I have a love/hate relationship with Wrath of Heroes. Some days I’ll hop in for a quick match and have a great time and see the potential in its “MOBA-meets-MMORPG” battlegrounds. Other days, or even the next match I play, can swing my mood to frustration as I focus on the simplicity and what seems like a lack of depth in this game. Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve seen the game grow so much throughout the beta. My pride for what the developers have done in a little time is making me cheer for the game from the sidelines. The in-game UI has made leaps and bounds and the menu-art and layout is phenomenal in my opinion. Maybe it’s the fact that I really enjoyed Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning that is making me want Wrath of Heroes to pick up where WAR left off. I want it to do well, so in some weird back-handed way it may help draw new players to its MMORPG counterpart.
Category: MOBA
The best news to come from the DOTA 2 info-leak yet
2 will have bots (with what sounds like interesting A.I.). OK, I’m on board.
This update also enables the practice bots. While they’re still a work in progress, they’re a great low-pressure tool for trying out new heroes and item builds. While practicing with them, note that you can ping the minimap to send commands to your allied bots – ping an enemy tower to tell them to push a lane, an enemy hero to ask for assistance in a gank, and so on. At the moment they only know how to play a subset of the current heroes, but they do know how to use all of Dota 2′s many items.
They’ll also use text chat to indicate their plans, so you can join in. For example, they’ll:
- Let you know when they’re coming to your lane for a gank.
- Communicate when they’re fleeing or losing a fight.
- Indicate their high priority targets in upcoming team fights.
- Expose their thinking about whether they should push or defend their lanes.
- Call for assistance versus Roshan if they think the timing is right.
If you’re interested, here are a few features we’ll be adding to them next:
- User specified difficulty levels, so you can tune them to your skill level.
- Deeper control over your allied bots, so you can “command” your team at a high level. For instance, you might want your team’s carry to not join a fight, and instead keep farming their lane. Note that they do a good job of making these kinds of decisions themselves, but if you really want to be hands-on, you can.
- Support for several more heroes.
The one simple thing that has shown to be a determining factor in my enjoyment and attachment of a MOBA game is the ability to quickly and easily practice abilities, champions/heroes, builds, and other variables. The easiest and most enjoyable way to do this? Bot matches. Sure, one can argue that the best way to learn is to play against quality opponents, and I agree with that completely, but when you’re just trying to get a quick handle of how a hero’s abilities synergize together, a bot match is a perfect way to execute this without potentially dragging your team down in a “ranked” match.
Source: Official DOTA 2 Blog – Twice the blood shall I shed!
Super Monday Night Combat Trailer
Whoever Uber Entertainment hired or staffed to throw together this trailer knows what they are doing. Absolutely love it. Must have deadly kitten-mini-turrets!
Super Monday Night combat is the next game from Uber Entertainment, following the success of Monday Night Combat on XBLA and PC/Steam. Monday Night Combat was the first successful attempt to bring the MOBA(DOTA) genre to Consoles, and also in a third-person shooter packaging. Following in the path of League of Legends’ success, and just like High Rez Studio’s Smite, Super MNC will be a free to play MOBA game.
Interesting interview with Na’Vi’s Puppey (DOTA 2 “The International” winners)
Just a little insight on his experience playing DOTA 2 at Gamescom and his thoughts on the game so far. I really agree with his response to the internet-ragers who are up in arms with negativity towards a game they haven’t played or even seen first hand.
“I think the criticism is childish. The public does not know what they want. The first time I took a glance at DOTA 2, I didn’t like it also, but in three days I could stop playing it — because in reality, when you play the game — then you will start enjoying it. ‘Cause no game is really made for watching. They are made for playing. So, first play the game, then judge.”
Source: dota-two.com
DOTA 2 Livestream and Beta
If you haven’t already heard, Valve is livestreaming their $1,000,000 DOTA 2 tournament, “The International,” from Gamescom, giving us MOBA fans an amazingly in-depth preview and first look at DOTA 2.
Hit up this link to view the Livestream (on-air, right now, as of this posting) and below the embedded player is also a link to get yourself on the beta waiting list!
culture arson dot games 