Ninja Spartans Microblog

How much are you willing to pay Dota 2?

2010-10-14T16:18:00.000-07:00

As you all know, DotA 2 has been announced by Valve.

How much are you willing to pay for Dota 2?

Free (F2P microtransactions)
Up to 10 US Dollars
20 USD
30 USD (HoN price)
40 USD
50 USD
60 USD (Starcraft 2 price)
More than 60 USD

State your reason why you think Dota 2 is worth that much.

To join the poll, register at PlayDota.com:
http://www.playdota.com/forums/322173/how-much-you-willing-pay-dota-2-a/

DotA on Twitter

2010-09-28T04:53:00.000-07:00

Does Icefrog have a Twitter account?
Answer: Icefrog does not use the @icefrog account.

But here are some useful Twitter users to follow in terms of DotA:

@dotaproject

The DotA Project is a non-profit organization that promotes Defense of the Ancients, DotA and it's derivatives. Champions the DotA based game genre.

@neutralcreeps

Authority Dota blog since 2008.

@dotastream

A Twitter feed for Playdota.com news

@honupdates

HoN Updates gives the latest Heroes of Newerth updates. A must-follow for fans of this DotA based game.

@heroesofnewerth

Verified Official Heroes of Newerth account. HoN is a DotA based game.

@garenaonline

Official Garena Twitter account. A dedicated DotA server.

Those are all the curated DotA related Twitter accounts that is recommended by @atchucan.
Don't forget to follow us on Twitter: Atchucan Gaming - @atchucan

The Evolution of DOTA

2010-08-11T23:03:00.001-07:00

DOTA was the standard.
But just like every organism that wants to survive this ever-changing world, evolution happens.

Multiple offshoots tend to emerge in this chaotic process to find the perfect mix and match of DNA which is so essential to the survival of the genus. It would be tough, it would be cutthroat. But Warcraft 3 DotA's successor must emerge. As early as now, there have been two recognized strains in the Dota genre that have been earmarked to have the biggest chance of emerging victorious in the DBG genre wars.

Enter S2 Games and Valve.
2 Award Winning Game Developers.
2 Game Companies known for their brand of excellence.

Common name: Heroes of Newerth
Scientific name: Dota malikus

"Blessed by the frog, the gorillas continue on."

Common name: Valve DotA
Scientific name: Dota valvus

"The frog finally takes up arms and alerts the armory!"

Can these 2 co-exist? Or will it be survival of the fittest?

Atchucan Talks About 5 Awaited PC Titles for 2010

2010-02-19T20:31:00.000-08:00

What are the Top Most Awaited Games for 2010?
Atchucan talks about it on his blog: 4 PC Titles to Wait for 2010

But that's only four! The title says "Atchucan Talks About 5 Awaited PC Titles for 2010"

We're not finished yet. Atchucan also talks about an up and coming Facebook app walking in the steps of Gunbound, WildOnes!

4 plus 1 equals 5.

BONUS:
Check out the Command and Conquer classic series from EA.
It's now free to download.

For these and more, add the team on Twitter @atchucan

Wingflier's take on LoL vs HoN (DBG genre)

2009-12-10T05:03:00.000-08:00

The following statements were taken verbatim from Wingflier's post on
http://forums.heroesofnewerth.com/showthread.php?t=53619

WINGFLIER comparing 2 DotA based Games and why HoN is much more superior.

I want to first start off by saying that both games are fun and have their own respective qualities and differences that make them beautiful. I would definitely never go as far as to say that one game is "better" than the other, they both have their advantages and disadvantages that make them fun and interesting in their own way.

However, when it comes to depth and fast-paced gameplay, which both games promise to deliver, it's just no contest.

This does NOT mean that League of Legends does not have it's redeeming qualities. For one, the slower paced gameplay can be a lot more relaxing since you don't have to be on the edge of your seat all the time. However, coming from a completely logical perspective on which game is strategically deeper, there is just no comparison.

I want to go through a list of the most pertinent and important factors that make LoL different from HoN/DotA, but first I want to read a quote that comes directly off of the LoL website when talking about the gameplay:

Quote:
League of Legends is more aggressive ? DotA includes many mechanics that incent defensive behavior. We want players to get right into the action, so we?ve made being more aggressive more rewarding such as increasing gold earned from Champion kills and assists.
Whether or not you think this is true based on my next points, you decide:

1. Movespeed

Movespeed is obviously one of the most important factors of any "strategy game" or even a game that has many strategical elements involved.

In HoN, your base movespeed is 300 for most heroes, increasing variably depending on what kind of boots or items you get, and some hero abilities that can make you move more quickly.

