“[I]f you want the best singleplayer and multiplayer skirmishes in a genre which is heavily defined by the number of moving parts, then you start by cutting out the phase of play that looks more like the beginning of a chess game and less like the awesome simulation of war that RTS can be.” … Continue readingIt’s Time to Fix the RTS Earlygame
“[W]hat I can assure you is that the game which forces you to demonstrate competency and mastery of a universe—often to the point where that universe is burned into your brain—is going to lead to a more satisfying and memorable impression than the passive experience that’s as challenging as a cheap television show.” … Continue readingOn Difficulty
“Everything about this show—from the corporate influence, to the structure, and pacing, to the horrible choice of entertainment options—is partially or absolutely the work of one Geoff Keighley, the Lord and Master of Doing the Dew. But talk is cheap and so is this awards ceremony. Let’s get to business.” … Continue readingThe Game Awards 2014 Sing-Along Guide
“[I]n roughly the same time that a variety of genres went from proof of concept to their apex, the dota genre has gone from Defense of the Ancients…to Dota 2.” … Continue readingWhy Dota Sucks — Conclusion
“So let’s explain the real reason that dota became popular. It has nothing to do with the quality of any dota game.” … Continue readingWhy Dota Sucks — 13. Why Dota is Popular
“What the creators of Defense of the Ancients inadvertently pioneered was a game model that was designed to defeat the decline of novelty, a game which can offer new situations even as a world of replays, video streamers, salaried players, and tens of millions of players hammer down on it.” … Continue readingWhy Dota Sucks — 12. Novelty (Why Dota is Acclaimed)
“[I]f your game does not give veteran players the agency to overcome lousy teammates, and if your game does not give weaker players the game modes where they can learn the game without inconveniencing others, then the inevitable result is a community of raving lunatics.” … Continue readingWhy Dota Sucks — 11. Why Dota is "Toxic"
“In other words, dota is defined by “teamwork” because its creators have failed to provide anything but teamwork.” … Continue readingWhy Dota Sucks — 10. Dota and Teamwork
“I do not want a game of weak logic where the theory changes because its creator wants to balance a matchup, and I do not want a game where it is more convenient to learn things by reading a guide than it is to play it. I want games which are worlds, and have rulesets which are confident and strong enough to convince me that is absolutely what they are.” … Continue readingWhy Dota Sucks — 9. Dota Obscura
“How can the Dota series be balanced if we are now nearly a dozen years past its conception, and yet, it always seems like someone has to go back and make a correction? And how can dota games be balanced if nobody seems confident enough to stake their reputation on a current version of the game?” … Continue readingWhy Dota Sucks — 8. Balance