For a very very long time now, the only ever game mode that was used in leagues was AP plus hero bans. This has been the case since leaguers started to use 6.43b.

It was only in 6.56 that the CM mode was introduced and even that was nothing more than an officially entrenched system, an elaborate ceremony designed for the leaguers’ pleasure. Some other newly introduced modes like SD, RD and CD were also reflections of the same system - they were there for the purpose of making clan players happy.

If there are people who do not believe me when I say that the frog is extremely concerned about “league balance”, look at these new game modes. All of them are catered for one group of people - the elites - and none of them are meant for the common citizen who form the overwhelming majority of Dota addicts players. If Dota was not a game this would have easily evolved into a conspiracy theory in which the interests of the majority are subverted for the minority.

Problem is, what really constitutes league balance? Is league balance really about AP only? When some heroes cannot be picked together just because they are from opposite factions, will the current balance be the true balance? If for example, both teams decide to dish it out via %HP AoE (which is the league craze right now), the Scourge will probably only be able to afford Necrolyte and Undying - not enough %HP (in my opinion). On the contrary the Sentinel will be able to dish out quite a lot of that via Enigma, Zeus, Huskar and Tauren Chieftain. This is perhaps something the frog, as the map tweaker, has to consider.

This phenomenon has also dulled the creative potential of leaguers and by extension, pub players. Most, if not all of the strategies that forumers have been discussing about all rest on the assumption that it is an AP game. When lineups are discussed, do I hear Rhasta and Lion, QOP and POTM, Coco and Sand King, Tinker and Nerubian Weaver, etc thrown into the equation? Or how some heroes’ worst enemies seem to come from the very same tavern sometimes? When was the last time people actually played Normal?

It seems that Normal is, for all purposes and intent, an obsolete mode. It was viewed as a restrictive mode that bans players from touching the other faction’s tavern. At the same time, has anybody also considered the various possibilities that can open up in a Normal league game (corresponding mode LM)? Think about what will happen when players are automatically barred from picking two disablers, two blinkers, two supposedly imbalanced strength heroes, one hero that can teleport to another’s creeps, etc. This forces leaguers to think of new strategies and lineups to overcome the restrictions. End result - a more creatively developing Dota that isn’t so dull anymore due to the ubiquity of AP.

And how about the other modes like All Strength, All Intelligence, All Agility? How about new ones like Only Neutral Taverns? How about some way of allowing and banning certain taverns instead? Think of that immensely great game playing potential. Think of new lineups, new strategies, new counters. We could have a whole new bunch of players who would specialise in playing certain modes y’know. Why should Dota (or anything or anyone) restrict itself to just ONE way of playing?

Creativity can be born out of chaos.

In short, Dota is not a linear adventure game. It’s a strategy game, and strategies are endless. No strategist should be perplexed for lack of tactics, nor should they be forced to think in just one way. Some of our members think big, only to have others trying to smackdown them for making suggestions. I believe the frog is not like that though. But whether the frog accepts big ideas or not, I don’t mince my words when I say this - leaguers should not be so fussy and start getting real

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 15th, 2009 at 2:04 am and is filed under Announcements. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.