Blizzard Enters The MOBA Wars With Blizzard DOTA

Lots of people seem to be surprised. They actually announced they were doing this quite a while ago.

I'm way more interested in this than I am in regular SC2 multiplayer. I'll say that much. I guess I just like not having to focus on what feels like a hundred different things in the span of a minute. Did you pause to think? Whoops, you lost. I burned out on that formula, I suppose. Just too frantic. Man, watching player point of view footage of high level RTS play makes me feel like I'm watching a cocaine addict play a game or something. I don't even know how that is fun at that point. (I guess there's a reason almost all of those pro gamers are young.)

So, anyway, I'm glad to see Blizzard doing more things other than old school RTS games about securing more resource nodes than your opponent. I mean, they've already done five, which is more than almost anyone else has done. I feel like it's getting very played out on the multilpayer side (although I thought StarCraft II's campaign was really great). I know some people think that about MOBAs, but I really feel like game devs are only beginning to scratch the surface of where they can go with that.

To all of the people clamoring for Warcraft IV already, when the Starcraft II trilogy is still quite a ways off from completion: No thank you. I can't even imagine where they go with that franchise from here, anyway. Could they reinvent it yet again, or will it just be some different units and a bunch of small refinements like Starcraft II?

None of that is to say I don't expect that a Warcraft IV will happen eventually. Just not for a long time.

Wait what!? Siege Tank!?

@Adamsons said:

Edit - @jozzy said:

(if it's f2p which seems likely).

I think its an official SC2 mod, like Starjeweled / Left2Die / Aiur Chef.

I so fucking hope so.

Just finished watching the Blizzcon panel on this, it is a mod for SC2 although they did say they were interested down the line in also making it available for people without the game. Also they said that while they were only showing certain characters right now that they were going to be going all the way back in their catalog for character options. They even mentioned a Lost Vikings character that would include swapping between the three.

And the last horse crosses the finish line..... late to the party you started eh blizzard ?

LMAO

@ everything

I can't wait to see Valve's DOTA 2 blow this out of the water.

@Tennmuerti said:

LMAO

@ everything

haha ya me too. Glad I put blizzard games on the back burner a long time ago.

@digitalsea87 said:

Nova is in this.. Does that mean there is any hope for a revival of the SC: Ghost project?

Presence of one doesn't mean presence of the other.

I can't wait to see Valve's DOTA 2 blow this out of the water.

@Buzzkill said:

@Cataphract1014 said:

@Buzzkillsaid:

Welp that's the end of Blizzard for me. When Blizzard has to start copying other successful IPs that were created from their own original IPs, the company has run out of ideas.

It's OK for 3 companies to do it, but if Blizzard makes something that was originally made on their game you are done?

What kind of fucked up logic is that?

The logic is that Blizzard is being overly arrogant and does not need nor deserves my support for such things. Most studios are humbled and honored to have smaller modders take their creations and turn them into better products. Blizzard on the other hand is telling the gaming community "Screw them. We (blizzard) make the best blizzard products period and we'll crush anyone who attempts to emulate us." That kind of arrogance just isn't welcome or needed and should not be supported.

You are reading way to much into a trailer for a CUSTOM MAP on Starcraft 2. It is just suppose to be funny, its not them being arrogant.

And even if they are being arrogant, how is Valve any different? They held a fucking million dollar tournament for a game that was in ALPHA.

What a dumb fucking name.

So... how many essentially identical MOBA's must be released before the audience is so split between each that it becomes an even more arcane and noob-unfriendly genre and eventually just dies out after a good 3-year run? Bets, anyone?

@1:15- Did Blizzard really trademark the term "soonish"?

This is Blizzard saying: "Your move, Valve!"

ITT People don't realize this is a free official SC2 mod.

@KlUMZeE said:

@1:15- Did Blizzard really trademark the term "soonish"?

God I hope so.

@AngryRedPlumber said:

All MOBAs should use the Skylanders Portal of Power.

It's funny that this, of all things, is super self-aware.

Like they just said "FUCK IT! FUCK IT, WE DON'T CARE! YES IT'S CALLED BLIZZARD DOTA, SHUT UP."

To be honest I don't like how self-aware this is. It's more the brand of self-aware on display here, as it sounds like they don't really have a reason to be doing this besides "we need to get a piece of the DOTA money pie because we're tangentially responsible for its creation".

The BlizzCon panel on this title was a billion times better than this trailer. The trailer looks pretty campy, but from my perspective, after listening to them discuss the game itself, I am very, VERY interested to get my hands on this.

This is going to be part of the delivery, likely the main launch title, for the Arcade within SC2. So not just a custom map, even though it will be a complete SC2 mod, but an actual standalone title. They went into a bit of depth discussing the Arcade itself and how it is going to fit into the SC2 UI (single/multi-player SC2 will be combined into 1 button/screen and the Arcade will be where multi-player now sits).

They are not just doing another DOTA clone with this DOTA game... ironic. They are actually looking to alter quite a bit of the gameplay mechanics where it keeps the core feel of a DOTA/MOBA title but also challenges a lot of the underlying assumptions of the game and actually fixes what they, Blizzard, thinks is broken and makes the title unapproachable - and I think the items they addressed (or are at least attempting to address) are spot on.

Things like:

1. Shorter games - expecting an average of 20-30 minutes, some shorter and some longer but the average is to be that
2. Hero epicness - letting every hero, whether support or tank or dps or seige be and feel epic, not just for the individual
3. Team-based motivators - again, focusing on duos and trios and team play, less on the lone gunman
4. Variety of maps - they have some cool plans to put some spins on the traditional map, yet still keep the same feel
5. Simpler mechanics - WAY less stats and way less items, some status and items that can be upgraded but less of them
6. Less focus on items/builds/numbers - Everyone gets a mount (no more speed boots), everyone has a basic skill tree

This is what I can remember off the top of my head, but let me just say, in summary that what they have planned sounds REALLY good. They want to make the game more accessible and more fun. They want all the depth to be there, but not have it all hit you in the face up front. "Easy to learn, difficult to master" - that was the main quote and based upon what I saw, I believe it will be there and I believe people will actually flock to this game. At least they will hit a MUCH broader audience than the other MOBA/DOTA games out there. I truly believe that. I know this is the one I will be playing, I tried LoL, for a good 9 months and every item I heard Blizzard bring up was something that drove me away from LoL. I, for one, am very excited about this game.