The reason I bring this up is that if LoL was on the HoN engine, the base movespeed for most characters would be somewhere around 190 or less. This can be made plainly obvious by the fact that the characters walk, not run to their destination.

To the first time LoL player (coming from HoN or DotA), it may seem a bit daunting. You may feel as though your character has been dipped into a tub of molasses or has an invisible pair of ball and chains attached to their feet; but this is the speed at which the game is supposed to move. Considering that the map seems of a similar size, you can probably theorize in your head how this affects the gameplay. Everything. Everything happens more slowly. It takes longer to get places, it takes longer to gank, it takes longer to run away, etc. In my opinion, this is already one step backwards from this "aggressive gameplay" the LoL devs were talking about.

2. No Denying

This continues to be one of the most controversial and heated topics between the game that there is. I'll quote the LoL website on their stance for denying:

Quote:

* It enlarges the early game imbalance between ranged and melee Champions, and we think it is more fun for all Champions to be at least somewhat competitive at all phases of the game.
* It leads to passive play, and slows down the game. We feel that high-activity; high-action faster games are more fun. By not having denying, there?s a stronger incentive to push. Additionally, it prevents strong lane control which is ultimately about passive play. Team fights more than anything else are what make this genre fun, and faster games mean more team fights.
* It is weird. Killing your own guys?

Now there are a lot of good arguments both ways about whether or not denying is good for the game, promotes fair gameplay, and/or stalls the match or makes it into a "turtle fest" like some people would claim. There is however, no argument that would prove that removing denying does not take an extra level of player skill away from the game. If last hitting is considered a skill, and obviously it must be considered a skill since it is your main source of gold in both games, then removing 50% of the things you can last hit definitely removes the potential skill of any player in the game, this is just common sense.

3. Towers

Coming off of the discussion about denying and why LoL purposely removed it, I think it is very important that we consider towers (in LoL called turrets), their differences, and their effects on the game.

In short, LoL towers are much more powerful than HoN/DotA towers. In HoN, a tower takes about 6 hits to kill a melee creep from full health, in LoL only 2. In HoN, a hero can take a significant amount of damage from a tower before dieing, assuming that he is not being attacked by any other source. In LoL, a tower takes chunks off of your health bar. In the early stages you die in 4 shots, but in LoL it does not scale the way HoN does unless you build your hero to be a hardy tank. You will find that the towers in LoL are much more powerful in general, deal much more damage to you, and also are a lot harder to kill.

Now the effects of this should be instantly obvious to any veteran DotA/HoN player. In LoL, tower diving is very dangerous. You can't get away with it the way you could in HoN, you are taking a much bigger risk and its usually not worth it.

How does this relate to the "more agressive gameplay" the LoL devs were talking about?

4. The Death Penalty

No, I'm not talking about the electric chair. In HoN/DotA, you lose a significant amount of gold when you die, assuming you have any gold to lose at the time of death. I'm pretty sure the formula is still hero level x 30 gold, but it could have changed since then. Either way, it comes out to be a lot, especially if you are farming for your next big item.

In League of Legends, you do not lose gold for dieing.

Once again, you can probably already contemplate in your mind the consequences this has on the gameplay. For one, carries in LoL are much harder to keep down, and are possibly overpowered because of it. It could be argued that not losing gold on death promotes more agressive play, but it could also be argued the opposite. In HoN/DotA, you create a "gold vacuum" when you kill a hero or team, increasing your own coffers, while drastically reducing theirs. In LoL, successful ganking is less rewarding simply because the punishment to the victim of the gank is significantly less!

How does this promote agressive gameplay?

5. Level Cap

Also of importance, I thought I should share the maximum level cap between the to games. The maximum level of HoN/DotA is 25, in LoL the max is only 18. However, leveling occurs at about the same speed in both games, so usually by the end of the LoL game you will be at the max level, where in HoN it rarely ever happens.

The problem with this is that it creates somewhat of a "skill equilibrium" between good and bad players. This may have even been intended! What I mean is that good players will probably almost always be of a higher level (in both games) than less experienced players, simply because they know what to do or where to be in order to get the most experience at any given time. In HoN/DotA, this can mean that in games with a large difference between the skill levels of the players, you can see hero level differences of 8 or more, even on the same team. In LoL, while this is possible, it is much less likely simply because 18 is the cap. At the point where you would have pulled ahead of your opponents (or teammates) in HoN/DotA, you have reached the maximum level in LoL, and therefore your skills as a player are being rewarded less. Eventually, most if not all of the other players will catch up to you, nullifying your (in my opinion) deserved advantage over them for being a better player.

