Boots & 6.64

Boots & 6.64
Posted 09-23-2009 at 07:31 PM by IceFrog
I started working on 6.64 a couple days ago. At first we began experimenting with some number tweaks to the boots, and even some ideas for secondary bonuses that seemed interesting.

However, we found out that there is a technical issue with Phase Boots. They seem to prevent procs like crits, bashes, etc while phased. It was never as apparent before because it was not coupled with attack speed. This makes the Phase Boots a bit anti-synergetic.

While there may be workarounds for that bug, most would probably come at the cost of some functionality. So while still keeping with the primary no armor concept, I am exploring a new buildup for Phase Boots and Power Treads. Keep in mind that numbers are still at an early stage and this change is by no means final, but I'd like to share one version of what we are experimenting with.


Phase Boots:
=============
Boots of Speed (500)
2x Blades of Attack (1000)
Recipe (none)
Total: 1500

+70 Movement Speed
+26 Damage
Phase (Active)


Power Treads:
==============
Boots of Speed (500)
Boots of Elvenskin or Belt of Giant Strength or Robe of the Magi (450)
Gloves of Haste (500)
Recipe (none)
Total: 1450

+60 MS
+10 Any Attribute
+30 IAS


Again, we usually go through many different concept revisions before a final change is decided (if one even happens) so don't take this as a decided change for 6.64 ye

ca tombe bien les treads et phase actuelles sont nuls a chier

yes lol, ça doit être l'sk lothar qui lui a donné des idées ^.^

lol hehe il commence a être connu =)

Q&A Session #3
Posted 09-28-2009 at 09:30 PM by IceFrog
Q: How much longer do you realistically look at DotA as something that you want to put your time into and update? (from Murazor)

A: I honestly can't see myself stopping anytime soon; It is the only game I really play so I get a lot of satisfaction out of working on it. I think there are a lot of areas to further improve and build upon. I hope for the game to reach new heights competitively and have a much bigger audience overall. I tend to go out of my way to make sure I don't put myself in situations where I can no longer develop with the freedom and quality needed to take it to that level.


Q: How do you decide what to change? Are you trying to make the game faster or more gank oriented? (from sgamer.com)

A: I don't think of things that way exactly. While that is usually true, it is not accurate to consider it as the root philosophy that drives everything. DotA's primary strength is in its depth and the moment to moment decisions it places in front of the player to make. There are also many non-obvious pitfalls that could seem like good ideas, but actually hurt the game's true depth. My primary goal is focused on improving the quality and depth of the game and not other superficial metrics of success. I want players to always feel there is a lot to improve upon and to encourage situations where a player is rewarded when he is able to make better decisions than his opponent, which is something I think even non-competitive players value. That is the core of what a competitive game should be after all, creating more opportunity for good decision making. There are, of course, many other factors that are considered for all changes, but this is usually the first priority.


Q: What do you think of Starcraft 2 Editor? (from tobby)

A: It looks great, I'm sure there will be lots of interesting games developed for it. By allowing more direct control over the camera and cursor, as well as the other features described, it will spawn new genres, like Warcraft 3 did before it.


Q: Have you decided if you are moving DotA to Starcraft 2 yet? (from Vodotz)

A: I've been actively exploring several options for some time now. Starcraft 2 might not necessarily have what DotA needs to become a better game. Moving to any new engine presents various challenges that need to be considered:

- Will we be able to reproduce the subtle, but very important, unit spell, attack and movement mechanics properly?
- Will the art style fit DotA? Will there be enough unique and identifiable character models for heroes to use?
- Will it encourage team sponsors or help improve the DotA competitive scene?
- Will it provide features that improve DotA, such as: accessibility, networking capabilities, visual readability, spectator features, interface design, etc.

These are the general issues I've been considering when thinking about what the right thing is for DotA's future.


