Dota Explained and How You Can Play it Now

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Valve's announcement of Dota 2 is sure to give massive exposure to the RTS sub-genre that became popular with the Warcraft III custom map "Defense of the Ancients" (DotA). To that end, we here at Shacknews thought we'd explain what DotA is and how you can play it--or a game based upon it--while you wait for Valve's 2011 release.

Defense of the Ancients is actually based upon the "Aeon of Strife" custom map for the original StarCraft, but was brought to Warcraft III as DotA. Many different developers worked on the map, but IceFrog--now working on Dota 2 with Valve--has updated the game since 2005 with DotA-Allstars.

The gameplay of DotA or a DotA-like game is straightforward with two teams of hero units attempting to destroy a key structure in the opposing team's base. Multiple pathways to the enemy base, called lanes, are defended by turrets, which must be destroyed before it is safe to progress.

Each team is assisted by computer controlled units that spawn at regular intervals and mindlessly traverse each lane before meeting up with the other teams "creep" units. Left alone, the creeps will generally cancel each other out and the frontline will stay in the middle of the two bases along a lane. Players will need to assist in killing creeps to push the frontlines toward the enemy turret and eventually destroy it.

Your hero unit, chosen at the beginning of the game, has unique spells and abilities, which can be leveled up as experience is gained. Killing enemy heroes will grant large experience bonuses and the team with the most hero kills will usually win. Players can also kill neutral creeps in areas around the lanes for extra experience, but are vulnerable to enemy attack while doing so.

Teamplay is extremely important as one unskilled player can throw a game out of balance by constantly dying, effectively "feeding" the enemy team experience. It is not an easy game to jump into and the communities of the various DotA titles are notoriously abrasive. If you are feeling up to the task, however, there are a few ways to jump into a DotA or DotA-like experience right now.

    Defense of the Ancients - WarCraft III custom map (PC, Mac)
    Probably the hardest to get into at this point. Its out-of-date feature set and hardcore community will make it tough for new players to jump in. If you want to brave these dangerous waters, you'll need a copy of Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, the latest DotA map, and a lot of patience.

    Heroes of Newerth (PC, Mac, Linux)
    This is essentially a clone of DotA, but with a lot of enhanced features added by S2 games like matchmaking, stat tracking, and more. The community is just as difficult to new players, but it will be a bit easier to get into than the WC3 DotA. It will run you $30 for an account, but trials are available through current players. Find out if one of your friends has any trial invites to spare!

    League of Legends (PC)
    One of the original developers of DotA and its community manager worked on League of Legends with Riot Games. The game is free-to-play and is supported by microtransactions, making it a great title to start with. It also has some nice tutorials, AI opponents, and a 3v3 mode, which is a bit more manageable for new players. LoL is a very approachable game.

    Monday Night Combat (Xbox 360)
    While Monday Night Combat isn't a clone of DotA, it does use some of the mechanics of the sub-genre in a third-person shooter game. This is where shooter fans may want to start as it will teach you the concepts creeps and pushing lanes in a fun shooter.

Those are your options for getting into DotA before Valve releases Dota 2 for the PC and Mac in 2011. Yes, I left Demigod off of the list purposefully. It just doesn't have the player population to recommend at this point. Are there any other games we left out?
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From The Chatty
  • reply
    October 13, 2010 2:07 PM

    Demigod is another option. I love that shit but I guess it doesn't get the same respect as the others.

    • reply
      October 13, 2010 2:09 PM

      Just saw the mention of DG in the end of the article, sorry about that. I still don't think that's a good reason to leave it out though. DG seems to have the best bot support which is good for those who like this type of game but hate the community that comes with it, which is known for being pretty unforgiving and cruel.

      • reply
        October 13, 2010 2:16 PM

        I concur. If you want a decent single player implementation, Demigod is quite suitable, and affordable if you find it in a discount bin somewhere.

        • reply
          October 13, 2010 2:29 PM

          If it was available on steam, at a discount, I'd buy it.

          • reply
            October 13, 2010 2:30 PM

            Unfortunately, since it's made by Stardock, it is not available on steam.

            • reply
              October 13, 2010 3:39 PM

              *published by stardock, not made by them.

      • reply
        October 13, 2010 2:20 PM

        I suppose its a good thing Demigod has decent bots, since their multiplayer code is so god-awful (peer2peer is not a workable solution guys).

    • reply
      October 13, 2010 3:36 PM

      I'm sorry, but demigod is a joke. I played it for a good number of months immediately after release. I have never seen a game with so much potential get so neglected by the developers while at the same time having the trust of the community abused. I am really really burned by Demigod, and more lagely Stardock as a whole after the laughable experience I had with Demigod.

      I played 1 game of LoL over a year ago while I was stil in my Demigod phase and that was all it took - I never went back. LoL is pretty much better in every way. I liked a lot of the concepts and unique ideas (capture points, cap locks) and things that Demigod had, but at the end of the day the presentation and execution was so painfully bad that it ruined the whole product (and lets not even talk about the embarrassing net code).

      • reply
        October 14, 2010 10:51 AM

        I like the art style of Demigod better...

        But League of Legends (despite the art style) is a much more in-depth game. It has persistence, a streamlined buying system that's new player friendly. It removes the un-fun elements that DOTA had (such as kill stealing).

        It really is a brilliant game, it's free and has a great purchase model. I've been playing a ton and suspect i'll keep playing as well.

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