Also, think of the effects this has on ganking and "aggressive play" as mentioned before. Your desire to be more aggressive is obviously going to be significantly less if you realize that you can't outlevel your opponent past a certain (and easily attainable) point. In DotA/HoN, the max level is something that is rarely reached in competitive play, so this factor is something that is almost not worth considering when deciding whether to gank. In LoL, this is something that is definitely worth considering when you are deciding whether to ambush your opponent, or sit in the lane farming.

Another important factor to consider is that in LoL, there are many ways, both inside the game(items/abilities) and outside the game(runes/masteries) that will significantly increase your experience gain. This serves only to reach that level cap even faster. In DotA/HoN, there is no way to artificially accelerate increase your experience gain.

6. Items

I decided it was important to devote an entire section to items because (surprisingly) the role of items is very different between the two games. The first thing you'll notice is that (for the most part), LoL items do not have active abilities. I would once again argue that this removes a strategical "layer" of the gameplay, simply because having items with active abilities opens up so many different hero builds and team options that would be impossible without them.

However, that's not even the main difference between them. The more profound difference between the two games' items is that the LoL items (in general) are a lot more powerful for their cost. Even lower tier items give you damage and magic bonuses that rival the mid-high tier DotA/HoN items, yet the items in general seem a lot less expensive and easier to acquire. Starting items include cheap bracelets that give you a significant (and passive) health and mana regen, while also generating free gold per second for your hero. This makes getting high-tier LoL items a breeze, and ultimately accounts for the large difference the role of items have in the two games. In short, items in HoN/DotA complement your hero, increasing their power by a percentage unless you have farmed an insane amount, which usually takes a long time in a competitive game.

In LoL, items not only complement the heroes, but generally increase their power in multiples.

This does not mean the game is inherently a farm fest, but that your hero can become incredibly powerful with only an average amount of farm. So much so that it is not uncommon to see battles lasting only a few seconds between farmed heroes, as they use their powerful damage items to literally rip each other apart. Also, as stated before, it is much harder to prevent someone from acquiring these items because they do not lose gold on death. At best, all you can do is beat them to it.

7. 2D vs 3D

This may be the most important difference between the two games. The game of HoN has always occurred on a 3D battlefield. I don't mean the zoom function, I mean the elevation differences. The elevation differences account for a huge layer of the strategical and technical depth of the game, where using them can often mean victory or defeat for your team, especially considering the chance to miss when attacking "upwards".

League of Legends occurs (surprisingly) on a 2D battlefield. No ledges, no hills, no elevation differences at all.

The negative effect this has on the gameplay is massive. In my opinion, this development decision in itself created an unbridgeable gap between the two games as far as diversity and depth is concerned.

I could go into detail about how having no elevation differences takes away from the desire to position yourself well, use blink skills or portal keys in innovative or unexpected ways against your opponent, or just serves to make yourself feel like you're playing on a piece of flat cardboard; but I don't think I really need to. The problem speaks for itself.

8. Voice Over IP Support

Anybody who has played HoN was probably originally thrilled when they found out that the ability to talk to your allies (with your own voice!) was an ability designed into the game itself.

It's almost a decade into the 21st century folks. Creating a team-based, strategically oriented game like HoN or LoL without VOIP support is unacceptable.

I can not count on 10 fingers (or 15 or 20 etc.) how many times being able to communicate with my allies using my own voice has meant the difference between victory and defeat for my team. People just naturally respond better to a human voice than some anonymous person typing his mundane comments in a chat box.

Your voice gives you a personality. People listen to it. They pay attention to you and what you have to say. When they can hear that you are just trying to help them or comfort them, they won't get so upset when you criticize them or try to get them to play better. You can co-ordinate your team better when you can talk. It takes less time and you can continue what you are doing in the game while talking, whereas when typing you have to stop what you are doing.

How many times have you died because you were trying to type something to your teammates and couldn't respond to your character quickly enough?

In HoN, these problems are a thing of the past. VOIP may not seem like a big deal to the casual gamer, but to those who know how to use it correctly, it is a weapon in every expert's arsenal.

Once again, LoL boasts of sporting aggressive and team-based gameplay, but how much more aggressive and team-based can you be when you can talk to your own teammates?

9. The Announcer

While many people would consider the game announcer to be a cosmetic aspect of the games at best, I would strongly disagree with them.

Anybody who played DotA for a long time grew to love the announcer, the glorious feeling of getting a double or triple kill, the sheer excitement of being on a godlike streak, humiliating the entire enemy team with bouts of "HOLY ****". You can disagree with me, but I will never change my stance that the announcer was a huge part of the game.

