Dota (genre)
Encyclopedia
The Dota genre is a sub-genre of real-time strategy
video games, characterized by their likeness to Defense of the Ancients
, a custom scenario
for Warcraft 3 drawing from both real-time strategy and role-playing game
influences. Compared to traditional real-time strategy games, elements such as base management, resource collection and army building have been removed. Fortress Assault is sometimes used to refer to the Dota genre.
The genre puts emphasis on team-play; players on each team can select and control one Hero, a powerful unit with various abilities and advantages to form a team's overall strategy. The objective of such games is for the player's team to destroy the opposing side's main structure with the help of periodically spawned computer-controlled units that march towards the enemy's main structure. Objective derivations of the genre include timed territorial control of specific areas around the map instead of the destruction of the main structure found in the opponent's base. The genre traces its roots to the Starcraft
map called "Aeon of Strife".
(DotA), a popular Warcraft III mod
, and games in this genre are often referred to as "DotA-style", "Dota-esque" or "DotA-based" games, as well as "DotA clones", or sometimes simply as "DOTAs". The term "AoS-style game" or simply "AoS" is also commonly used, referring to the Starcraft custom map called Aeon of Strife. Riot Games
coined its own term, "Multiplayer Online Battle Arena", while Valve
refers to these games as "Action Real-Time Strategy".
which, though considered to be the progenitor of the modern real-time strategy genre in general, has more in common with the likes of Dota than it does with the likes of Red Alert 3
or Tom Clancy's EndWar
. The key differences between Dota and Herzog Zwei are that the latter has a fully customizable command unit with role-playing video game
elements that the player has full control over, while commanding an army to go into battle with rather than mindless drones that respawn at set intervals. In an interview for Gamasutra
, Marc DeForest, CEO of S2 Games
has pointed out, "You've gotta give most of the credit to DotA
, but until LoL
and HoN
, DotA was just a mod."
but it was the Warcraft III custom scenario Defense of the Ancients
that brought the spotlight to the niche genre.
At Blizzcon 2010, Activision Blizzard officially announced their entry to the Dota genre with Blizzard DOTA. In an interview, Chris Sigaty - Lead Producer of Starcraft II
stated that Blizzard DOTA "is a take on the DOTA genre if you will. It gives you the opportunity to see some of the heroes we've made, we've made some heroes that are cross genre. Not just SC2 heroes, we've got some Diablo characters in the works, we've some Warcraft characters and Starcraft characters and they're fighting together."
, a video game developed by Gas Powered Games
was the first released stand-alone title in the Dota genre. This was followed by Riot Games' League of Legends
. In May 2010, S2 Games
released Heroes of Newerth
. On October 13, 2010, Valve Corporation
announced its official entry to the genre with a sequel to DotA entitled Dota 2
. Aeria Games will be publishing Realm of the Titans
in North America. On February 2011, Petroglyph Games announced Rise of Immortals
, which was added as a free-to-play game on Steam
on September 29, 2011. On April 2011, Hi-Rez Studios announced Smite.
Although majority of the released games in the Dota genre employ a top-down perspective, Uber Entertainment's Crossfire mode of Monday Night Combat
breaks away from the trend by introducing a third person shooter spin to the concept.
Members of the genre do not feature several other elements traditionally found in real-time strategy
games, notably base management, resource collection and army building.
Each player constantly receives a small amount of gold per second from their base and moderate amounts of gold are rewarded for killing creeps and large amounts for killing enemy heroes. Heroes use the gold they gain to buy a variety of different items that range in price and impact.
games by the media because of the presence of in-game defensive tower structures. However, Dota is very different from the tower defense genre, which is centered around the construction of stationary towers as opposed to the precise control of an individual hero.
filed for a trademark for the term "DOTA" with serial number 85102245.
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
video games, characterized by their likeness to Defense of the Ancients
Defense of the Ancients
Defense of the Ancients is a custom scenario for the real-time strategy game Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, based on the "Aeon of Strife" map for StarCraft...
, a custom scenario
Mod (computer gaming)
Mod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...
for Warcraft 3 drawing from both real-time strategy and role-playing game
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
influences. Compared to traditional real-time strategy games, elements such as base management, resource collection and army building have been removed. Fortress Assault is sometimes used to refer to the Dota genre.
