Monday, September 28, 2009

IceFrog Q&A Session #3


IceFrog has just had another Q&A session and give you a clue about Dota-Allstars future. Curious why the Heart of Tarrasque changed? Or will Dota move to Starcraft 2? It's all answered here :)

Q: How much longer do you realistically look at DotA as something that you want to put your time into and update? (from Murazor)

A: I honestly can't see myself stopping anytime soon; It is the only game I really play so I get a lot of satisfaction out of working on it. I think there are a lot of areas to further improve and build upon. I hope for the game to reach new heights competitively and have a much bigger audience overall. I tend to go out of my way to make sure I don't put myself in situations where I can no longer develop with the freedom and quality needed to take it to that level.


Q: How do you decide what to change? Are you trying to make the game faster or more gank oriented? (from sgamer.com)

A: I don't think of things that way exactly. While that is usually true, it is not accurate to consider it as the root philosophy that drives everything. DotA's primary strength is in its depth and the moment to moment decisions it places in front of the player to make. There are also many non-obvious pitfalls that could seem like good ideas, but actually hurt the game's true depth. My primary goal is focused on improving the quality and depth of the game and not other superficial metrics of success. I want players to always feel there is a lot to improve upon and to encourage situations where a player is rewarded when he is able to make better decisions than his opponent, which is something I think even non-competitive players value. That is the core of what a competitive game should be after all, creating more opportunity for good decision making. There are, of course, many other factors that are considered for all changes, but this is usually the first priority.

Q: What do you think of Starcraft 2 Editor? (from tobby)

A: It looks great, I'm sure there will be lots of interesting games developed for it. By allowing more direct control over the camera and cursor, as well as the other features described, it will spawn new genres, like Warcraft 3 did before it.

Q: Have you decided if you are moving DotA to Starcraft 2 yet? (from Vodotz)

A: I've been actively exploring several options for some time now. Starcraft 2 might not necessarily have what DotA needs to become a better game. Moving to any new engine presents various challenges that need to be considered:

- Will we be able to reproduce the subtle, but very important, unit spell, attack and movement mechanics properly?
- Will the art style fit DotA? Will there be enough unique and identifiable character models for heroes to use?
- Will it encourage team sponsors or help improve the DotA competitive scene?
- Will it provide features that improve DotA, such as: accessibility, networking capabilities, visual readability, spectator features, interface design, etc.

These are the general issues I've been considering when thinking about what the right thing is for DotA's future.

Q: Why did you remove the combat regeneration from Heart of Tarrasque? (from Florian)

A: It was a very specific choice to completely remove combat regeneration from it rather than just reduce it. While it was a nerf, that wasn't the primary goal. The problem with trying to measure the value of regeneration on Heart is that it makes your success in a fight depend at least partially on how long the fight lasts. The core issue is more about what it promotes rather than it allowing you to survive. It encourages the wrong things and doesn't reward players who make better moment to moment decisions as much as it could. It removes some depth from the game and makes it a little less interesting over all. If the item needs a certain amount of tanking power, it is much more direct to add more hit point bonus to the item instead of doing it via a method that obscures the ability to measure the balance of the item.

This is more about the design philosophy the item should have, rather than its actual numbers or power, since I consider those as solvable problems if you have the right design to start with. In general, I prefer to lean towards creating a situation of long term solvability to issues. Some things might be knowingly imperfect but done in a manner that increases measurability to allow it to settle in a better place in the long run.

Q: How can I help improve the game itself? Are you going to add my suggestion if I send it? (from JoseC)

A: The best way is to give feedback; I always appreciate getting suggestions from players. While it isn't practical to expect a specific idea to be used (because of the large number of people with different perspectives), it doesn't mean that they don't get factored in. For me, it isn't always about the specific suggestions as much as what the player is thinking about and how they measure value. Most changes are usually a compilation of many different sets of data and requests over time. I tend to avoid listening to only one type of player. By "type of player" I do not mean competitive or casual at all, I mean the segment of player groups that use different mediums to express their views. There is a very large portion of users that would go unaccounted for if that was the case. Data comes from a variety of different sources, such as: emails, forums posts, replays, joining games with players from different cultures, direct dialog, etc. There are a lot of different types of players and they tend to value things very differently, so it is important for the concept of success or failure not be tunnel visioned to only one medium of opinions.

Q: What will happen with the -switch command?
(from n!ight)

A: To be honest, I'm not sure yet. It is a tricky issue. On one hand, I want to remove it because in many cases, it causes more problems than it solves, and it creates an uncomfortable situation for players. On the other hand, a lot players find it very useful, and people have just slowly started to get a better understanding of when to use it and not to. I might implement something that freezes the leaver items and gold until the team decides if they want utilize -switch or take the resources, but of course that is only one aspect of the command. While it is an optional game mode now, I do recognize that it will eventually need to be addressed somehow.

