DotA, Dota 2, and Computers - Latest News, Tips and Tricks

DotA 6.73c AI Status + DotA 6.72f AI v1.2 Translations

noreply@blogger.com (Nisar) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:09:00 +0000

Some good news folks! PBMN posted an update on his blog regarding AI for the latest map, DotA 6.73c. Although he didn't mention a release date, there is one thing for sure - work is in progress and we are definitely getting DotA 6.73c AI.

There was also mention of adding translations to his latest AI release, DotA 6.72f AI v1.2. Translations are now available for the following:

English
Filipino
Chinese
Russian
Greek
German
Português - Bra
Spanish

To get the download links for the maps, click here.

Dota 2 Key Giveaway : 20 keys to be won

noreply@blogger.com (Nisar) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:39:00 +0000

All right folks. I'm back with another Dota 2 giveaway. It's not from me, but from a community that is as passionate about Dota 2 as we are.

Elite Gamerz is staging it's own Dota 2 Key Giveaway for one whole month. 20 participants have a chance of winning the elusive prize - A Dota 2 key. Of course, you'll have to register at their forums and follow certain rules, but anything for a Dota 2 key, right? For more details and rules, visit their site at Dota 2 Beta Key Giveaway

DotA 6.73c Released : Bug Fixes & Nerfs

noreply@blogger.com (Nisar) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 03:56:00 +0000

A new version of the latest map just got released to address some bug fixes and some nerfs. You can get it from GetDota. The changelog is as follows:

* Fire Remnant activation cost increased from 100 to 150
* Flame Guard magic barrier reduced from 150/300/450/600 to 100/250/400/550
* Moment of Courage cooldown increased from 0.75 to 0.9
* Chakram manacost over time reduced from 20/30/40 to 20/25/30

* Removed all Christmas themed additions
* Fixed death timer not showing properly
* Fixed a crash that happens on PowerPC Mac systems when playing online
* Fixed a rare bug that could cause Ember Spirit to be unable to move
* More map optimizations

* Fixed Aghanim Tiny Illusions appearing as unupgraded Tiny
* Fixed rare bugs with Sleight of Fist and Hex
* Fixed sound effect on Skywrath Mage's attack projectile
* Fixed visual effect for Rod of Atos's slow not showing
* Fixed various tooltips
* Fixed Ring of Aquila shared disable icon
* Fixed a very minor visual glitch with Tranquil Boots item cooldown causing non-active items to look in cooldown
* Fixed Shadow Demon's scoreboard icon
* Fixed a bug with Tranquil boots and Aghanim Meepo
* Fixed Orchid recipe shop hotkey
* Fixed Chakram continuing to deal damage after game is over

DotA 6.73b Released : Bug Fixes

noreply@blogger.com (Nisar) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 06:12:00 +0000

A new version of the latest map just got released to address some bug fixes. You can get it from GetDota.com. The changelog is as follows:

* Couriers are now invulnerable near their fountain
* Fixed Santa Hats on Illusions
* Fixed Tiny's Tree visuals when he gets cycloned
* Fixed first hit with Sleight of Fist being unable to bash
* Fixed a big exploit with Fire Remnants that could cause it to do dramatically more damage than intended
* Removed Pudge Santa
* Fixed Meepo clones not respawning with full mana
* Fixed Stone Giant's Aghanim bonus stacking with multiple instances
* Fixed Whirling Death damage tooltip
* Fixed Zeal HP regeneration
* Fixed Meepo's interaction with Tranquility Boots
* Fixed attack range on Legion Commander and Goblin Shredder being slightly off
* Fixed Goblin Shredder's agility and intelligence growth values being off
* Fixed Skywrath Mage not triggering Land Mines
* Fixed a bug with Sleight of Fist and Manta Style
* Duel can now only target heroes (it didn't do anything on non-heroes already)

DotA 6.72f AI v1.2 Map Download

noreply@blogger.com (Nisar) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 06:30:00 +0000

It's double bonanza this Christmas. First we had DotA 6.73 released and now PBMN just updated DotA 6.72f AI v1.1 to DotA 6.72f AI v1.2. There are bug fixes in this version. Also, he did mention about working on 6.73 AI in the new year. So it's official. We're gonna have AI for the latest map too, but it will take some time.

Nonetheless, here is the changelog for DotA 6.72f v1.2:

Fixed: Windrunner group lost bug removed.
Fixed: Some minor tweak in aiming func.
Fixed: Human KotL auto-using Recall.
Fixed: Delay bug in AIAttackedByHumanHero
Added storing of learn and use skills by heroes.
Fixed: Magnus' not using Reverse.
Fixed: Magnus' itembuild.
Applied range check to Sprout (Furion's) and Shackle (Rhasta, plus disable check). Now both won't use the spell against enemy out of range -> no rambo mode, no missed Sprout.
Tauren now use ability to join with idle spirit.
Fixed: KotL Illuminate, added extra use.
Improved AI: usage of SandKing's Burrowstrike and Epi-Blink.
Little improvement on Shadowfiend's Shadow Raze
Undid all fake abilities, changing base order instead. (Troll's Ranged Whirling Axe, Batrider's Firebreak, Phoenix' Sun Ray)
Fixed: Akasha not using ulti.
Fixed: incorrect SunRay order.
Fixed: Lone Druid not using Rabid and some bug in Battlecry usage.
Fixed: problems in channel-based skills.
Fixed: some bugs related to skill learning, esp. Huskar.
Meld should not decrease building's armor anymore.
Fair aggro attempt. Orb attack do not count as attack.
Fixed: Leshrac's AI (now use Edict and Nova properly)
Applied the "free mode" to AI's scroll of town portal (supposedly decrease tp-cancel probability).
AI Assault Cuirass Recipe fix: 1500 -> 1300

Download Link:

DotA 6.72f AI v1.2 - English

Mirror Link:

DotA 6.72f AI v1.2 - English

DotA 6.73 Map Released : 4 New Heroes + New Loading Screen

noreply@blogger.com (Nisar) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 15:37:00 +0000

IceFrog said he would release DotA 6.73 and he kept his promise. DotA 6.73 has been officially released for download a few hours ago. The biggest change is the addition of 4 new heroes. Get your copy now by going to GetDota website.

