No More Sign Up Queue for Dota 2

For the past several months, access to Dota 2 has been granted through a queue system that gated entry into the community. We’ve used this system to gradually increase the size of our playerbase, as we ramped up our infrastructure and improved the experience for new players. As we have recently completed a set of server management upgrades as well as released a huge number of enhancements to the new user experience, we’re going to remove all restrictions to playing Dota 2.

Signups are no longer required to access the game, and we encourage everyone to join the 6.5 million active monthly users currently playing Dota 2. If you have a friend who hasn’t tried Dota 2 yet, be sure to take advantage of the new recruitment feature to get additional bonuses for both you and your friend.

To download and start playing Dota 2, you can head to the Dota 2 Steam page and click the green ‘PLAY GAME’ button. We hope you’ll join the Dota 2 community.

Read More

Dota 2 Wraith Night Updated, Ranked Matchmaking Released

Update includes -

• Wraith Night Game Mode
• Legion Commander w/ Arcana Upgrade
• Recruit Your Friends Feature
• Party Spectate Feature
• Ranked Matchmaking
• Improved Battle Point Boosters
• New Cosmetics

User Interface

• Added option to display the Minimap on the right side of the screen. Some HUD skins may have issues in this mode
• The drafter is now indicated when spectating a CM or CD game.
• Fixed a case where shop items would get stuck on the screen after dragging
• Play a sound when a teammates puts an item into your hero's inventory. eg when giving a Tango charge
• Fixed a case where health and mana bars would be invisible at the beginning of a match
• Select All Other Units hotkey now also selects other units like Plague and Serpent Wards
• Added captions in Korean.

Community

• You now get an abandon if one of your party members abandons. A party abandon on its own cannot put you into low priority.
• Added message indicating that players must complete a low-priority match with players on both sides to decrement their low-priority penalty count
• Adjusted the amount of XP required for Dota Profile levels 2 thru 7 (your in-profile XP bar might be a little off until you finish a game)
• Game modes are now unlocked as you progress through levels

6.79c Gameplay Update

• Hand of Midas recipe cost increased from 1400 to 1550
• Ancestral Spirit vision reduced from 600 to 450
• Ancestral Spirit damage reduced from 80/120/160/200 to 60/100/140/180
• Plague Wards night vision reduced from 1200 to 800
• Venomancer base movement speed reduced from 290 to 285
• Fixed Power Cogs knockback aoe being too big
• Fixed Whirling Death not restoring enough HP after the debuff wears off
• Necronomicon night vision from 1300/1400/1500 to 800
• Necronomicon gold bounty increased from 100 to 100/125/150 (per unit)
• Magnetic Grip cast range reduced from 1400 to 1100
• Boulder Smash silence duration reduced from 5 to 3.5/4/4.5/5
• Boulder Smash unit knockback range rescaled from 800 to 500/600/700/800
• Fixed Stone Remnant counting as a spell (for purposes of Curse of the Silent, Magic Stick, etc)
• Dueling units cannot be disarmed or Force Staffed away
• Visage movement speed reduced from 295 to 290
• Crystal Maiden base Intelligence reduced from 21 to 19 (same base damage as before)
• Added Slark to CM
• Added Huskar in CM

Visuals

• Orchid - Added fx for damage pop at the end of orchid, and additional effects if unit dies to orchid damage.
• Fixed projected texture and screenshake render types that were drawing to the portrait also effecting the world, fixes bug with Enigma darkness rendering from his portrait in the world.
• Fixed some Bounty Hunter items which weren't properly showing his Jinada effects.

Economy

• Players now receive a series of presents as they proceed through the early levels of the game. Each present contains some free items to use.
• Automatically unlock and select item styles that are unlocked by inscribed gems reaching a certain value
• Fixed armory preview of items not showing the correct style

Workshop

• Heroes updated or newly enabled on the workshop - Earth Spirit, Ember Spirit, Storm Spirit, Gyrocopter, Pudge

Showcase View

• Hide Pause panel in Showcase View.
• Fixed a bug where dragging could select another follow unit.

Patch Size: 524.3mb

Read More

Ranked Matchmaking is Coming

Ranked Matchmaking is Coming

The next major update will add a ranked matchmaking feature to the game. This mode is aimed at experienced players who want to play in a more competitive environment and know their matchmaking rating (MMR). Dota 2 matchmaking has always calculated MMR and used it to form matches; in ranked matchmaking we make that MMR visible.

Here’s what you need to know about ranked matchmaking:

• Ranked matchmaking is unlocked after approximately 150 games.
• All players in the party must have unlocked the mode.
• Currently, only All Pick, Captains Mode, and Captains Draft are available.
• You may not participate in ranked matchmaking while in the low priority pool.
• Coaches are not allowed in ranked matchmaking.
• Matches played in normal matchmaking do not impact your ranked matchmaking MMR, and vice versa.
• Your ranked MMR is visible only to you and your friends. The MMR used for normal matchmaking is not visible.
• When you first start using ranked matchmaking, you will enter a calibration phase of 10 games. During this time, your ranked MMR will not be visible.

There will be total of four MMRs for each player:

Normal Matchmaking Queue Solo

Normal Matchmaking Queue Party

Rankedl Matchmaking Queue Solo

Ranked Matchmaking Queue Party

For More Information Click Here

Read More

Perfect World Entertainment may release DOTA 2 in China.

Perfect World Entertainment, the China-based publisher behind games like Perfect World International,Neverwinter, Star Trek Online, and Champions Online, ended the last financial quarter in a strong place. Citing the Chinese release of Swordsman Online and Saint Seiya Online as driving factors, Perfect World claimed $136.2 million in revenue and $19.8 million in net profit -- up from last year's marks of $114.2 million and $14.2 million respectively.

Perfect World also expressed its hope for even better quarters to come thanks to big launches in the pipeline. It is currently localizing Neverwinter for a Chinese release and will be overseeing Valve's Dota 2as it makes its way into Chinese markets.

Source:joystiq

Read More