The HoN announcer stays true to the DotA spirit. While not using the actual Unreal Tournament announcer, the person sounds very similar. The enjoyment of that deep, booming voice, announcing to the world how much you own is there in ample supply. HoN even has some new sounds that play in certain situations. "Genocide!" is a great addition, playing when you've killed all 5 members of the enemy team. My personal favorite is "R R R R Rage Quit", playing after a recently killed player promptly leaves the game in a fit of rage.

These things may not seem important, but they are! They give character to the game. They make you want to come back for more.

The League of Legend's announcer is a female, which in my opinion was an odd choice. However, it's not so much the fact that she's a female but that she puts no "emotion" into what she is saying that hurts the game. She'll calmly say "double kill" or "dominating" but you won't really be inspired by it. It all seems forced, probably only there because DotA players would have asked for it, not because the developers grasped why it was so important.

10. Unfair Advantages

This is the killing blow for League of Legends, the negative aspect of the game that seals the deal vs. HoN in strategical depth.

In HoN, the only difference between each player is what hero you choose. The heroes are supposed to be balanced however, so this does not create an imbalance.

In League of Legends, players can have a massive advantage over their opponents before the game even starts. +50% to damage, +100 health, -15% to all spell cooldowns, all this is possible (and more) through the runes/mastery system.

How can a game be balanced or fair when some players have such a significant advantage over each other?

To LoL's defense, the matchmaking system attempts to pair players together in order to create balance even in spite of some people having an unfair advantage over others, but in reality, this is impossible. The matchmaking system just can not account for all the possibilities a certain player can tweak his character outside of the game or alter how his hero was intended to be with "artificial" tweaks. The system simply can not account for the devastating effects it will have on the game when a player using a "carry hero" without outside advantages lanes against a "nuker" dealing +100% magic damage and +3 extra mana gained per second.

To make the problem worse, there is no way to tell which players have these unfair advantages, so you can't strive to create lanes where players are even somewhat equal.

Competitive play for this game is, in my opinion, somewhat of a joke.

------------------------

I hope you enjoyed my synopsis on the differences between the games. Ask yourself now, do the factors I presented make LoL seem like a more aggressive or "team-based" game than HoN/DotA? If so, please explain how.

Please do not get me wrong, LoL is a very fun game with many quality aspects about it. However, when it comes to competitive gameplay and strategical value, there really is no contest.

Winner in the DBG genre war: HEROES OF NEWERTH

Icefrog now with Valve to compete in the DBG genre

2009-10-09T04:32:00.000-07:00

Icefrog to go Stand-alone with DotA

Demi-god, lol, and Heroes of Newerth are all DotA Based Games (DBGs) that have been trying to take some of the huge DotA All-Stars market share.

Now Icefrog himself will be going up a notch to compete in the DBG genre with this statement.

I am now leading a team at Valve! I finally have all the resources needed to do some very exciting stuff that you guys will love. I look forward to revealing more specific details when the time is right.

My goal and top priority in the future is to solve the surrounding issues that affect the DotA experience in order to allow it to reach new heights. Addressing these issues will enable us to further enjoy aspects of DotA such as the gameplay, mechanics, and in-game feel that currently work well and ought to be maintained. As I've said many times in the past and especially after today's developments, I am very excited about DotA's future!

Seems pretty exciting right?

What Warcraft maps do you want to see ported to Heroes of Newerth?

2009-09-29T16:23:00.000-07:00

The general consensus regarding HoN's map editor is that... it is going to make it easier for interested people to make maps/mods as Blizzard's World Editor did for Warcraft 3. This comes as a plus for S2 since this will attract Warcraft gamers who play WC3 custom maps other than DotA.

I know a lot of you are very excited to see your favorite TDs, RPGs and Hero Arenas on the K2 engine.

So the question is:

What Warcraft maps would you like to see being ported to HoN?

Atchucan Gaming team choices:

1. Elimination Tournament
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFR5traIXks
*third person shooter (real fun) - Snipers!

2. Fufu United Ninja All-Stars
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIKvRfaak7M
*ninja mod with Panda Ninjas jumping around!!! hehe...

What's yours?

P.S. I will be giving HoN beta keys to people who will contribute well on this article.

Fielding talks about Heroes of Newerth's future

2009-09-26T00:10:00.003-07:00

Last time, Zileas of Riot Games (makers of the DBG called League of Legends) talked about the DBG genre and added some insider stuff about League of Legends.

This time, Fielding of S2 Games (makers of Heroes of Newerth) will talk about the future of Heroes of Newerth - the DBG touted by many as the next step in the evolution of DotA.