If GetDota website is down, no worries. I've uploaded the file to File Serve. You can download the file by clicking the below link:

File name: DotA v6.73.w3x
File size:7.86 MB
For the record, here is the changelog. Let me warn you though - it's a huge list:

Read More...

Heroes

• Added 4 New Heroes.

- Intelligence: Dragonus, Skywrath Mage
- Agility : Xin, Ember Spirit
- Strength: Rizzrak, Goblin Shredder
- Strength: Tresdin, Legion Commander

Alchemist
- Chemical Rage Base Attack Time reduced from 1.45/1.35/1.2 to 1.45/1.3/1.15
- Goblin's Greed bonus gold limit increased from 18 to 26

Anti-Mage
- Reverted the 6.72 Base Attack Time improvement, BAT from 1.35 to 1.45
- Armor reduced by 1

Axe
- Aghanim's Culling Blade cooldown from 10 to 6
- Base Int from 14 to 18
- Base HP regeneration from 1.25 to 2
- Battle Hunger gives Axe a 4% bonus movement speed per target it affects
- Berserker's Call cooldown from 14 to 10
- Counter Helix damage increased from 100/125/150/175 to 100/130/160/190
- Counter Helix proc cooldown decreased from 0.7/0.65/0.6/0.55 to 0.65/0.6/0.55/0.5
- If Culling Blade kills a unit, Axe unleashes a war cry, giving nearby allied units (600 AoE) a temporary movement bonus (25% for 6 seconds).

Bane Elemental
- Movement speed increased from 305 to 315
- Base Str/Agi/Int increased from 18/18/18 to 22/22/22

Blood Seeker
- Thirst no longer partially reveals invisible heroes below 40% health
- Thirst now fully reveals invisible heroes below 20% health
- Rupture duration improved from 5/7/9 to 7/8/9
- Rupture cooldown now scales from 70 to 70/60/50

Bone Fletcher
- Searing Arrows no longer has a cooldown at level 1
- Strafe Attack Speed bonus increased from 90 to 110
- Wind Walk movement bonus increased from 10/20/30/40 to 11/22/33/44%

Bounty Hunter
- Track gold bonus for Bounty Hunter increased from 75/150/225 to 150/200/250

Bristleback
- Cast point decreased from 0.5 to 0.4
- Attack point reduced
- Turn Rate Increased (makes him turn faster)

Centaur Warchief
- Double Edge cooldown decreased from 10 to 8

Dark Seer
- Ion Shell duration increased from 15 to 20
- Ion Shell AoE from increased 225 to 250
- Ion Shell cooldown increased from 7 to 10
- Ion Shell damage increased from 30/45/60/75 to 30/50/70/90
- Wall of Replica illusions are now semi-transparent to enemy players

Dirge
- Flesh Golem cooldown decreased from 90 to 75
- Decay cooldown decreased from 11/9/7/5 to 10/8/6/4

Doom Bringer
- Scorched Earth duration increased from 8/10/12/14 to 10/12/14/16

Dragon Knight
- While in Dragon form Dragon Tail's cast range increased from 150 to 400

Drow Ranger
- Base Agility increased by 4

Enchantress
- Enchantress movement speed from 305 to 310

Eredar
- Model changed to the Archimonde model

Furion
- Wrath of Nature cooldown rescaled from 90/60/60 to 90/75/60

Gyrocopter
- Armor increased by 2

Jakiro
- Ice Path cooldown decreased from 16/15/14/13 to 12/11/10/9
- Macropyre duration increased from 5 to 7 seconds

Juggernaut
- Omnislash random damage improved from 150-250 to 175-250
- Omnislash hit count increased from 3/5/8 (5/7/10 aghanim) to 3/6/9 (6/9/12 aghanim)

Keeper of the Light
- Blinding Light cooldown decreased from 20 to 20/16/12
- Recall cooldown decreased from 40 to 15 seconds

Kunkka
- Strength growth increased from 2.7 to 3.0
- Ghost Ship's CoCo's Rum duration increased from 5/6/7 to 8
- Tidebringer cleave AoE improved from 380/420/460/500 to 500
- Torrent slow increased from 30 to 35%
- X Marks The Spot cooldown decreased from 30 to 20 seconds

Krobelus
- Witchcraft movement speed increased from 3/6/9/12% to 4/8/12/16%

Lanaya
- Refraction instances increased from 2/3/4/5 to 3/4/5/6

Leoric
- Reincarnation slow duration increased from 3 to 4 seconds
- Reincarnation cooldown decreased from 300/220/140 to 260/160/60

Leshrac
- Movement speed increased from 310 to 315
- Pulse Nova AoE increased from 400 to 450

Lina Inverse
- Base intelligence increased by 3
- Dragon Slave travel distance increased by 100
- Dragon Slave final AoE increased from 125 to 150

Lion
- Mana Drain level 4 increased from 100 to 120 per second
- Mana Drain now drains at 0.25 second intervals instead of 1 second (596884)