Q: Why you are making new heroes with hard and interesting skills when there are many old heroes with trivial stuns and auras? (from prodota.ru)

A: There is a balance that needs to be maintained between adding new content and improving old. Some players (like me) prefer refreshing old heroes, but others grow attached to older heroes and prefer them to not be changed. The important thing to keep in mind when thinking about a remake is trying to make sure that the qualities players enjoyed in that character are maintained for the rehash. That isn't always possible, but it is something that needs to be considered. Furthermore, sometimes there is more value in simplicity, not everything basic always needs replacing. New skills might be interesting, but needless complexity should also be avoided whenever possible. I try to find a middle ground between remakes and new content so all players can be reasonably satisfied in the end.

Q: Which way to send ideas and bug reports is the most preferred and most likely to reach you? (from kiu)

A: I prefer email the most because I can sort and organize stuff better as well as being able to respond more easily.

Q: Have you considered the suggestion to make Invoker's orbs not interrupt movement? (from STT40)

A: I know a lot of people have requested this in the past. This feature was actually implemented in 6.63 before I had to remove it due unresolved technical issues. Warcraft 3 does not provide a straighforward way to do this, so I used a few tricks to achieve it, but it made command registrations unreliable so you would sometimes get incorrect orbs if you clicked too rapidly.

Q: Do you have a schedule for day/week/month, according to which you are working with DotA? (from gibigate)

A: Well it has been different over the years, between studying, programming and college research taking up different amounts of time. I generally try to make a new beta map every day to experiment with, so it's usually just a chunk of time each day rather than spaced out. It changes from month to month, though.

Q: Do you have any plans to restore custom "-terrain" commands (snow, etc.) in the near future? (from Xochaedo)

A: I could spend more time on it in the future if users want it that much, but I recommend trying out some tools that community members have written. They do more direct modding to Warcraft and can allow more changes than normally possible within a map to create a more coheesive theme.

Q: Will there be a new easter egg map soon? (from Zeyall)

A: What easter eggs? ;)

Thanks to everyone that emailed me their questions. If you didn't see yours listed here and would still like me to answer it next time, let me know.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Dota 6.63b AI - DotA-Allstars 6.63b AI 0.212 Map Download

DotA-Allstars 6.63b AI 0.212Dota 6.63b AI - Dota-Allstars v6.63b AI 0.212 Map Download. BuffMePlz has just update the ai map into Dota 6.63b AI map. Some crash bugs fixed and this map is the first AI map for Dota 6.63b / Dota 6.63. Before downloading, please note that you must use Warcraft 1.24b Patch :)

Here is what he said about the DotA-Allstars 6.63b AI 0.212 Map:


Changelog:

Dota 6.63b AI (v0.212)
==============
-First update to 6.63b
-Fixed an issue that was causing AI bots to learn their abilities out of order
-Fixed another issue that was still causing the game to crash when a player leaves the game early
-Added some additional AI ability functionality (Crystal Nova, Storm Bolt, Mana Burn)


IMPORTANT!!
Before download, please note that this map is only work with Warcraft 1.24b Patch. If you use Patch 1.23 below, this map won't work!

DotA-Allstars 6.63b AI 0.212 Download Links
Dota 6.63b AI 0.212 via Warcraft Maps
Dota 6.63b AI 0.212 via MegaUpload
Dota 6.63b AI 0.212 via MediaFire
Dota 6.63b AI 0.212 via RapidShare



Note: The AI map is still improving. Subscribe this blog by email or reader so we can send you the updates ;)

Great! Now we can have less bugs on Dota 6.63b AI ;)

Credits: Anonymous,Anhar08 and some others, thanks for the info :)

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Dota 6.63b Map Download - Dota-Allstars 6.63b Official Map Released!

Dota 6.63b

Dota 6.63b Map Download - Dota-Allstars 6.63b Official Map has just went live! The Dota 6.63b changes are about bug fixes. The most noticeable is the recipe changes for Armlet because it cause some trouble with Phase Boots recipe on Dota 6.63. Please note that you must have Warcraft 1.24b Patch to play Dota 6.63b. Ok, here is the changelogs and download links of Dota 6.63b map!


Dota 6.63b Changelogs:
* Armlet recipe now changed to include Quarterstaff instead of Blades of Attack (bonuses and total price unaffected)
* Fixed Wrath of Nature from targeting couriers
* Fixed a bug with Spirit Bear's entangle and overgrowth
* Fixed Heart icon on the endgame scoreboard
* Undid a couple of the fun names recently added
* Fixed a rare abuse that could cause other users performance to drop


Dota 6.63b Download Link:
Dota 6.63b Download - Warcraft Map Mirror
Dota 6.63b Download - MegaUpload Mirror
Dota 6.63b Download - GetDota Mirror

Note: Don't wanna miss the next map? Subscribe our feed and we will deliver the latest Dota-Allstars map updates to your email or RSS reader.