Q: Why did you remove the combat regeneration from Heart of Tarrasque? (from Florian)

A: It was a very specific choice to completely remove combat regeneration from it rather than just reduce it. While it was a nerf, that wasn't the primary goal. The problem with trying to measure the value of regeneration on Heart is that it makes your success in a fight depend at least partially on how long the fight lasts. The core issue is more about what it promotes rather than it allowing you to survive. It encourages the wrong things and doesn't reward players who make better moment to moment decisions as much as it could. It removes some depth from the game and makes it a little less interesting over all. If the item needs a certain amount of tanking power, it is much more direct to add more hit point bonus to the item instead of doing it via a method that obscures the ability to measure the balance of the item.

This is more about the design philosophy the item should have, rather than its actual numbers or power, since I consider those as solvable problems if you have the right design to start with. In general, I prefer to lean towards creating a situation of long term solvability to issues. Some things might be knowingly imperfect but done in a manner that increases measurability to allow it to settle in a better place in the long run.


Q: How can I help improve the game itself? Are you going to add my suggestion if I send it? (from JoseC)

A: The best way is to give feedback; I always appreciate getting suggestions from players. While it isn't practical to expect a specific idea to be used (because of the large number of people with different perspectives), it doesn't mean that they don't get factored in. For me, it isn't always about the specific suggestions as much as what the player is thinking about and how they measure value. Most changes are usually a compilation of many different sets of data and requests over time. I tend to avoid listening to only one type of player. By "type of player" I do not mean competitive or casual at all, I mean the segment of player groups that use different mediums to express their views. There is a very large portion of users that would go unaccounted for if that was the case. Data comes from a variety of different sources, such as: emails, forums posts, replays, joining games with players from different cultures, direct dialog, etc. There are a lot of different types of players and they tend to value things very differently, so it is important for the concept of success or failure not be tunnel visioned to only one medium of opinions.


Q: What will happen with the -switch command? (from n!ght)

A: To be honest, I'm not sure yet. It is a tricky issue. On one hand, I want to remove it because in many cases, it causes more problems than it solves, and it creates an uncomfortable situation for players. On the other hand, a lot players find it very useful, and people have just slowly started to get a better understanding of when to use it and not to. I might implement something that freezes the leaver items and gold until the team decides if they want utilize -switch or take the resources, but of course that is only one aspect of the command. While it is an optional game mode now, I do recognize that it will eventually need to be addressed somehow.


Q: Why you are making new heroes with hard and interesting skills when there are many old heroes with trivial stuns and auras? (from prodota.ru)

A: There is a balance that needs to be maintained between adding new content and improving old. Some players (like me) prefer refreshing old heroes, but others grow attached to older heroes and prefer them to not be changed. The important thing to keep in mind when thinking about a remake is trying to make sure that the qualities players enjoyed in that character are maintained for the rehash. That isn't always possible, but it is something that needs to be considered. Furthermore, sometimes there is more value in simplicity, not everything basic always needs replacing. New skills might be interesting, but needless complexity should also be avoided whenever possible. I try to find a middle ground between remakes and new content so all players can be reasonably satisfied in the end.


Q: Which way to send ideas and bug reports is the most preferred and most likely to reach you? (from kiu)

A: I prefer email the most because I can sort and organize stuff better as well as being able to respond more easily.


Q: Have you considered the suggestion to make Invoker's orbs not interrupt movement? (from STT40)

A: I know a lot of people have requested this in the past. This feature was actually implemented in 6.63 before I had to remove it due unresolved technical issues. Warcraft 3 does not provide a straighforward way to do this, so I used a few tricks to achieve it, but it made command registrations unreliable so you would sometimes get incorrect orbs if you clicked too rapidly.


Q: Do you have a schedule for day/week/month, according to which you are working with DotA? (from gibigate)

A: Well it has been different over the years, between studying, programming and college research taking up different amounts of time. I generally try to make a new beta map every day to experiment with, so it's usually just a chunk of time each day rather than spaced out. It changes from month to month, though.