Yes, we're approaching the point in development where we feel most of the 'ground work' for HoN is in place and we can start making the necessary tweak's to HoN's gameplay. We knew from the start that the changes between HoN and DotA would be significant enough to warrant our own changes. Simple things like showing mana bars, to more complex things like a different hero pool, they all add up and have made HoN into what it is: a game based on DotA, yet different from DotA. Being a different game, it needs its own tweaks. We've got tons of information gathering tools at our disposal, including the usage of raw statistics, and with our own engine and coders to make literally any change we deem necessary, it's a pretty exciting prospect.

That's not to say we're about to branch out and be totally different from the game we're based on. HoN's roots do indeed come from DotA, and we're not forgetting those roots. We just know that HoN, as its own game, is going to need special balance considerations that will differ from DotA.

Looks like we're gonna be expecting loads of new content from this DBG.

Giving Away Heroes of Newerth Beta Keys

2009-09-13T18:41:00.000-07:00

NINJA SPARTANS!!!

Tonight we dine in NEWERTH!!!

The Atchucan Gaming team is giving away HEROES OF NEWERTH beta keys!
Read all about it on the Atchucan blog.

http://atchucan.blogspot.com/2009/09/atchucan-is-giving-away-heroes-of.html

This contest is sponsored by:

Mafia Wars Cheats - Tips - Tricks only at MAFIAWARS MASTER

If you're interested in sponsoring an Atchucan Gaming contest, contact us on Twitter @atchucan
Only Gaming related events will be allowed.

Giving away 500 ENTRECARD Credits Contest

2009-09-13T03:35:00.001-07:00

Entrecard members!

Here at NinjaSpartans, we really love our readers. So as a gesture of appreciation, we're giving out 500 ENTRECARD credits!

How?

Just answer 2 simple questions.

a) What is your favorite game of all time?
b) What is the reason why you love that game?

You can either reply on Twitter @atchucan
Or just comment below.

500 Entrecard credits are waiting.

Zileas of Riot Games talks about the DBG genre

2009-09-12T23:49:00.000-07:00

The post mentioned below does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the NinjaSpartans blog.

Zileas of Riot Games talks about the top 2 competitors in the DotA Based Games genre.

LoL is really about innovation and driving the genre forward while retaining its competitive spirit – we’ve done a lot of completely new champions, gameplay and item designs to make the basic experience more fun, and to add new elements of strategy and gameplay. We hope to simplify the barrier to entry, while retaining the same depth, and making it all more fun at the same time. Your post does not mention anything about this, and it is the #1 differentiating point of LoL. To use an analogy, if DOTA is Everquest, we’d like to be WoW.

HoN on the other hand is focused on being a big upgrade in user interface, graphics and back-end features to the basic dota experience to make it a lot better, but is not about innovation. I believe 1/8th or so of their heroes are unique to HoN, the rest being reskins or minor touchups of original DOTA heroes. For some type of gamers this will be a much better experience than LoL, while for those wanting something newer, they’ll typically prefer LoL. Using another game analogy, if DOTA is Counterstrike, HoN is CS: Source plus a little bit.

That basically summed up his views on the differences between HON and LOL.

Zileas adds this insider stuff about League of Legends:

I’d also like to mention that competitive play is EXTREMELY important to us at Riot. Half of the design staff has been top tier competitive (world or regional champions at respected products like CS, DOTA, Starcraft, SSBM, WoW Arena) which is unlike any other game design team I’ve been on, and we regularly consult pro dota players in the play balance and design of our game. I’ve been in charge of play balance on two competitive RTS products (war3 expansion, strifeshadow). Our overall strength in this area is in contrast to HoN, but works fine for them – because they are staying very close to DOTA, they can in effect borrow Icefrog’s expertise on these matters since they are taking fewer innovative risks. But because we intend to innovate a lot and as our primary means of advancing the genre, we’ve invested heavily in having staff that understand play balance and competitive gameplay on a really deep level.

There you have it! Straight from the Director of Systems Design for League of Legends.

League of Legends - Free 2 Play DBG

2009-09-10T01:22:00.006-07:00

Guys!
You can also check out League of Legends - a free to play game title under the DotA Based Games genre.

Read more about it on the Atchucan blog:
http://atchucan.blogspot.com/2009/07/league-of-legends.html

You can chat with any of the Atchucan members about upcoming DBG titles at:
http://twitter.com/atchucan

League of Legends or Heroes of Newerth?

2009-07-14T22:27:00.001-07:00

League of Legends and Heroes of Newerth are both upcoming titles for the DotA Based Games (DBG) genre.

Which game are you leaning towards to?

