DotA and HoN - Surviving through the years

Dota - "Defense of the Ancients" is a custom map (mod) for Warcraft III. Dota is an excellent game that I've been playing for years. Whenever there's an MMO drought (like there is "right" now...) I've always relied on Dota to keep me entertained. No matter how much time passes, it consistently remains fun, and manages to survive through each year.

The gameplay consists of 2 teams, 1-5 players each - Though most games are structured to be a 5v5 setup. Each player controls their own "hero", and their objective is simply to outplay the enemy team and destroy their base. That is about as "simple" as I can explain it, but the gameplay is far, far, more complicated. I could go about all the gritty details surrounding the game, but that's not the point of this post. If you're in need of such information, check out the wiki page for Dota -

This game offers two of the most important aspects a game should have.
1. Fun Gameplay
2. Replayability

Simple, yes? If a game is fun, and you can play it over and over without getting bored, you have a "successful game"...right?

This is true, but no game is without it's issues. Unfortunately, Dota is restricted by many things due to the engine it was developed on. Warcraft III wasn't meant for Dota, and Blizzard isn't necessarily going to "fix" issues with a user-created "mod".

Here are some faults with DotA:
1. Leavers
Dota is a strategic game, and the slightest error can sometimes ruin the rest of the game for you. Since nothing is "really" ever on the line, people make these mistakes often. They decide the game is no longer worth their time, so they leave. This creates an imbalanced 4v5 situation, and it can only get worse from there. 3v5, 4v2, 1v3, ect. There isn't any possible way to implement a "replacement" for the missing players, once they leave...it's over.

2. Game Hosting.
In order to play, someone has to host the game. Of of their own connection.
What does this mean? If the host loses connection, everybody loses connection. If the host lags, everybody lags. In general, there are other server issues too - and lag majorly interrupts gameplay.

3. Disconnects
This can kind of go together with hosting, but sometimes disconnects happen. The users fault, battle.net's fault? It's not always the same reason, but when the plug gets pulled - you can't get back in. Sure, you can start a new game, but really, that's not the point.

There's really a lot more to it than that, I'm just pointing out a "few" engine problems...problems that are obliterated within HoN.

HoN stands for Heroes of Newerth - and it's a Dota clone, pure and simple. It's Dota, but with an updated engine. They offer a few random changes that aren't within Dota, and the fix a lot of issues that Dota had. They host their own servers, and provide "leaver protection". I've played the game first hand and I can say it actually works. No more leavers, no more "bad hosts", and if I disconnect for some reason, I can get right back in the game - exactly where I left off.

When you break it down, Dota is fun, but has issues. HoN is fun, and fixes most of Dota's issues. You don't get all of the heroes that have been developed for Dota, but most have been implemented into HoN, and the gameplay is exactly the same. HoN is the "new" Dota.

The biggest issue that both games have in common, and is most likely impossible to fix, is the learning curve. In order to properly play either game, you must have knowledge...experience. Dota is a strategic game, and if you don't play all of your cards right, you will lose, and your morale will plummet. It's impossible for a team of people new to the game to beat a team that has been playing for years. If you want to enjoy the game, you have to get the experience. To get the experience you have to lose, a lot.

If you're sitting at home, bored, and are willing to take a beating for a month or two, pick up Dota/HoN - it will pay off, eventually. We're seeing some dark times in the gaming world, and you can't afford to pass up any good games.