Wow! IceFrog is acting fast! Enjoy the new map! ;)

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Dota 6.63 Loading Screen Wallpaper Version by Kunkka

Dota 6.63 Wallpaper Loading Screen
Dota 6.63 came with an epic new loadscreen. And today, Kunkka has just released the official wallpaper version of the Dota 6.63 loading screen (1024�768). To download the image, just click the image above to enlarge and save it. If you wanna say thanks to Kunkka, go to this link :)

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Dota 6.62b AI - DotA-Allstars 6.62b AI 0.211 Map Download

DotA-Allstars 6.62b AI 0.211Dota 6.62b AI - Dota-Allstars v6.62b AI 0.211 Map Download. BuffMePlz has made some fix on his Dota 6.62 AI map. Some bugs fixed and moreover this AI map is also inherits the Dota 6.62b fix on the infinite bottle bug. Before downloading, please note that you must use Warcraft 1.24b Patch :)

Here is what he said about the DotA-Allstars 6.62b AI 0.211 Map:

Mostly just addressing bugs, will try to address some AI issues for next release.

Changelog:

Dota 6.62b AI (v0.211)
==============
-Temporarily removed managed group system to remove critical error bugs until I get a chance to clean up group usage in the AI script
-Rewrote Liquid Fire to prevent conflict with the AI script
-Fixed a bug with Weave
-Fixed a bug with Spirit Bear losing items when the ability is levelled
-Fixed a bug with the game crashing when a human player leaves the game early
-Fixed a bug with Cold Snap not working after the first hit
-Fixed a bug with -ma


IMPORTANT!!
Before download, please note that this map is only work with Warcraft 1.24b Patch. If you use Patch 1.23 below, this map won't work!

DotA-Allstars 6.62b AI 0.211 Download Links
Dota 6.62b AI 0.211 via Warcraft Maps
Dota 6.62b AI 0.211 via MegaUpload
Dota 6.62b AI 0.211 via MediaFire
Dota 6.62b AI 0.211 via RapidShare


Note: The AI map is still improving. Subscribe this blog by email or reader so we can send you the updates ;)

Great! Now we can have less bugs on Dota 6.62b AI ;)

Credits: Anonymous, thanks for the info :)


Update: Dota 6.63b AI v0.212 released!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Dota 6.63 Map Download - Dota-Allstars 6.63 Official Map Released!


Dota 6.63 Map Download - Dota-Allstars 6.63 Official Map has just released! The new map contain many balances and bug fixes. But more over, it has New Loadscreen!!! Don't forget, to play this map you must use Warcraft 1.24b Patch. Check the Dota 6.63 download link in this post along with the changelogs. Wohooo!! At last, let's see the Dota 6.63 map!


Dota 6.63 Changelogs:
Since the changelogs is huge, i will place it on Dota 6.63 Changelogs post.

Here is some explanation from the IceFrog Blog:
The map has just been released.

We have a new changelog system that should make it easier to see the changes made. It is available here. I hope you guys enjoy the patch. There are some things that might take some time to get used to, but hopefully it improves your gameplay experience in the long run. As always, feel free to give your feedback.

The surprise I mentioned previously on my blog was a new loading screen by Kunkka. He will make a new thread here with a desktop version of the image as soon as he can.


Dota 6.63 Download Link:
Dota 6.63 Download - MegaUpload Mirror
Dota 6.63 Download - Warcraft Map Mirror
Dota 6.63 Download - GetDota Mirror

Note: Don't wanna miss the next map? Subscribe our feed and we will deliver the latest Dota-Allstars map updates to your email or RSS reader.

Once more, you must use Patch 1.24b to play the Dota 6.63! If you not yet upgraded, connect to Battle.net server now. Cannot connect into Battle.Net? Check the Update 1.24b Patch Offline post to download the patch manually or use Warcraft Version Switcher for 1.24b.

PS : For AI map update, check out the Dota 6.63 AI post.

Dota 6.63 Changelogs | Dota-Allstars 6.63 Changelogs

Dota 6.63 Changelogs - Dota-Allstars 6.63 Complete Changelogs. To download the map, check the Dota-Allstars 6.63 post.

Heroes

Anti-Mage
- Mana Void AoE increased from 275 to 325
- Strength changed from 16 +1.5 to 20 +1.2

Axe
- Battle Hunger duration reduced from 10/15/20/25 to 10/13/16/19 and increased damage to keep the same total damage output

Bane Elemental
- Fiend's Grip manacost increased from 100/175/250 to 200/300/400

Batrider
- Reduced base damage from 64-70 to 48-52
- Sticky Napalm fixed from doing a higher constant slow instead of stacking and starting lower
- Sticky Napalm manacost increased from 15 to 20

Blood Seeker
- Base armor reduced by 2 points

Bone Fletcher
- Strafe changed from 50/60/70/80 AS for 10 seconds to 90 AS for 4/6/8/10 seconds

Bounty Hunter
- Imported a custom model for him that has his selection box fixed

Bristleback
- Warpath's attack speed increase changed to bonus damage (10/20/30 base with 4/8/12 bonus per stack)

Broodmother
- Insatiable Hunger lifesteal increased from 40/55/70% to 40/60/80%
- Insatiable Hunger duration increased from 12 to 14 seconds