League of Legends
Developer: Riot Games
Gaming Platform: Windows
Genre: DBG (Dota Based Games)
Release date: Late 2009
Pricing model: Free to play
Beta Key Availability: Rare
Website: http://leagueoflegends.com

Heroes of Newerth
Developer: S2 Games
Gaming Platforms: Windows, Linux, Mac
Genre: DBG (DotA Based Games)
Release date: TBA
Pricing model: TBA
Website: http://heroesofnewerth.com
Beta Key Availability: Uncommon (I have spare HON beta keys)

Defend your answer without flaming.
You can post screenshots/links to prove your point.
Discuss.

Heroes of Newerth - DBG Genre's Future

2009-07-13T03:35:00.000-07:00

If there's RPG which means Role Playing Games, there's also DBG which means Dota Based Games.

The DBG genre is relatively young but 2 games have already created hype.
These are League of Legends and Heroes of Newerth.
Between the two, I'm leaning towards Heroes of Newerth (HON) because of the following reasons:

a) Heroes of Newerth runs on Linux
b) Superior graphics

But because these games are still both currently in beta, any of the 2 can still dominate the DBG genre. It will all depend on the finish product and how the games are offered.

Will it be free to play? Monthly subscription?

My ideal DBG will be:

*Linux supported
*one time payment and with a dedicated online server(like Warcraft)
*LAN capabilities (Starcraft2 would suck if they will push through without LAN)

Anyways, enough of that rant. If you're an avid gamer and want to try out this DBG called Heroes of Newerth, I have beta keys to give out.
Just post something constructive at:
http://atchucan.blogspot.com/2009/06/heroes-of-newerth.html

Don't forget to subscribe! ;)
*I'll be giving more freebies for my readers coz I love y'all.

Starcraft2 No LAN Support - Blizzard Greed?

2009-07-01T01:16:00.000-07:00

Source: http://sc2portal.blogspot.com/2009/07/starcraft-2-no-lan-support.html
No LAN support for Starcraft 2? Is it me just me or are the Blizzard guys going greedy in the guise of preventing piracy. Think of the gamers. Without LAN, Starcraft would be nothing.

DotA and the DotA Based Games (DBG) genre

2009-06-28T22:14:00.000-07:00

DotA and DotA Based Games genre

If you look at the history of DotA All-Stars, the game was supposedly based on the Starcraft UMS called Aeon of Strife. When Blizzard Entertainment released Warcraft III, a game developer named Eul started with a custom map called DotA. Back then, there were various maps called DotA but the one that stood out was All-Stars.

After Eul, Guinsoo took over and helped DotA All-Stars climb in the ranks of the most played Battlenet games.
What comes next is unprecedented...

Icefrog took over and DotA All-Stars literally boomed!
Fueled by gaming platforms like Garena, DotA All-Stars became the most played Warcraft mod in the world.

Now comes another chapter...
Because of DotA's popularity, game developers took notice and started creating stand alone games based on DotA All-Stars.

Here are some games spawned by DotA's popularity.

Demi-God

Demigod is a video game developed by GAS that falls under the DotA Based Games (DBG) genre. You can choose from several Demigods, each ready for battle with their own unique capabilities and powers. Vanquish other would-be gods as you gain levels, increase in power, unlock the power of mystic artifacts and slowly battle your way closer to joining the Pantheon.

Demi-god isn't alone in the fast rising DotA Based Games (DBGs) craze.
There are a few more DBGs coming out.
Here's a rundown:

League of Legends

League of Legends: Clash of Fates is an upcoming dota based game (DBG) developed by Riot Games. There has been a theory that this is what caused Icefrog to break away from Pendragon's DotA-AllStars website but then again, it's just a theory.
Read all about the Icefrog League of Legends theory.

Heroes of Newerth

Heroes of Newerth or HoN has been called the DotA rip-off by it's critics claiming that HON has been mimicking almost everything in Icefrog's DotA-AllStars. But there's a big possibility that the final product will be very different from the released screenshots and updates so far. Read the Heroes of Newerth article on Atchucan Gaming to find out more and to view some in-game screenshots.

Bloodline Champions

Bloodline Champions is a competitive dota based game (DBG) for ten players where two teams fight it out. This DBG was developed by a Swedish team called Frostfire. Each player can choose between a variety of playable Bloodlines with different abilities. You can choose from the strength of the Vanguard to the magic of the Harbinger. These Bloodlines fight each other in a unique setting which combines both Asian and African cultural influences into something never seen before.

DotA has launched the DBG (DotA Based Games) genre almost single-handedly.
What can you say about these games?
Do you think they're rip-offs? Or creative games that deserve our support?

DotA Based Games (DBGs) - Heroes of Newerth

2009-06-16T19:23:00.000-07:00

The Dota Based Games (OMAs) genre has a new player = Heroes of Newerth
Looks like it could give DotA, Demi-god and League of Legends a run for it's money.