Lord of Avernus
- Aphotic Shield will explode at the end of its duration if it has not taken sufficient damage
- Aphotic Shield cooldown decreased from 18/15/12/9 to 14/12/10/8
- Aphotic Shield cast range increased from 450 to 500

Luna
- Base damage increased by 5

Magnataur
- Skewer cooldown decreased from 35 to 30
- Empower duration increased from 30 to 40 seconds

Medusa
- Toggle cooldown on mana shield removed
- Stone Gaze rebalanced

- No longer changes the scale of the purge per level (was negligible), now recovers at a medium rate always
- Instead of checking to stone units over the first 0.6 seconds, it checks over the full 5 seconds.
- Units affected by the Stone Gaze cannot get reaffected during the application period
- Illusion & Summoned unit damage from 600/800/1000 to 500/1000/1500
- Manacost from 100/50/0 to 200/100/0
- Cooldown from 100 to 140/110/80

Meepo
- Poof damage rescaled from 50/80/110/140 to 80/100/120/140

Mirana
- Fixed Elune's Arrow damaging but not stunning invisible units

Morphling
- Base agility increased by 5
- Adaptive strike cooldown decreased from 20 to 10

Naga Siren
- Ensnare cast range increased from 620/630/640/650 to 650
- Song of the Siren AoE increased from 750 to 1250
- Song of the Siren's End ability is now available 0.5 seconds after casting (484587)

Necrolyte
- Death Pulse AoE increased from 375/425/450/475 to 475
- Heartstopper damage increased from 0.4/0.6/0.8/1.0% to 0.5/0.7/0.9/1.1%
- Sadist level 4 now restores 600 mana if you kill a hero

Nerubian Assassin
- Vendetta cooldown decreased from 90/75/60 to 70/60/50
- Mana Burn cooldown decreased from 35/25/15/5 to 28/20/12/4

Obsidian Destroyer
- Sanity's Eclipse now hits units imprisoned by Astral Imprisonment

Pandaren Brewmaster
- Drunken Haze cooldown decreased from 12 to 8
- Tinted Panda Brewmaster's Primal Split model colors

Phantom Assassin
- Stifling Dagger damage increased from 40/80/120/160 to 50/100/150/200

Phantom Lancer
- Doppelwalk movement bonus increased from 10 to 15%
- Juxtapose illusions cap increased from 2/3/4/5 to 2/4/6/8

Phoenix
- Fire Spirits heal amount decreased to 50% of damage
- Fire Spirits now targets a location rather than a unit
- Fire Spirits cooldown decreased from 35 to 30
- Fire Spirits projectile speed increased
- Icarus Dive cooldown decreased from 30 to 25
- Sun Ray hp activation cost decreased from 25% to 20%
- Sun Ray manacost rescaled from 35 to 10/20/30/40

Pit Lord
- Expulsion corpse explosion rate decreased from every 1.25 seconds to 1.5 seconds
- Expulsion manacost increased from 125 to 125/135/145/155

Pudge
- Flesh Heap now has a overhead notification when strength is gained

Pugna
- Life Drain damage increased from 95/140/185 to 100/150/200 (and Scepter from 150/200/250 to 175/225/275)
- Life Drain duration increased from 9 to 10 seconds

Queen of Pain
- Base damage increased by 4
- Scream of Pain AoE increased from 400/425/450/475 to 475

Razor
- Static Link duration, after it finishes draining, increased from 13 to 18
- Static Link cooldown rescaled from 35/30/25/20 to 25

Rooftrellen
- Overgrowth damage per second decreased from 70/100/130 to 50/75/100
- Leech Seed manacost increased from 110/120/130/140 to 140

Rubick
- Fade Bolt manacost increased from 90/95/100/105 to 150
- Fade Bolt cd rescaled from 10 to 16/14/12/10
- Telekinesis manacost decreased from 160 to 120

Sand King
- Epicenter's slow is no longer blocked by magic immunity
- Caustic Finale buff duration increased from 2 to 8 seconds

Shadow Fiend
- Movement speed increased from 300 to 305
- Agility growth increased from 2.4 to 2.9
- Necromancy soul cap increased from 8/15/23/30 to 8/16/24/32

Silencer
- Glaives of Wisdom damage increased from 30/40/50/60% to 30/45/60/75%
- Last Word now functions while Silencer is stunned/silenced
- Last Word no longer triggers when enemies use items

Slark
- Pounce damage increased from 40/80/120/160 to 70/140/210/280
- Pounce cooldown rescaled from 12 to 20/16/12/8
- Pounce cast range increased from 400/500/600/700 to 700
- Shadow Dance regen increased from 2/3/4% to 3/4/5%
- Shadow Dance passive bonuses activation delay decreased from 0.7 to 0.5

Sniper
- Shrapnel AoE increased from 325 to 350

Spectre
- Dispersion damage no longer disables items like Blink Dagger

Spirit Breaker
- Charge of Darkness cooldown decreased from 40 to 35
- Charge of Darkness AoE knockback increased from 250 to 300
- Netherstrike damage increased from 100/200/300 to 150/250/350

Stealth Assassin
- Backstab damage bonus increased from 0.25/0.5/0.75/1.0 to 0.5/0.75/1.0/1.25 of agility

Storm Spirit
- Overload bonus damage increased from 30/45/60/75 to 30/50/70/90

Sven
- Great Cleave increased from 20/30/40/50% to 30/40/50/60%
- God's Strength is no longer purgeable
- God's Strength damage buff increased from 100/125/150% to 100/140/180%
- Warcry duration increased from 6 to 8 seconds
- Warcry cast time removed