Centaur Warchief
-Double Edge manacost removed
-Double Edge can no longer cause a suicide

Chaos Knight
- Phantasm cooldown decreased from 180 to 180/160/140

Clockwerk
- Rocket Flare vision reduced from 5/10/15/20 to 10 seconds
- Battery Assault damage reduced from 20/40/60/80 to 10/30/50/70

Dark Seer
- Ion Shell manacost increased from 60/80/100/120 to 70/90/110/130
- Wall of Replica no longer replicates allies
- Wall of Replica now deals 125 damage each time it affects an enemy hero
- Wall of Replica illusions damage improved from 35% to 60%

Drow Ranger
- Attack range increased from 600 to 625

Earthshaker
- Echo Slam now deals half bonus damage from corpses instead of full

Enchantress
- Strength growth decreased from 2.0 to 1.0

Furion
- Teleportation cooldown from 60/50/40/30 to 50/40/30/20
- Wrath of Nature now has a global cast range

Huskar
- Berserker's Blood stacking cap of attack speed and damage removed

Juggernaut
- Healing Ward cooldown reduced from 75 to 60

Keeper of the Light
- Illuminate max range is now constant at all levels

Lanaya
- Strength growth increased from 1.7 to 2.1

Lich
- Movement speed increased by 10

Lina Inverse
- Base intelligence increased by 5 points and reduced base damage by 5 (total attack damage unchanged)

Lone Druid
- Spirit Bear's entangle no longer prevents the target from attacking
- Spirit Bear's entangle damage increased from 40/sec to 60/sec

Lord of Avernus
- Death Coil cast range reduced from 600 to 300

Luna
- Lucent Beam now has a constant 0.6 ministun instead of 0.01/0.1/0.3/0.6

Magnataur
- Empower cooldown reduced from 12 to 7 seconds
- Reverse Polarity duration increased from 2/3/4 to 2.5/3.25/4

Morphling
- Morph's passive Agility and Strength bonus removed

Naga Siren
- Mirror Image illusion count changed from 1/2/3/3 images to a constant 3
- Mirror Image illusion damage taken changed from 300% to 600/500/400/300%
- Mirror Image illusion damaged dealt changed from 15/30/30/45% to 30/35/40/45%

Nerubian Assassin
- Mana Burn reworked


Old Mana Burn:
Burns: 70/120/185/260
Manacost: 65/85/100/115
Cooldown: 7
Cast Range: 500/575/650/725

New Mana Burn:
Burns: Mana equal to 4x Int
Manacost: 90/110/130/150
Cooldown: 35/25/15/5
Cast Range: 600

Examples:
Sven Level 2: 15 Int [Burns 60 mana]
Lina Level 2: 27 Int [Burns 108 mana]
Sven Level 7: 21 Int [Burns 84 mana]
Lina Level 7: 43 Int [Burns 173 mana]
Heroes levels without int bonuses


Nerubian Weaver
- Base damage increased by 5 points
- Geminate attack now works against towers
- Increased attack range buffer to prevent misfires on Geminate Attack

Nightstalker
- Void now slows for 2 seconds during daytime

Pandarean Brewmaster
- Fire Panda now has maximum movement speed

Phantom Assassin
- Stifling Dagger cooldown reduced from 10 to 8 seconds

Phantom Lancer
- Juxtapose image lifetime increased from 15 to 20 seconds

Priestess of the Moon
- Starfall random chance to hit in 600-900 range removed

Puck
- Illusory Orb manacost increased by 25, Ethereal Jaunt manacost (25) removed

Pugna
- Nether Ward's Mana Flare cooldown removed (was 0.75)

Queen of Pain
- Shadow Strike cooldown decreased to 20/17/14/11
- Scream of Pain cooldown decreased from 10 to 7 seconds

Razor
- Base strength increased from 17 to 21

Rexxar
- Greater Hawk's invisbility increased from 4 to 6 seconds duration

Rhasta
- Mass Serpent Wards cooldown increased from 100/80/60 to 110

Rooftrellen
- Attack range changed from 100 to 128

Sand King
- Sand Storm cooldown from 40/35/30/25 to 40/30/20/10

Silencer
- Curse of the Silent duration changed from 2/4/6/8 to 5/6/7/8
- Curse of the Silent damage/burn reduced from 50/25 hp/mp to 20/10, 30/15, 40/20 and 50/25.
- Curse of the Silent cooldown reduced from 20 to 14
- Curse of the Silent manacost decreased from 105/115/125/135 to 75/95/115/135

Sniper
- Shrapnel cast range increased by 300

Sven
- Base agility increased from 16 to 21

Tauren Chieftain
- Ancestral Spirit cast range decreased from 1500 to 1000
- Earth Splitter AoE decreased
- Earth Splitter cooldown increased from 90/75/60 to a constant 100

Tiny
- Toss cooldown decreased from 15 to 10 seconds
- Craggy Exterior armor decreased by 1

Troll Warlord
- Battle Trance attack speed bonus increased from 60/80/100 to 60/100/140