Read all about it: http://atchucan.blogspot.com/2009/06/heroes-of-newerth.html

Become a Fan of DotA on Facebook

2009-06-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

These days, even DotA-AllStars gets it's own Facebook Fan Page.
Show support to Icefrog and PlayDotA

Become a fan!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/DotA-All-Stars/87935519953

PlayDotA.com Official DotA-AllStars Website

2009-06-12T21:03:00.000-07:00

PlayDotA.com is now the OFFICIAL DotA All-Stars website.

Why switch to PlayDotA instead of the old League of Legends infested DA run by Pendragon?

Here's the official statement by Icefrog on the Play Dota website:

The overall goal for this site is to provide a long term service to the DotA community improve a DotA player's ability to enjoy the game and become more immersed in the DotA world overall.

I do not currently plan on having any advertisements on the site, so please do not send requests regarding this. Our focus is going to be on the well-being of the game and nourishing the community at large. Ad revenue or maximizing traffic will not be a driving force behind any decisions we make.

PlayDotA.com will actively promote events and news from many different communities that support DotA. While we want to provide users with a quality experience here, our view is that the more we raise exposure to the positive activities that many leagues, fansites, and organizations are doing the better it is for DotA.

So what are you waiting for?
Make the switch now!

League of Legends and Dota Controversy

2009-05-14T23:47:00.000-07:00

The DotA All-Stars.com conspiracy
-Atchucan May 15 2009

I've been around the DotA All-Stars community since the old Dota forums although I didn't sign up right away to the new one (DotA-AllStars.com)

Back then, all was good. There were still some other DotA versions like the Mercenaries franchise that was still on life-support. There was no Garena yet at that time. DotA was being played on Battle net and in numerous other small LAN emulators and independent PvPGNs.

The year was 2005.
A few months before that, Icefrog took the reins from the abandoned Guinsoo project. This was a welcome change. From the old AOS custom that was being bashed by other members of the map making community for being overrated, it was slowly turning into something more polished.
DotA All-Stars was growing at an unbelievable rate.

With new players being added to the fold everyday and more and more newbies looking for DotA resources, the old timers felt that it was time for DotA to have it's own home since admit it or not, the old forums was what we call... "in disarray" actually.

Then Pendragon stepped in to provide the domain and all the prerequisites for the founding of a new home. Thus, DotA-AllStars.com was born.

It was a young site. There were problems with it. But when all these were fixed thanks to the dedication of Pendragon and the various community members that are long gone from these forums.

A new DotA map was released... This time, endorsing www.DotA-AllStars.com on the loading screen and then BOOM! Community registrations shot off the roof. It was now easier to share strategies, guides, report bugs, etc. The DotA AllStars forum went through a metamorphosis. The forum was undergoing rapid changes.

And here comes the 1st symptom that manifested: Not allowing the discussion of other Warcraft custom maps. Other wc3 communities tolerated this since they understood that Warcraft maps were meant to be enjoyed. Pendragon's DotA community wanted monopoly. There were various theories but it nothing was ever confirmed till the next event happened.

On October 2008, League of Legends was announced.

Despite all the contributions Icefrog, Guinsoo and Pendragon gave to the development of DotA, they were not allowed one thing. It is stated in Blizzard's terms and conditions that everything you create using the Warcraft World Editor remains as Blizzard property. Thus, you are not allowed to PROFIT from DotA. Even if DotA AllStars is one of the biggest gaming communities in the world, the creators and their affiliates are not allowed to take even a single cent.

Enter League of Legends - the commercial venture of some of the people involved in the DotA project who wanted to turn a profit. This was a legal way of earning money. By creating a game not running on the Warcraft engine, the game developers could not be prosecuted legally by
Blizzard Entertainment.

A few weeks ago, Pendragon's grand plan was revealed starting with the pimped up new servers to solve the slow forum problems. Next was the redesign and overhaul of the DotA-AllStars website. Then just over 24 hours ago, the first newsfeed was released to all your e-mail accounts together with the public announcement of a new unneeded program - the controversial DotA Patcher.

This is where the interests of both parties conflict. Read on for the best part:

Pendragon and his crew want to continually move DotA All-Stars to something more commercial. They are going through phases to make the target market of League of Legends soften up to a commercial version of DotA All-Stars. By harnessing the power of the existing DotA-AllStars.com communiity with it's millions of registered users, Riot Games would have a ready market for it's baby.

Icefrog wants DotA All-Stars to be what it currently is: a free to download Warcraft map that is meant to be enjoyed even if the game developers do not get a single cent from dedicating their time on it.

You won't get any official statements explaining the whole story from any of the parties involved since it benefits no one.
Please take note that the developers of LOL have made a substantial investment. If Icefrog releases his side of the story, majority of the DotA players
would boycott the League of Legends product. Nobody wants that. Icefrog made the right decision.