The genre puts emphasis on team-play; players on each team can select and control one Hero, a powerful unit with various abilities and advantages to form a team's overall strategy. The objective of such games is for the player's team to destroy the opposing side's main structure with the help of periodically spawned computer-controlled units that march towards the enemy's main structure. Objective derivations of the genre include timed territorial control of specific areas around the map instead of the destruction of the main structure found in the opponent's base. The genre traces its roots to the Starcraft
StarCraft
StarCraft is a military science fiction real-time strategy video game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. The first game of the StarCraft series was released for Microsoft Windows on 31 March 1998. With more than 11 million copies sold worldwide as of February 2009, it is one of the best-selling...
map called "Aeon of Strife".
Terminology
The genre takes its name from Defense of the AncientsDefense of the Ancients
Defense of the Ancients is a custom scenario for the real-time strategy game Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, based on the "Aeon of Strife" map for StarCraft...
(DotA), a popular Warcraft III mod
Mod (computer gaming)
Mod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...
, and games in this genre are often referred to as "DotA-style", "Dota-esque" or "DotA-based" games, as well as "DotA clones", or sometimes simply as "DOTAs". The term "AoS-style game" or simply "AoS" is also commonly used, referring to the Starcraft custom map called Aeon of Strife. Riot Games
Riot Games
Riot Games is an independent video game developer and publisher based in Santa Monica, California. Established in 2006, Riot Games launched the stand-alone Dota game, League of Legends as its first title in October 2009. Riot Games obtained around 20 million dollars from venture capital firms to...
coined its own term, "Multiplayer Online Battle Arena", while Valve
Valve Corporation
Valve Corporation is an American video game development and digital distribution company based in Bellevue, Washington, United States...
refers to these games as "Action Real-Time Strategy".
History
An early predecessor to Dota was the 1989 game Herzog ZweiHerzog Zwei
Herzog Zwei is a Mega Drive / Genesis game by Technosoft, published in 1989 . It is an early real-time strategy game, the first with a feature set that falls under the contemporary definition of the genre, predating the genre-popularizing Dune II...
which, though considered to be the progenitor of the modern real-time strategy genre in general, has more in common with the likes of Dota than it does with the likes of Red Alert 3
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 is a 2008 real-time strategy video game developed by EA Los Angeles and published by Electronic Arts. Announced on February 14, 2008, it was released on October 28, 2008 in the United States for Microsoft Windows-based PCs and three days later in Europe. A version for...
or Tom Clancy's EndWar
Tom Clancy's EndWar
Tom Clancy's EndWar is a real-time tactics game designed by Ubisoft Shanghai for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows platforms. The Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable versions feature turn-based tactics instead of the real-time tactics of their console counterparts...
. The key differences between Dota and Herzog Zwei are that the latter has a fully customizable command unit with role-playing video game
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
elements that the player has full control over, while commanding an army to go into battle with rather than mindless drones that respawn at set intervals. In an interview for Gamasutra
Gamasutra
Gamasutra is a website founded in 1997 for video game developers. It is owned and operated by UBM TechWeb , a division of United Business Media, and acts as the online sister publication to the print magazine Game Developer...
, Marc DeForest, CEO of S2 Games
S2 Games
S2 Games is a video game developer founded by Marc "Maliken" DeForest, based in Rohnert Park, California.They also have a development location in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Their first project , Savage: The Battle for Newerth, was released in the Summer of 2003...
has pointed out, "You've gotta give most of the credit to DotA
DOTA
DOTA may refer to:*Defense of the Ancients, a custom scenario for the video game Warcraft III**Dota 2, the sequel to the previously listed game, developed on the Source engine* Dota , a video game genre*DOTA , a chemical...
, but until LoL
League of Legends
The BetFred League of Legends was a darts tournament featuring some of the legends of the game of darts which commenced in May 2008. The tournament is broadcast on Setanta Sports in the United Kingdom....
and HoN
Heroes of Newerth
Heroes of Newerth is a free-to-play science fantasy, action real-time strategy game developed by S2 Games for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. The game was heavily inspired by the Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne custom map, Defense of the Ancients and is S2 Games' first game title in the...