Q: Do you have any plans to restore custom "-terrain" commands (snow, etc.) in the near future? (from Xochaedo)

A: I could spend more time on it in the future if users want it that much, but I recommend trying out some tools that community members have written. They do more direct modding to Warcraft and can allow more changes than normally possible within a map to create a more coheesive theme.


Q: Will there be a new easter egg map soon? (from Zeyall)

A: What easter eggs?



Thanks to everyone that emailed me their questions. If you didn't see yours listed here and would still like me to answer it next time, let me know.

t'en as pas marre de nous souler avec ce genre de trucs ?
comme si toi même tu avais tout lu ...
comme si tu comprenais l'anglais ...
salope

http://www.playdota.com/changelogs/6.64

Changelog 6.64
Broodmother
- Spin Web now shows a minimap icon

Clockwerk
- Armor decreased by 1

Dark Seer
- Ion Shell cast an already affected unit will replace the old buff instead of stacking
- Wall of Replica damage dealt when affecting an enemy hero increased from 125 to 150
- Wall of Replica image damage increased from 60% to 70%

Dazzle
- Removed the extra vision that remains for 12/18/24 seconds. It now only reveals for a couple of seconds during the cast effect.

Huskar
- Burning Spears damage rescaled from 6/8/10/12 to 4/8/12/16

Lanaya
- Psionic Trap now adds to your most recently placed trap to your selection panel as a secondary unit

Leoric
- Vampiric Aura increased from 5/10/15/20% to 10/16/22/28%

Lone Druid
- True Form movement speed decreased by 35
- Hero movement speed increased by 10
- True Form transformation time increased from 1.45 to 2 seconds
- True Form armor increased by 2
- Spirit Bear's leash range reduced from 1500 to 925
- Spirit Bear no longer returns to Syllabear when he attacks out of leash range. Instead the bear will not attack

Lord of Avernus
- Aphotic Shield cast range decreased from 800 to 300
- Death Coil cast range increased from 300 to 800

Morphling
- Replicate mana cost increased from 0 to 150

Necrolyte
- Strength gain increased from 1.5 to 2.0

Nerubian Assassin
- Mana Burn can no longer target creeps since it no longer effects them (42965)

Nerubian Weaver
- Urna Swarm's Scarab's cast mechanism changed. If you cast Infestation while having multiple Scarab selected, only one casts one at a time instead of all of them.

Night Stalker
- Darkness cooldown reduced from 240/180/125 to 180/150/120

Obsidian Destroyer
- Agility increased from 15 + 1.4 -> 24 + 2.0

Pandaren Brewmaster
- Primal Split's Fire Panda now has hero damage type

Pudge
- Flesh Heap reworked, it no longer gains strength from creeps. Tnstead he gains strength (same values as before, 0.9/1.2/1.5/1. for any nearby (400 AOE) dying enemy hero. You still get the bonus if the unit dies outside of the aoe if you are the killer.

Rhasta
- Mass Serpent Wards while carrying scepter number of wards no longer increases. Instead, the damage of the wards is increased to match previous damage output.

Storm
- Base Intelligence increased from 23 to 26

Sven
- Warcry AoE increased from 350 to 450

Techies
- Remote mine now adds to your most recently placed mine to your selection panel as a secondary unit

Tidehunter
- Kraken Shell reworked, instead of removing buffs in time intervals, buffs are now removed whenever 600 HP is lost from player based damage. The counter is reset whenever you don't take damage for 6 seconds.