Undying
- Dying plagued units heal reduced from 12%/3% on heroes/creeps to 6%/2%
- Tombstone armor reduced from 10 to 4

Ursa Warrior
- Fury Swipes damage increased from 6/12/18/24 -> 10/15/20/25

Viper
- Movement speed decreased by 10

Witch Doctor
- Voodoo Restoration initial activation manacost reduced from 50/75/100/125 to 25/50/75/100
- Paralyzing Casks manacost rescaled from 140 to 110/120/130/140

Zeus
- Agility decreased from 15 + 1.7 to 11 + 1.2

Items

Blood Stone
- Charge bonus and acquisition reworked


Old Bloodstone:
-450 HP
-400 MP
-6 HP Regeneration
-150% Mana Regeneration

-- Gains 1 charge per hero kill, gains 2 charges when killing a hero if the charges are empty
-- 1.5 HP and MP per charge
-- On Death: Heals 450 HP and 400 MP of alied units in 1700 aoe
-- Loses 1 charge per death
-- Gold lost on death is reduced by 20% (40% if Bloodstone has charges)
-- Respawn time is reduced by 10% (20% if Bloodstone has charges)

New Bloodstone:
-450 HP
-400 MP
-6 HP Regeneration
-150% Mana Regeneration

-- Gains 1 charge per nearby (1000) enemy hero death
-- 1 MP/sec per charge
-- Loses half charges per death (rounded down)
-- On Death: Heals 400+25xCharges HP of alied units in 1700 aoe
-- Gold lost on death is reduced by 25 per charge
-- Respawn time is reduced by 3 seconds per charge


Boots of Travel
- Movement speed increased from 90 to 95

Dagon
- Manacost reduced from 245/225/205/185/165 -> 180/160/140/120/100

Eul's Scepter
- Movement bonus increased from 20 to 25
- Now requires a sobi mask instead of a Robe of the Magi (100% Mana regen -> 125%, 16 Int->10 Int, 125 cheaper recipe).

Energy Booster
- Now available for purchase in the side shops

Force Staff
- Manacost decreased from 100 to 25
- Cooldown decreased from 30 to 25

Heart of Tarrasque
- Regenerates only while you are out of combat (haven't taken damage from player units for 10 seconds)
- Regeneration increased from 1% to 2%

Kelen's Dagger
- Cooldown decreased from 18 to 14

Khadgar's Pipe of Insight
- Recipe uses Headdress of Rejuvenation instead of Buckler. Loses armor bonus.
- Can no longer affect the same unit more than once every 50 seconds


Old Khadagar's Pipe:
Requires:
-Hood of Defiance (2050)
-Nathrezim Bucker (803)
-Recipe (800)
-Total: 3653

Gives:
-8 HP Regeneration
-5 armor
-30% magic resistance
-Barrier (active)

New Khadagar's Pipe:
Requires:
-Hood of Defiance (2050)
-Headress of Rejuvenation (603)
-Recipe (1000)
Total: 3653

Gives:
-10 HP/sec regeneration
-30% magic resistance
-Barrier (active) Can no longer affect the same unit more than once every 50 seconds


Mask of Madness
- Increased attack speed from 75 to 100
- Increased move speed from 15% to 20%
- Increased damage taken from 20% to 30%,
- Amplified damage happens as you take the damage once again

Magic Wand
- Recipe cost increased from 125 to 150

Mjollnir
- Recipe changed from Eaglehorn to Hyperstone, bonuses adjusted


Old Mjollnir:
Requires:
-Eaglehorn (3300)
-Maelstrom (3000)
-Total: 6300

Gives:
-35 Agility
-35 Damage
-Static Charge (Active)
-Chain Lightning (Passive)


New Mjollnir:
Requires:
-Hyperstone (2100)
-Maelstrom (3000)
-Recipe (400)
-Total: 5500

Gives:
-70 AS
-24 Damage
-Static Charge (Active)
-Chain Lightning (Passive)


Orchid Malevolence
- Reduced manacost from 200 to 100

Phase Boots
- Recipe and bonuses reworked


Old Phase Boots:
Requires:
-Boots of Speed (500)
-Chain Mail (550)
-Blades of Attack (500)
-Total: 1550

Gives:
-70 movement speed
-16 damage
-5 armor
-Phase (Active)

New Phase Boots:
Requires:
-Boots of Speed (500)
-Blades of Attack (500)
-Gloves of Haste (500)
-Total: 1500

Gives:
-60 movement speed
-12 damage
-30 attack speed
-Phase (Active)


Power Treads
- Recipe and bonuses reworked


Old Power Treads:
Requires:
-Boots of Speed (500)
-Gloves of Haste (500)
-Boots of Elvenskin/Belt of Giant Strength/Robe of the Magi (450)
-Recipe (400)
-Total: 1850

Gives:
-65 movement speed
-30 attack speed
-10 selected attribute
-Switch Attribute (active)

New Power Treads:
Requires:
-Boots of Speed (500)
-Boots of Elvenskin/Belt of Giant Strength/Robe of the Magi (450)
-Recipe (450)
-Total: 1400

