Chapter 709: Detailed Settings (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

In the office, Chen Xu simply drafted the design concept document for DOTA.

This concept document was arguably the most complex one yet, as it had to consider different versions and the introduction of various items.

It could be said that for a game like DOTA, any subtle change could lead to a completely different game tempo; it truly was a case of one move affecting the whole board.

For example, if hero bounty for kills is increased, the entire game's pace would lean towards a GANK-centric direction.

The most frequently picked heroes would inevitably be early to mid-game ganking heroes like Queen of Pain, Storm Spirit, Gyrocopter, and Troll Warlord.

Conversely, the pick rates of traditional hard carries such as Medusa and Morphling would significantly decrease.

Furthermore, weakening tower mechanics would dictate the high or low pick rate of push-oriented heroes like Death Prophet, Shadow Shaman, Chen, and Enchantress.

Combined with changes to hero abilities, and item modifications like increasing prices or mana costs—these seemingly insignificant changes could make an item a hot commodity or render it completely ignored. The Mekansm Shadow Fiend from his previous life was a classic example.

As for monetization, Chen Xu didn't plan to make many changes.

Because DOTA's existing monetization methods were already quite mature.

With various rarity levels like Immortal and Arcana for cosmetic items, as well as related Compendiums for Battle Passes, DOTA's payment rate was definitely not low.

What Chen Xu truly focused on was where to emphasize the game's competitive nature and balance.

It could be said that DOTA had undergone countless version changes, and every major overhaul would lead players to exclaim: 'This isn't the DOTA I wanted.'

For instance, increasing Buyback Cooldown, adding a Seventh Item Slot, introducing Neutral Items, removing Yellow Attribute Points to implement a Talent System, individually storing TP scrolls to prevent situations where an 'artist' without a Town Portal scroll had to deliberately commit suicide in the enemy fountain to buyback after their base was backdoor-ed, and the temporary addition and subsequent removal of Shrine Fountains.

Some changes were good, others were not.

Chen Xu's decision was to temporarily not include the Talent System and Neutral Items, but to retain the Yellow Attribute Points mechanism, primarily to prevent an overly steep learning curve for new players.

The independent setting for the Town Portal scroll (TP) would be retained, as it was a very user-friendly design.

Early DOTA in his previous life was built on the Warcraft 3 engine, so many settings were quite user-unfriendly, and there were significant compromises in game mechanics.

The most direct point was that in early DOTA, many Orb Effects could not coexist.

Desolator, which reduced armor, and Eye of Skadi, which slowed enemies, could only trigger one effect.

In addition, there were some support-friendly mechanisms, including automatic gold generation per second, extra gold for supports after their heroes killed neutral creeps, free Sentry Wards, and reduced prices for Observer Wards for vision.

Chen Xu also intended to incorporate the change where everyone had a courier that could transport items, which would upgrade to a flying courier with increased speed and invulnerability after reaching a certain level.

This change could actually be said to enhance the experience for all five players, as in his previous life, having only one courier for items like Tango, healing potions, Town Portal scrolls, and equipment was truly frustrating.

Moreover, for most ordinary players, the biggest significance of buying a courier was to more justifiably claim the mid lane. 'I bought the courier, if I don't go mid, who will? Don't even think about using my courier if you're not mid!'

These changes were mainly to better cater to support players, as in the earliest versions, the support experience was truly abysmal.

To be precise, their lives were worse than a dog's.

Tiring themselves out in the early game, their presence in the late game was even weaker than that of siege creeps.

Of course, items like Glimmer Cape, Lotus Orb, and Aeon Disk were not planned for immediate inclusion by Chen Xu. He intended to gradually release them in subsequent versions.

The map design was equally crucial; even a single path created by a tree could bring unexpected variables to professional and high-level matches.

For example, the vision provided by Observer Wards, or the true sight effect of concealed Sentry Wards. Chen Xu still prioritized early maps, with Roshan's Pit located in the Ancient section between the Scourge and Sentinel factions.

Regarding map balance, DOTA had seen over a decade of continuous debate since its inception.

This was inevitable, as DOTA featured an asymmetrical map, meaning one faction would always have some advantage. This was why professional tournaments used rotations, or relied on coin flips or Ban-Pick Rights to determine faction choice.

Aside from the experience and bounty gain formulas, the main workload revolved around the game's systems, as well as hero and item settings.

However, this wasn't the most critical content at the moment, as players in this Parallel World weren't hardcore DOTA players who had played for years or a decade in his previous life.

They were a blank slate, and this aspect was not the most important for now.

More crucial were the relevant game systems, such as matchmaking, ranked play (Ladder), and the new player tutorial.

Chen Xu's initial draft currently decided the following:

Firstly, separating ranked and unranked matchmaking was a no-brainer.

Players would have to complete the new player tutorial and one co-op vs. AI challenge before they could join matchmaking.

Of course, given the sheer amount of content in DOTA, the introductory tutorial would primarily focus on basic concepts.

This included hero controls, the usage and distinction between targeted and non-targeted abilities, how to use Town Portal scrolls, Tango (Item), healing potions, and Clarify Potions, as well as purchasing items from the shop and the importance of Denying and Last-Hitting.

As for Blink Dagger, Black King Bar, and Smoke of Deceit, these belonged to advanced techniques.

And not just for new players; in his previous life, DOTA had been out for over ten years, with its esports scene developing for nearly a decade.

Smoke of Deceit, considered one of the game's most essential items, costing less than 100 gold, was virtually unknown in low-ranked games.

Secondly, how to motivate players to complete the new player tutorial? The simplest and most direct incentive was clear.

Upon completing a stage of the new player tutorial, players would receive a treasure chest. For the first or second chest, players would be guaranteed to open a random Immortal or Arcana item.

As for subsequent chests, that would depend on the difference between a Lucky King and an Unlucky King.

Why did mobile games offer 'SSR for seven days' as a common setting that remained unchanged for over a decade? Because you had to admit, this trick worked effectively.

Additionally, the game would include corresponding item build guides.

While DOTA's greatest fun lay in choosing items based on different situations, for rookies just starting the game, it was clearly too soon. What they needed most was not to feel lost.

Furthermore, there would be a new player hero matchmaking mode, featuring heroes like Tidehunter, Wraith King, Centaur Warrunner, Omniknight, Phantom Assassin, Ogre Magi, Lion (Hero), Abaddon, Spirit Breaker, Earthshaker, etc.

These heroes were relatively friendly for newcomers and offered a good sense of participation.

As for Shadow Fiend (for recognizing spells), Sniper (for training survival instincts), and Meepo (for training APM), those were just suggestions to consider.

(End of Chapter) <>