Some background:
Dota began as a user-made modification for Warcraft 3 and has grown into one of the most played online games in the world. Following in the tradition of Counter-Strike, Day of Defeat, Team Fortress, Portal, and Alien Swarm, Dota 2 is the result of Valve hiring the community developers who built the mod and giving them the chance to finally build a full product out of their idea with the help of a professional team of developers and artists at Valve.
As for the gameplay, it’s a little hard to describe. The camera is set in the traditional RTS perspective, but it wouldn’t be fair to call Dota an RTS. And while each hero starts at level 1, and many times hits the level cap of 25, it wouldn’t be fair to call it an RPG.
Lots of people have tried to assign various genre names to Dota, but we think Action RTS is probably the most descriptive. And while we don’t spend a lot of time trying to figure out what genre the game is inventing, we can’t stop playing it internally!
Dota 2 is a multiplayer online battle arena video game and the stand-alone sequel to the Defense of the Ancients mod. Developed by Valve Corporation, the game was released on July 9, 2013 for Microsoft Windows, utilizing a free-to-play business model. OS X and Linux versions of Dota 2 were released on July 18, 2013. Dota 2 is exclusively available through Valve's content delivery platform, Steam. Dota 2 consists of session-based online multiplayer matches, in which two teams of five players attempt to destroy their opponents' fortified strongholds. Each player controls a "Hero" character and, over the course of an individual game, focuses on improving their hero's abilities, acquiring items, and fighting against the other team.
New to Dota? No idea what it is but want to play? Don't fret! There are guides all over the internet that can teach you how to play, videos too. The most popular guide is probably Purge's famous Welcome to Dota, You suck. I recommend reading it before you start playing.
So, does anyone else play? All this week is The International 3, the largest Dota 2 competition. It holds the world record for the largest prize pot of any competitive game ever. I figured the attention of The International would bring new players in to discuss the game.