He left DotA-AllStars.com to be free to develop the game without sacrificing his principles while having the integrity of League of Legends left intact at the same time.

*Disclaimer: This is just a theory and not a proven fact.

Icefrog Quits DotA

2009-05-14T22:01:00.000-07:00

I recently read an article about Icefrog leaving the popular Warcraft 3 game.
Read the DotA controversy at:
http://neutralcreeps.blogspot.com/2009/05/icefrog-boycotts-pendragons-dota.html

Finally banned at the Dota-allstars Forum

2009-05-13T00:34:00.000-07:00

Mission accomplished! proof: http://i43.tinypic.com/x0pnvd.jpg

Banned for 2 days hehe...

Ninja Spartans Blogroll

2009-05-09T00:38:00.000-07:00

Ninjas and Spartans, the Atchucan Gaming team has turned this function off.

Follow us on Twitter: @Atchucan

Now on Twitter

2009-05-09T00:05:00.000-07:00

http://twitter.com/atchucan Finally on Twitter! It's just for show though. Ninja Spartans is still the place to be. Don't forget to follow. =)

Play Starcraft 2 Now!

2009-05-06T05:12:00.000-07:00

Redirect to Atchucan article on STARCRAFT 2 Mod
The article can be read on:
http://atchucan.blogspot.com/2009/05/starcraft-modded-to-starcraft-2.html

Xmen Origins: Wolverine was a disappointment

2009-05-05T07:19:00.000-07:00

The movie was not as good as I expected. They wasted Hugh Jackman's good acting.

I watched boxing today: Pacquaio vs Hatton

2009-05-03T00:28:00.000-07:00

Pacquiao has always been an exciting boxer to watch. He won against British boxer Ricky Hatton via 2nd round knockout.

Gonna play DotA later on Garena

2009-04-30T01:21:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I played DotA All-Stars. I'll try playing DotA later on Garena

Looking forward to Fedora 11 Leonidas

2009-04-28T22:40:00.000-07:00

I'm currently looking forward to Fedora 11 codename Leonidas. It's a good Linux distro. Much cooler than Windows. Check it out at http://fedoraproject.org
Leonidas: SPARTAAANS!!!

Fast EXP on Garena using Fufu Ninja

2009-04-27T20:59:00.000-07:00

Garena exp hacks is fake. Suspicious programmers make you install hot garena tools then they STEAL your accounts. To get fast exp safely on Garena, play Fufu Ninja.

Want 1 month free KRISPY KREME donuts? Hunt Spectre

2009-04-27T20:45:00.000-07:00

If you're from Malaysia and use nuffnang, you have the chance to get a month's supply of krispy kreme donuts by hunting for spectre. The hunt is on at Nuffnang.

Trying out free and better alternatives to Microsoft Word

2009-04-27T20:23:00.000-07:00

I bought a laptop with an original Windows Vista operating system installed and guess what? MS Word is a Trial version and is about to expire. I'm checking out OpenOffice - it's free!

Checking out Ubuntu 9.04

2009-04-26T07:03:00.000-07:00

I prefer Ubuntu over Windows. Check out the Ubuntu Website. It's a free operating system.

Blogging about Warcraft Elimination Tournament

2009-04-26T04:13:00.000-07:00

Just blogged about a Warcraft custom map called Elimination Tournament.
It's much more fun than DotA.

Ninja Spartans converted to Twitter

2009-04-26T03:53:00.000-07:00

From now on, Ninja Spartans will be using the micro-blogging format like Twitter.
We will be posting here stuff that's happening around the Atchucan HQ and the stuff we're working on. Don't forget to subscribe to our updates!

Ninjas play on Garena

2009-03-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

Where do the real ninjas play at?
3 syllables - Garena

Garena is the best place to play Warcraft 3: DotA and Warcraft 3: Fufu Ninja.
In fact all of my friends keep playing in Garena since it has absolutely zero-leg.
Plus with all that sophisticated stuff regarding map hacks, I feel confident that I am not being cheated on.

As real ninjas, we play what else... NINJA MAPS!
And the best Warcraft Ninja map I have played so far is:
FUFU UNITED NINJA ALLSTARS

Whether you are from Malaysia, Mongolia or the Philippines, Garena has a Fufu Ninja room for you. In fact, the official Warcraft server is Garena.
Here's a .PNG file I found over at the Garena forums.

Pretty neat huh.
Wanna play DotA or Fufu Ninja with me?
I'm available: Atchucan @ Garena
Don't forget to check out the coolest gaming news at ATCHUCAN Gaming