While Dota was in its open beta testing phase, the team at Nebula Games wasn't slacking off.
Ismael and others who had moved from Atari and FOW were now working on the Dota project team, handling data planning.
At the same time, the entire team was continuously collecting player game data and various feedback.
Many players who had experienced Dota were discussing the game online, noting how different it seemed.
"This 5v5 battle actually seems pretty interesting!"
"It's not like the RPG maps I've played before; it feels very competitive."
"Anyway, it feels quite a lot simpler to control than Warcraft. I struggled with the Warcraft campaign before, just being able to send my troops in a circle and attack. Now, only having to control one hero is so convenient."
"Ahem, let me tell you about heroes like Invoker, Broodmother, Earthshaker, and Brewmaster in the game. They're still nightmares for those with clumsy fingers!"
"Nightmare? There are so many heroes, why would I force myself to play those few?"
"I highly recommend new players try Shadow Fiend and Dwarven Sniper; these two heroes are very simple and powerful. Especially Dwarven Sniper, their attack range is so far, and it's especially satisfying to steal kills with their ultimate!"
"Although it's fun to play, the game depth is too shallow compared to Warcraft. It feels like it's mainly for entertainment."
"Indeed, it feels like it's lacking a bit of competitive spirit."
"No, it's too early to say there's no competitive spirit, right? Or are you all new fans? Have you forgotten that when Warcraft was released, people also questioned the balance between races?"
"Exactly, I feel like Dota shouldn't be that simple a game, especially with the division of roles within the game, and the concepts of Smoke of Deceit, Town Portal Scrolls, Observer Wards, Sentry Wards, and the Fog of War. Although these are all things from Warcraft, combining them feels like it could lead to significant differences in tactical play later on."
"You just said it's Warcraft content, can you really play it in a completely new way?"
Players online had their own opinions because it had previously been rumored that Dota was based on a Warcraft RPG map.
Combined with Dota's own content, many things reminded players of Warcraft.
For example, the six item slots, heroes' three primary attributes, three small abilities, and one ultimate, including Town Portal Scrolls, Dust of Appearance, etc. Basically, you could find corresponding elements in Warcraft.
So, players naturally compared Dota with Warcraft, even though the gameplay was completely different.
For players who particularly liked Warcraft, upon first glance, they naturally felt that although Dota was okay to play, it seemed to lack a lot of competitive spirit compared to Warcraft.
In short, it was a kind of superiority complex born from loving the game they played too much.
Like in the previous life, players who started with WAR3 thought those who played Dota were noobs and only played Dota because they couldn't play WAR3.
Then, Dota players thought those who played League of Legends were clumsy and only played League of Legends because they couldn't play Dota. Although the conflict between Dota and League of Legends was largely due to the ultimate source of evil: an animal called a penguin that lived in Antarctica.
And history repeated itself remarkably. With the appearance of Honor of Kings, the attention was once again shifted.
Currently, it wasn't much different from the previous life, but such comments did exist.
Lucas didn't pay too much attention, after all, such conflicts arising from players couldn't be resolved by game modifications.
However, Lucas also believed that as players understood Dota better, these comments would naturally fade away.
Because the core of Dota and Warcraft was completely different.
Compared to the heated discussions online, Lucas had some more important things to attend to.
In the break room of Nebula Games, Lucas was sitting in front of a computer, controlling Phantom Lancer and dismantling the Dire team's main base.
The five heroes on the opposite side were all respawning, and their own four heroes were in the same situation.
'Radiant victory!'
As the arena-shaking cheers echoed, the Dire throne collapsed with a bang.
Anna, who had just walked over, was very surprised to see Lucas sitting in front of the computer.
"Boss Lucas, you're playing Dota too?" Anna asked.
"Why can't I play?" Lucas said speechlessly.
"That's not what I mean, I'm just curious." Anna quickly shook her head. After all, when everyone was developing Dota, they had all formed teams to play together.
Even now, the team members formed groups every day for a match. Those who lost had to run errands to the cafeteria for cakes and milk tea for the winners.
They were having a blast. But Anna didn't recall seeing Lucas play Dota.
"Hey… Boss Lucas, are you playing against bots? Boss Lucas, you like playing against bots too! Is it especially stress-relieving?" Anna seemed to have discovered something new.
Her favorite thing to do was to create a custom game room and set up five computer opponents to play against.
As for why custom games, it was mainly because she played on insane difficulty. In such situations, she would sometimes die. Although it didn't affect the overall game, waiting for the respawn time was quite grueling. Since she was playing against bots, she would then type in the cheat command -respawn, bringing her hero back to full health instantly.
Of course, this hobby was something only she enjoyed. Now, she had finally found her people, found a fellow enthusiast, and it was Boss Lucas!
"I wouldn't say it's stress-relieving; it's still quite challenging to play," Lucas said with a smile.
"Challenging? Boss Lucas, there are actually skills to playing against bots. Some heroes are particularly good for playing against bots." Hearing Lucas's words, Anna immediately had something to say.
In terms of skill, she wasn't the strongest at Nebula Games.
But when it came to bots, she felt she had a lot of expertise!
Especially compared to players just starting Dota online, having played it daily during development, she was already thoroughly familiar with the game's various mechanics.
Now, hearing Lucas say he found playing against bots challenging, her desire to show off immediately surfaced.
"Want to try?" Lucas's smile was brilliant. He patted the chair.
"No problem, Boss Lucas, let me tell you, the heroes like Sven, Viper, and Monkey King are amazing against bots!" Anna said happily as she sat down.
"Huh… Boss Lucas, why do these bots have team names next to them?" Anna looked a little strange.
Both her teammates and the opposing bots had team names displayed in front of them.
For example, her teammates had a DC tag, and their names were like DC-Resolut1on, DC-MiSeRy, etc. The opponents also had a WINS tag, with names like ICEICE, Y`, making her feel a bit out of place.
"These are bots from a test version. Dota will definitely be promoted through professional tournaments in the future. Don't you think this has a great sense of ceremony?" Lucas's smile grew even brighter.
Without any suspicion, Anna showed a look of realization.
Who knows how to play better, Boss Lucas or the game!
It must be said that this does feel a little cool. In the future, putting champion teams as bots on the opposite side would allow players to imagine themselves leading their team to defeat the opponents and win the championship.
With a look of understanding, Anna chose a hero called Monkey King and also bought an Arcane Rune.
Entering the game, Anna couldn't help but mutter.
"These bots seem a bit off in their actions, apart from just having different names from before. Why did they open Smoke of Deceit at level one?"
Still buying equipment at the fountain, Anna watched the bot support in her team open Smoke of Deceit and head towards the middle lane with other teammates, feeling a bit confused.
However, as the support approached the middle lane and placed a Sentry Ward near the top lane's secret shop, Anna seemed to understand.
"The bot support can place wards and provide vision? That's great! It's much more comfortable to play." Anna was still very happy.
As the war horn sounded throughout the arena, Anna's allied creeps set out. Anna wasn't in a hurry. In the middle lane, she controlled Monkey King, using his signature Primal Spring skill to transform into a tree, and then into a Treant Protector.
However, soon after the creep wave arrived, Anna's expression gradually became subtle.
Because she discovered a serious problem.
How did these creeps get onto the enemy's high ground?
(End of Chapter)
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