Tinker
- Laser's miss duration increased from 2 to 3 seconds

Tiny
- Tiny now automatically and permanently equips a tree when he has Aghanim's Scepter
(Gives 235 range, 50% cleave and 1.75x damage towards buildings)

Troll Warlord
- Fervor increments now increase while attacking towers

Tuskarr
- Snowball cooldown decreased from 40 to 28

Ursa Warrior
- Armor increased by 1
- Enrage damage increased from 4/5/6% to 5/6/7% of current HP
- Earthshock AoE increased from 365 to 385
- Earthshock cooldown decreased from 7 to 6
- Fury Swipes damage increased from 10/15/20/25 to 15/20/25/30

Visage
- Added Aghanim Scepter for Visage (creates 1 extra familiar)
- Soul Assumption manacost rescaled from 200/180/160/140 to 170/160/150/140

Warlock
- Infernal's Flaming Fists trigger chance increased from 40% to 60%
- Infernal's Flaming Fists damage increased from 75/115/150 to 100/150/200

Zeus
- Arc Lightning level 4 damage increased from 130 to 145 damage
- Lightning Bolt cooldown decreased from 6.5 to 6
- Static Field now affects creeps
- Static Field no longer requires unit visibility to take effect

Items

New Item: Rod of Atos

Requires:
2x Staff of Wizardry (2000)
Vitality Booster (1100)
Total: 3100

Provides:
+25 Intelligence
+250 HP
Cripple (active, target unit)

Slows the target's movement speed by 50% for 4.

Cast Range: 800
Cooldown: 20
Manacost: 50

New Item: Heaven's Halberd

Requires:
Sange (2150)
Talisman of Evasion (1800)
Total: 3950

Provides:
+20 Strength
+25 Damage
+25 Evasion
Lesser Maim (passive, same as sange)
Disarm (active)

Removes the target's ability to attack for 4 seconds to ranged targets and 3 seconds to melee targets.
Cooldown: 30
Cast Range: 600
Manacost: 100

New Item: Ring of Aquila

Requires:
Wraith Band (485)
Ring of Basilius (500)
Total: 985

Provides:
+9 Damage
+3 All Stats
+3 Agility
+1 Armor
+2 Armor Aura
+0.65 Mana Regeneration Aura

Can be Disassembled

New Item: Abyssal Blade

Requires:
Sacred Relic (3800, +60 dmg)
Cranium Basher (2950, +40 dmg, +6 str, bash)
Total: 6750

Provides:
+100 Damage
+10 Strength
Bash (passive, same as cranium)
Overwhelm (active)

Overwhelm: Disables a target unit for 2 seconds. Can be cast on magic immune units.
CD: 60 seconds
Manacost: 150
Cast Range: 140

New Item: Tranquil Boots

Requires:
Boots of Speed (500)
Ring of Protection (175)
Ring of Regeneration (350)
Total: 1025

Provides:
+80 Movement
+3 HP Regen
+3 Armor
Rejuvenate (active)

If you take more than 3 instances of damage (greater than 20) in the past 10 seconds, the item temporarily breaks and becomes basic boots (until the last 10 seconds don't have 3 instances). Same damage source rules as Blink Dagger.

Rejuvinate: Restores 150 HP over 10 seconds, non-combat only. Can only be casted on self.
Cooldown: 40
Manacost: 25

Boots of Travel
- Recipe cost decreased from 2200 to 2000
- Movement speed increased from 95 to 100

Bloodstone
- Bloodstone initial charges increased from 5 to 6
- Bloodstone respawn time reduction increased from 3 to 4 seconds per charge

Butterfly
- Evasion increased from 30 to 35%

Divine Rapier
- Damage increased from 250 to 300

Ethereal Blade
- Ether blast cast range increased from 700 to 800

Eul's Scepter of Divinity
- Movement speed bonus increased from 25 to 30

Linken's Sphere
- Added +10 damage to account for component bonuses
- No longer triggered by Medallion of Courage
- No longer triggered by Urn of Shadows

Magic Wand
- No longer loses charges when upgrading from Magic Stick

Mask of Madness
- Berserk's movement speed bonus increased from 20% to 25%

Mjollnir
- Chain lightning bounce count increased from 4 to 8

Necronomicon
- Archer's Mana burn cast range increased from 250 to 600
- Archer's attack damage increased from 31/61/91 to 40/80/120
- Warrior's attack damage increased from 21/41/61 to 25/50/75

Orb of Venom
- Cost decreased from 450 to 350

Orchid Malevolence
- Recipe Reworked: now requires 2 Oblivion Staffs and a 775 gold recipe. See stats below

Old Orchid:
Total Cost: 5025
+20 Intelligence
+30 Attack Speed
+45 Damage
+225% mana regen
Soul Burn

New Orchid:
Total Cost: 4125
+25 Intelligence
+30 Attack Speed
+30 Damage
+150% mana regen
Soul Burn

Smoke of Deceit
- Dispel AoE for nearby heroes increased from 950 to 1025

Refresher Orb
- Added +6 Intelligence to account for component bonuses

Stygian Desolator
- Desolator recipe cost decreased from 1200 to 900

Vanguard
- HP Bonus decreased from 275 to 250

Veil of Discord
- Recipe now requires only one Robe of the Magi, completed bonuses are the same

Gameplay & Cosmetics:

- Significant changes to couriers

- Couriers now give 150 to each enemy player, instead of 300 to the killer.
- Couriers no longer drop items when they die
- Couriers respawn 3 minutes after death, the items they have are inaccesible during that time
- Flying courier no longer has invulnerability shield
- Basic courier is magic immune (like flying courier, most spells did not work on couriers already)

- Buyback cooldown increased from 4 minutes to 5
- Heroes now respawn with full mana
- Gold over time from 0.875 intervals to 0.8
- Runes will no longer spawn the same rune type 2 times in a row
- Added Treant Protector, Terrorblade and Tuskarr to Captain's Mode
- Added a new loading screen
- Added various christmas themed effects
- New Crystal Maiden Skin
- Pudge Santa Model
- Christmas World Tree
- Candy Cane for Tangoes
- Santa Hats for anyone with a kill streak

Your hero gets it when you have 3 or more kills. You lose the hat when your streak ends.
You can type -nosanta to remove the hat.

