allstars) of Battle.net's "Azeroth" gateway (serving the East coast of the United States) is the clan officially charged with arranging DotA Allstars matches. Recently Clan TDA has opened a branch at the West Coast gateway, Lordaeron.

Outland

DotA Outland is another Frozen Throne variant of DotA, maintained by Softmints of Clan EOC.

Less well known than Allstars, but updated far more frequently, it is still a damn fine game.

More hero-based than item based, it's a slower game than allstars, and the heroes are entirely different.

  • Challs - Challenges, much like the rune powerups in dota allstars, the challenges are an interesting aspect of outland. You pick up a rune, get a positive buff (bloodlust, invisibility) and are then given a challenge to complete. if you succeed, you gain 1000 gold, if you fail, you lose 1000 gold and a level.

Challenges are: Assassination: a hero on the enemy team is singled out, and must be killed within 3 minutes. Survival: survive for 5 minutes, with a 2000 gold bounty on your head, you are enemy to both your creeps and towers, and their creeps - no hiding in your base. Your location is pinged for all players every 7 seconds. Gold Rush: - Gather 2000 gold before you die, bloodlusted. Rampage: - kill 50 creeps before you die.

Only one challenge of each type can be active at any one time, but two challenges can be held at the same time by a single player - Gold rush and any others is advised.

Here is the intro guide from the Outland homepage:

What is DotA Outland?

As the creator of the map, I would call it DotA as it was meant to be. Not an off-build retaining the name, or a distant relation, but DotA.


So what's different about Outland?

Depends where you come from. If you come from EotA, you'll find that it's a more hero-based AoS, with less building/upgrade emphasis. It's also a faster game.

Comeing from Allstars, I hope that most will find the game more fun in a different way. Less emphasis on aboslutely crushing the opponents with mass itamz. Though mass pawnage is still possible.

From ToB, which I'm not so familiar with, there's more heros and less emphasis on buildings.

For the non-AoS people out there, it's been 4 years sisnce my first DotA, so I don't know what to say.


Why should I play Outland? I like the game I'm playing.

It would be a good idea to give Outland a try, wheter you think it'll be good or not. The same applies for any game. You'll probarly lose as you don't know what to do, but I'll talk more about that later. You might like the game, and even become a Clan EOC member. You might beat Ezekiel2517 or JackOfBlades, the two best players I know. You might even beat me. Who knows?


Are the items the same as Allstars?

No. Items are way less powerful and more character-specific. You don't for example use a Lothars Annihalator with a hero like Iviyst or Lividus.


Are there/Where are the recpies?

They're just outside the enterance of the fountain, four books on pedastels. no, they're not all full, it's just that there's four levels of recpies. Level 4 items aren't even super imbalanced, considering generally high cold costs and not too strong values.


What are challanges?

They're one of Outland's best features. This combnes the "runes" of Allstars and the actual gameplay together. Example:

Assassination: Kill three heros berfore you die. You will be made invisible until you attack or use a spell.

So it's an invis rune from Allstars, but with a task. You get a "triple kill" armed with the rune, and get 1000 gold (And the gold from hero killing). Fail to complete the conditions (The triple kill) and you lose 1000 gold and a level. Yes, a whole level. Which is why it is stated clearly in the loading screen: Read the challenges before you take them.


Ok, I want to try the map.

Go to the downloads forum and download it, and find a host. Though games on the Europe server are occasional, on other servers it's rare. So I'd get a friend to host it.

Lingo

The following are commonly used in DotA games as a mean of communicating with other players. They are also known as the "DotA language" (Note: some of the following terms might only be relevant to the DotA Allstars version).

Instructions

  • b - Short for "back", used to cue team members to retreat.
  • d - Short for "drop", often used to urge other players to drop a lagging player
  • rax - used to signal team members to destroy important structures of opponent's base, such as barracks, tower, throne/world tree etc. (The term rax/racks originates from the short form for Barracks).

Actions

  • creep - A creep is a unit that is not controlled by a player. Killing a creep yields gold for the player that killed it. In DoTA this refers to those fighting on the two sides as well as neutral ones.
  • farm - This refers to the strategy of exclusively killing creeps in order to purchase better weapons and gain experience faster. More specifically, with the absence of enemy heroes.
  • gang bang (gb)/rape - the act of multiple Heroes converging on one hero to kill that hero.
  • pawn - Generally means 'to kill an enemy Hero'.
  • push - Teams push when multiple players on the same team mass in one lane, usually with the intent of destroying an enemy tower or creep generator.

Strategies

  • bs/backstab - the tactic of ambushing (backstabbing) heroes; which is common among stealth heroes such as Stealth Assassin and Bounty Hunter.
  • pump - the process of team members pooling items to a single player, especially expensive and powerful items for the purpose of buffing a particular hero; sometimes seen as bad sportsmanship. Clan TDA condones pumping to up to 3000 gold worth of permanent items per player.
  • backdooring/skipping/cheeseing - tactic of going behind the current enemy line, with characters that have teleporting features, such as the Prophet (hero in AllStars), and destroying enemy structures without killing creeps first. Clan TDA defines backdooring as initiating an attack on an enemy structure without the presence of supporting creeps. Many players consider this underhanded to the point of cheating and it is is hotly debated as to whether backdooring should be allowed in official games.