, DotA was just a mod."
Maps and modifications
Features of Dota existed in early mods like the "Aeon of Strife" map for StarCraftStarCraft
StarCraft is a military science fiction real-time strategy video game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. The first game of the StarCraft series was released for Microsoft Windows on 31 March 1998. With more than 11 million copies sold worldwide as of February 2009, it is one of the best-selling...
but it was the Warcraft III custom scenario Defense of the Ancients
Defense of the Ancients
Defense of the Ancients is a custom scenario for the real-time strategy game Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, based on the "Aeon of Strife" map for StarCraft...
that brought the spotlight to the niche genre.
At Blizzcon 2010, Activision Blizzard officially announced their entry to the Dota genre with Blizzard DOTA. In an interview, Chris Sigaty - Lead Producer of Starcraft II
StarCraft II
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is a military science fiction real-time strategy video game developed and released by Blizzard Entertainment for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. A sequel to the award-winning 1998 video game StarCraft and its expansions, the game was released worldwide on July 27, 2010...
stated that Blizzard DOTA "is a take on the DOTA genre if you will. It gives you the opportunity to see some of the heroes we've made, we've made some heroes that are cross genre. Not just SC2 heroes, we've got some Diablo characters in the works, we've some Warcraft characters and Starcraft characters and they're fighting together."
Stand-alone Dota based games
DemigodDemigod (video game)
Demigod is a Dota based game developed by Gas Powered Games for the PC platform. The game was significantly influenced by the popular Warcraft III custom map Defense of the Ancients and is widely considered as the first stand-alone game title in the "DotA subgenre". The game's title refers to the...
, a video game developed by Gas Powered Games
Gas Powered Games
Gas Powered Games is a video game developer located in Redmond, Washington. The development studio was started in May 1998 by Chris Taylor, creator of Total Annihilation, and several other ex-Cavedog Entertainment employees....
was the first released stand-alone title in the Dota genre. This was followed by Riot Games' League of Legends
League of Legends
The BetFred League of Legends was a darts tournament featuring some of the legends of the game of darts which commenced in May 2008. The tournament is broadcast on Setanta Sports in the United Kingdom....
. In May 2010, S2 Games
S2 Games
S2 Games is a video game developer founded by Marc "Maliken" DeForest, based in Rohnert Park, California.They also have a development location in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Their first project , Savage: The Battle for Newerth, was released in the Summer of 2003...
released Heroes of Newerth
Heroes of Newerth
Heroes of Newerth is a free-to-play science fantasy, action real-time strategy game developed by S2 Games for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. The game was heavily inspired by the Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne custom map, Defense of the Ancients and is S2 Games' first game title in the...
. On October 13, 2010, Valve Corporation
Valve Corporation
Valve Corporation is an American video game development and digital distribution company based in Bellevue, Washington, United States...
announced its official entry to the genre with a sequel to DotA entitled Dota 2
Dota 2
Dota 2 is an upcoming action fantasy strategy video game being developed by Valve Corporation. The stand-alone sequel to the popular Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and The Frozen Throne mod Defense of the Ancients, it was formally announced on October 13, 2010 via the website of magazine Game Informer...
. Aeria Games will be publishing Realm of the Titans
Realm of the Titans
Realm of the Titans is a Chinese video game developed by Ningbo Shengguang Tianyi for the PC platform...
in North America. On February 2011, Petroglyph Games announced Rise of Immortals
Rise of Immortals
Rise of Immortals is a free-to-play action real-time strategy game developed by Petroglyph Games for Microsoft Windows. The game was heavily inspired by the Defense of the Ancients map for Warcraft 3...
, which was added as a free-to-play game on Steam
Steam
Steam is the technical term for water vapor, the gaseous phase of water, which is formed when water boils. In common language it is often used to refer to the visible mist of water droplets formed as this water vapor condenses in the presence of cooler air...
on September 29, 2011. On April 2011, Hi-Rez Studios announced Smite.