Gives:
-70 movement speed
-10 Str, 13 Agi, or 16 Int
-Switch Attribute (active)

GamePlay and Cosmetics

* New Loadscreen by Kunkka
* Implemented HCL protocol for game hosting bots to control game modes
* Spanish and German (re-released) languages now available

* A message is now displayed when a hero buys back
* Added -int command to see how much Intelligence you have stolen with Silencer
* Clarity Potion now uses a unit targeting system
* Cooldown added to disassemble to prevent some abuses
* Day and Night cycle is synchronized across all game modes now
* Glyph cooldown is now reset on initial creep spawn
* Lag when picking Huskar decreased
* Weaver's attack range buffer increased to prevent misfires on Geminate Attack
* Window for killstreak sounds increased (double, triple, ultra and rampage) from 13.5 to 18 seconds

* Improved Aghanim's Scepter tooltip
* Changed granite golem's color (12095)
* Corrected various typos and misc inconsistencies
* Corrected PotM leap tooltip
* Corrected Circle selection height on Bat Rider
* Removed the visual effect zombies received when targeting low hp targets
* Removed Plague visual effect on non-hero units to help reduce visual clutter
* Added visual animation on Raxes 7 seconds before new creeps spawn (16268)
* Added a lot more fun names (5464)
* Added a visual effect to reveal the aoe for Dark Rift (21115)
* Added visual indicator when you gain a strength point with Flesh Heap (18010)
* Added a new visual effect for Land Mine explosions (9043)
* Added a new visual effect for Mystic Snake (PGRUnexpected)
* Added a sound effect to Mystic Snake
* Added a new icon for Mystic Snake (9868)
* Added a new icon for Natural Order (5462)
* Added a new aura for Natural Order (5467)
* Added Natural Order aura on TC's spirit
* Added a new icon for Power Shot
* Added a new icon for Repel (8875)
* Added a new animation for Storm Bolt (13541)
* Added a new icon for Split Shot (9868)
* Added a new icon for Stone Gaze (9868)
* Added a new icon for Tidebringer

Bug Fixes

* Fixed more bugs with sticky napalm
* Fixed Tangos, Bottle and Magic Stick/Wand from triggering last word
* Fixed Vladmir's damage aura having smaller AoE than the lifesteal aura
* Fixed Euls movement bonus not getting set correctly if you buy any boot items after euls
* Added an optimized version of the Dark Rift effect to improve performance (PGRu-Unexpect3D)
* Fixed Eyes in the Forest no longer scaling as it used to before the recent change
* Fixed Cranium Basher shop hotkey conflicting with Manta Style
* Fixed a bug with triggering illuminate while in spirit form very near the end of its duration

* Fixed Fissure to be properly interrupted if the user cancels the action or gets disabled before cast point is reached

Enjoy the Dota 6.63 Map!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Epic Pictures - Giant Dirge and Giant Courier

Dirge + BKB+ Flesh Golem + Blade Mail + Shiva's Guard = Epic HUGE!




How to do it:

1. Use the BKB
2. Immediately press "F" for the Flesh Heap. You must do this immediately after BKB pressed otherwise you will fail turn into the giant Dirge.
3. Add blade mail effect to scary your opponent.
4. Enjoy! ^^


Courier with BKB is also Epic ^^


Have another epic pictures? Share it here! :)

Credits:
Photos from PlayDota Forums
Anonymous for the feedback

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Dota 6.66b Map - Official Dota-Allstars 6.66b Download Update & News

Dota 6.66bDota 6.66b Map - Official Dota-Allstars 6.66b Download News and Update. Dota 6.66 has released with some extreme skills remake to Doom Bringer. As usual, skills remake is prone to new bug. So you can expect for Dota 6.66b/Dota-Allstars 6.66b to fix them. Found some Dota 6.66 bug/exploit that you wanna fix on Dota 6.66b? Put it on the comment section ;)  All Dota 6.66b updates will be placed here :)

Final Update: It's released! Check it out on : Dota-Allstars 6.66b

Monday, September 7, 2009

DotA - Luck is no Excuse

Do you ever lose a fight when your enemies only left with 10 hp? Well, you can call him lucky.. But if you see this movies, you will call that a PRO! Luck is no Excuse! This is a really great movies by Hex0r that show you many example of PRO prediction, map awareness and teamwork. Including denying each other at the same time! I give this video 5/5! ;)



One of my favourite scene is when Axe with 100 hp surviving from Zeus, Enchantress and Centaur(Dominated Neutral Creep) by juggling in the forest. And what makes it more fantastic is that he manage to turn the table and caused Zeus to death (alone) and also kill Enchantress with the help of Lion. Enjoy!