Insults

  • feeder - Refers to a player who is pawned by opponent's heroes to gain experience/gold at a faster rate (This action of dying continuously can also be described as noobie action or simply noob). A feeder is generally an annoyance or a burden to the team who may ultimately lead to the downfall of their team mates.
  • lamer - Generally classified as a person play a hero, publicly accepted as "lame" character i.e. doesn't need skill to kill/warrant acceptance of a good kill. Usually used by lesser players to complain about pretty much any hero.

Common "lame" characters: King leoric, clinkz, spiritbreaker, techies, ursa, anyone that that particular player dislikes - warrants being laughed at.

  • leaver - Some players disconnect from a game particularly when they cannot win. To deliberately disconnect is to be a leaver. Players disconnecting for any reason may be called leavers as an insult. Generally a leaving player makes it harder for his team mates to win and makes victory by the other team less satisfying.
  • noob/noobie/newb/newbie/etc. - Refers to a player who is new to the game and does know the heroes, tactics and/or items. Is often said in a disparaging manner. Newbie is usually less harsh than noob, and noob + expletives is out of frustation after that person has continually died in idiotic ways. Newbie may be a term of merely acceptance of level, and a newbie is often helped and given explanation, a noob is hated. Essentially: noob = a newbie who thinks he's good and won't listen.
  • puller - A player who lags too much from the other players may be disconnected due to high lag times. Prior to disconnecting the game is frozen and a count down timer is shown. Some players deliberately pull their connections (i.e. physically pulling out the Ethernet cable, hence the name) to lag out as they cannot bear the shame of outright leaving the game.
  • "†" - more commonly used by the euro dota poulation, said in "All" chat to taunt the opponent after a kill, due to the reminiscence of a gracestone - ascii code alt + 0134

Comments

  • bg - Short for "bad game." Usually used when a leaver/lagger/newbie destroys the entire gameplay.
  • gg - Short for "good game." Literally, it is just an expression to show that the players appreciate the game. May also mean "a good match"; or said out of courtesy during the game's end.
  • rr/rm/rmk/rs - Short for "restart round"/"restart match"/"remake"/"restart."

Hero classifications

Note: this applies for DotA AllStars only:

  • disablers - heroes which possess the ability to disable other characters with Hex (skills like Voodoo).
  • nukers - heroes which possess the ability to cause massive amounts of damage in a single instant usually via use of abilities.
  • spammers - heroes which spam offensive spells repeatedly in an attempt to hero kill or disrupt the opponents play (this frequently causes enemy heroes to go back to their "fountain" to heal, thereby wasting time and Hero experience points).
  • stunners - heroes which possess the ability to stun other characters, such as Impale, Storm Bolt, and Burrowstrike.
  • tankers - heroes which can absorb huge amounts of damage (high HP/armor), typically used to destroy enemy towers.

Miscellaneous

  • inhouse - a game in which players who join are from a specific channel/clan, usually seen as more a competitive style of play as opposed to public games.
  • player 13 - Neutral creeps.
  • sk or sandking - Often regarded as a "bugged" hero by players (in DotA AllStars) due to a bug which allows the Sand King hero to cast Epicenter while it's underground (only in previous versions). May also refer to the Skeleton King or Soul Keeper, though soul keeper is usually referred to as tb.
  • Roshan - The strongest neutral creep in the map. All players of the faction will obtain +800gold if it were to be slain by players of that particular faction.
  • sg - a suffix often added to game titles meaning the game host is from Singapore and therefore prefering Singaporean players. This is because the geographical closeness of players within the game affects latency. Sometimes mistaken as "short game."
  • tb - Terrorblade, the soul keeper, scourge hero.
  • techs - Goblin techies, the mine layer hero, 50:50 regarded among the community as a blight upon the face of the game, and the best thing since sliced bread.
  • FoD - Finger of death, lion's ultimate skill, a large burst of damage instantly with decent range and a pretty graphic. See lamer:#insults

Verbal Acknowledgements

Note: this applies for DotA AllStars only.

In DotA AllStars, when a player is able to execute 3 or more consecutive kills on an enemy without dying in the process, all players will receive a verbal acknowledgement as credit for performing this feat. They are:

  • 3 - killing spree
  • 4 - dominating
  • 5 - unstoppable
  • 6 - wicked sick
  • 7 - m-m-m-m....monster kill
  • 8 - mega kill
  • 9 - godlike
  • 10 - holy sh*t (somebody stop him!)

These may be familiar to players of Unreal Tournament, the source from which they derive.

Also, in version 6.09b, when a player's hero executes the 1st kill of the game, he/she will get extra 200 gold and also a verbal acknowledgement (does not apply to the first creep/tower/neutral unit kill).

  • 1st kill - First blood

Other sounds common to all AllStars versions include:

  • Double kill - two Hero kills within a short amount of time
  • Triple kill - three Hero kills within a short amount of time (any more Hero kills executed in that timeframe will result in 'Triple kill' being repeated)
  • Ownage - when a team gets 5 or more Hero kills in a row without any hero deaths on their side.
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