November 27 2011
Defence of the Ancients is one of those rare mods that has given rise to a new genre of game, in this case the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA). It began with a map made for Starcraft called Aeon of Strife, which in turn led to the wildly successful Defence of the Ancients map for Warcraft 3. The core concept has since been employed in a growing number of stand-alone titles.
Where real-time strategy games put you in control of armies, in MOBAs you control a single hero with an array of RPG-like skills. Although the focus is on PvP combat, computer-controlled units play a significant role in the original DOTA, as they spawn at set intervals and march on the enemy's base. You can customize your hero with items, but there is no building. The map offers three lanes to the enemy protected by towers, which can't be replaced once they are destroyed. Many of the stand-alone games have retained these features, but others are experimenting with different map layouts and match types. These are some of the most popular games available in the genre so far.
Developed by Riot Games, who coined the term 'MOBA,' League of Legends is easily the most successful game of it's kind to date. Traditional DOTA-style gameplay is offered on the Summoner's Rift map, but they also have a smaller map called Twisted Treeline. Crystal Scar is a map released along with a new match type called Dominion. League of Legends is F2P and has millions of registered users, as well as tournaments with very large cash prizes.
Released about half a year after League of Legends, Heroes of Newerth also follows the DOTA formula quite closely. The standard map is split into three lanes and 'creeps' are spawned every 30 seconds. There are over 90 heroes in the game, each with their own abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. Heroes of Newerth is F2P and it has integrated voice chat as well as a map editor.
Bloodline Champions is developed by Stunlock Studios and differs considerably from DOTA. There are no computer-controlled units in Bloodline Champions and there are no lanes or defence towers. The game employs a top-down view and uses WASD for movement. The mouse is used to aim, while both mouse buttons and keys are used to activate abilities, which is a major shift from the usual RTS-like controls. Bloodline Champions has three game modes: Arena (team deathmatch), Capture the Artifact, and Conquest. It's F2P and can be downloaded via Steam.
Petroglyph's entry into the MOBA genre came in September of 2011 with the release of Rise of Immortals. The core gameplay and controls are again straight out of DOTA, but heroes progress a little differently from the norm. League of Legends and Heroes of Newerth use account-based progression that carries over from one hero to the next, whereas Rise of Immortals ties progression to each individual hero, more like an RPG. It also has avatar-based social areas.
Announced on October 13, 2010, this upcoming game is a collaboration between Valve Software and IceFrog, the most current developer of the DOTA Warcraft 3 mod. The name leaves little doubt that the gameplay will be very similar to Defense of the Ancients, although Dota 2's title is apparently not intended as an acronym. The game will use Valve's Source graphics engine and will be available on Steam. It's currently in beta testing and they're hoping to launch it sometime in 2012.