PS: I already watch this 5 times ^^

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Dota 6.63b AI Plus - Dota-Allstars 6.63b AI Plus Map Download

Dota 6.63b aiDota 6.63b AI Plus - Dota-Allstars 6.63b AI Plus Map Download News and Update. IceFrog has just release Dota 6.63b , so i think BuffMePlz will be going into Dota 6.63b AI instead of Dota 6.63 AI. Don't forget, Dota 6.63b AI only work on Warcraft 1.24b Patch. Let's hope that BuffMePlz will finish Dota 6.63b AI fast :)

Whatever it is, the latest Dota 6.63b AI information is here! ;)

Note: You can subscribe our feeds and if Dota 6.63b AI map already released, we send you a mail.

Update: Dota 6.63b AI v0.212 released!

Dota 6.63c Map - Official Dota-Allstars 6.63c Download News

Dota 6.63cDota 6.63c Map - Official Dota-Allstars 6.63c Download News and Update. IceFrog has just release Dota 6.63b to fix some bug and abuse. But we can't be sure that all the bug already fixed and maybe there will be Dota 6.63c/Dota-Allstars 6.63c. If you got something you wanna fix on Dota 6.63c, share it here ;) All updates regarding Dota 6.63c will be listed here :)

Dota 6.63 - Dota-Allstars 6.63 (Released!) Official Map Download, Changelogs News & Update

Dota 6.63Dota 6.63 - Dota-Allstars 6.63 Map Download, Changelog News and Update. Dota 6.62 is finally released together with Patch 1.24b. Now, what will happen to Dota 6.63? IceFrog already give a hint on the PlayDota forums that it Dota 6.63 will likely consist of several balance.

Final Update: It's released! Check the Dota-Allstars 6.63 post!

Update 7 September 2009 (IceFrog's Blog)


I am still actively working on the next balance patch. The first thing I started on a couple of weeks ago (after we were finally done with 6.62/1.24) was experimenting with a bunch of different item changes (heart, bloodstone, treads, phase boots, pipe and many more). No changes are set in stone yet though, since they all revolve around each other in many ways, so naturally some items will get changes and some won't. There are also lots of different balance tweaks for heroes. I think it is shaping up to be a nice gameplay update overall though.

I may end up releasing 6.63 with a bunch of balance improvements sooner and then follow up with another patch for some more adjustments, depending on how things go during the next week or two.

There will also be a nice surprise for everyone in 6.63

Wow! What kind of surprise await us on Dota 6.63 ^^? I'm curious..

Update 1 September 2009 (IceFrog's Blog)

I've added HLC support to 6.63. This functionality allows leagues that use hosting bots to handle the game mode functions directly.

While the feature will still be tested to ensure that there are no unexpected side effects, I wanted to give leagues an early notice about this frequently requested feature.

Great, this will great help to the bots on hosting Dota 6.63 above ;)

Update 26 August 2009 (IceFrog's Blog)
The 6.62 release seems to be a smooth one so far, no major bugs reported yet.

I am starting 6.63 development now. This patch will be primarily focused on balance improvements.

If there are any changes you'd like to suggest, please feel free. When making recommendations though, try to explain why you think a change would be good and what level of play you refer to.

Yeah, at last, the Dota 6.63 development has started! :D

Update 26 August 2009 (PlayDota Forums)

I don't know the release date. If we don't need a 6.62b, then 6.63 will immediately start development. It will be mostly balance changes, so it won't be a long time like the previous ones.


Well, at least after several months we've been busy with the new patch, now we can hope for new content/changes :)

This post will be the place for updating information regarding Dota 6.63. If you have any information about Dota-Allstars 6.63 or even Dota 6.63 Beta, feel free to drop it here ;) Any IceFrog updates about Dota 6.63 also will be placed here. Until then, share your wish about Dota 6.63 ;)

And don't forget to subscribe by email or reader so you can have Dota 6.63 as soon as it is released :)



Final Update: It's released! Check the Dota-Allstars 6.63 post!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Dota 6.62b 6v6 Ver.1 Map Download - Dota-Allstars 6v6

dota 6.62b 6v6Dota-Allstars 6.62b 6v6 Ver.1 map has just released today, following the release of Dota 6.62b map. Not many changes there, only fixed the major Dota 6.62 bug. Here is what God-Tony said on his blog:

A quick update by IceFrog to fix a major exploit found in the official version of DotA.


Dota 6.62b 6v6 Ver.1 Download Link
DotA_Allstars_v6.62b_6v6_Ver.1.w3x via RapidShare

If you find a bug, you can report it directly in this post.

Dota 6.62 AI - DotA-Allstars 6.62 AI 0.21 Map Download

DotA-Allstars 6.62 AI 0.21Dota-Allstars v6.62 AI 0.21 Map Download. BuffMePlz has just released his first Dota 6.62 AI map. This map is still on development though, but it still a good news for people who already install Warcraft 1.24b Patch ;)

Here is what he said about the DotA-Allstars 6.62 AI 0.21 Map:

First release, updated to 6.62 and 1.24 compliant. Note that this is v0.21, and there will be bugs.

Some abilities are not working for bots yet (they learn them but don't use them), and this is expected and will be addressed in future versions.

The following game modes have been disabled for now:
-vr, -rv, -rd, -cd, -cm, -lm, -xl

The following game commands have been disabled for now:
-afk, -kickafk, -ah, -switch, -fun

Please report bugs to me.