- Santa Hats for couriers
- Santa Hat for Roshan
- Present model for item treasure chests

- Added an icon change when Ring of Basilius is in hero only state
- Moved Manta Style to Protectorate shop (to make room)
- Moved the Flying Courier item to the consumable shop

- Hero pool in -CD increased from 24 to 28
- Satyr Soulstealer manapool from 400 to 600
- Harpy Storm manapool from 360 to 540
- Satyr Hellcaller mana pool increased from 300 to 600
- Forest Healing Troll now has a Mana Aura (+2 MP/sec)
- Forest Healing Troll's heal cooldown from 0.75 to 0.5 seconds

-Bounty is now a part of -st (537656)
- Removed stock cooldown on TP Scrolls, Dust and Sentry Wards
- Added a new courier (Pack Horse)
- Updated Shadow Shaman's Mass Serpent Ward animation (298692)
- Ghost Ship now has a small chance to use an alternate model
- Compressed Ancient Apparition model size
- Optimized map space usage
- Added Romanian language support

Bug Fixes

* Added a 0.2 second buffer time between Chainfrost bounces (to prevent instant explosions for nearby units after the most recent code change)
* Fixed Dreamcoil damaging but not stunning invis heroes if they leave the range while still under the effect
* Fixed Tiny's damage not being displayed when he upgrades with Aghanim
* Fixed some rare bugs with some effects being invisible depending on where your camera was
* Fixed the pathing type on Enraged Wildkin's Tornado
* Fixed Bloodlust Multicast to affect necronomicon units
* Fixed Glaives Throwers having different attack point than Meat Wagons
* Fixed issue with Open Wounds when used on neutrals
* Fixed some inconsistincies on the attack animation time between ghouls and treants
* Fixed Focus Fire interaction with Linken Sphere
* Fixed Laser interaction with Linken Sphere
* Fixed Open Wounds not working properly sometimes when the target is in fog of war
* Fixed Refraction damage status icon lingering a little after its gone

Dota 2 Beta Invitation : Winner Announced

noreply@blogger.com (Nisar) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:05:00 +0000

The time has come to declare the winner. Thank you all for your participation. Unfortunately, there can only be one winner. I ran the numbers through random.org and came up with the winning entry.

Congratulations Aziz. You won yourself an invitation. Please check your email for further instructions.

To others: I'll be running future competitions as and when I get my hands on more keys/invitations. So don't lose hope. You'll eventually get in, just hang in there.

Dota 2 Invitation : Valid Contestants List

noreply@blogger.com (Nisar) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:03:00 +0000

Thank you for participating in my Dota 2 Invitation Giveaway. I've prepared a list which includes names of people who followed the rules put forward by me. Unfortunately, there were some who either didn't follow them or care to read them. As a result, there were 40 valid applications and one among them will be the winner.

Valid Applications

Harlequin
Max
aaron
Raurkand
javi
Juan
Larzyas
Zikkrat
bd131
ApoTheon
kiani
Eaglicious
Francisco
Aziz
Calintz
Amber
Angelo
Dario
Hilmandir
alex
Amilmand
Belymbor
Fernando
Felipe
Eliolith
Alan
Mauricio
Ariel
Emilio
Karlos
Fred
David
Kenny
Rafael Samyr
Adrian
Ivan
Calos Estuardo
Kevin
Jose Aljandro
Aditya Karan s

If your name is on this list, then congratulations! You stand a chance to win the invite. The number beside your name will be your entry number while making the draw.

Disqualified Applications

Andreas J. (not providing email)
Lovre Baljkas (not providing email)
lobzikick@mdil.ru (not providing name)
jan.smecka@seznam.cz (not providing name)

The above applications are not being considered for the draw as they didn't follow the rules specified.

PS: I'll post the results in about 2 hours from now. Till then, all the best!

Note: If you see a mistake in the any of the lists, please bring it to my notice right away by commenting below and if found true, I'll update that particular list

Dota 2 Beta Invitation Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Nisar) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:16:00 +0000

As the title says, I am giving away a Dota 2 Beta invitation. How to get one? Simply comment below and you're done. There are however certain rules to be followed failing which your entry will be disqualified and you won't be considered for the invitation. The rules are as follows:

You must comment with a name. Anonymous comments will be disqualified immediately.
You must provide your email address in your comment. Make sure this is a valid email address as the invitation will be sent to this email address.
No posting of Steam URLs/IDs. Anyone doing so will be disqualified.
Anyone posting with the same email address or same name multiple times will be disqualified.
And last but not the least, the rules may be changed/edited/appended in case of scenarios not foreseen during the posting of this notification.

Best of luck to everyone. This giveaway will run for 48 hours. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, i.e., December 14, 2011. The winner will be chosen through random.org. Each comment will be assigned a number which will then be used for the random draw.

PS: This is an invitation, not a key. So the winner won't be having extra invites on his/her Steam account.

Dota 2 Beta Invitation : Coming This Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Nisar) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:22:00 +0000

As promised, I'm giving away one of my invitations to you guys. I won a key a while back through the PlayDota Daily Draw, but since I was busy I couldn't post an update about it.