Although majority of the released games in the Dota genre employ a top-down perspective, Uber Entertainment's Crossfire mode of Monday Night Combat
Monday Night Combat
Monday Night Combat is a downloadable third-person shooter video game developed by Uber Entertainment. It was published by Microsoft Game Studios on the Xbox 360 and by Uber Entertainment and Valve Software for Microsoft Windows...
breaks away from the trend by introducing a third person shooter spin to the concept.
Gameplay
Games classified under the Dota genre possess the following basic elements:- two opposing sides (typically five players each), whose goal is to destroy their enemy's main structure to win;
- several lanes with periodic spawns of computer-controlled minions, known as "creeps," and defensive towers, preventing enemy creep progress;
- player-controlled heroes that strive to shift the initial balance by killing enemy creeps, towers and heroes;
- a complex item and leveling system that determines the strength of the heroes.
Members of the genre do not feature several other elements traditionally found in real-time strategy
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
games, notably base management, resource collection and army building.
Hero concept
A player controls a single powerful in-game unit called a Hero. When a hero kills an enemy unit, it gains experience points which allow the hero to level up. Heroes have the ability to learn skills and abilities which can be used to turn the tide of battle in their favor. When heroes die, they have to wait a designated time, which increases as they level up, until they revive at their base.Each player constantly receives a small amount of gold per second from their base and moderate amounts of gold are rewarded for killing creeps and large amounts for killing enemy heroes. Heroes use the gold they gain to buy a variety of different items that range in price and impact.
AI-controlled creep waves
Creeps are the computer-controlled units that fight alongside the heroes to "push" a lane. These armies spawn from the base at fixed time intervals and generally follow a pre-programmed path to the opposing base, attacking any enemy it encounters on the way.Towers
Dota genre games are sometimes erroneously referred to as tower defenseTower defense
Tower defense is a subgenre of real-time strategy computer games.The goal of tower defense games is to try to stop enemies from crossing a map by building towers which shoot at them as they pass. Enemies and towers usually have varied abilities, costs, and ability costs...
games by the media because of the presence of in-game defensive tower structures. However, Dota is very different from the tower defense genre, which is centered around the construction of stationary towers as opposed to the precise control of an individual hero.
Main structure
Destroying the main structure located within the enemy base is the primary objective. The team that is able to destroy the main structure wins the game. Destroying other structures located in the enemy base can also give certain benefits.USPTO Trademark
On August 6, 2010 - Valve CorporationValve Corporation
Valve Corporation is an American video game development and digital distribution company based in Bellevue, Washington, United States...
filed for a trademark for the term "DOTA" with serial number 85102245.
See also
- Defense of the AncientsDefense of the AncientsDefense of the Ancients is a custom scenario for the real-time strategy game Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, based on the "Aeon of Strife" map for StarCraft...
- Dota 2Dota 2Dota 2 is an upcoming action fantasy strategy video game being developed by Valve Corporation. The stand-alone sequel to the popular Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and The Frozen Throne mod Defense of the Ancients, it was formally announced on October 13, 2010 via the website of magazine Game Informer...
- DemigodDemigod (video game)Demigod is a Dota based game developed by Gas Powered Games for the PC platform. The game was significantly influenced by the popular Warcraft III custom map Defense of the Ancients and is widely considered as the first stand-alone game title in the "DotA subgenre". The game's title refers to the...
- Heroes of NewerthHeroes of NewerthHeroes of Newerth is a free-to-play science fantasy, action real-time strategy game developed by S2 Games for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. The game was heavily inspired by the Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne custom map, Defense of the Ancients and is S2 Games' first game title in the...
- League of LegendsLeague of LegendsThe BetFred League of Legends was a darts tournament featuring some of the legends of the game of darts which commenced in May 2008. The tournament is broadcast on Setanta Sports in the United Kingdom....
- Realm of the TitansRealm of the TitansRealm of the Titans is a Chinese video game developed by Ningbo Shengguang Tianyi for the PC platform...
- Rise of ImmortalsRise of ImmortalsRise of Immortals is a free-to-play action real-time strategy game developed by Petroglyph Games for Microsoft Windows. The game was heavily inspired by the Defense of the Ancients map for Warcraft 3...