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Y





 

 
 6



A: This was actually one of the very first things we added early on, before the game was stable, in
order to help with testing. You¶ll also be able to have a friend of similar skill level substitute for you
in case you have to leave. Players that want to improve their reputation in the game and
community will also be able to help out by joining ongoing games that are missing players.

Y









 



 


 
 6
 


A: Yes, a lot of people have friends in different regions and we want to allow them to easily
interact. One of the things that makes DotA special is how big the community is, so we will do our
best to make it easy to connect and communicate with one another.

Y
 

 
 










 6

A: This is something we are putting a lot of time and resources into. Minimizing delay to servers,
along with optimizing networking code, is very important to being able to enjoy DotA on both a
casual and competitive level. We¶re expanding the Steam infrastructure around the world so the
matchmaking service for DotA 2 is able to provide the lowest possible ping wherever you are
playing. There will also be some uniquely located servers that are optimized regionally for
handling longer distance matches.

Y





!




 6

A: We don¶t have an official minimum spec just yet. The goal is to make sure that people with
older computers and the PCs at LAN centers will be able to support the game, while also allowing
for newer computers to scale well.

Y




 












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  6

A: The AI features will be optional to the players in the game. You can have teammates use it,
send it to the base, or give it AI modes and behaviors to follow.

Y






 





 


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 6

A: Yes there will be bot support if you just want to play by yourself, or you can create a party of
friends and fill the rest of the slots with bots. There are a variety of different settings you can use
in order to configure the bots, ranging from selectable difficulty levels to specific behaviors that
you want to practice against. For example, if you want to practice your lane control, you could
configure the bots to be stronger at denying, last hitting, and harassing. We¶ll also have some
specially crafted challenge scenarios, similar to things like Pudge Wars, which I¶ll elaborate on in
the future.
Y




 


 

 















 
 6
 
A: You¶ll be able to jump around to any point in the replay, add bookmarks for easy referencing,
view detailed stats and graphs while the game is going, and watch through a specific player¶s
view (with regards to their camera movement). You¶ll also be able to watch replays with friends if
you want to review a game or learn from your mistakes. To aid videomakers, the replay system
will have flexible camera angle and speed controls. There will also be a bunch of commentating
and editing features you can add to your replays.

Y

%
 


 
 
 

 





 6
  
A: Significant changes would not necessarily make it a better game. There are countless features
we are building around the game that will make the experience a much better one. The gameplay
itself, though, has always evolved step by step, and it will continue with that methodology. We
consider this a long term project, in the same way DotA has always been. We want to provide a
quality experience and not just change for the sake of change. You¶ll naturally see additions and
improvements to the game as time passes, but it would be a natural progression aimed at
improving the game for the players and not for other arbitrary reasons. Valve and I strongly
believe that the player focused development process the game has gone through is what will
allow us to continue making the best decisions with regards to where we spend our development
time.

Y


 





 

 

 6

A: A lot of the game will be built around spectating and shoutcasting support. You will be able to
join most ongoing games (unless the players marked it as private) and just watch them. You can
join a game your friend is in, see what your favorite clan is doing, or simply pick a skill level and a
hero you like and it will find you one to watch. We also have a system in place that automatically
distributes the load to multiple servers so that the game itself won¶t be affected by users joining to
spectate. Our distribution network will allow us to support any number of users that want to watch,
by dynamically assigning more servers to the task. There will also be special tags and search
options to help you find live or old shoutcasted games. Shoutcasters will be able to operate as
directors, so anyone watching will have his camera looking at the same things the shoutcaster is
viewing. There is also an optional anti-cheat mechanism built in so that the game you are
spectating can be time delayed by any amount of time to reduce potential abuse.

Y

 

 





 
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 6


A: Yes, those mechanics are implemented. They are a very integral part of the game and it
wouldn¶t feel the same without them.

Y
 





 6
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A: They will be automatically saved with your identity online utilizing the Steam Cloud storage
system, so you don¶t have to worry about losing them. You¶ll be able to use the replay browser
tools to search, sort, tag, rank, and favorite them.
Y

 
 


 


 
 
 


 6
#"
A: I plan to keep DotA updated for as long as the community wants. That being said though, I
think that DotA 2 represents the long term future for the game.

Y
 

 






 
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'

 

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 6
$
A: All that stuff will remain the same, except that now I also get to work with the developers at
Valve. All of our current playtesters and even contributors like Kunkka are helping. One of the
most important things for me has always been getting input from the community. There will be a
lot of opportunities, throughout the next year, to give your feedback on all the things we are
working on, ranging from features to visuals.

Y




 






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'




%

'
 

%

%
 




 " 6


A: Gameplay is definitely the most important aspect, everyone on the team understands this
concern. The number one priority is making sure players can quickly and easily tell what¶s
happening on the screen at all times. Fine tuning the right visual balance with each ability, effect,
hero, etc., will be an ongoing process as the game is playtested and we get your feedback. A
clean and understandable visual representation of the action is important to everyone from
experienced players, spectators, to new players.

Y







 
 6


A: There will certainly be an opportunity to get involved with beta testing DotA 2 and help us with
your feedback. We¶ll release more information about how to sign up in the future.

Y

 
 







 
















  6
 %
A: Some of what makes it hard, in current DotA, stems from the lack of services around the game
that can help foster a better relationship between players and that it¶s hard for players to be
matched up with equally skilled allies and opponents. Things like tutorials, matchmaking, AI bots,
identity, coaching, and community contribution will go a long way to making it easier for new
players to fit in.

Y

  


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 6

&''
A: We have a few default templates that cover the most popular configurations, but you¶ll also be
able to fully customize them to your liking. You can customize it on a global level or on a per hero
basis if you choose. The hotkey configuration will include everything, not just heroes and items,
but also how you navigate in the game, control the camera, autocast, set control groups, etc.
Your settings are saved to your identity online, so if you go to a LAN center you will not have to
reconfigure your keys.