I've decided to start the contest this coming Thursday, i.e. December 8, 2011 as soon as Valve make their weekly update.

So keep watching this space. Over and out!

PS : I'll supply more information about what I'm gonna do with my second invitation on Thursday.

EDIT: There is an update and a bad one at that. Due to unforeseen circumstances , the invitation giveaway has been postponed to Monday. So it will start from December 12, 2011. Sorry about that guys. But it will happen for sure. I hope you all will understand.

GamersBook Dota 2 Key Giveaway : 30 Keys to be won

noreply@blogger.com (Nisar) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 05:04:00 +0000

Good news folks. I present to you one more opportunity to get your hands on a Dota 2 Beta Key. There are 30 of them to be won, so the stakes are quite high. The contest runs for 20 days.

To take part in the contest, visit the GamersBook website and follow the instructions.

500 Dota 2 Keys : Thanksgiving Bonus From IceFrog

noreply@blogger.com (Nisar) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 17:20:00 +0000

Some unbelievable news guys. IceFrog just gave away 500 keys on the occasion of Thanksgiving. If you joined Playdota Forums before October 2011 and posted in the Beta Key Draw thread, your chances of getting a key are very high.

Just head over to Dota 2 Beta Key Draw Results and check if you're listed there.

I didn't win, but I've not given up. There is hope. So even if you didn't win, hang in there. Your time will come.

Dota 2 Beta Invitation Giveaway Soon

noreply@blogger.com (Nisar) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 13:29:00 +0000

Hey guys. Just wanted to inform you all that I got lucky and now access to Dota 2. I just finished a game (picked Huskar as my first hero) and came right here upon completion. I got invited by a friend of mine who I helped get into beta. It then struck me that I can do the same.

I'm very hopeful of getting invited by Valve soon. So I have decided to give my one of my invites to one of the visitors to this blog. I'll let you know when and how I'm gonna pick a winner. So keep watching this space for the giveaway.

As a leaving note, I would love to share a screenshot from my first game :)

DotA v6.72f AI 1.1 - Bug Fixes

noreply@blogger.com (Nisar) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 04:54:00 +0000

PBMN released a new version of the latest AI map, DotA v6.72f AI 1.1. The main purpose of this release is to fix some of the major bugs that were encountered while playing against AI. A more stable version, 1.2 is also in the pipeline, but for the moment players can have a gala time with this version.

Changelogs:

Fixed: Spectre's Reality auto-usage on nearest low hp enemy when Haunt is casted.
Fixed: Player gets extra ability when swaping any hero with Troll AI ( Range Axe ). Same goes to Batrider ( 2nd skill ).
Fixed: dupe item bug in Circle of Power area.
Fixed: Respawn doesnt work when killed while under ult of Pandaren Brewmaster ( Primal Spirits ).
Fixed: Io's Overcharge didn`t work.
Fixed: Naga Siren's ult didn`t work.
Fixed: Furion AI ult didn`t work properly.
Fixed: Courier flying bug.
Fixed Shadow Poison, Earthsplitter, Pounce, and Song of Siren's usage condition.
Improved AI: Geomancer (Poof spamming and Earthbind), KotL (increased Blinding Light offset loc).
Fixed AI item bug on carrying aegis.
Fixed AI orb abilities and Splitshot usage.
Fixed bug on DE/DG
Fixed bug on AI trying to Roshan/gank after game ends.
Changed -sh AI naming (now using colors instead of unit name)
Attempt to fix player leaving on 0:00
Invoker skills build change. New levels are:
Quas: 4 14 15 16 18 20 21
Wex: 6 10 19 22 23 24 25
Added new "fake" ability 'CF03' (Phoenix' Sun Ray)
Fixed heroes AI : Silencer (Curse of Silence), Lich (Frost Armor), Venomancer (Ward), Chen (Holy Persuation), Soul Keeper (was using Reflection on allies), Naga Siren (Song of the Siren bug fixed, condition reworked), Tauren (Earthsplitter improved), Shadow Demon (Shadow Poison?)
Improved hero AI: Phoenix (Sun Ray)
Fixed AI gold bug. Set -ng gold bonus into 0.
Attempting to fix Axe's bug.
Fixed AI behavior against Divine Rapier.
Increased range check for Stasis Ward and Earthsplit dodge.
Improved heroes AI: Disruptor (all skills), Ancient Appariton (Ice Blast condition and aiming), Gyro (Call-Down condition)
Fixed AI behaviour toward gems.
Added message on AI returning Divine Rapier to owner's circle.
Fixed Phoenix' Fire Spirit slowing.
Fixed Juggernaut's using Blade Fury while Omnislashing.
Attempted to fix AI indecisive laning and base-stuck bug.
Changed Rubick's itembuild
Fixed AI Charge of Darkness, improved usage.
Fixed Axe's berserker's call bug
Fixed -dummy bug
Io and Meepo Item Builds fixed.

Download Links:

DotA v6.72f AI 1.1 - ENGLISH

DotA v6.72f AI 1.1 RU - RUSSIAN
DotA v6.72f AI 1.1 BR - PORTUGUES - BRA

Mirror Link:

DotA v6.72f AI 1.1 - ENGLISH

Source: PBMN Blog

DotA 2 Beta Invites Ongoing

noreply@blogger.com (Nisar) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 04:13:00 +0000

Ever wished to get your hands on DotA 2? Well, your wish has come true. There are beta keys being distributed every couple of days. All you need to do is take a survey and you're good to go.