Things that are bugs:
-Crashes with reproducible reasons
-Abilities/items not working as expected (for players or bots)

Things that are not bugs:
-Bots not using certain abilities
-Bots being too strong/weak/cheating. They do that.

Thanks to Overflow_GR for his help on this version.

Enjoy!


IMPORTANT!!
Before download, please note that this map is only work with Warcraft 1.24b Patch. If you use Patch 1.23 below, this map won't work!

DotA-Allstars 6.62 AI 0.21 Download Links
Dota 6.62 AI 0.21 via Warcraft Maps
Dota 6.62 AI 0.21 via MegaUpload
Dota 6.62 AI 0.21 via MediaFire
Dota 6.62 AI 0.21 via RapidShare

Note: The AI map is still improving. Subscribe this blog by email or reader so we can send you the updates ;)

Thanks BMP, we owe you much! Enjoy the new Dota 6.62 AI guys! ;)

Credits: Joon Kiat, thanks for telling me ;)


Update: Dota 6.62b AI 0.211 Map is released!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Dota 6.63b Map - Official Dota-Allstars 6.63b Download News

Dota 6.63bDota 6.63b Map - Official Dota-Allstars 6.63b Download News and Update. IceFrog has just release Dota 6.63 with many balances. But the changes may cause new bug. So it's not strange to expect Dota 6.63b/Dota-Allstars 6.63b. If you found anything strange and want to fixed at Dota 6.63b, share it here ;) Any updates about Dota 6.63b will be placed here :)

Update: It's released! Check the Dota-Allstars 6.63b post!

Dota 6.62b Map Download - Dota-Allstars 6.62b Official Map Released!

Dota-Allstars 6.62b

Dota 6.62b Map Download - Dota-Allstars 6.62b Official Map has just released! This is the second map that come for Warcraft 1.24b Patch. This map sole purpose is to fix the major Dota 6.62 Bug that just published in this blog yesterday. Well, let's check the Dota 6.62b map!


Changelogs:
* Fixed a major exploit that was recently discovered


Dota 6.62b Download Link:
Dota 6.62b Download - Warcraft Map Mirror
Dota 6.62b Download - GetDota Mirror

Note: Don't wanna miss the next map? Subscribe our feed and we will deliver the latest Dota-Allstars map updates to your email or RSS reader.

If you're using Patch 1.24b, i recommend you to update into Dota 6.62b, because the bug is really annoying. Well, enjoy this map! ;)

PS : For AI map update, check out the Dota 6.62 AI post.

Credits: Esequel, thanks for notifying me ;)

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Dota 6.62 Bug & Exploit (Infinite Bottle) - Dota-Allstars 6.62 Bug

Dota 6.62 BugDota 6.62 Bug & Dota 6.62 Exploit. Dota-Allstars 6.62 has a really serious bug which a trully game breaking one. Thanks to Atti who emailed me a YouTube link this morning. It seems that on Dota 6.62 there's an exploit that let you have an infinite bottle charge. And what make it's more game breaking is that this Dota 6.62 bug is very easy to reproduce with ANY HERO! You can see the below video or just following my procedure:




1. Get any hero.
2. Buy a Town Portal and a Bottle.
3. Empty the Bottle.
4. Teleport into the fountain (click the target circle to the fountain).
5. While teleporting, Shift+Click the Bottle to the fountain (just like when you capturing a rune).
6. There you go! Now you have your own infinite Bottle. If your Bottle empty, just point the target on items (point to your own empty bottle
will also do it!) or units and it will be refilled!

Well, let's wait for Dota 6.62b shall we..? ^^;; What do you think? Do you have another bug to share? ;) Don't forget to subscribe our feeds for more Dota-Allstars news :)

Credits: Atti, thanks for your email :)

Dota 6.62 6v6 Ver.1 Map Download - Dota-Allstars 6v6

dota 6.62 6v6Dota-Allstars 6.62 6v6 Ver.1 map has just released today. This map is following the previous Dota 6.61b 6v6, which added 2 more players to the regular Dota 6.62 map. So each team will ended up having 6 players instead of 5. And more importantly, Dota 6.62 6v6 is already compatible with the new Warcraft 1.24b Patch. Here is what God-Tony said on his blog:

Feature wise, v6.62 is the same as v6.61b, the only difference being that v6.62 is compatible with the Warcraft 1.24b Patch.

Captains Draft (-cd) is 6v6 compatible in this version. If anything else isn't working the way it should, let me know in the comments section as usual.


Dota 6.62 6v6 Ver.1 Download Link
DotA_Allstars_v6.62_6v6_Ver.1.w3x via MegaUpload
DotA_Allstars_v6.62_6v6_Ver.1.w3x via Warcraft Maps
DotA_Allstars_v6.62_6v6_Ver.1.w3x via RapidShare

Well, if you are Dota 6v6 fans, enjoy this latest release ;) If you find a bug, you can report it directly in this post.