Undying
- Based strength reduced from 25 to 22
- Intelligence gain reduced from 2.8 to 2.0
- Dying Illusions no longer trigger Plague Aura for regeneration

Viper
- Movement speed decreased by 5

Warlock
- Fixed Upheaval from slowing in the AOE around you rather than at the target AOE as it should

Arcane Ring
- AoE increased from 400 to 600

Armlet of Mordiggian
- Recipe restored to previous version since there is no more recipe conflict. Requires claw and 900 gold recipe instead of quarter staff and 500 gold recipe

Demon Edge
- Damage increased from 36 to 46

Heart of Tarrasque
- Bonus strength increased from 35 to 40
- Regeneration disable time reduced from 10 to 8

Necronomicon
- Recipe cost reduced by 50 gold

Mjollnir
- Static Charge changed from 45 cooldown to 35

Phase Boots
- Bonuses and recipe reworked
Phase Boots:
=============
Boots of Speed (500)
2x Blades of Attack (1000)
Total: 1500

+70 Movement Speed
+24 Damage
Phase (Active)


Power Treads
- Bonuses and recipe reworked

Power Treads:
==============
Boots of Speed (500)
Boots of Elvenskin or Belt of Giant Strength or Robe of the Magi (450)
Gloves of Haste (500)
Total: 1450

+60 MS
+10 Any Attribute
+25 IAS


Orchid Malevolence
- Increased damage by 5

Satanic
- Bonus damage fixed on units that morph
- Cooldown reduced from 50 to 35


* Reworked buyback cost scaling

It uses the following formula:
100+Level*Level*1.5+Time*15

Roughly the same during the early-midgame, but scales higher as the game progresses.


* Lots of ingame scoreboard improvements

- Removed excess information like game time since it is available above. Condensed some other space.
- Added an allies only column for current gold.
- Added an allies only column for ultimate cooldowns.
- Scoreboard title now displays all player respawn times, grouped in allies and enemy sections, so you can easily see how long someone has to revive without expanding the board manually.


* Slightly increased the regen rate of barracks and towers when they are attacked without nearby creeps/corpses from 40 to 55

* Added colored teleportation effects (allied only) at the target destination to match your player color (infrisios,5153)

* Added a new command -ii (-iteminfo) that displays allied hero items in the scoreboard

* Added a new Forked Lighting Icon, Name (Ether Shock) and visual effect (16523)
* Changed Vengeful Spirit sound set (13425)
* Changed Void's Time Lock visual effect (5793)
* Items that get disabled with damage (Heart & Dagger) are no longer affected by self damage. Roshan damage now disables them.

* Added a new test command "-killwards" to remove all observer and sentry wards on the map
* Added a new Eyes in the Forest icon (46851)
* Added a visual effect for Kraken Shell when buffs are removed
* Added color change visual for Morphling's model based on the ratio of agility to strength
* Added buyback message for observers
* New replay data available
Roshan Death: "Roshan",0/1
Aegis Received: "AegisOn", PlayerID
Aegis Dropped: "AegisOff", PlayerID
Game Mode: "Mode"+String,HostPlayerID
Hero Levelup: "Level"+Level,PlayerID
Rune Store: "RuneStore"+RuneID, PlayerID. RuneID=1/2/3/4/5
Rune Use: "RuneUse"+RuneID, PlayerID. RuneID=1/2/3/4/5 (Haste/Regen/DD/Illusion/Invis)


* Fixed bug that prevented Open Wounds from working properly on non-hero units. It can now target regular units.
* Fixed Linken Sphere to properly block Nerubian Assassin's Mana Burn
* Courier's Deliver Items ability now properly exits its logic if you interrupt the courier with a different order (shield and burst don't count)
* Fixed Mjollnir's Static Charge being stackable
* Fixed Proximity Mines not triggering automatically on Scourge Towers like they do on the Sentinel ones
* Fixed a bug with disassembling Mjollnir not giving the recipe
* Fixed Enchant from being able to take over Primal Split units
* Fixed a bug with HCL mode where the game mode could be duplicated resulting in various other weird bugs
* Fixed various typos
* Fixed missing cooldown tooltip to neutral creep Tornado ability
* Fixed Glyph from affecting Tombstone

* Added a new test command "-killwards" to remove all observer and sentry wards on the map

info?

ah ya -iteminfo pour montrer les items de tes alliés dans la barre des scores ^^

pour les wards ca doit uniquement être en mode -test, ou tu peux faire n'importe quoi