The first set of invites have already been sent out, but the good news is that there are more invites to be sent. If you win a key, you get two spare keys which you can give to anyone who wants to join you.

To take the survey, follow the steps mentioned below:

Login into Steam client. If you don't have the client, you can download it from Steam. If you don't have a steam account, you can register a new one after downloading and installing the client.
Click this link. Make sure are logged into Steam before you click the link else the link won't work. Also make sure you are taking the survey on a PC on which you intend to play DotA 2 as your system hardware information is also going to be collected.
Follow the instructions and complete the survey.
That's it. Now sit back and keep your fingers crossed.

Hurry up because the survey isn't going to be open for long. For more information, visit the DotA 2 blog.

DotA 6.72f AI - Nightmare Map Released

noreply@blogger.com (Nisar) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:24:00 +0000

Good news folks. The latest AI map, DotA 6.72f has been released for public. This is what PBMN posted on his blog:

"Greetings! Welcome to the latest official AI DotA custom map.

NIGHTMARE ... massive official map changes, too many broken skills, too manysystems completely rewritten, too much caffeine, too many new AI heroes added... This map was an equal nightmare and a new hope for a better times. We should all thank the AITeam and Cloud_str for devoting those months so you all can enjoy that fine map. In some words the biggest changes are: -captains mode active (AI will pick and ban), all heroes got AI now, completely rewritten defense mechanism, item buying system, new gank system and so many other changes... that you`ll have to read the whole changelog to find them.. although many of the changes are invisible for you but they are in the code.. believe me And again: thank Cloud_str for all that as i was away most of the time and the AITeam testers who endured all those painful testing hours! They deserve it!
What is AI 1.0 - we plan to release a more BMP style incremental releases which will include only AI code changes. We will change only the AI numbers in those incremental revisions.

Enjoy DotA v6.72f AI, codenamed NIGHTMARE!"

Here are the download links in different languages.

DotA 6.72f AI 1.0 - English

DotA 6.72f AI 1.0 BR Portuguese BR

DotA 6.72f AI 1.0 CN Chinese

So go ahead and enjoy. Try out Rubick, Huskar's new ultimate, New Treant, and so much more.

DotA Allstars 6.72f AI Delayed

noreply@blogger.com (Nisar) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:13:00 +0000

Allright folks. There has been update on the latest DotA AI map. There is good news and there is bad news. I'll start with the bad news first.

We will have to wait a little longer to get our hands on DotA Allstars 6.72f AI map. The reason? Here is what PBMN stated:

Hello, again.
We discussed the release with Cloud_str and we came to conclusion that we need a little more developing time. During that time, many heroes will get their long anticipated AI, so i guess at the end the long waiting will be rewarded.
Basically the good news outbid the bad news of the delay: we get more AI for the heroes, bugs get fixed and skill usages get refined. Cloud_Str is a coding machine :) and every dev day means new amazing things and possibilities in the DotA AI world. Stay tuned... the release is definitely coming!!!

Now for the good news. This delay means we will be getting a much improved AI to play with and against. My personal preference would be to wait a little longer to get a better product than act in a hurry and face instability. So, I would say this delay is a blessing in disguise. Now there was no mention on when exactly we can expect the release. So stay tuned and watch this space for any updates on this.

Till then, over and out.

Top 3 Common Issues People Ignore - Regarding PC Security

noreply@blogger.com (Nisar) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 08:16:00 +0000

While a computer proves to be a very useful device when it comes to making things easier for us, it could also have it's drawbacks if not monitored properly. The biggest problem that one could face is security. In today's age, it is very easy for anyone to get access to you computer and steal information stored in it, be it your passwords, your confidential data, your personal stuff, etc.

The good news is that these can be prevented by taking action on your part. I present to you the top 3 common mistakes that people tend to do when it comes to computer security and how to go about fixing them.

1. No Antivirus/antispyware software:

This, inspite being the most essential thing every computer must have, is something that a lot of users don't pay attention to. Most users avoid using antivirus software because of having to pay annual license fees. But if you ask me, it is worth paying a small fee and stay protected than be at risk of losing something important. My personal choice is ESET Nod32 or McAfee.

Now there are some free antivirus softwares too. They are free for personal use - meaning you get free license for a year and it keeps updating upon expiration. But let's be honest. A paid antivirus will definitely be able to save you from higher risks than a free one. If you still want to try out a free antivirus, you might want to check these out:
a) AVG b) Avira c) Avast

2. Firewall:

It is a common misconception that having an antivirus alone is enough to stay protected. Nothing can be further from the truth. A firewall acts as a 'virtual wall' between your computer and the internet. It has the ability to block intruders from getting access to your system. A good firewall combined with a good antivirus make for a deadly combo.

3. Windows Update:

A lot of people tend to consider this as unnecessary. But it's not. There is reason an update is released and made available to you. If there is an update available, download it. Do not hesitate. Make use of it as it contains patches to upgrade the security features of your operating system.

So there you have it. Making sure that you have the above mentioned covered will help you go a long way in securing your system.

Windows XP - Pre-Installed Games Tricks/Secrets/Shortcuts

noreply@blogger.com (Nisar) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:43:00 +0000

Love Solitaire, Freecell, Hears, Minesweeper, or Pinball?. Today, I present you with some unknown/untold/new secrets/tricks/shortcuts for the pre-installed games that ship with Windows XP. So let's begin:

1. Solitaire
a: Instant Win: Press Alt + Shift + 2 to instantly win
b: Draw only 1 card (instead of 3): Hold down Ctrl + Alt + Shift then click on unopened cards to draw.

2. Freecell
a:Instant Win: Hold down Ctrl + Shift + F10 while playing, then click Abort. Now move one card.
b:Hidden Game Modes: Go to "Game" menu and choose "Select Game". Here you can choose from game modes 1 to 1,000,000. But -1 and -2 will also work (hidden modes).

3. Hearts
a:Show All Cards : (Note: This requires a modification to your registry. Damage to your registry might result in damage to your operating system. So proceed only if you're familiar with registry editing)

--> Open the "Registry Editor" by going to "Start" >> "Run". Then type "regedit" and press "Enter".
-->Expand to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Hearts
-->Right-click on the right panel and create a new String value with the name "ZB"
-->Double-click to open this key "ZB". Then enter "42" and close the "Registry Editor".
-->Start "Hearts" and press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + F12 to show all the cards

4. Minesweeper
a: Stop The Timer: When you start to play a new game, the timer starts ticking. Press Windows Key + D to minimize to desktop. Now come back to the game by selecting it from the taskbar. The timer will be stopped.

5. Pinball
a: Unlimited Balls: Type bmax at a new game to get unlimited balls (note that there will be no notification).
b: Extra Balls: Type 1max at a new game to get extra balls.
c: Gravity Well: Type gmax at a new game to activate Gravity Well.
d: Promotion: Type rmax at a new game or while playing to get instant promotion and raising rank.
e: Extra points with partial shots: Partially shoot the ball just to pass the yellow light bars. There are 6 bars. With the first bar, you'll get 15,000 points, 2nd, 30,000, and so on.
f: Test Mode: Type hidden test with a new ball or new game. Now you can use your mouse to drag and move the ball where you want.

How to: Shortcut for Locking Computer for XP, Vista, Windows 7

noreply@blogger.com (Nisar) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 14:47:00 +0000

Today, I'm going to share with you an alternate way to lock your computer. There are two ways to do it:

i. Pressing the 'Windows' button and the key 'L' at a time.
ii. Using a shortcut and double clicking it (which I'm going to show how).

So what does 'Lock Computer' mean?

Simple. It is what it says. You lock your computer and prevent others from accessing it. If anyone wants to re-use the computer again, they will have to enter the password for the computer user currently logged in. In some cases, there is no password set and so locking the computer becomes moot.

So let's move to the topic in question. Follow the steps mentioned below: (Note that the method is same be it Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7)

1. Right click on a plain area on your desktop (i.e. any place where there aren't any icons, shortcuts, or taskbar present).

2. Go to 'New' from the list of options displayed.

3. Click 'Shortcut' from the new list of options displayed. You will get a dialogue box as shown below.

Note: I'm using Windows XP. So the dialog box shown to you will be slightly different if you're using Vista or Windows 7.

4. In the text box provided copy and paste this : rundll32.exe user32.dll, LockWorkStation and click 'Next'.

5. In the next step, type the name of the shortcut. You can type anything here and the shortcut will be named accordingly.

That's it. You're done. If you go to your desktop now, you'll see the shortcut you just created with the same name which you entered in step 5. Double click it and your computer will be locked.

Funniest Lvl 1 Gank - Epic Fail

noreply@blogger.com (Nisar) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 15:38:00 +0000

Today, I came across an awesome video. Credits to the original uploader. Watch it and you will know what I'm talking about.

The scenario:

Tuskar : Allright guys, stick to me. I'm gonna snowball in with all of you inside it.
Sladar: Great idea! This can never fail.
Tiny: Ok. I'm in.
Ursa: I don't think this is a good idea.
Rhasta: Lets do it.

10 secs later....KABOOM!

DotA 6.72f AI : Release Date

noreply@blogger.com (Nisar) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 12:52:00 +0000

Well, there is more good news for DotA players. PleaseBugMeNot has posted an update on the latest version of AI Map, DotA 6.72f AI on his blog. According to him if all goes well, we can expect the release of the map as quickly as within a week.

Stay tuned for more updates as I will let you know as soon as the map gets released.

DotA 6.73 - More New Heroes

noreply@blogger.com (Nisar) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:39:00 +0000

I'm back guys. And so are the DotA updates. The latest I've heard is that a new map is on it's way soon - DotA 6.73 - with more new heroes.

Here is the official confirmation from IceFrog:

So brace yourselves up for another exciting map. I'll let you know as soon as the new map is available for download. Till then, adios!

DotA Allstars 6.69 - A New Loading Screen

noreply@blogger.com (Nisar) — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 05:20:00 +0000

Icefrog made a new post in his blog. This is what he has to say:

"There is a new loadscreen in the works right now. It will most likely be included in the next update.

6.69 development has also been progressing nicely. I'm not sure exactly when it will be finished just yet, but I'm aiming for something in the near future. I will post another update when it is closer.

If there's anything you'd like to see in the new loadscreen, or any suggestions for 6.69 or 6.70 in general, please let me know. It is always helpful when you guys email me your requests so that I can make sure the updates meet your expectations."

Lets just hope that it comes a lot sooner. Keep watching this space for more updates on this.

DotA Reconnection Tool : Almost There

noreply@blogger.com (Nisar) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:44:00 +0000

Remember the Varlock Dota reconnection project that IceFrog told us before? The project seems work smoothly and might as well released on the near future. IceFrog already doing some test with the Dota reconnection tool and the dropped player can reconnect to the game a few moment later. Sweet! Here is what IceFrog said about this project:

The first version of Varlock's reconnection tool is almost ready for release. We've been testing it in real DotA games for the past few weeks and it has worked very well. We've had many players disconnect only to reconnect moments later, saving otherwise lost games.

The code for this tool (both client and server) will be open source so that anyone can build upon it and integrate it into their platforms and communities.

Source : DotA Blog